Exclusive: TroyBoi Takes Us Behind His New Desi-Inspired EP ‘Rootz’

In a true worlds-collide moment, TroyBoi’s new song “Kabhi” features the iconic voice of Lata Mangeshkar, sampling the somber chorus from Bollywood’s cult family drama Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham from 2001. As it turns out, it was also the British electronic DJ-producer’s nod to his Indian lineage (his mother is from India) and a part of his upcoming EP Rootz.

So what was his mother’s reaction to hearing the Nightingale of India on a TroyBoi track? The artist known as Troy Austin Attoh Henry tells Rolling Stone India, “She’s obsessed. She called me as soon as she saw me post it on Instagram, she couldn’t believe it. We watched Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham so many times together so hearing that voice in my music really hit her emotionally. I owe my love of Indian music to my mum.”

This isn’t TroyBoi’s first nod to India—he’s previously visited the country for tours and to catch up with family. But now, there’s a five-track project slated to release via Ultra Records on Sept. 19, 2025. “This time, I wanted to fully lean into it—from the samples I used, to the artists I collaborated with, to the visual aesthetic,” he says.

In addition to “Kabhi,” TroyBoi opened Rootz EP with the banger “Masala” featuring the voice of Punjabi veteran Amrit Maan. The EP also features bhangra ace Jazzy B on “Okay,” and Indo-Swiss artist BombayMami on “Beggin.”

TroyBoi says, “Honestly, I didn’t know how people would respond because this EP is so personal for me. The fact that ‘Masala’ connected not just with South Asian listeners but with a global audience is wild. Seeing people from completely different cultures dancing to Punjabi lyrics at shows… that’s been the most rewarding part.” At a recent festival appearance at Beyond Wonderland in SoCal in the US, the DJ-producer even brought out dancers when he dropped “Masala.” He says, “We kept it a complete secret from the crowd, so when the dancers came out mid-set, the energy just exploded. It felt like we brought a piece of a Punjabi wedding straight into a festival.”

It helps that desi voices are now more globally recognized than ever. TroyBoi acknowledges that social media and streaming have “erased a lot of the old boundaries.” He adds, “So now a track in Punjabi, Tamil, or Hindi can live right next to an English pop song in a playlist.”

While his wishlist for collaborators ranges from hitmakers like Karan Aujla, Hanumankind, Diljit Dosanjh, Arijit Singh, and even A.R. Rahman, the artists he tapped for Rootz drew from his search for “voices that felt iconic but also carried a certain authenticity.” He adds, “Jazzy B is one of the Punjabi voices I grew up listening to, and my teams worked with him in the past on different projects. So when I came up with the music for ‘Okay,’ there was immediately only one artist that came to my mind. So we reached out to Jazzy, and he loved the track and immediately jumped on the record.” With Maan, the jump-off point was a sample from an older film song that inspired the vision for “Masala.” TroyBoi adds, “I wanted to switch up his vocal and keep it authentic, but at the same time put my own flavor to it. He [Maan] loved how it turned out as much as I did.”

With BombayMami on “Beggin,” TroyBoi was introduced to her the same way a lot of folks on the Internet were—through her snowboarding-in-a-lehenga Reel promoting her song “Fire In Delhi.” The producer says, “I thought, ‘I gotta work with this girl.’ I had the beat, we sent it to her, and the rest is history.”

If there was one track that involved “a long process,” it was getting that iconic Lata Mangeshkar sample cleared for “Kabhi.” TroyBoi says, “[It was] lots of conversations, legal clearances, and making sure the usage was respectful. I wasn’t going to touch that song unless it was done properly. Once it was approved, it felt like a blessing, especially because Lata Mangeshkar’s voice is so sacred to so many people, including me.”

With Rootz exploring TroyBoi’s Indian identity, it’s safe to assume that the artist known for championing trap, future bass, dubstep, and house will soon be in the country to promote the EP. “Nothing I can officially announce yet, but trust me—it’s happening,” he says about an India tour.

Until then, he has plenty of India memories to draw from. While part of the Rootz promotions saw TroyBoi picking up some gulab jamuns, he seems to have a sweeter spot for another dish. “I think about the smell of fresh jalebis, and it instantly feels like home. [There were also] the late-night chai stops with my uncle in Kolkata. He’d take me on the back of his motorbike, and we would weave through the chaos of the streets. When I think about it now, that was nuts.”