The Bewafa Chokehold

Greetings friends,

Welcome to our first PopShift Newsletter. If you’re reading this, you’ve probably attended one of our events or signed up for emails through our website. Our vision is for this to be a cornerstone of news and critical commentary on the South Asian cultural scene. We’ll build towards this goal by sending our newsletters out twice a week - Tuesdays and Fridays. 

Tuesday newsletters will summarize general topics relevant to South Asian pop culture, and Friday newsletters will focus specifically on music and entertainment. 

So if you’re interested in receiving these – dope. We’re happy to have you here. If you want to tap out, hit unsubscribe. No hard feelings. We’ll just be blasting Bewafa on repeat. 

— Rosh & Raghu

BIBA Got Duped — How T-Series Knocked Off This Independent Artist’s Viral Song

Farasat Anees, an Islamabad-based music producer, is best known for his 2020 single “BIBA” with Slick Trick and Toshi. The electronic rendition of Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan’s 1988 qawwali “Biba Sada Dil Morr De” has 25M+ YouTube streams, and it affirmed Anees’ spot in Pakistan’s underground DJ scene.

“BIBA” was recently plagiarized by India’s largest record label – T-Series. Despite sourcing big names like singer Sachet Tandon and actress Giorgia Andriani to join the project, Bhushan Kumar’s “BIBA” failed to distract fans from noticing the theft amidst a strikingly similar intro, arrangements, sound selection and vocal segments.

The mega production company has been publicly called out for plagiarizing countless independent artists before. Recent noteworthy victims include Ritviz and Abrar-ul-Haq, whose respective tracks  “Udd Gaye” and “Nach Panjaban” are barely indistinguishable from their T-Series Bollywood dupes.

What’s the Issue?
Independent artists are at constant risk of having their best original works stolen. They then have no viable legal avenue to demand credit or financial compensation for their own intellectual property. “Cheap acts like this cannot stop an artist like me from making good music. All I can say is a billion dollar company, T-Series, has failed to replicate my viral track and has failed to gain the audience's respect,” shared Anees with PopShift. 

How is this happening?
Vagueness within India’s Copyright Act allows for bigger companies to exploit smaller artists through legal loopholes. Artists can pursue legal retaliation, but their efforts are essentially fruitless against T-Series’ financial and social influence.

The Big Picture —
In order to adequately protect both the intellectual property rights of independent artists and the sanctity of the music industry, India needs to address the flaws in its copyright legislation. In this era of digital uprisings, can artists demand those changes and finally hold the entertainment monopoly accountable? Until time tells, we should actively offer our consumer power to the original artists of the stolen works instead.

You can stream Farasat Anees’ “BIBA” here.

The Bewafa Chokehold

Imran Khan was 25 years old when he changed the landscape of Punjabi Hip-Hop with his 2009 album “Unforgettable.” Launched via Prestige Records, the 15-track debut made international waves, giving us timeless hits including “Amplifier,” “Aaja We Mahiya,” and every sad boy’s anthem – “Bewafa (Unfaithful).” 

To this day, we haven’t been able to escape the “Bewafa” chokehold. What is it about this particular single that keeps people of all generations so passionately hooked?

“Bewafa” was released in an era where it was uncommon for men to be vulnerable about universal topics like love and heartache. Moreover, in a culture where relationships born of love are considered taboo, “Bewafa” provided a much-needed emotional outlet to a population that 1) has historically struggled to end up with their choice of partner and 2) was often forced to nurse their secret relationship woes in private.

@mariyahhhhhh

who’s the bewafa 😡 #desitiktok #muslimtiktok #fyp #foryoupage #desi #muslim #

Seriously. Who hurt this kid? ^

By the numbers:

• Time since release: 13 years, 6 months, 29 days

• YouTube music video streams: 86.3M+

• Spotify streams: 85M+

• TikToks featuring the song: 540K+

“Bewafa” remains one of Khan’s most streamed tracks, but over a decade later, where is everyone’s favorite betrayed singer? Fresh off his 2022 “Unforgettable Club Tour” across India, Khan is set to release a new album in 2023. A comeback isn’t out of the question – of the music video’s 86M streams, 26M were from 2022 alone. Some might celebrate the resurgence of a throwback, but did “Bewafa” ever really lose us in the first place? 

SANJ Drops Debut Album "Nightingale"

Sanjana Nayak, aka SANJ, dropped her debut album “Nightingale” today. Known for introducing her classically trained voice to the R&B scene, SANJ’s latest sounds showcase her vision of what a sultry Desi-R&B can be. 

“Nightingale” succeeds years of singles and EPs that testify to the evolution of SANJ’s sound and the growth of her unique style. The first single of the album – “Devil’s in the Details” – which was released on February 10, is described by SANJ as “the quintessential sad girl banger.”

You can stream SANJ’s new album, “Nightingale,” here.

Other Notable New Music Releases

• Rhea Raj released a new track "Taste That (Mwah)."

• Supreme Sidhu released a new track "Solo Dolo."

• Kamal released a trending track "Free Flow."

• Aaryan Shah released a new album "A Love Letter to LA." 

Who did we miss? Submit new music to Popshift here.

Written and Edited by Roshni Rekha