Ms. Marvel: From AR Rahman to Jalebi Baby, all the South Asian songs in the show’s premiere
Ms. Marvel, the newest show to join Marvel Cinematic Universe’s Phase 4 line-up has finally arrived. The show introduces Iman Vellani as Kamala Khan, the very first Muslim superhero to lead an MCU show. Kamala is a 16-year-old Pakistani-American from Jersey City who happens to be an Avengers superfan. So of course, the show is unapologetically Brown in more ways than one. For starters, it references Shah Rukh Khan and spotlights Kamala’s heritage every chance it gets. Anyone of South Asian descent will instantly relate to the series and will perhaps also recognise the songs mentioned in the show’s first two episodes.
Ms. Marvel’s soundtrack is full of bangers and we’re talking about everything from AR Rahman, to Coke Studio, Rajakumari and Ritviz. The showrunners have taken songs by both Indian and Pakistani creators and blended them into one tall milkshake of South Asian representation. It serves as an important device that sets up Kamala Khan’s colourful cultural identity. If you’re wondering where to find the tracks from Ms. Marvel episodes 1 and 2, we have curated a playlist so that you don’t have to.
Here are all the songs from Ms. Marvel’s premiere:
Oh Nanba – S.P. Balasubramaniam and Aaryan Dinesh Kanagaratnam, AR Rahman (music)
Ko Ko Korina – Ahmed Rushdi
Sage – Ritviz
Jalebi Baby – Tesher ft. Jason Durelo
Peechay Hutt – Hasan Raheem, Justin Bibis, and Talal Qureshi
Goddess – NERVO and Krewella ft. Raja Kumari
Rozi – Eva B
From Ko Ko Korina, Pakistan’s first pop song playing during Kamala’s visit to a market with her mother to Eva B’s Rozi rolling in during the end credits, Ms. Marvel’s soundtrack asserts a distinct identity. Songs like Ritviz’s Sage and Tesher’s Jalebi Baby seem to be pulled straight from the playlist of a person hailing from the Indian sub-continent and of course, there’s AR Rahman’s Oh Nanba from Lingaa. All in all, it feels like a homage to music we’ve always loved.
Ms. Marvel features Iman Vellani, Matt Lintz, Aramis Knight, Rish Shah, Mohan Kapoor, Zenobia Shroff and cameos from Farhan Akhtar and Fawad Khan. The show premiered on June 8 and is available on streaming.
