Music Journalist/ Author/ Pop Culture Expert

Sowmya Krishnamurthy

Sowmya is a music, entertainment and media industry veteran whose work can be found in Rolling Stone, Billboard, XXL, Playboy, Highsnobiety, Complex, New York Magazine, Village Voice and TIME.

She is the author of the critically-acclaimed book Fashion Killa: How Hip-Hop Revolutionized High Fashion (Gallery Books/Simon & Schuster). Her next book: Roc-A-Fella Records: An American Rap Dynasty (Simon & Schuster).

As an on-air host and pop culture expert, she has appeared on: The Breakfast Club, MTV, MSNBC, VH1, Ebro in the Morning, Apple Music, E!, BET, CNN, NPR, SiriusXM and BBC.

Sowmya began her career in the mailroom at William Morris Endeavor, CNN and Bad Boy Records. She is a graduate of the Ross School of Business at the University of Michigan.

Fashion Killa: How Hip-Hop Revolutionized High Fashion

Fashion Killa is the first anthology on hip-hop and fashion. Spanning 50 years, this cinematic narrative of glamour, grit, luxury, and luck tells the story of the rappers, designers, stylists, and unsung heroes who fought the power and reinvented style around the world.

Featured in: The New York Times, New York Magazine, NPR, The Breakfast Club, Hot 97, Way Up with Yee, Complex, Vice, Essence, SiriusXM, Vibe and more.

“One of the best books of 2023” by Kirkus Reviews and Booklist.

“One of the best music books of 2024” by Pitchfork.

Public Speaking, Hosting & Panels

Tech

  • Meta

  • Amazon Music

  • Pandora

  • SoundCloud

Colleges & Universities

  • New York University

  • Parsons School of Design

  • University of Central Florida

  • University of Michigan

  • Fashion Institute of Technology

  • St. John’s University

Brands

  • Adidas

  • Complex

  • Audible

  • SiriusXM

Conferences & Festivals

  • SXSW

  • Music Biz

  • Los Angeles Times Festival of Books

  • REVOLT World

  • The Bronx Book Festival

  • Queens Library