Our Story

Founded in 2018 by three friends from India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh, The Tawoos Initiative began as a dream at the University of Toronto. As international students, we shared a common desire: to see more representation of people who looked, spoke, and sounded like us — especially in music spaces.

What started as conversations around shared playlists and community grew into a platform that now champions the richness of South Asian music and identity.

What We’ve Done

We bring a collective background in curation, arts administration, and cultural programming. Between us, we’ve worked with:

• City of Toronto
• Aga Khan Museum
• The Music Gallery
• Uma Nota Culture
• Harbourfront Centre
• Canadian Opera Company

We've also collaborated with festivals like Luminato, Small World Music, TIFF, Hot Docs, and the Weengushk International Film Festival. From intimate showcases of 25 people to full-scale events for 3,000+, we’ve done it all.

What We Believe

Tawoos is a genre-fluid platform dedicated to celebrating South Asian music in all its forms. We reimagine spaces historically dominated by Western traditions and create inclusive environments where artists and audiences from all backgrounds can connect, express, and thrive.

Our mission is simple: to expand what South Asian music can look and sound like — vibrant, boundaryless, and deeply rooted in both heritage and innovation.