Loved Leo Kalyan? Here Are Other Queer South Asian Musicians You Must Listen

British-Pakistani Leo Kalyan is a London-based musician, music producer, and model. Kalyan has released three hit extended play records (EP) till now and his best-known track Fingertips reached the top of Spotify's Global Viral Chart. The single Fingertips was streamed more than 3,500,000 times on Spotify.

As a South Asian queer musician set in London, Leo Kalyan's songs tell a unique story based on his experiences. Kaylan was questioning his identity while working on his second extended play record (EP) titled Outside In. The EP’s lead single was based on his experiences as a gay person in the closet and how it affected his personal relationships.

Leo Kalyan performed at Sonam Kapoor’s baby shower in London. Kalyan sang the song Masakali from the soundtrack of the 2006 film Delhi-6. The performance at the baby shower increased his exposure and the internet has begun exploring the artist and his music. Kalyan is not the only relatable South Asian queer musician.

This pride month, explore the discography of these South Asian queer musicians.

South Asian Queer Musicians

Raveena Aurora

Raveena Aurora, also known as Raveena is a singer and songwriter. She released her first EP Shanti in 2017 and released her first album Lucid in 2019 as an independent artist. She later signed with Warner Records and released her second album ‘Asha’s Awakening’ in 2022. Raveena’s songs are jazzy and she favours rhythm & blues (R&B) music.

Singer Raveena was born in the United States to Indian Sikh refugees and is openly bisexual. She said that she grew up surrounded by Indian culture and embraces her Indian and American identity in her music and art.

Vivek Shraya

Vivek Shraya is a musician, writer and visual artist from Canada. She came out as transgender in 2016. Shraya is the front woman of the band Too Attached.

Shraya began writing songs when she was 13 years old and released her first album in 2002. Since then she’s released several albums with a wide range of genres. Shraya began her band Too Attached with her brother Shamik Bigli in 2015.

In a collaboration with the Queer Songbook Orchestra, Shraya released the album Part-Time Woman in 2017. The album was named of the best Canadian albums of 2017 by CBC arts.

Vardaan Arora

The Indian artist, songwriter, and actor Vardaan Arora was born and raised in India and is now based in New York, United States. His debut single Feel Good Song was a pop song that was released in 2016. It was written by Arora and charted on Spotify’s Viral 50. In 2018, after he released another single What If, Arora was named one of Billboard’s 12 LGBTQ Musicians To Discover During Pride Month.

In 2020, Arora released his debut EP, Heartbreak On The Dance Floor’ Billboard described the EP as “pure synth-pop”.

Josephine Shetty

Singer Josephine Shetty, also known by her stage name Kohinoorgasm is a singer and performer. The name is a title of two words, ‘Kohinoor’ and ‘orgasm’. Shetty said that the Kohinoor diamond is symbolic as it has been passed down through South Asia and is now the crown jewel of England. She added that it is unclear which nation the Kohinoor diamond is from, due to changing borders and she related with that sense of “unbelonging”.

Shetty‘s cover illustration for her album Titalee was created by the South Asian queer artist Khushboo Gulati. She said that her work is made alongside queer people of colour as she believes in the importance of working with people that share your identity.

Kiran Gandhi

Kiran Gandhi, also known by her stage name Madame Gandhi is a drummer, music producer, and artist. She has performed in music festivals such as Lightning in a Bottle, Pitchfork, Roskilde, and SXSW.

The openly queer artist has been a touring drummer for artists M.I.A., Kehlani, and Thievery Corporation. She recorded the live drums for the MIA song Bad Girls. In 2016, she released her debut EP Voices and in 2019 she partnered with Sony Music Masterworks and released her EP Visions.

Suggested Reading: Who Is Leo Kalyan? London-Based Musician Performed At Sonam Kapoor's Baby Shower