For much of the past two decades, South Asian music (and the culture, overall) has been framed in Western spaces as an influence rather than an ecosystem worthy of appreciation—something to borrow from, aestheticise, or reduce to a ‘moment’. In 2025, that framing no longer held weight. Across the wider diaspora, artists are releasing work that feels intentional and self-possessed, rooted in local histories while fully aware of a global audience. What’s emerging isn’t a trend but a newfound confidence: music that no longer waits to be contextualised or co-signed to feel complete or even ‘cool’.

This list of the best South Asian albums of 2025 isn’t just about my personal highlights, it’s a snapshot of a scene in motion: brown artists building infrastructure beyond Western gatekeeping, audiences expanding past the diaspora, and aesthetics that no longer follow Euro-American trends. South Asian music right now feels defined by this ever-growing momentum, where no matter the scale, artists are pushing forward with incredible focus and it’s been incredible to witness.

The projects included here range from full-length studio albums to mixtapes and EPs—complete, full-bodied statements from musicians that clearly took the time to refine their vision and craft this past year. Each release has been judged first and foremost on the quality of the music itself, but also on its global reach, cultural impact, and influence, alongside the boldness and freshness of its ideas. Success here isn’t measured by numbers alone, but by how convincingly these works expand the sonic possibilities of South Asian music in 2025.

Let me take you through the year one month and project at a time, tracing how it unfolded as it happened.

JANUARY

Steel Banglez
One Day It Will All Make Sense (EP)
Genre: Punjabi Pop
Label: Mass Appeal / Gifted Music

For years, British-Punjabi producer Steel Banglez has been one of the most influential architects of the UK’s Hip-Hop and Afroswing sound. With “One Day It Will All Make Sense”, he flipped the script by interweaving R&B, dancehall, hip-hop, and South Asian melodies with a stacked roster of collaborators that includes AP Dhillon, Omah Lay, Afsana Khan, Nas, and Sid Sriram, to name a few—a bold roster of diverse talents that mirrors the multicultural streets of East London where he grew up.

What makes this project so compelling isn’t just the star power of it all but its vision: a melding of diasporic worlds that feels organic rather than remixed for social media. No shade. Whether it’s the balladic sway of “Mohobbat” or the fusion of Hip-Hop/R&B with Tamil lyrics in “Times”, Banglez manages to showcase the complexities of each voice while keeping the sound unmistakably his. In a year where South Asian music pushes beyond the margins, this EP stands as a reminder that hybrid identity isn’t a novelty but serves as a timeless contemporary sound.

FEBRUARY

Raf-Saperra
She Loves Me, She Loves Me Not (EP)
Genre: Contemporary Punjabi Pop
Label: Fatboy Records Limited

If Artist of the Year had to go to anyone from the diaspora, the crown belongs to Raf-Saperra. With two incredible EPs released in 2025 and a single teasing the highly anticipated follow-up to “5 Deadly Venomz” for the start of 2026, alongside sold-out global tours, major international festival appearances, and physical releases flying off the shelves, we can confidently place his name next to Panjabi MC and Jay Sean as one of the finest British South Asian exports we’ve ever seen—all without a debut studio album to his name. Achieving such remarkable mainstream success, cultivating a massive, organic following solely through his music and no other business ventures or creative endeavours, and doing so independently with complete ownership of his work this early in his career is unprecedented in the South Asian music scene.

“She Loves Me, She Loves Me Not” puts forward emotion and storytelling in a way I’ve never heard in modern Punjabi music. He lays out a genre-fluid soundtrack for us, much like Beyoncé’s “Lemonade”, in which he takes us on a cinematic journey, much like Kendrick’s “good kid, m.A.A.d city”, through infatuation, love, heartbreak and grief, which immediately puts this project in rarified air. This concept ‘album’ demonstrates masterfully how Punjabi music can evolve beyond traditional folk or Bhangra templates, embracing modern production styles while staying deeply rooted in language and melody. 

