Ali Sethi and Gregory Rogove build cross-cultural intimacy on Room Jhoom

Ali Sethi and Gregory Rogove release Room Jhoom on 22 May, a collaborative project that brings together Sethi's genre-fluid vocal language with Rogove's songwriter and percussion background. Sethi has become one of the most compelling global art-pop voices of recent years, moving between ghazal, qawwali, Sufi influence, pop, hyperpop, reggaeton and Hindustani classical reference points without treating tradition as a fixed museum object.

Rogove, meanwhile, brings a different kind of exploratory musical sensibility, making Room Jhoom feel like a meeting of intimate performance, rhythmic curiosity and cross-cultural songcraft. The album was announced earlier in the year with the lead single Embrace, and the title itself suggests movement inside a room: private energy, dancing in place, emotional resonance contained in a close space.

For indie music coverage, this release matters because it widens the definition of the field. Independent and alternative music in 2026 is not only English-language guitar bands or Western electronic scenes. It also includes artists building bridges between classical forms, devotional traditions, global pop and intimate experimental collaboration.

Room Jhoom is a strong 22 May entry because it feels personal rather than grandstanding. It invites listeners into a room where cultural histories do not need to be flattened to meet each other. Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ali_Sethi