There appears a unique sense of humility and grounding in Indian artists, who have moved away from home. They preserve tradition, heritage and culture through their art because it gifts them a sense of belonging. They keep this sense alive by engaging with it through the complexity of art where some use it as therapy, while some make it their voice.
Singer-songwriter, Shuba grew up in an Indian family in the United States and made her cultural identity a huge part of her creative voice. It was a mix of beautiful traditions but also felt like she had to exist in two worlds at once. ‘I remember feeling like I had to work twice as hard to prove that an Indian-American girl could have a place in pop music. There weren’t many people who looked like me, so I had to build my path. That’s why representation means so much to me.’
A quick Google search will tell you that Shuba is a social media darling. Millions of followers on Instagram and TikTok are big fans of not just her music but her unique way of blending her sense of humour and cultural influences with mainstream music, especially through vocal impressions and mashups. She had Shakira in splits, too. ‘The Shakira moment happened because I made a vocal impression of her ordering pizza, of all things. She even reacted to it and was so playful social media gave me a way to reach people who might’ve never discovered my music otherwise.’ That was just the beginning for this young pop star, as the next big name to notice her was AR Rahman. The maestro asked her to sing in Tamil for a song called Raawadi for the film Pathau Thala, which opened new doors for her, allowing Shuba to explore multilingual music.
With her latest EP, Shuba wanted the audience to take her seriously. It was a big departure from her earlier music. The music had purpose. But still, she didn’t stop having fun with it—like Fantasy Girl, her last single drop reflected the softer side of Shuba. But she promises more evolution in the next project.
What emotion does music evoke in you?
It depends on the song but at its core, good music makes me feel seen and transports me. Reality can be very tough and unforgiving. Music has always given me the soundtrack to my life and I love envisioning music videos related to my life/ future. Whether it’s joy, heartbreak or nostalgia, I want to feel that emotion deeply. That’s what I want my music to do for others, too.
Do you need to feel in order to create?
Not always. Sometimes, I create from a deep personal place and other times, I write based on a concept, even if I’m not in that exact emotional state. I treat it like acting—channelling emotions and stepping into different personas. But the best songs come when I feel something real and have collaborators in the room to help me bring experiences to life in a song.
Rap is still part of my style. But I realised I wanted to lean into melodies and storytelling more. Rap gave me real estate to express longer stories and talk more thoroughly about my experiences but singing allows me to express emotion in a way that feels limitless.
“Good music makes me feel seen and transports me. Reality can be very tough and unforgiving. Music has always given me the soundtrack to my life.”
Your last extended playlist was bold and had a new voice—it felt like you were trying to make a statement. Does that hold? What inspired you at the time?
Absolutely. That EP was about reclaiming my voice and breaking out of the expectations people had for me. I was frustrated with the industry and wanted to prove that I could create something unique without fitting into a specific box. It was a mix of rebellion and self-discovery.
But then you had some fun with your last single, Fantasy Girl.
Fantasy Girl is more about escapism— leaning into a persona of the ‘dream’ girl who will do whatever guys want. It’s playful, confident and doesn’t take itself too seriously. It also reflects the soft girl side of me that falls for people quickly and prioritises them.
How was the experience of working with A.R. Rahman?
Singing with A.R. Rahman is always a surreal moment. He’s a legend and getting to work with him felt like everything coming full circle—especially since I grew up on his music. We connected after he saw my viral video of ordering pizza as Shakira and it led to me exploring different languages in my music. That experience made me realise how much I love bringing multilingual elements into my songs and I want to do more of it. I’m excited to be working with more Tamil artists on future projects since I now have a much deeper appreciation of South Indian rap flows and rhythm.
What’s next on the charts for you?
I’m working on a project that fuses my Indian and Western influences even more intentionally. We’re going to dial it up a lot and have fun with it; rapping, singing, chants. It’s going to capture all these realisations I had about choosing myself and realising my inner strength.
Words Hansika Lohani
Date 8-11-2025