Indian-American artist and creator Malvika Sheth redefines what it means to be an artist, bridging fashion, music, acting, and performance. Sheth’s work reflects her Indian-American roots while fusing her Bharata Natyam training (a type of classical Indian dance). She tells a deeper story through rhythm, movement, and ambition, each element representing a facet of her identity.
Sheth released her fourth single, “Iconic,” today, produced by Abhishek, aka Lionoath. The song is told through a cross-cultural lens where Parisian flair meets Indian soul. Sheth describes the song as “a high-energy pop/techno anthem that bridges fashion, culture, and reinvention.” The track features hints of an accordion riff, combined with a warm tonal harmonium often found in Indian classical music, blending Sheth’s love for Paris with her Indian roots.
Sheth opens the song with an ASMR of a croissant, nodding to her love for Paris and her time at Paris Fashion Week. Though the track ends with the Hindi phrase “vah,” which means “wow,” the perfect way to end the song, adding a hint of her heritage while blurring two worlds together. Malvika states that “Iconic is about reclaiming my art after years of chasing algorithms” and that “I wanted to blend the cultures that shaped the Parisian sophistication I love and the Indian depth I grew up with-and channel that into something that feels stylish, cinematic, and true to who I am now.” Malvika perfectly encompasses this through Iconic, seamlessly merging hints of Parisian and Indian sounds. Iconic sounds like a Bollywood song that you could dance to, but there is a surprise of Parisian sophistication that takes you into a different world. I was able to interview Malvika on how Iconic represents reinvention, self-expression through fashion, and cross-cultural artistry:
Style Cartel: ICONIC represents a turning point in your artistry, reclaiming your creativity after “chasing algorithms.” What does reinvention mean for you in this chapter of your career?
Malvika: “Reinvention means recommitting to what I’ve always known to be true: I’m an artist. For six years, I was catering to algorithms and chasing trends instead of the talent I know I have—building worlds and alchemizing pain into something beautiful through radical honesty. Reinvention, for me, is remembering why I started: making art that feels truthful, cinematic, and timeless. ICONIC is me reclaiming my voice and creating from love and instinct rather than pressure. I want a life where my art, my love, and my purpose are the same thing—where what I create feeds my soul, inspires others, and lets me live in peace. I’m no longer sacrificing long-term goals for short-term gains.”
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Style Cartel: You have described ICONIC as stylish and cinematic. What does it mean for you to translate your personal growth into sounds?
Malvika: “Giving myself permission to tell the truth in my music meant looking back at who I was before social media. I’m an Indian classical dancer; I’ve always loved music—especially 2010s pop, hip-hop, and R&B. Returning to that era helped me understand what shaped me, so I could see who I am now and grow from there. ICONIC, and the songs I’ve put out recently, reflect who I’ve been up to this point. I’m already aching to make more—there’s so much to share about where I am now, how I’ve shifted my subconscious beliefs for a morphing career, and what I’m still exploring: family dynamics, growing pains, rejection, and more.”
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Style Cartel: How did your relationship with social media change once you stopped “chasing algorithms”?
Malvika: “I used to measure creativity and success by metrics. Now I measure them by meaning and alignment with long-term goals. When I stopped chasing virality, I found myself—and a lot of my anxiety fell away. Social media can absolutely be a bridge to your dreams, but it has to be used intentionally. I’m grateful for what it gave me—independence, income, dream brand partnerships—but I often felt capped as an “influencer.” There are only so many makeup and style hacks to repeat. The audience finding me now connects with me, my honesty, and the world I’m building—not quick fixes or formulas.”
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Style Cartel: When listeners hear ICONIC, what feeling or realization do you hope sparks their own reinvention?
Malvika: “First listen: empowered—chanting, strutting, dancing. Second listen: reflective. I hope they question where they are, what they’re doing, and whether it aligns with the most iconic version of who they know they’re meant to be. Live with intention, not reactivity. Be proactive in designing a life for your happiness, freedom, and peace of mind. You owe it to yourself to become the brightest version of you. Don’t wait for permission. Who would you be if nobody cared to judge?”
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Style Cartel: You have used fashion as a storytelling tool. How did your experiences at Paris Fashion Week influence the sonic style of ICONIC?
Malvika: “I’m releasing this song on my late grandfather’s birthday. Being around him made me feel like the brightest star. There’s a family connection to Paris—my grandfather once brought my grandmother a beautiful sari from there, and my mom tells stories about him taking the whole family to Paris and insisting they stay together, walking for hours. Beyond Paris Fashion Week, the Paris–November 14 connection felt cosmic. Paris is special to me: it’s where I feel most creatively charged and have the most fun, and that energy lives in this track. More than my previous songs, this one is a dance-pop anthem. The accordion riff also mirrors the warmth of an Indian harmonium, which I loved weaving in. Fashion is a storytelling tool; extending that story to music—and tying it back to my heritage and my grandfather—is exactly what I mean when I say I’m building a world.”
