When the first Smurfs film by Sony Pictures was released in 2011, the film made over half a billion dollars. This adaptation of the already iconic comic series by Belgian writer Peyo then blossomed into one of the most commercially successful animated film franchises ever, having grossed around 4 billion dollars in total. The tiny blue creatures are modern icons, renowned far beyond their demographic of young kids and more famous than some of our biggest celebrities. With every new addition to the film series, the world tunes in to watch a star-studded cast bring The Smurfs’ whimsical world to life. The Smurfs’ cultural dominance even extends to the world of music, bringing on musical big-shots like Britney Spears, Steve Aoki, and Rihanna, who also plays Smurfette, for the previous films’ soundtracks.

Featured in the upcoming Smurfs film, ‘Higher Love’ by Cardi B, DJ Khaled, and Desi Trill’s Natania and Subhi, is an exciting new addition to the franchise’s impressive musical catalogue. Presented by Paramount Pictures, Smurfs is the fourth film in the franchise, releasing on July 18th, 2025. ‘Higher Love’ is a first look at the movie, building the hype for its release this summer. The song samples Belinda Carlisle’s ‘Heaven Is A Place On Earth,’ reinventing the legendary pop song with Cardi Band DJ Khaled’s signature playfulness, Natania’s bright vocals, and, most importantly, a chorus that is performed entirely in Punjabi. The music video finds our singers in the Smurfs’ mystical world, with flower petals raining down on a pregnant Subhi as she sings and dances along. The representation in ‘Higher Love’ isn’t just exciting, it’s groundbreaking; for the first time, a Punjabi single is being featured in a Hollywood animated film. And the fact that it’s part of one of the most popular animated franchises of our time is just the icing on the cake.

Hailing from New Delhi, Subhi is a singer-songwriter who melds her Punjabi folk roots into contemporary pop music. After moving to the United States to pursue a career in finance, the singer pivoted to chase her dreams of being an artist. Today, as she brings her Punjabi sound to the global stage, I think it’s safe to say she’s achieved her goals. Subhi was brought on to feature in ‘Higher Love’ by her fellow collaborator Natania to give the song a global sound. She told us, “The goal was to give the song a true East-meets-West energy,” creating space for previously unprecedented representation. 

This fearless attitude is key to Subhi’s success today. The singer started her career on Wall Street in New York while simultaneously working as an entertainment field reporter for South Asian channels like CNN IBN and Headlines Today. This is where she met the filmmaker Mira Nair. She went on to work for Nair and rediscovered her artistic passions while working as a music intern on the Broadway musical Monsoon Wedding. When looking back at her journey, Subhi reflected, “Being in that creative space, I realised how alive music made me feel. It was where I truly belonged.”

Pursuing a career in the arts can be a big risk, particularly within South Asian culture, where it is often disregarded as an infeasible career path. She told us, “Leaving a stable job to pursue a creative dream is never easy  and doing it as a South Asian woman added another layer of complexity.” However, rather than baulking at the task of starting a music career from scratch, “uncertainty pushed [Subhi] to become resourceful, to trust [her] instincts, to find [her] own voice.” While Subhi acknowledges that “it’s not easy to find your sound,” the singer encourages other young South Asian artists to “explore and try out different things until you find your calling.” After all, taking risks is how she found her success today. Ultimately, she believes that the “most important thing is being true to who you are, being authentic. At the end of the day, you should be happy and proud of what you have created.”

Subhi and Natania’s work on ‘Higher Love’ is far more than a personal achievement. It’s a proud moment for us all, “a reminder that our culture, our stories, and our voices have a place in global entertainment.” The song’s very existence is a sign of change, of the world slowly but surely embracing what South Asians have to offer. In the current moment, when intolerance across the globe seems to be on the rise, the acceptance and embrace of what makes us all different is more important than ever. Music acts as the perfect medium to bring different worlds together, encouraging cultural interplay through creativity. To Subhi, “Music has no boundaries, and seeing a Punjabi song woven into a Hollywood story proves that the world is ready and excited for more diverse voices,” showing us that music opens the world to new opportunities to better understand each other. 

It’s particularly moving to watch Punjabi music reach an audience of mostly children, both brown and otherwise. As we raise the next generation, it’s more important than ever to platform and champion diverse stories. For many young South Asian kids, ‘Higher Love’ may be the first time they see their culture showcased on such a large-scale and global level. This song is part of something much bigger; it's a piece of a larger movement that highlights the beautiful art  South Asians have to offer. As Subhi said,  “From film to the Oscars to soundtracks like Smurfs, there’s finally space for regional Indian languages in global entertainment. And this is just the beginning.”

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