Various Artists - Bait (Music From & Inspired by the Original Series) (2026) [Hi-Res]

Bait (Music From & Inspired by the Original Series) is the soundtrack album for Bait, a six-part comedy series for Amazon Prime Video created by and starring Oscar winner Riz Ahmed (with Ben Karlin). The series follows Shah Latif, an out-of-work British Pakistani actor whose life spirals out of control after landing a chance to audition for the role of James Bond. The show premiered at the 2026 Sundance Film Festival and all six episodes were released on Prime Video on 25 March 2026, featuring Guz Khan, Sheeba Chaddha, Sajid Hasan, Ritu Arya, and Weruche Opia. The series score was composed by Shruti Kumar.
The album was initially released as a six-track EP alongside the series premiere, with an expanded 17-track edition following on 16 April 2026. Executive produced by Zubin Irani (founder of FAMM and manager of Jorja Smith) and Riz Ahmed himself — also a member of hip-hop trio Swet Shop Boys — the collection features 37 artists spanning an exceptionally wide musical spectrum: British grime and rap (AJ Tracey, Enny, CASisDEAD, Manni Dee), South Asian hip-hop (KR$NA, Talha Anjum and Young Stunners, Jokhay), Pakistani vocal traditions and contemporary electronics (Arooj Aftab, Natasha Noorani, Abdullah Siddiqui), Indian alternative pop (Talwiinder, Anish Kumar), and British R&B (Jorja Smith, Jay Sean).
Among the standout tracks is a reimagining of the Eurythmics' "Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)" by producer Anish Kumar with Grammy-winning Pakistani vocalist Arooj Aftab, sung in Urdu with sitar — one of the most discussed musical moments of the series. Lead single "Too Bait" unites AJ Tracey, Enny, KR$NA, and Anik Khan over a grime beat by Dirty Danger of Ruff Sqwad, built on an interpolation of Pakistani classic "Zambo Zambo" by Tafo and Nahid Akhtar. Jorja Smith's contribution, the string-laden ballad "Price of It All," is accompanied by an Amir Amor remix and a music video directed by KC Locke in a Bond-style espionage aesthetic. The inclusion of Origin Unknown and MC Shabba D's "Valley of the Shadows (Bait FM)" adds a drum'n'bass classic to the collection.
Ahmed has described the soundtrack as an unprecedented project that brings together vital artists from across the diaspora — India, Pakistan, South Asia broadly, as well as the UK and US. Critics have noted that the album functions not as a conventional television tie-in but as a full-fledged cultural manifesto, asserting the genre-fluid sophistication and global caliber of the British South Asian music scene.



Tracklist:
1-1 Manni Dee - What??? [2:21]
1-2 AJ Tracey;Kr$Na;Enny;Anik Khan - Too Bait [3:07]
1-3 Anish Kumar;Arooj Aftab - Sweet Dreams (Are Made Of This) [3:29]
1-4 Talwiinder;Sifr;NDS - Blues [3:23]
1-5 Riz Ahmed;CASisDEAD;Manni Dee - We Good? [3:12]
1-6 Raf-Saperra;Taj Aulakh - Undefeated [3:17]
1-7 Uppal;Sukh Knight - Kismet [2:29]
1-8 Jay Sean;Véyah - Pulling Me Back [3:21]
1-9 The Twins - Wedding [2:01]
1-10 Anish Kumar - Lakshmi Express [3:04]
1-11 Abdullah Maharvi;Billy Khan;ADP - Nach Le [2:40]
1-12 Talha Anjum;TALHAH YUNUS;Jokhay;YOUNG STUNNERS - Shikaar [3:06]
1-13 Nayana Iz;Ezrah - The Signs [3:45]
1-14 Natasha Noorani;Riz Ahmed;Abdullah Siddiqui - SAYA [3:08]
1-15 Jorja Smith - Price Of It All [3:04]
1-16 Origin Unknown;MC Shabba D - Valley Of The Shadows (Bait FM) [1:31]
1-17 Jorja Smith - Price Of It All (Amir Amor Remix) [3:23]