Muévete: IndiLat explores the meeting point of Indian classical music and Latin pop
Bringing together Indian, Venezuelan and Chilean musical traditions, Muévete is a cross-cultural collaboration blending konnakol, sitar and tabla with Latin percussion and Venezuelan horns. The track features a Sanskrit invocation to Ganesha within a Spanish-language pop song. At the heart of the project is IndiLat — a collective exploring the meeting point of music, spirituality and cultural identity. Co-founder Siddhant Bhatia discusses making Muévete, collaborating across borders and why Indian music need not lose its identity to reach a global audience.
How did the idea for Muévete come about and what inspired you to bring artistes from India, Venezuela and Chile together?
It started with serendipity. We met around the Grammys, became friends and wanted to create something different. Sounds of Kumbh — with more than 50 collaborators — showed me what becomes possible when artistes from different cultures create together. That spirit became IndiLat: Raghav Mehta and I from India, Raniero Palm from Venezuela and Cristobal ‘Tibo’ Gajardo from Chile. We wanted to explore the shared relationship India and South America have with spirituality and consciousness, rather than simply place Indian sounds over Latin rhythms. Muévete begins with Muladhara — the root chakra — and the idea that whatever happens in life, we have to keep moving.
The song brings together konnakol, sitar and tabla with Latin percussion and Venezuelan horns. How did you choose the sounds?
We did not begin with a checklist of instruments each country needed to contribute. Nirvaan Kelly Rai brought the first compositional draft, which we developed as other musicians joined. Konnakol and tabla are deeply rhythmic, as is Latin music, so a natural conversation was already there. We recorded musicians across India, Chile and Venezuela. Every sound had to belong to the music, rather than simply announce its country.
How did you bring a Sanskrit prayer to Ganesha into a Spanish-language pop song?
Muévete means ‘move,’ while Muladhara represents grounding, stability and belonging. Lord Ganesha is associated with this chakra and known as the remover of obstacles. The Sanskrit invocation is not merely an ‘Indian section’ inserted into a Spanish pop song; it is the composition’s spiritual centre. The Spanish asks you to move, while the invocation takes you back to the root from which movement begins.
How do you ensure each musical tradition retains its identity?
By not making one tradition behave like another. The sitar does not stop being a sitar in a Latin-pop record and konnakol does not have to imitate Latin percussion. The traditions need space to coexist and serve one composition. IndiLat is not fusion as a formula; it is an exchange. Beyond borders does not mean without roots.
What was it like working with artistes from three countries?
It was exciting because no one shared the same musical instinct. Raghav brings precision, Tibo pushes rhythm and production in unexpected directions and Raniero understands Venezuelan music deeply. I bring my Indian classical background and production experience. Nirvaan’s composition gave us a starting point, while Maleh (Maria Alexandra Maccio), Akapellah (Pedro Elias Aquino Cova) and the other musicians brought their own identities with them.
Were there challenges in bringing the different styles together?
Musicians from different traditions may hear rhythm, melody and arrangement differently, so working across countries, languages and studios calls for careful listening. The challenge was to maintain one cohesive musical identity rather than demonstrate how many elements we could fit into the song. The listener should not hear the effort involved in bringing three countries together; they should simply feel the record.
Can music help people from different countries understand one another without sharing a language?
Absolutely. I do not speak Spanish and many collaborators do not speak Hindi or understand Sanskrit, yet we communicate through music. Rhythm and melody can express emotion before we understand vocabulary. That is cultural diplomacy: creating something together that none could have made independently.
What does Muévete say about India’s place in global music?
I am more interested in what India brings to the world than where Indian music sits globally. We have musical forms to share, along with philosophy and spirituality. Muévete means grounding before movement and Ganesha as the remover of obstacles. India does not need to be less Indian to be global; it can bring its cultural depth to the world. Technology is not the enemy, but something irreplaceable exists in artists influencing one another and cultures meeting as equals. Muévete is people creating something original together.
Muévete is streaming on all audio platforms.
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