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Today, first-generation Indian-American and multilingual Muslim soul singer Zeshan B releases his first new song in nearly three years: "Brown Power." With a music video uniting Ilhan Omar, Rashida Tlaib, Hasan Minhaj, Jesse Jackson, Aparna Nancherla, Nina Turner, and an inclusive array of representatives, reverends, activists, advocates, and artists, the single serves as an open-armed rallying cry in the continued fight for civil rights. From a spoken-word depiction of shackled feet and "shattered tribes of our brothers and sisters," to the bone-shaking stomp backing the chorus, "Brown Power" brings a fresh new sound to social justice, standing firmly against the oppressive actions of the United States' "ivory tower."
Watch the video for "Brown Power" HERE, featuring appearances from all the aforementioned public figures, as well as Orange is the New Black's Diane Guerrero and Jessica Pimentel, Rep. Deb Haaland, Rep. Jesús "Chuy" García, Shahidul Alam, Waris Ahluwalia, Rev. Otis Moss III, Hari Kondabalu, Abdul El-Sayed, Linda Sarsour, Dr. Cornel West, and Father Michael Pfleger.
Read more at The FADER, where Zeshan B defines the Brown Power community as "Anyone who genuinely embraces all melanistic cultures, acknowledges the axiom that Brown people all over the world have by and large been historically subjugated to harsh injustices (colonialism, slavery, police brutality, disenfranchisement, war crimes, genocide), and then, consequently, believes that Brown people deserve social, economic and political empowerment (i.e. a seat at the table) just like anyone else."
While "Brown Power" marks the first preview of Zeshan B's next album, due out later this spring, it follows his 2017 debut, Vetted. Primarily a collection of classic, Southern American soul covers, the record launched Zeshan to a performance of "Cryin' in the Streets" on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, filtering Indo-Pakistani pride through English, Urdu, and Punjabi with a voice the New York Times, Rolling Stone, and Washington Post compared to Sam Cooke, Marvin Gaye, and Otis Redding, respectively.
The Village Voice says, "Zeshan Bagewadi's career has consisted of one revelation after another." He has serenaded Barack Obama and Jimmy Carter, shared stages with A Tribe Called Quest and Mos Def, and played venues like the Apollo Theater, Kennedy Center, Lincoln Center, and Bonnaroo. For more on Zeshan's personal origins of South Asian traditions and urban Chicago experiences, check out features at PBS NewsHour, DemocracyNow, and NPR.
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