K-pop, Indian and Middle Eastern artists collaborate on singles, aiming to build bridges between their different music scenes
- Korean-American Alexa and Kuwaiti-Saudi Bader AlShuaibi collaborate on single Is It On, while Korean-American Eric Nam, Armaan Malik and Kshmr drop single Echo
- They got together to draw new fans in each other’s markets, something already happening, with India providing one of the biggest audiences for K-pop on YouTube
Two new songs released on Friday blend the artistry of musicians in South Korea, India and the Middle East with the aim of building bridges between the music scenes in different countries.
The unrelated releases are Is It On by Korean-American soloist Alexa and Kuwaiti-Saudi Bader AlShuaibi and Echo from Korean-American singer Eric Nam, popular Indian singer-actor Armaan Malik, and Indian-American DJ and producer Kshmr.
The cross-Asian collaborations dropping on the same day emphasise the growing integration of the global music industry, as artists expand their reach and introduce their songs to new listeners in diverse regions.
Both Nam and Alexa (stylised AleXa) are based in Seoul, South Korea – although Nam, who is a native of Atlanta, is increasingly making moves in the American market – and regularly work with international artists. The releases aim to introduce their music to fans of Malik, AlShuaibi, and Kshmr in India and the Middle East, and vice versa.
The EDM track Echo is inspired by Asian-American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month , which is celebrated annually in the United States in May.
The song, which features Malik and Nam’s vocals, is described by promoters as “a never seen before story of three artists who have roots deep in the Asian heritage and have come together on the global stage to share in the best time possible to shed light on their contribution to the entertainment space from their respective geographies”.