The Mainstream Invasion: South Asian Artists Climb The Charts

What is so great about being in the mainstream? Yes, it is the most popular form of recognition- being part of a celebrity status and making tonnes of cash. But is it really all that important? Let’s take us South Asians, for example. Some of us have made it in the mainstream, and regardless of longevity, what matters is the fact that members of our community were able to attain such success and make the world aware of who we were.

One of the pioneers for South Asian success in the Mainstream was Bally Sagoo, who introduced Hindi tracks in a non-Asian club. His tune-dropping caused a stir amongst the crowd and everyone was lapping it up before they knew what hit them. His bravery, as some might call it, for trying something different back in the 90’s was rewarded with the club crowd wanting more.

Another approach to the mainstream was Talvin Singh, winner of the Mercury Music Prize (the award that recognizes new talent in Britain). Talvin went on to create a bigger name for himself with ‘Anokha Nights’ and gained followers from all backgrounds. This night was groundbreaking for new found South Asian underground talent, many of whom are still very prominent today. Because South Asian music is being recognized on a global level and appealing to music fans of non South Asian origin, it is safe to say that along with rock and country, it is becoming a mainstream music genre. This is a tremendous step for South Asian musicians, as their talent is being recognized and culture is on display for the world to enjoy; it is no longer reserved for members of the South Asian diaspora.

After Bally and Talvin’s short lived success in the mainstream arena, Asian-ness calmed down. Little ripples were sent out through bands like Cornershop and solo artists like Babylon Zoo and Sheila Chandra in Monsoon. They came, they sang, we cheered, and they exited with not that much of a mark left on the ground. But soon enough, the eccentric and eclectic Punjabis were going to make big waves in the scene.

Enter Punjabi MC. ‘Mundiya Tu Bachke’ was the most heavy sounding bhangra track to ever come out to the mainstream. Not the subtle tabla and sitar sounds of Talvin or the Hindi lyrics from Sheila, but big dhol beats and loud Punjabi ‘bruuaahs’. ‘Mundiya Tu Bachke’ brought a new meaning to the word international. There was the Indian singer, British producer, and video shot in Malaysia – this track had it all. It had so much that Jay Z himself took it up and made his own tune while sampling the bhangra. A hip hop icon takes a bhangra track that has already existed in the little ol’ Asian clubs years before it reaches mainstream status, and makes it more than the tune that we ‘chakkde’ to. Now everyone is ‘chakkde’-ing to it.

Punjabi MC blew the industry up and paved the way for the likes of the Rishi Rich Project and Raghav. Hearing Jay Sean’s songs, Rishi’s production and Raghav’s voice on the radio, on mainstream radio, watching it climb the charts, seeing little white, black, brown, yellow and whatever shade you want kids singing to the lyrics – man, that made you proud. You were happy to be South Asian. Yes, I’m brown and damn, am I proud! You could stand out in a club now and bust some bhangra moves and know no one will laugh at you. Rather, you’ll have fellow club goers wanting to celebrate with you. It was and still is great.

What is the future for the South Asian music going mainstream? Who’s going to carry the diva further rather than fizzling out once again? I say look out for the likes of Nitin Sawhney, M.I.A. and the Kray Twinz.

Nitin is closely associated with Talvin and both have collaborated before as well. Nitin has reached the mainstream with his unique blend of music and has received deserved recognition from the classical community in the UK, as well as other parts of the world. His collaboration to score an opera piece and a performance with the Britten Sinfonia is extremely astounding for any musician, Asian or not. His sound is a distinct ‘Nitin-ness’ and I know it will go far and wide. His performances have travelled the world, through his own tours as well as touring with WOMAD. When it comes to Nitin going mainstream, he will just keep going strong.

If you haven’t noticed by now, a lot of South Asian artists that have made it big and in the mainstream are of British origin and tend to start out their musical careers in Britain. M.I.A. is not exception. She is a Sri Lankan born refugee whose father is a Tamil Tiger and parents moved to Britain, where she grew up. But M.I.A is being noticed in America. Her latest news worthy antic was being refused entry back in to the States, possibly due to her political lyrics and associations with the guerrillas in Sri Lanka. M.I.A has caused a lot of talk amongst media moghuls in the UK for the way she was marketed in America. She received more applause in the States than she did in the UK. Despite the controversy, she has definitely made a statement with her individual voice and has hit the mainstream hard in the States. She doesn’t even use any of the Indian languages in her lyrics, while singing in her London accent with the strangest of sounds for words has made her acceptable in the mainstream. Amongst the ladies, she has certainly stood out the most.

Another group that has their humble origins in the UK are the Kray Twins. Not only are they a success in the UK, but they are receiving a considerable amount of attention in the States as well. They are the duo who has changed the American hip hop sound to some extent. They can be considered crossover artists since they started in the bhangra industry and moved into the hip hop scene (and we all acknowledge hip hop as mainstream nowadays). Having performed at the Kiss Awards 2005 and worked with the likes of DMX, Keyshia Cole and Elephant Man, just to name a few, they have introduced UK grime into the American hip hop world and blended the different scenes beautifully together. Their look is distinctive enough to make them stand out amongst others in the scene (with their ‘padkhas’) and their production is creating a lot of excitement. They are truly and uniquely talented.

So with these new artists making it in the mainstream and making subtle impacts, the fire of Asian mainstream music is kept burning. The Jay Seans and Raghavs in the industry need to notice that they aren’t the only ones around anymore and artists like Nitin, M.I.A and the Kray Twinz are coming in strong and hard. They have appealed to a wider audience and don’t really need to rely on the Asian crowd to support them. And that is a great achievement. With the likes of Marky Mark, who is the head of music at the BBC Asian Network and a member of the Punjabi Hit Squad, saying that by the end of 2006, he is aiming for at least five Asian artists to go mainstream, you know there is no stopping us now. More South Asian rappers, singers and producers are crossing over into different music genres. Seeing a South Asian face in the mainstream scene is no longer going to seem abnormal. Not too long now, it’ll just be another artist making great music whether it sounds or looks Asian or not. And that is what music is supposed to be.