South Asian Representation in Mainstream Rock Music You May Have Forgotten About
When you think of rock music, you don’t automatically associate South Asians with it. Here are a few of them who have been a part of some pretty influential rock bands. Let us know who we’re missing - especially if there’s any female musicians we’re forgetting!
Sameer Ghadia from Young the Giant
Not only is Sameer Ghadia a part of one of the best indie bands to come onto the scene in the 2010s but he is the lead singer / frontman of it as well! I personally feel like we do not claim him enough - he is a heartthrob with the voice of a rugged angel and that’s not necessarily the reputation South Asian men get to have in mainstream music in America. I did get to meet him [slide for the pic hehe] and while I did not tell him that exactly, I did thank him for repping us in the indie rock scene. Their latest album is even called American Bollywood so he’s definitely claiming US!
David Baksh from Sum 41
Ok I’m sorry but how, as a desi community, did we forget to claim David Baksh & shout from the rooftops that a badass Indo-Guyanese brown dude is in one of the best rock bands of the 90s? He broke stereotypes before that was a thing and showed that it was possible to find success as a guitar playing rockstar in a band instead of going to med school… David is still active in Sum41 today, recently going on tour with The Offspring and Simple Plan. My millennial heart simply CANNOT! I don’t know how to shred but that’s all I wanna go do right now!
Tony Kanal from No Doubt
Not only did he date Gwen freaking Stefani, he ALSO had songs, plural, written about him by her - whilst being an integral part of one of the most culturally influential bands of the 90s. A brown dude shredding on a guitar, playing legendary live shows with the queen of punk herself, that are still referenced today [Live in Tragic Kingdom, anyone?] just really makes me wanna shout from the rooftops and mosh a little. Tony Kanal artistry goes beyond No Doubt, however. Athough he might not be in the spotlight anymore like he was during the bands’s peak, Tony still continues his career in producing, songwriting and composing.
Kim Thayli from Soundgarden
Lastly, one of the OGs. I can’t say I’ve ever actively listened to Soundgarden but from what I’ve gathered from Reddit, they are one of the most underrated but popular bands of the 80s. A lot of people who appreciate them use them in the same breath as Nirvana, Pearl Jam and Alice in Chains, who all actually came after Soundgarden. Kim Thayli is considered to be a brilliant and underrated guitarist who gave the basis for many of the band’s hit songs. Hailing from Kerala, Thayli is a perfect example of an original South Asian trailblazer.