NYC producer ZAINAB bridges Lahore and New York on her debut EP, featuring Urdu-language vocals and a focus on South Asian collaboration.
ZAINAB has confirmed her debut EP, 'Canal View', scheduled for release August 14 on Ninja Tune sub-label Technicolour. The announcement arrives alongside 'Banglahore', a collaborative single with Surya Sen that name-checks their respective roots in Pakistan and Bangladesh.
The project functions as a sonic bridge between the artist’s childhood in Lahore and her current base in New York City. By incorporating Urdu-language lyrics—a rarity in contemporary club circuits—ZAINAB aims to represent a linguistic demographic of nearly 250 million people.
Following previous single 'Jadoo', 'Banglahore' serves as a statement on regional solidarity. ZAINAB describes the track as a symbolic union, consciously addressing historical tensions through a shared musical lens.
'Canal View' marks a refined introduction to ZAINAB's perspective as an immigrant producer, processing global influences from the specific vantage point of those raised on the periphery.