Sanju Rathod on How He Put Marwari, Marathi, Hip-Hop and Afro Together for ‘Shaky’

There might be a dancefloor-ready Afro rhythm that drives Marathi pop artist Sanju Rathod’s new song “Shaky,” but the charming voice behind ‘Gulabi Sadi’ is clear that it’s his roots in the Banjara community, its people, and their language that inspire him. “My people have always shaped my music,” he says.

Both “Gulabi Sadi” and Rathod’s follow-up single, “Kaali Bindi” have nods to his Banjara identity and Marathi upbringing in Jalgaon, but “Shaky” takes it a step further. Made with his brother and producer G-Spark and crediting the team at Believe Artist Services, Rathod says “Shaky” birthed “a new energy” within him that he followed with rigorous writing until he had his creative breakthrough idea for the song.

He says working on “Shaky” led him on a streak. “Eventually, after a lot of reflection and real, honest conversations, I found my rhythm again. That one breakthrough idea turned into the foundation for “Shaky” and even sparked five or six more songs that followed,” Rathod explains. Now, he’s keen on taking Marathi pop (or M-pop) in a new direction. “[It’s] a space where folk and pop, traditional and contemporary, could merge into something entirely new.”

Afrobeats, a bit of rap, Marathi pop, and Rajasthani folk—with playful references to Billie Eilish—make “Shaky” another hit for Rathod, with over 13 million YouTube views and nearly 1.5 million Spotify streams. The Banjara that Rathod speaks is a mix of Marathi, Gujarati, and a hint of Marwadi. “So honestly, fusion was always around me growing up,” he says. The track ends with a sample of Banjara folk singing, with the music video amplifying that through dance.

Rathod explains how the outro came about through G-Spark. “He instinctively sang a few lines from an old Banjara folk song that had a strong Rajasthani feel. We recorded it, processed his voice to sound like a choral female section, and suddenly, there was this hauntingly beautiful folk layer in the track.”

We know the 26-year-old artist’s folk inclinations and the pop aspects are a product of growing up on YouTube, but it’s his turn to hip-hop that began with a college breakup. He says with a laugh, “It’s cliché, but I dabbled with music because of heartbreak. The girl I was dating back then was a really big fan of [Yo Yo] Honey Singh, and after we split, I told myself, ‘You know what? I’m going to become a big artist too.’ So I started writing Hindi songs, heavily inspired by Yo Yo’s hip-hop vibe.”

Backed by music giants like Believe, “Shaky” has garnered plenty of national and international attention, especially on social media. He points out how a friend from Thailand named Jeniya posted a Reel using the song, nailing the hook step. “Thanks to her and the following she has, the song found an unexpected and beautiful connection in Nepal. It was trending at number 10 on YouTube in Nepal. It’s amazing to see how far one song can travel, and how people from different cultures make it their own,” Rathod says.

All these point to Rathod and Marathi pop’s ability to break language barriers, just like Hindi, Punjabi, and Haryanvi music have in recent times. He brings it back to the idea of using his Marathi songs as a way of reclaiming space for the Banjara community, “which has often been seen as an outsider group.” He adds, “Marathi pop is not just a genre label—it’s a vision. It’s my way of giving back.”

One thing’s clear: Rathod is not trying to recreate “Gulabi Sadi” or chase the fame that he earned after its success. He acknowledges the song will always be close to his heart. “I’ve moved on as an artist. That doesn’t mean I don’t celebrate the song—I love performing it, and I’ll always be grateful for how it changed everything,” he says. That was “one beautiful moment,” but he’s confident that there are many more waiting ahead. “I observe what’s happening around me, absorb the energy, and let that fuel what comes next,” he says.