Best Desi-Global Music Collaborations of 2023

2023 continued the trend of Desi and Desi-origin artists collaborating with musicians from around the world. From Sid Sriram working and touring with Bon Iver to Diljit Dosanjh working with Sia, the crossover landscape has widened, and the impact of Desi talent (and their streaming numbers!) has made Desi artists a big yes for artists everywhere.

Of course, the collaboration itself only works when the song is memorable, and it’s not just a cheap ploy to get international cred. With that said, here are 2023’s Best Desi/Global Collabs of the year.

PALPITA – Diljit Dosanjh, Camilo

Speaking of Dosanjh, the hitmaker struck gold with his collaboration with Camilo. The single “Palpita” does a great job of showcasing both artists’ talents, respectively, without it feeling gimmicky or forced. Dosanjh shines here much more so than his collab with Sia, which felt both uninspired and frankly dated. “Palpita” is current and sonically forward, and the two artists blend perfectly together.

ADMIRIN’ YOU – Karan Aujla, Ikky, Preston Pablo

I recently wrote about Preston Pablo in a #HITSOFTOMORROW column, but his feature here on Karan Aujla’s “Admirin’ You” helps to transform the song from just another Desi jam to a crossover Top 40 hit. Aujla and Pablo work well together, making for a collaboration that feels authentic and makes you think the artists would work together. Not to mention, it’s ridiculously catchy!

MAAN MERI JAAN (AFTERLIFE) – King, Nick Jonas

So King already had a blockbuster hit with “Maan Meri Jaan” when it was released towards the latter part of 2022, but here came the “(Afterlife)” mix featuring Mr. Priyanka Chopra himself, Nick Jonas who helped to elevate the single to even greater heights. I’m not a fan of artists jumping onto hit tracks, but this one somehow felt more fluid, and the two sound great together.

LEGACY – KSHMR, Raftaar

KSHMR has been on a desi kick as of late and even featured on the cover of Rolling Stone India recently. While some of the collabs feel a bit forced (kind of like a list of who’s who), “Legacy” featuring Raftaar somehow feels more like an even collab where both artists step out of their usual sonic zones a bit to give a firehouse performance. We love it.

EASY (MJ COLE REMIX) – Priya Ragu, MJ Cole

I featured the original mix of “Easy” by Priya Ragu earlier this year in #HITSOFTOMORROW because, well, it’s a great song. But when I heard the MJ Cole mix of the track, I was blown away. MJ Cole has always been one of my favorite DJs and his work always finds a way to infuse additional emotional moments into a song which he does justly here on Ragu’s track. While it may not be a traditional collab, I’d like to believe Cole wouldn’t have been able to do his job without the groundwork of a killer song by Ragu, and I must say, it would be awesome to have both artists work together on a track. One of the strongest remixes of the year, hands down.