Welcome to Point of Origin
Hosted by Sameer Gadhia
Presented by SiriusXM’s ALT Nation
Point of Origin is a spotlight dedicated to challenging the homogenous narrative of Alternative and Indie Rock Music by amplifying voices of color in the past, present, and future of the genre.
“Alternative music, true to its very definition, draws from multicultural inspiration. It’s time the genre better personified its roots. Through Point of Origin, I want to create opportunity for artists of color and help foster a divergent narrative for today & tomorrow’s Alternative music scene.”
— Sameer Gadhia
Artist Spotlight
Jean Dawson
Featured Track
“Black Sugar”
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Undeniably one of today’s most essential artists, the enigmatic polymath Jean Dawson reveals his highly anticipated new album Glimmer of God. Set to be Jean’s most honest work and deeply riveting work to date, Glimmer of God sees the young artist make an immeasurable mark on the larger pop arena, firmly continuing his reign of music’s foremost visionaries today. Sonically, the album pulls inspiration from the rich musical world that was nourished by Jean’s mother as a young child growing up between the US and Mexico. 28-year-old Jean Dawson is equal parts musician and visual artist. Half Mexican and half Black, he was raised in Tijuana and San Diego near the border. His love for music was ignited during his daily five-hour treks across the Mexican / American border to attend school in the US. He came up listening to the rock and rap that his parents loved, as well as the Latin sounds that lined his home. Raised by a single working-class Mexican mother, he poured himself into his art which he used to challenge notions of hyper-masculinity and the social norms that line Mexican and Black cultures. To this day, his art remains rooted in these values and is intently shaped by his extraordinary life journey.
Past Artists
Dameer
Featured track: “Sun”
Dameer is a DJ, producer, singer and songwriter. He grew up in Bangladesh, Malaysia, Ghana and now lives in Canada, having just nished a degree in Political Science. Beginning life in the public eye as Bangladesh’s Gen Z indie darling, Dameer’s debut project “For We Are Distant”, released under Berlin-based record label and Youtube curation mavericks Majestic Casual, was one of the most successful indie records released by a born-and-bred Bangladeshi artist.
Beabadoobee
Featured track: “Beaches”
There’s something special about witnessing beabadoobee growing. The London artist first emerged back in 2017 as the teenager with brightly-coloured hair, still troubled in the depths of her childhood trauma and recording songs in her bedroom. Now 23-years-old, these days Beatrice Kristi Ilejay Laus is sporting her natural dark hair and on the journey of healing and processing her life so far. Not to mention, she swapped out her bedroom for recording with none other than Rick Rubin at his infamous Shangri-La studio in Malibu.
Brittany Howard
Featured track: “Prove It To You”
The five-time Grammy Award-winning artist Brittany Howard is back with her new album What Now, drawing an immense and indelible power from endless unpredictability.
About Sameer
Sameer Gadhia has been present on the alternative radio charts for 10 years as the lead singer of acclaimed rock band Young the Giant. He is a first generation Indian American whose celebrated career is highlighted by platinum sales and performances on the world's biggest stages and television shows. Sameer has been lauded as "one of the great contemporary rock voices" (NEW YORK TIMES)
Gadhia is the son of immigrants from Ahmadabad, India, who came to the U.S. in the 80’s shortly before he was born. Issues of culture and diversity have been something he’s ruminated on for most of his life, both consciously and subconsciously. His band Young the Giant's 2016 album Home of the Strange deliberately honed in on the modern American immigrant story, a theme that was especially relevant to the quintet as they're each from different ethnic backgrounds with most being immigrants themselves or first-generation Americans. Gadhia wrote about balancing the two very different worlds of his ethnicity and nationality in an editorial piece for Salon, and also had an in-depth conversation with NPR’s Ailsa Chang on the topic for “Weekend Edition”.
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