MARCH

BODUR
Maqam
Genre: Alternative
Label: PACE

“Maqam” stands out as one of the most exciting albums of this year’s alternative scene, merging electronic textures with acoustic, traditional Arabic instrumentation and vocal experimentation. The album’s themes of displacement, identity, and vulnerability profoundly mirror the broader currents of indie and alternative music emerging across South Asia and the diaspora—in particular, the latter two.

It feels particularly urgent because it reframes just how ‘alternative’ South Asian music can get. The work resists easy categorisation, but that’s the fun part. For a majority of listeners, this exploration through haunting alt-pop/electronic ballads, Turkish/Romani-influenced rhythms and contemporary Middle Eastern productions only helps to solidify that nobody can put BODUR in a box—and she’s just getting started.

APRIL

Avara
A Softer Place to Land
Genre: R&B/Soul
Label: Self-released

Who doesn’t love a good R&B album? And I mean a goood R&B album. Avara’s “A Softer Place to Land” is full of lush productions and intimate lyricism, sung with this incredibly beautiful, airy and rich-textured voice, comparable to Jhené Aiko, Nao and Raveena. You can’t go wrong here. While I would’ve loved to hear more of only her on her own debut album, the creative choice to feature an artist on ten of the twelve songs works well.

The South Asian R&B space right now is thriving, with multiple artists leaning into their brownness to create hybrid works with a blend of worldly languages and musical scales but Avara’s album doesn’t do that. It also doesn’t feel derivative or imitative of any specific ‘traditional’ melodies; it asserts its presence as a fully realised and globally relevant expression of the genre. While she’s able to express her inner brownness with her music videos and overall fashion sense, her music is strictly for the modern R&B lovers.

MAY

Seedhe Maut, Hurricane & DL91 Era
DL91 FM (Mixtape)
Genre: Hip-Hop
Label: DL91 ERA

This collaborative mixtape captures the energy of India’s burgeoning Hip-Hop scene like lightning in a bottle, where underground collectives and likeminded artists establish DIY infrastructures for production, distribution and genuine community engagement. As a cohesive project, “DL91 FM” serves as a snapshot of the Indian hip-hop sound: politically aware, culturally rooted and sonically fresh and adventurous.

The thirty-track mixtape thrives on its range—from punchy gully narratives to introspective reflections—and its deliberate curation demonstrates the growing ambition of Indian hip-hop artists. In a market consistently dominated by lacklustre film soundtracks and commercial pop, “DL91 FM” embodies the scene’s shift into the mainstream: toward projects that prioritise craft, vision, a grittier sound that reflects India today and an authenticity, cementing the genre’s legitimacy within India and South Asia in general.

JUNE

Kayan
Is Love Enough (EP)
Genre: Pop
Label: Self-released

On first glance, you wouldn’t think a five-track, 13-minute debut EP would ever be enough to grab someone’s attention. You would be wrong. This singer-songwriter and DJ from Mumbai has a voice that you could place on any song from any genre, with any artist, and somehow, she fits perfectly. Her voice is soft but cool, intimate with a slightly conversational delivery. “Is Love Enough” is a question we’ve all asked ourselves at one point in time and because of that, it reads like both a diary entry and those 3AM texts all at the same time; a set of poems you weren’t meant to read aloud.

Rooted in catchy hooks, warm Afro-R&B rhythms and synth-driven, spacey productions, this project explores emotional vulnerability that gives you just enough while leaving you wanting so much more, positioning Kayan among the generation of artists redefining this new Pop/R&B space for an audience rarely written or catered for.

JULY

Hanumankind
Monsoon Season
Genre: Hip-Hop/Rap
Label: Capitol Records / Universal Music India

The Big Dawg did his big thing and dropped his long-awaited debut studio album, which features one of the biggest hit singles of 2024 that helped skyrocket him into rap superstardom. I really thought “Ghengis” or “Skyline” would’ve put him on the map but I guess I’m just too early to things.

