Tired of scrolling through the same old pages everyday? 5X Press found five brilliant South Asian creators to revive your Instagram feeds -- whether you’re partial to music, fashion or illustrations, there’s something for everyone. Show them some love!

Osheen Sivashanmugam - @osheen.siva 🇮🇳 

Osheen Siva is a South Indian artist who creates decolonized futures through her unique style, combining her Dalit and Tamilian heritage with surrealist, speculative fiction. Their work is bold, fresh, and constantly blurring the boundaries of past, present and future.

Qais Essar - @q_essar 🇦🇫

Afghan American Qais Essar works magic on the rabab, crafting soulful tunes that will transport you to another world. He has won the Canadian Screen Award for Best Original Song for his piece The Crown Sleeps, from The Breadwinner.

Nova - @spacelordnova 🇧🇩

Nova is a Bangladeshi American model, actor and creative. They use their social media as a platform to authentically voice their experience with intersectional identities - as a queer, nonbinary, Bangladeshi Muslim model.

Abhijeet Rane - @bon_abhijeet 🇮🇳

Abhijeet, who also goes by Slumbitch Millionaire, is a Chicago-based drag queen from Mumbai. They often draw from their heritage to create fabulous, genderbending looks.

Chhimmi Dholkar Gurung - @callmechim 🇳🇵

London-based Chim is a Nepali hair and makeup artist, specializing in bridal beauty. On social media, she is best known for her quirky, vibrant graphic makeup looks. 

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About the author: Anuja is an international student at the University of British Columbia, with a concentration in mental health and interpersonal development. When she isn’t having an existential crisis, you may find her dancing, taking pictures of her cat or yelling at unclejis. When she is having an existential crisis, you’ll probably find her in a window seat on the 99, listening to Mohammed Rafi and pretending she’s in a movie.