August finds us in the middle of South Asian Heritage Month. To mark the occasion three members of the BPI community tell us a little bit about themselves, their work and their thoughts on the UK music industry’s current relationship with South Asian Music, artists and representation. 

Jasmine Dotiwala is a music and entertainment broadcaster, producer, columnist and founding member of BPI’s Equity and Justice Advisory Group.

I spent many years when I was working at MTV and again reporting on music stories for Channel 4 News, SKY News, and beyond, thinking about why South Asians weren't more prominent in the music charts and behind the scenes of the UK music industry. 

I rarely see Asians in the music landscape. According to this year’s UK Music Diversity Report, approximately 5.4% of the UK music industry is South Asian. Well, where are they? Are they being platformed on industry panels? Are they being considered for industry highlights lists? Are they being nominated for awards? 

The industry more widely is waking up to the global rise of South Asian music. Last year, Coachella was praised for its line-up which included Mercury Prize nominee Joy Crookes as well as Diljit Dosanjh, Ali Sethi, Jai Paul and Jai Wolf. This year, Glastonbury had its first ever dedicated South Asian stage area featuring names like DJ Ritu, Anish Kumar, Manara and Nabihah Iqbal.  

Across the music industry platforms and brands who usually rush to create content and curate events around underrepresented communities have been woefully quiet when acknowledging South Asian Heritage Month. I hope South Asian Heritage Month 2025 will step up. 

Rohan Ram is Creative Producer at BPI Member label, Punch Records. 

We all know about Bhangra; the Sounds of the Asian Underground and Mundian To Bach Ke, but is there anything exciting about South Asian arts today? I recently attended DialledIn: Manchester; probably a festival - perhaps even a movement - and certainly a platform for contemporary South Asian creativity. What I saw was a poignant infusion of traditional art with fresh ideas and energy. DialledIn is built around inclusivity. It discards segmentation and opens itself to thought from all elements of the diaspora.

Growing up as a South Asian Brit, I was one of those who often felt "too brown for the white kids and too white for the brown kids". I think that cliché has finally played itself out. Today, I have the privilege of working with and within West Midlands communities; co-creating programmes that are unlocking and nurturing hidden talent across genres, art forms and diasporas. The disconnect between continuity with the past and potential to change the future is being remedied by the effervescent artistic movements that are uniting South Asian youth. This is a challenge DialledIn have successfully managed to overcome, but it remains an issue that South Asian music faces. It needs to throw away old blueprints of who ought to enjoy and who ought to create, embrace diversity from all angles and focus on building a wide ranging talent development pipeline to keep the music flowing.

Meenal Odedra is Audio Distribution Manager at COLOURxSTUDIOS. She sits on the UK Music Futures Board, was added to the 2019 Shesaid.so Alt Power list and was inducted into the Women in Music Roll of Honour in 2022. Meenal has been a member of BPI’s Equity and Justice Advisory Group since 2017.

Growing up, music was an integral part of my life. However, pursuing a career in the music industry was not without its hurdles. The lack of representation and opportunities for South Asian artists often made it challenging to gain recognition and support. One of my primary goals working in the industry is to champion South Asian Music and artists.  

By highlighting our cultural heritage, South Asian Heritage Month also opens doors for meaningful conversations and collaborations, further integrating South Asian music into the global music scene. It acts as a reminder of the progress made and the work still needed to achieve true diversity and representation. 

In essence, my journey in the music industry is not just about personal success but about paving the way for future generations of South Asian artists. It’s about creating a more inclusive and diverse musical landscape where every voice can be heard and celebrated. 

Community and identity is so important, and it’s heartwarming to see the broader industry acknowledging and celebrating the contributions that South Asians have made on the music industry. Things are already so much better, but I do hope that the spotlight on South Asian Heritage Month does increase the representation of South Asians and inspire the younger generations and pave the way for more inclusive and diverse leadership in the future.   

If you have any questions about BPI's Diversity work, please contact our DEI Manager Hailey at [email protected].