Ali Sethi's ever-shifting soundscape

Singer talks creative risks and upcoming album

Kicking off the new year with a fresh wave of sound, Ali Sethi has unveiled two new singles, Tera Sitam and Maya. While the former rides on smooth, melodic arrangements, the latter carries a deep, ghazal-inspired introspection, both reinforcing Sethi's reputation for blending the traditional with the contemporary.

As the pop artist continues to push artistic boundaries, building on the surprise of his late-2024 release Lovely Bukhaar, he sat down with Rolling Stone India to discuss his creative evolution and his ambitions for the year ahead.

"I wanted to put out a strange-sounding song. Something wild and unexpected. I guess I wanted to throw myself off, not set any kind of expectation," he reflected. "While Lovely Bukhaar and Tera Sitam are very different songs - the former is smoky and unpredictable, the latter smooth and structured - they have one thing in common, which is the expression of a smouldering one-sided love."

The origins of Tera Sitam trace back two years to a Los Angeles studio session with producer Romil Hemnani, formerly of the hip-hop collective Brockhampton. "It's always like that for me: the tune comes first, in this case, the whole thing came fully formed, the verse, the chorus, etc. But for the words I had to think long and hard."

Sethi collaborated with Urdu poet Sunayana Kachroo to craft the song's lyrical identity. "I love what she brings to this song, a certain shehri Urdu that's also steeped in our ancient, epic notions of exile and separation." The response, he notes, has been overwhelmingly positive. "I'm glad the song is out, the reactions have been intense and overwhelmingly good."

'Mehfil' over mainstream

Beyond these releases, Sethi recently received a Juno nomination for Love Like That, a collaboration with Indian singer Jonita Gandhi. "That's a marvellous song. Jonita is such a star. I'm so proud of her for pushing the envelope with Love Like That - the musical arrangement as well as the visuals. She deserves the Juno and much more."

As for the larger body of work these songs belong to, the singer confirms that an album is in the works. "It's an album after all, though I feel kind of estranged from that word," Sethi contemplated. "I want to say it's a mehfil or daastaan - in the South Asian tradition of song-collections." He envisions the project as an immersive experience, evoking the mood of the musical gatherings he grew up with in Lahore. "I want the listener to feel like they are in the presence of a moody maverick musician for sixty or so minutes. Like the qawwali or ghazal recitals I grew up attending in Lahore. One minute the music is slow and sultry, the next minute it's a rave, a now-naughty, now-nice kind of thing."

Much of this vision has been shaped by his collaborators, including Hemnani, whose approach to music production Sethi deeply admires. "Romil was gentle and unassuming in the studio. Also subtle in his choice of tones and textures. When he's inspired you can see it in his eyes. Some of his ideas that he shared with me - about what an album can or should be - were profound and blew my mind."

The duo's collaboration also carries a personal connection. "I love the fact that we were both born in Pakistan, me in Punjab and Romil in Sindh, but ended up meeting in far-off California. Now I am Insta-friends with his mom who is super nice."

Mughal jama moment

Reflecting on his 2023 Coachella performances, Sethi acknowledged his impact on the representation of South Asian artists on global stages. "At the time I was trolled for wearing a flaring Mughal jama, which my fellow Pakistanis (and some Indians too) deemed 'not representative of our culture,' whatever that means."

He furthered on, "But apart from that I had a blast. I was delighted to see all those South Asians in trippy desert prints and hats filling up my tent. They showed up, literally and metaphorically. It was all very Dum Maro Dum, of the past and of the future at the same time."

As for broader representation in the global music scene, Sethi remains optimistic. "I think we are doing a great job of being us right now. That's all I have to say: keep being you and doing you. Look at all the genres Punjabi music has assimilated into itself: rap, trap, rock, '80s synth-pop, reggaeton, house and disco, all without losing or diluting its own idiosyncratic inflections. We need more of everything at this point in time, freewheeling expansive playfulness in all directions!"

Looking ahead, the singer is fully immersed in his upcoming album, a project he's visibly excited about. "This album thing. It's good, it really is," said Sethi.