Hanumankind waxes poetic over personal struggles, reflections on his identity and social commentary, all over hard-hitting beats and traditional South Indian percussion and symbols. I’m also a sucker for anyone that puts their parents on an album in the form of a voicemail interlude. It was perfect to hear his mother speaking so affectionately to him in Malayalam, reminding him to take care of himself. This album illustrates the increasing sophistication of global hip-hop: “Monsoon Season” stands out for its ability to reflect both the urban South Asian experience and global hip-hop sensibilities, cementing Hanumankind’s place as a key voice in the continent’s rapidly expanding rap ecosystem. 

AUGUST

What a wild month.

I chose two albums here – allow me to explain why.

DAYTIMERS
Alterations (Extended Cut)
Genre: Dance/Electronic
Label: Relentless Records / Sony Music Entertainment India

For the past five years, South Asian DJs and producers have been pushing the boundaries of the dance and electronic scene, to carve out spaces for Brown people on the dance floor and “Alterations” is one of the fruits of that labour. A reclamation of the very sounds used to shame and stereotype entire generations of diaspora kids, now brought to life through UK Garage, Jungle, Baile Funk and experimental electronica. The release highlights a scene increasingly optimistic in its creative autonomy: it’s bright, daring, with worldly influences, cool and nostalgic but fresh, while honouring underground roots. The album’s fluidity and innovation marks it as a reference point for 2025’s forward-looking dance music landscape.

The risk and innovation it took to pull off a project like this clearly paid off, I heard this record in clubs everywhere. While its impact was largely scene-based and surrounded cultural tastemakers rather than the chart-obsessed public, “Alterations” remains important for representation in non-traditional genres, pushing back against stereotypical expectations of what South Asian music “should” sound like and reshaping the perception of the Brown identity in these spaces.

Karan Aujla & Ikky
P-POP CULTURE
Genre: Punjabi Pop
Label: Karan Aujla Music Inc. / Warner Music Canada Co / Warner Music India

If “Alterations” reshaped perception, “P-POP CULTURE” reshaped scale. The DAYTIMERS may have changed how South Asians are viewed but Aujla and Ikky changed how often South Asians are seen. One album went to Glastonbury, the other went to The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon.

“P-POP CULTURE” has Ikky coming in clutch with his groovy Pop and Hip-Hop production styles, as he delivers a polished and contemporary-sounding album, recording live instrumentation all throughout the project. This double album was meant to be experienced in sold-out stadiums. Karan Aujla sounds ultra-confident in his position as one of Punjabi music’s leading rockstars. The album title alone reinforces Punjabi Pop as the global force and phenomenon that it is, with the term ‘P-POP’ hopefully increasing visibility to Western audiences, all while simultaneously dominating among younger listeners in the South Asian diaspora. This album definitively provided the bigger cultural moment in August, proving that Punjabi Pop—as a whole genre and movement—can dominate on its own terms.

SEPTEMBER

Joy Crookes
Juniper
Genre: Alternative
Label: Insanity Records / Sony Music Entertainment UK

Irish-Bangladeshi singer-songwriter Joy Crookes blends jazz, old soul, and British pop while reflecting on love, loss and emotional accountability with a subtle care. “Juniper” seems to be a deeply personal record for Crookes; her sophisticated storytelling, nuanced arrangements, and ability to marry intimate narratives with lush, cinematic visuals positions her at the forefront of alt-pop, R&B/Soul music, signalling a wave of artists whose work resonates far beyond the “South Asian gaze”.

A truly beautiful body of work, to be enjoyed over a glass of red wine, watching the sunset on your balcony, a quiet train ride home or sitting by your bedroom window at the midnight hour.

OCTOBER

Anik Khan
ONĒK
Genre: Hip-Hop/Rap
Label: The Foreign Affair

“ONĒK” is a bold exploration of identity, migration and belonging—this debut album from Bangla-bred, Queens-raised artist Anik Khan blends together sounds and stories from his cultural heritage and his personal struggles effortlessly, while showcasing incredible versatility as an artist on this 33-minute project.

