Kohinoorgasm

Jospehine Shetty, better known as Kohinoorgasm, has risen from the DIY Bay Area scene to a lofi-pop phenomen. Their name, an ode to decolonial Indian history, hints to their background as queer South Indian and Irish American.

The grassroots artist’s enchanting minimalist sound is bound together by both the English and Hindi languages.

Now based in Los Angeles, Kohinoorgasm holds a firm position not only as an artist but also as an educator, union co-founder, and community organizer. They released the single “Exhausted” in May of 2020, which spoke to the impacts of wage labor on creative expression. While this song was ideated over a year before it’s release and the beginnings of the Union of Musicians and Allied Workers, the song’s content served as a premonition to the sentiment throughout UMAW’s mission to create “a more just music industry in the struggle for a better society.”

Kohinoorgasm’s love of techno music, which was fostered by their affinity for raves while growing up, prompted their desire to see more potent political and educational music that you can dance to. This desire to be tap into their own emotions when songwriting led them to produce their own music, which gave them the space to foster a safe environment for a cathartic experience with their art. They have found a home in the underground music scene which they credit as a fundamental part of their practice as an artist.