est. 2020
Artists
singers, musicians, etc.
Sanjana (she/her)
IG: @sanjmusic
Sanjana is a South Asian singer/songwriter whose goal is to, “make music that people can always lean on.” Showing interest in music from a young age encouraged her parents to put her in Hindustani Classical Vocal lessons at the age of 8. As the years went on, Sanjana began to explore more contemporary styles which eventually led to her recording & writing her own music. She cites Indian music as an influence by saying, “since I always heard Indian music around the house & also trained in it, I definitely subconsciously tend to incorporate Indian inspired melodies into my original music!” Some of her biggest inspirations are John Mayer, Lianne La Havas, & Young the Giant. She points to their ability of “capturing nuanced emotions” & “innovative songwriting” as sources of inspiration. When asked about her favorite part of being South Asian, Sanjana mentioned everyone’s favorite: the food. “There are too many things I love about being South Asian,” she said, “but the food just always brings me a unique sense of comfort & joy.” In the future, Sanjana plans to release more music & start touring.
Parth Desai (he/him)
IG: @parth_desai
Parth Desai is a South Asian DJ who is breaking South Asian stereotypes & having fun while doing it. He grew up watching his grandfather & uncle create music, which inspired him to do the same. Parth began experimenting with a virtual DJ software at the age of 12 & bought his first DJ controller at 14. “Soon after, I began releasing music on SoundCloud,” he recanted, “where I gained 9,000 plays in my first month.” Being a South Asian DJ does not come without its own set of challenges. “I don’t look like the other DJs, & being a professional DJ is not a favorable career choice in my family.” Despite this, Parth recognized the importance of doing something that he was truly passionate about. He started out by making Bollywood mixes for dance teams across the Bay Area which he credits for “the experience of editing, mixing, & review,” which allowed him to “become a master at using various DAWS & digital music software to clean & create professional sounding tracks.” Some of Parth’s biggest inspirations include names like Calvin Harris, Playboi Carti, Ravi Shankar, & Rahat Fateh Ali Khan. When asked about his favorite part of being South Asian, Parth discussed the ability of music to bring people together, how this has deep roots in Indian culture, & the observable effect his mixes had on his community at parties. In the future, Parth has plans to seek residency at a San Francisco club & will “continue to work on practicing mixing & refining the music production process.” Parth is currently booked to play at the Rhythm Music Festival in San Francisco in Fall 2021 with his DJ partner Jack, & is currently working on “bringing a blend of Spanish & Indian sounds to electronic house music.”
Abhinav Buddhavaram (he/him)
IG: @abhixnav
Abhinav Buddhavaram is a South Asian Hip-Hop/R&B artist who is ready to shake up the music scene. He first began pursuing his craft as a sophomore in high school, messing around with beats & free producing software. As a South Asian artist, Abhinav is extremely aware of the impact his culture & heritage has on his career. “There isn’t a strong [presence] of the South Asian community in the world of Hip-Hop or R&B. I want to do my part… carrying our culture into a different world.” One of Abhinav’s biggest musical inspirations is an artist named NO1-NOAH, & he cites him as the person who inspired him to start making music. Other influences mentioned were popular artists like Drake & Giveon. When asked about his favorite part of South Asian culture, Abhinav said, “the pure beauty & diversity of our culture & how we carry ideas out… there is nothing I would trade for being able to have fun to the fullest extent, whether that be cultural festivals, dances, parties, songs, or anything else.” In the future, Abhinav plans to continue bringing his vision to life by dropping singles & albums, with each release representing different emotions & imagery. Be on the lookout for more collaborations & creativity from him!
COMING SOON
Dhruv