Indo-Swiss artiste Bombay Mami has released her new track Energy (Chak Dum Dum) last month, inspired by the Hindi song Dil To Pagal Hai from the 1997 film of the same name.
Born in Switzerland, raised in India and now based in London, she says her multicultural upbringing shapes her artistic voice: “My culture shapes everything I do. South Asian culture is rich, layered, spiritual, sensual, and powerful. I feel deeply empowered representing that in spaces where we have not always been visible.”
While Bollywood remains a strong influence, she emphasises that her sound is distinctly blended. “My aesthetic is a fusion. It is rooted in South Asian heritage and influenced by 90s and early 2000s mixed with R&B.”
Explaining the story behind her stage name, she says, “Bombay Mami is my character. My alter ego. My power. She is bold, unapologetic, deeply feminine, and rooted in culture. She takes up space without asking for permission.”
She shares, “The identity was born about ten years ago in a very organic way. I was at the back of my parents’ house in my village in Münzingen, Switzerland. A friend styled me in my dad’s sherwani with my Air Force 1’s. Tradition meeting street. Past meeting present. We needed a hashtag. She asked me my favourite city and I said Bombay,” adding, “Growing up, we always called Mumbai Bombay. It was an emotion. Mami came from people often thinking I was Latina.”
