Tala Radio

“We’re putting a huge focus on British South Asians making waves,” NAINA Sethi tells Apple Music of Tala Radio. “Whether that's in the music scene, film or TV. It's such an exciting time for us at the moment, because growing up in this country, I was forever looking for like-minded communities in the world of these creative industries. Over the last couple of years, there's been this huge shift.” With an eye on the past as well as the present, the Apple Music 1 host and DJ showcases British South Asians forging aspirational paths—from Oscar-winning actor and musician Riz Ahmed to a rising array of thrilling DJ talents. Tala—a musical measure, key element of Classical Indian rhythm and Sanskrit for “clap”—points to the grand musical inheritance enjoyed by British South Asians today, with NAINA especially keen to connect the dots. Away from the turntables, she also launched indie dance imprint Hooversound Recordings (with DJ SHERELLE), mentors young creatives through the industry and provides curation duties for music collectives, centred on shared mottos of bold genre-blending and fluid programming. “Along with this shift, there’s also been a bit of a revival within the dance scene, the DJ scene and general club culture,” she says. “Being a DJ, and South Asian, people are often like, ‘Oh, can you DJ my Indian wedding?’ Which is not what we do…we’ve always wanted events and shows, where everyone was South Asian, and playing any type of music. Now we’re creating a lot of noise. This also happened in the ’80s and ’90s, and it's come full circle now. So I'm really happy and proud to be a voice for it.”