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Style Cartel: Your work seems deeply personal. How do you use clothing as a way to express yourself?
Malvika: “Clothing is my mood board in motion—the quickest way to tell people what chapter I’m in before I speak or sing. Using Fashion Week to tease songs felt natural. I’m not running from the past six years; I’m integrating them into a new world. When I dropped Spiraling in September, I played with spiral motifs—even carrying a piano handbag to echo the instrumental. For High Note, which was my second single, I styled Jean Paul Gaultier pieces: I’ve long had a Gaultier cardigan printed with banknotes, and I found a vintage banknote dress that was perfect. I even wore a spiral-print Gaultier top at New York Fashion Week when Spiraling dropped. Is it fair to say Jean Paul Gaultier was the unofficial creative director of my first music era? Maybe!”
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Style Cartel: How do you see fashion and music working together as one unified language?
Malvika: “I see fashion as rebellion and music as freedom. It makes sense I started with fashion—I was processing childhood trauma, and the first impulse is to rebel, not to seek peaceful freedom. After six years of experimenting, I realized the rebellion needed a foundation—something stable, grounding, and freeing at once. That’s music. It’s like writing the same language in two different fonts.”
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Style Cartel: How has your style evolved over time as you have grown personally?
Malvika: “I’ve gone from yelling to integrating. I knew which bold street-style looks grabbed attention, and that was fun, but there wasn’t always clear intention. Now my style is tied directly to my artistry. I’m not interested in making a statement unless I have something specific to say. I’m not chasing trends; I’m defining my identity through fashion.”
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Style Cartel: How do you integrate your love for Paris and your Indian heritage into your clothes?
Malvika: “My Indian heritage is almost always present—even when it’s subtle—in a love for embroidery, color, or through bangles and payals. You can’t take that out of me. And Paris—the chic silhouettes, structure, and va-va-voom—resonates too. On a palette level, I love black, red, and other Parisian staples. Blue is also a favorite. Before stepping into music, I made a mood board (I shared it on Instagram) that oozes Parisian × Indian aesthetics with those colors, plus touches of gold, marigold, and silver.”
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Style Cartel: ICONIC merges French flair with Indian tonal warmth. Why was it important for you to blend both worlds?
Malvika: “It’s the only way to tell my truth. I’ve been an Indian classical dancer since I was a child. While this song is less directly tied to Indian classical instrumentation, the French accordion’s warmth echoes an Indian harmonium—a subtle nod I love. I never force it; I won’t pile on Indian elements just to make a statement. It depends on the song and what feels right. If I can bring in pieces from my dance training, I will—but ICONIC already felt like the perfect mix of my worlds. You don’t mess with something that already sounds right.”
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Style Cartel: The closing Hindi exclamation, “vah,” bridges two worlds. How do you hope listeners from both cultures experience that moment?
Malvika: “I almost left it out—but this is that kind of song: unhinged, unapologetic, fun. “Vah” is that spontaneous “wow” when something moves you; it can also be used playfully or sarcastically. I wanted Indian listeners to feel seen and global listeners to enjoy the discovery. It’s a tiny word that says, “This is our shared celebration,” or simply offers a joyful release at the end.”
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Style Cartel: How does it feel knowing that you are an icon for many Indian Americans, and is there an icon you look up to?
Malvika: “Making this song has been the biggest test of my life. I asked myself, “How dare I make a song called Iconic? How dare I call myself an icon?” Then I remembered: I’m not creating this just for me. “ICONIC” is an energy—for everyone. I love what the word represents. I may be shy about it, but I’ll embody it to stand behind a song we need. Whether people see me as an icon is irrelevant. The message stands: each of us has inner icon energy because each of us has one-of-a-kind value. I hope we all find it, express it, and shine in our own way.”
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Style Cartel: Your work seamlessly blends Parisian sophistication with Indian soul. How do you hope to redefine what cross-cultural pop looks and sounds like for this generation?
Malvika: “I hope to show that “cross-cultural pop” isn’t another box. Genres can be limiting—even that term. If I had told myself to only blend Western and Indian sounds to “stay in my lane,” this song wouldn’t exist. If I insisted on a strict pop format with no room for, say, a playful rap section, I’d be boxed in. “Cross-cultural” should expand our thinking, not narrow it. In one line: I want this generation to see global identity as a creative advantage—not a contradiction.”
ICONIC is out now! Listen to it here!
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