Drawing on experiences in New York and Bangladesh, Khan fuses Bengali, Urdu, and English lyrics with melodic Hip-Hop beats and diasporic textures, creating a truly cohesive body of work that combines the sounds of New York rap with R&B/Soul, Reggae, UK Garage, Afro fusion and Indian Pop, as well as a hint of that classic Urban Desi flavour of the early 2000s, courtesy of Jay Sean and Rishi Rich.

Need convincing? Play “Ma’s Dua” into “Over // Under” and tell me this isn’t something special.

NOVEMBER

The Yellow Diary
In Case We Forget
Genre: Pop-Rock
Label: The Yellow Diary / first.wav

A long time coming, this Indian pop-rock band’s debut album balances catchy melodies with introspective lyricism about family, friendship, home, love, life and purpose. It beautifully draws on guitar-driven arrangements, synth layers, and thoughtful production. This 29-minute project will fly by and you’ll be left wanting to check out their entire discography.

DECEMBER

DIVINE
Walking On Water
Genre: Hip-Hop/Rap
Label: Gully Gang Records

A DIVINE project could never disappoint. Imagine HOV dropping two weeks before the year ends—that’s what this feels like.

“Walking On Water” caps off 2025 with a confident statement from India’s rap titan. He brings those same Mumbai street narratives we know too well but continues to evolve his sound, blending trap, boom-bap, and powerful storytelling. The elder statesman merges commercial success with cultural authority, reflects the realities of urban India, and asserts the genre’s legitimacy on the world stage.

Honourable Mentions

By no means are these albums lacking in quality for them to not be included in the official list but I had to mention a few others that really made an impression on me:

Chani Nattan & Inderpal Moga’s “Nice Day in the Pind” rang off in February. With a healthy mix of Punjabi Pop/R&B chart-toppers, Hip-Hop/Rap bangers and 2000s UK Bhangra/Desi Folk flavours, there are still multiple songs off this album on my daily playlist 11 months later.

Back in March, Anoushka Shankar released her final instalment in her EP trilogy, featuring Alam Khan & Sarathy Korwar, “Chapter III: We Return to Light”. It was no surprise that the album was nominated for GRAMMY Awards; “Daybreak”, “Hiraeth” and “Amrita” still transport me to a different world every time I listen.

It took 14 years for JK and Tru-Skool to team up together again to produce the follow-up to “Gabru Panjab Dha”—that’s how successful that first album was. “Art of Panjab” delivered on that same magic we knew they were always capable of, just in time for the start of summer. I think I developed tinnitus listening to “PHAIR MUK GAI (EMPTY CLIP)”. “SURMA” is also as close to a perfect song as I’ve ever heard them create together.

I can’t talk about the impact South Asians have been having in the dance and electronic scene without mentioning Sammy Virji. Because it really is about “Virji, isn’t it?” His insanely fresh and recognisable productions helped usher in a new wave of UK Garage. His debut album “Same Day Cleaning” dropped in September and is full of the same euphoric, warm, bouncy and groovy productions we all know and love. With a stacked list of features from Giggs, Spice, Skepta and more, it’ll probably a huge contender for some kind of ‘Best Dance Recording’ awards when the time comes.

The Indian Government needs to issue Ed an honorary Aadhaar card at this point, or at the very least approve an OCI application. Arijit Singh, Karan Aujla, Hanumankind, Jonita and Dhee joined forces with Ed Sheeran this autumn to create magic. It’s very easy to (even accidentally) appropriate a culture in a music video or request a token feature for a song because someone on your label thinks it’d be great for global reach. Ed went the other way and cross-collaborated with artists in India, across four different languages and made them equal partners in the creative process of making this EP. “Play (The Remixes)” reads less as a novelty project but more as a wake-up call to the rest of the industry that language isn’t as big of a barrier as they think. Music moves everybody, no matter the borders and politics that separate us.