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| Ali Sethi ready to 'scale' in America: 'There was a time to go to this festival, now is it |
South Asian music lovers are eager to attend this year's Coachella Music Festival as South Asian singers are participating for the first time.
The Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival, held in Indio, California, is one of the world's largest music events held over two consecutive weekends every April.
This year, Pakistani singer-composer Ali Sethi and Indian singer-actor Daljit Singh Dosanjh are among the South Asian artists who are performing at the first-ever Baras Festival.
Ali Sethi's 'Pasoori' was the most searched song on Google in 2022.
Diljit Dosanjh will be the first Punjabi singer to perform at the Coachella Music Festival. Diljit Dosanjh is extremely popular among Punjabis abroad.
Last year, South Asian artists like Raveena Arora and Arooj Aftab also participated in the Coachella festival, but this year, the expected arrival of famous artists at the festival has created new excitement among the fans.
"If there was ever a time to go to this festival, it's now, this is the year," says Brooklyn resident Gauri Patel.
Greema Singh, who grew up in Texas, never imagined that a South Asian artist would be participating in a major American music festival. She will go to the Coachella festival this year with six of her South Asian friends to hear 'her' Diljit Dosanjh.
"Who hasn't heard Dosanjh's songs," she says. I am happy to have famous South Asian artists participate. '
The Coachella Film Festival's diversity and 'Brown inclusion' is attracting South Asian audiences.
"Dozens of our friends have talked about the inclusion of South Asian artists in the Coachella festival and felt a connection to the Coachella festival," says Gauri Patel.
"Music festivals are an opportunity for white people to celebrate and connect with each other," says Gauri Patel.
That's what it means to us South Asians. We'll also have a chance to focus on Coachella."
South Asian singers and film stars often visit North America where they have a large fan base.
Radhika Kalra has previously attended concerts in the US and Canada where Diljit Dosanjh performed. She says she couldn't pass up the chance to hear Diljit Dosanjh at such a big festival.
She says that the time is right for her to come on such a big stage.
Kalra is an expert dancer. She is planning to dance to Diljit Dosanjh's 'Black and White' with her nine South Asian friends in New York.
For South Asians who grew up listening to Bollywood and South Asian film songs in North America, South Asian participation in Coachella is a milestone for their culture.
Denver-based couple Deep Singh Badisha and Harshvinder Singh Badisha couldn't pass up an opportunity to attend the Coachella festival.
Both have bought tickets to attend the Coachella festival.
When he tweeted about buying Coachella festival tickets and hoped Diljit would sing 'Born to Shine, Got, Vibe and Panch Tara', the artist responded.
Immigrant parents support their children in connecting with their heritage and embracing music. Serena Singh herself is a big fan of Diljit Dosanjh. She wanted to attend the Coachella festival with her husband Simranjit Singh Bedi, but she is seven months pregnant.
Serena Singh's mother has taken care of her worries and is moving from Pennsylvania to Colorado to take care of Serena Singh's two-year-old daughter. Serena Singh's mother wants her daughter to be able to attend the Coachella festival before her baby is born.
My mother said you should celebrate. I was never interested in going to Coachella, but I'm going for Diljeet.
Grima Singh says she got henna nails done with her Indo-Western outfit to go to a music festival.
When fans dress up to go to the festival, they carry their cultural connection to the festival in the Americas, such as henna tattoos, and bindis that originated in South Asia.
Fans say they have discussed among themselves how to look at the festival. Young South Asians try to revive their culture.
Neha Asar, a renowned artist from the Los Angeles area, specializes in creating intricate mehndi designs for festivalgoers.
"People want to show off their bodies and henna designs have become their adornment at Coachella," she says. It's because they want to look unconventional, but henna is Indian to me, not bohemian!'
Fans hope this year's festival will help non-South Asians better understand the community and its culture.
Pakistani-born fan Ania Ahsana says, "I hope people will listen to more South Asian music after this."