Welcome back, readers. We’re still calming down from PopShift Music Festival. Raghu wrote another open letter reflecting on the weekend, and the rest of the team shared their highs and lows. It was truly an event to remember, but it’s also just the beginning. But before we get around to all that, we have to demand justice for Ms. Marvel. Read on to find out why.

— Rosh

They’re Killing Ms. Marvel

Marvel has confirmed that in the upcoming installment of the comic book series “The Amazing Spider-Man,” Kamala Khan – known better as Ms. Marvel – will die. The creative decision to kill the iconic Muslim Pakistani-American character has received mass criticism from fans of both the superhero and the greater Marvel Universe.

Why People Are Pissed

One of the youngest and newest characters in the Marvel Universe, Ms. Marvel appeared for the first time just ten years ago. Fans are calling out her death as a classic case of fridging, a sexist media trope where a female character suffers for the sake of advancing a male character’s plot forward. In this case, Ms. Marvel’s “heroic sacrifice,” which she isn’t even given the dignity of executing in her own series, is written as a part of Peter Parker’s storyline.

The offense is higher when considering that Kamala Khan is the first Pakistani and Muslim superhero to star in her own series, with the current Disney+ show being a creative playground for showcasing South Asian artistry and history beyond the superhero plot points. Fans aren’t just calling the writing lazy — they’re calling it racist.

Looking To The Future

It’s important to remember that death in the Marvel Universe isn’t so final. Comic book characters are killed off and then brought back to life often, a plot device publishers use to stir drama in their stories. It’s nonsensical to kill Kamala Khan considering her MCU counterpart, played by Iman Vellani, is appearing in “The Marvels” this November.

Still, Ms. Marvel deserves more respect. Using her death in the comics as a gimmick to increase Spider-Man sales doesn’t do the iconic and culturally important character justice.

NGL, the entire PopShift Music Festival weekend was kinda lit 🔥.

An open letter from Raghu Alla, PopShift Director

Months and months of hard work finally came to life at the first-ever PopShift Music Festival, presented by Toyota in New York City. Congratulations to all our visual and performing artists at both the PopShift Music + Arts Mixer and the PopShift Music Concert. Without you guys, this event truly couldn’t exist. With a combined audience of over 1,500 across the Festival weekend, our team and I couldn’t be prouder or more motivated to continue our mission of showcasing South Asian art and music around the world. But let me get deep with you for a second…

I realized the weekend was a success a week before it even started, when I gave myself a moment to just observe and take in what all was happening around me. Instantly, my team came to mind. They were hustling together at levels even I could never imagine. There was no clocking out on the job. We were all working 24/7 with one sole purpose in mind – to give our audience a new cultural experience. And this weekend, we did exactly that.

For the longest time, I’ve been told, “No one will care about PopShift as much as you care about PopShift.” And I believed it. For years, I was alone on this journey. I took in the “highs” but also sulked in some of the lowest of “lows.” But this weekend, for the first time in a really long time, I felt truly proud of myself. That’s not because the weekend went amazingly or because everyone is talking about it (but those are really nice too), but because I finally have the team I’ve dreamed of. We’re all oddly shaped puzzles that somehow fit together perfectly. And with their continued love and dedication, I can finally see my wildest of dreams for PopShift coming true.

A Moment That Will Go “Down” In PopShift History

View the official photos from PopShift Music Festival here.

Team Highs and Lows

We asked the PopShift Music Festival Team what their highs and lows from the weekend were.

Prarthana
High: Working with the best team and seeing the whole concept come to life - the decor, the visuals, the setup, and the performances! Also, watching people having a great time at the festival! 
Low: Dealing with last-minute changes in our decor concept because of a miscommunication with the venue. 

Ashish
High: Seeing the visuals for the mixer live in person
Low: Dealing with the venue staff

Prena
High: Witnessing what an amazing turnout every event had. Seeing everyone vibing and having a great time made me soo happy! oh…and handing Jay Sean water from backstage!! 
Low: The weekend ending and not being with everyone anymore 😭 Time to start planning the next event! 

Sagar
High: Getting to work with the best team to bring our team’s vision to life and seeing hundreds of people make memories. 
Low: Not having enough time slots to showcase the many more South Asian artists. Time to do more shows! 

Rosh
High: I shared a lot of really special moments with new and old friends. Love for our culture brought people from all walks of life into the room.
Low: I’ve been branded as this team’s optimist, so in that spirit — no lows.

Tej
High: The moment when I was filming Jay Sean perform down on Stage 
Low: My name wasn’t on the after party guest list 

Tahmid
High: Felt awesome to be on stage with Jay Sean. Overall, it's always dope putting on something cool for the culture 
Low: Scrambling to get all the photographers into the festival because we forgot to guest list their names. Just goes to show how much every little detail matters. Aside from that, maybe just being on my feet so long lmao 

Other Notable News

• Shubh released a new album “Still Rollin.”

• Natasha Noorani released a new track “CHAMKEELA.”

• Dualist Inquiry and Rudy Mukta released a new track “No Escape.”

• Arooj Aftab announced an upcoming tour.

• Gurinder Gill teased a potential, upcoming album.

Listen to the PopShift Playlist on Spotify.

Written and Edited by Raghu Alla and Roshni Lalchandani