To all our readers celebrating, Happy Vaisakhi, Puthandu, and Pohela Boishakh! Did you know you can now shop at Nordstrom for your next festive Desi occasion? We’ve got the details below. But first, we’re diving into India’s deep obsession with K-Pop. And while we’re on the topic of global sounds, set the vibe for your weekend with Raghav and Tesher’s new single “Desperado.”

— Rosh

Shop For Your Next Shaadi at Nordstrom

You can now shop for South Asian clothing at Nordstrom. Sani, a Delhi and North Carolina-based fashion label, recently partnered with the luxury department store chain to have their pieces sold both on the Nordstrom website and in select stores.

Why This Is Important
The sister duo Niki and Ritika Shamdasani founded Sani in 2017 after noticing a gap in the market for South Asian clothes and accessories in the US. Here, roughly 6,500 South Asian weddings occur annually. Most of these weddings traditionally require multiple outfits, which for US consumers, can be difficult to access.

In 2020, Sani became the first South Asian brand on Rent the Runway, the premier e-commerce platform for renting designer apparel and accessories. Within 48 hours of the launch, every single piece from the collection was booked out. The accessibility is especially tempting for non-South Asian audiences who attend South Asian events as guests.

It’s not the first time North America-based brands have attempted to address issues of accessibility to South Asia’s latest fashions. In recent years, more brands catering to South Asian clientele have popped up, such as Bisou NYC and The Saree Room. Rental platforms dedicated to the style like Borrow the Bazaar and Preserve have also emerged. Kynah in particular is renowned as a third-party retailer making bridal wear from acclaimed designers like Seema Gujral and Amit Aggarwal available to shop in the US.

Our Take On The Future (Still a Long Way to Go!)
While plenty of brands are committed to bridging the gap between the East and West in fashion, we still have a long way to go. The majority of the South Asian brands we see in the US only cater to women. Men’s kurtas and sherwanis are still difficult to come by.

Additionally, the price point for these brands isn’t economically feasible for a large portion of the market. Sani’s Nordstrom collection retails at $460 for an anarkali or dhoti set. Even renting from a platform like Preserve will cost you over $100 per outfit – which can add up given how many functions a typical wedding hosts – only for you to have to return it within the week.

Still, Sani’s partnership with Nordstrom is the first of its kind and will undoubtedly change the landscape of the South Asian fashion market in the US for the better. The Sani sisters write, “When we started Sani, we knew part of what we wanted to solve for was access and giving South Asian fashion a global platform, in part by being able to shop for our cultural clothing in the places we already went to shop.” You can shop their Nordstrom collection here.

NYC News

PopShift Music Festival is a two-day experience that will feature a unique blend of art, music, and culture. On May 19, the festival kicks off with an Art Mixer, where attendees can engage with various visual art installations and listen to up-and-coming South Asian artists. On May 20, the festival continues with a Music Concert featuring a talented lineup of artists who will perform live on stage.

Our lineup announcement and ticket sales go up this week. PopShift Newsletter subscribers will be the first to get access!

Raghav and Tesher Collab on New Comeback Single

Your summer playlist is about to pop tf off. Raghav and Tesher have partnered up on a new and sultry single “Desperado.”

Indo-Canadian artist Raghav is no stranger to South Asian millennials. He became a global sensation in 2004 with his timeless album “Storyteller,” which featured hits like “Angel Eyes” and “Teri Baatoon.” The same Bengali producer of that album, Mushtaq Omar Uddin, came back for “Desperado,” reviving the unique mix of R&B, reggae, and classic Bollywood sampling that keeps Raghav’s fans hooked today.

Tesher also returns to the music scene two years after his viral track “Jalebi Baby” with Jason Derulo. His earlier mixes, such as “Young Shahrukh,” seamlessly blend Desi and Western influences with relatable lyrics like “I got 500 dollars in cash in case they don’t take Amex” earning him 62M+ streams on Spotify.

The collaborative “Desperado” is global in its own sense, bridging a gap between the East and West in a way that emphasizes the strengths of both artists perfectly. While sampling the 1973 Bollywood hit “Chura Liya Hai Tumne,'' the track balances Hindi, English, and Spanish lyrics with reggae influences that will keep you addicted. It’s a welcome comeback and a hot start to the warm weeks ahead.

Indians 🤝 Koreans: How India Began Riding the Korean Wave

India has birthed yet another K-Pop star. South Korean popular culture, including K-pop and K-dramas, has seen an immense rise in global popularity over the last decade, but India specifically has caught on to the craze. How did a different culture’s entertainment industry manage to lock our audience in so deeply?

During India’s numerous long-term pandemic lockdowns, Indians had the newfound time and bandwidth to explore and consume international content. In 2020, Gaana – India’s largest commercial streaming music service – saw a 350% increase in K-pop streams. That same year, Netflix’s viewership of Korean TV shows rose by a whopping 370%.

When K-pop doesn’t come to India fast enough, India goes to K-pop. Sriya Lenka – an Odisha-born, classically trained musician and dancer – learned basic Korean and beat out thousands of applicants to become the newest member of the K-pop group BLACKSWAN. More recently, Kerala-born Gauthami became Aria, the latest maknae of X:IN.

Indo-Korean collaborations have also increased. Ashwin Bhaskar collaborated with K-pop star AleXa on a cover of her song “Tattoo.” Wengie worked with Shalmali and Ikka on “Thing You Want,” a K-pop single that blends Punjabi bhangra into EDM and trap elements. And who can forget Memu Aagamu, the Coke studio banger by Armaan Malik, Allu Arjun, and K-pop favorites TRI.BE?

For a nation that already has a surplus of domestic entertainment content, it’s both a marvel that India has managed to make room for more and a testament to the ever-growing potential of Korean cultural dominance.

Other Notable News

• Weston Estate announced a US tour.

• Josh Sahunta released a new EP “To Be Loved Vol. 1.”

• When Chai Met Toast released a new track “so beautiful, with you.”

• Five South Asians, including Shah Rukh Khan and Padma Lakshmi, made Time100: The Most Influential People of 2023. 

• Anjali Tripathi, Chhaya Kapilashrami, and Priyanka Naik are speaking at the POSTed Studio Stage at Coachella this weekend.

Listen to the PopShift Playlist on Spotify.

Writers: Roshni Lalchandani, Nikita Satapathy

Editors: Raghu Alla, Roshni Lalchandani