A father and daughter's TikTok duet "about what to look for in a guy" is the love letter we needed this holiday season.
You may know Indian-American singer Shuba from TikTok, where her celebrity impressions of Celine Dion, Ariana Grande, Eminem and Shakira plus her own collection of original songs, thrill her nearly six million TikTok followers.
With Shuba's career on fire — the Season 12 "American Idol" alum has signed a deal with Snafu Records — she's not looking for a boyfriend in the near future. Still, her father Ramesh likes to remind Shuba what qualities make a man marriage material.
Recently Shuba and Ramesh turned his romantic wish list into a song, which they co-wrote and performed on her TikTok channel.
"I'm putting off getting married for as long as I can," Shuba sings on the video. "But my dad's gonna tell me what to look for in a man."
Ramesh sings: "Look for a guy who respects you and never leaves you to dry, communicates his feelings and comforts you when you cry, is open-minded, intelligent and puts your needs on top."
The duo sings in unison, "And most importantly, you must find a man ..." before Ramesh says, "Who is hot."
"Hot?!" recoils Shuba, to which her dad answers, "Don't you want to have pretty kids?"
“I was with him until the end, TBH,” Shuba captioned the video with more than 41,000 views.
Shuba and Ramesh tell TODAY.com that they co-wrote the song over Thanksgiving break, when Shuba came home to visit her dad, while her mom was in India.
"Being Indian parents, we were concerned about when Shuba will get married," says Ramesh, adding, "Shuba is the age of her mom when she got married."
"As soon as you hit your twenties, Indian parents ask, 'When are you getting married?'" jokes Shuba.
That day, says Ramesh, he tried "four times" to figure out whether Shuba is dating anyone. Though Shuba admits to instigating the conversation by asking her dad, who has been married for 30 years, what traits he believes are important in a spouse.
Ramesh's answer — "Make sure the person is attractive" — made Shuba laugh and became the basis of their song.
One area Ramesh never doubted is his daughter's vocal abilities, buying Shuba a karaoke machine when she was 3, and encouraging her to sing in public, even when she didn't feel confident.
Many of Shuba's songs are inspired by her childhood in Michigan.
"Growing up Indian with semi-conservative parents, some of my songs, like 'Indian Summer' for example, are about liberation and embracing your 'baddie' self," says Shuba.
Shuba has not yet introduced Ramesh to any of her boyfriends, explaining, "I will if it's serious enough."
"My career is the love of my life," she adds. "Like I sang, I am putting off marriage for as long as I can and that comes straight from the heart. I'm in no rush."
According to Ramesh, eligible suitors will have to support his daughter's career, no strings attached.
"Otherwise," Ramesh tells his daughter, "he's not the man of your dreams."