New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani is not your average politician, and the playlist he shared with Rolling Stone makes that abundantly clear. In a candid and wide-ranging interview with the magazine, the newly elected mayor opened up about his love of music, name-dropping artists from Uganda, Pakistan and the United States in a conversation that has since generated considerable excitement, particularly in Pakistan. The moment that caught Pakistani audiences off guard was Mamdani’s mention of Shamoon Ismail, the Pakistani rapper and singer who has built a substantial following through his distinctive blend of pop, R&B and Urdu and English lyrics. “I’ve also been listening to a Pakistani rapper named Shamoon Ismail, who I’ve listened to for a few years, but I’m also listening to a little bit more of his music,” Mamdani said. The acknowledgement from the mayor of one of the world’s most powerful cities landed with particular warmth among Pakistani fans, who were clearly delighted to see a homegrown artist reach the playlist of such a prominent international figure. Mamdani was candid about what music means to him beyond casual listening. “It’s part of how I understand the world and how I understand my place in the world,” he said, framing music not as entertainment but as a tool for making sense of life and identity. The interview also offered a window into how his relationship with music began, rooted in the particular atmosphere of early 2000s New York. “I used to love going to Tower Records. They would have just floors of an incredible number of CDs, and for some reason, I loved The Offspring at the time,” he recalled, describing the kind of music discovery that now feels like it belongs to a different era entirely. His memories of finding music in the city carried the texture of street-level New York. “There were three to four albums. The first version I was given was the clean version of Jay-Z’s The Blueprint. The funny thing was that they used to sell bootleg CDs right outside of Tower Records, and that’s where I bought Eiffel 65’s Europop,” he said, the detail of the bootleg seller outside Tower Records painting a vivid picture of the city he grew up in. His Ugandan roots also appeared in his playlist. “I’ve been listening to a lot of Radio & Weasel, who are a duo from Uganda, who were running the charts for a long, long time,” he said. And for quieter, more reflective moments, he reached for country music. “And, you know, if I’m feeling reflective, throw on some Kacey Musgraves,” he added. Mamdani, who is of South Asian and East African descent, became a cultural talking point when he wrapped up his 2025 electoral victory speech to the Bollywood track Dhoom Machale as his family walked onto the stage. That moment went viral and signalled from the very beginning that this was a politician with a different kind of cultural identity from those typically associated with New York’s highest office. In a previous interview, he had also spoken warmly about Indian-American rapper Himanshu Suri, known as Heems, describing him as one of his favourite artists well before he entered politics. For Shamoon Ismail, the mention by a sitting mayor is the kind of international visibility that cannot be manufactured or bought. For Pakistani music more broadly, it is a reminder that the country’s artists are being heard in places and by people that might surprise even their most devoted local fans.
