How Indo-Canadian pop sensation Karan Aujla is the new prince of Punjabi pop

Dosanjh was already breaking social and cultural stereotypes by being a global superstar who wore his dastaar (turban) and often a traditional folk outfit during his concerts; Aujla’s lines created a lyrical space where being a sardar, with all its symbols, was actually cool. “Many of us have always had an issue with the portrayal of Sikh characters in films, often caricaturised to suit directorial needs. Diljit has changed that. This line, this song by Karan Aujla succinctly portrays that,” says popular Punjabi singer Jassie Gill.

Karan Aujla, in a conversation with SCREEN, says that while working with Diljit Dosanjh pushed him to elevate his own craft, songwriting feels instinctive to him and that he “avoids overthinking”. “When I sit down to write, I let emotions and ideas flow freely. My surroundings, personal experiences and the cultural background I come from all fuel my inspiration…Ultimately, I strive for authenticity in my lyrics. I want listeners to connect with the stories I tell through genuine emotions and relatable experiences. That connection is what makes my music resonate and I believe it’s the cornerstone of my songwriting process,” says Aujla.

This year, he followed up G.O.A.T and an album titled Making Memories (2023) with his Bollywood debut – Tauba Tauba — an emphatic combination of breezy rhymes, a cheerful flute and a full piano melody paired with Punjabi lines raving about a stunner in the throaty Malwai dialect. Tauba Tauba, a song he wrote, composed and sang, from an otherwise lost cause of a film (Bad Newz, 2024), turned out to be one of this year’s biggest hits from Bollywood, which has been banking on remixes to survive. Aujla says he intentionally kept the lyrics simple. “Hindi really isn’t me. I wanted to familiarise a lot more people with Punjabi,” says Aujla. Authentic Punjabi lines with a contemporary, rakish energy was just the edge Aujla needed to get the song to ring up the charts.

If Tauba Tauba offered Karan Aujla phenomenal success, two Junos (considered the Canadian Grammys) earlier this year from the Canadian Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences for his song Softly, 2023 (which goes by the line Chunni meri rang de lalaariya), announced the arrival of a rare talent. While one was for being the ‘Breakthrough Artist of the Year’, the other was the Audience Choice Award, which has previously gone to the likes of Avril Lavigne, Justin Bieber and Shawn Mendes, among others.

It also marked another first — it made Aujla the only Punjabi artiste to land a Juno. The award, he says, was “a reminder of staying true to my roots” and “pushing boundaries”. “This award celebrates the hard work and talent of countless artistes in our scene. It highlights the global appeal of Punjabi music and shows that Indian artistes are making their mark on the international stage… I hope this inspires more Punjabi artistes to pursue their dreams and showcase the richness of our culture to a wider audience,” says Aujla.

Several Punjabi hits in a year, a quick turnaround time (from writing a song to its recording), writing for almost 23 Punjabi artistes besides creating his own singing career, and collaborations with rappers Badshah and DIVINE, have put Aujla on a global map.

“At this point, I am going to call him the biggest artiste in the Indian subcontinent. Karan is a brilliant performer, who is futuristic in his approach. Punjabi music is now changing every four months. He figures out what will work and executes it very quickly,” says Satvinder Singh Kohli, managing director, Speed Records Private Ltd, the biggest Punjabi music label in India.

Gill believes that Aujla has become so free with his art now “that he is experimenting wonderfully and the results are brilliant”.

Kohli, who is a Dosanjh acolyte himself, says that while the former is a global superstar and a brilliant performer, he is not writing and composing his songs. “Karan is first a lyricist and composer and then a singer,” says Kohli, who adds that most of Aujla’s audience comes from the Gen Z space. “His is a relatively younger audience. Those born after 1998 are listening to him and how,” says Kohli.

This month, Karan Aujla begins his debut India tour, ‘It’s All A Dream’, tickets for which are selling out fast, and priced as high as Rs 15 lakh. “This tour means a lot more than just performing; it’s about connecting with my fans on a deeper level and sharing my music in the country that shaped me as an artiste. While my recent tours in the UK, Australia, and Canada were amazing, India hits different because it’s a homecoming of sorts,” says Aujla, who will be touring Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru and Jaipur, among other cities.

Some stories aren’t meant to be. Even Aujla hasn’t been able to fathom how a 14-year-old from an agricultural family in Ghurala, a speck of a village in Punjab — who had lost both his parents as a young boy and had turned to writing as a refuge and worked as a longshoreman — became a pop star only a few years later. “Sometimes I can’t believe I am that same kid who lost his parents in India, made his way out to Canada… If you are dreaming, make sure you dream big,” said Aujla, in his acceptance speech at the Junos, remembering the toughest phase of his life.

The youngest of three siblings, Karan grew up as Jaskaran Aujla. He lost his father to a motorcycle accident when he was just nine and his mother to gallbladder cancer five years later. Brought up by the family of his father’s younger brother, writing songs, he says, was the only real expression for him. While some of this poetry was melancholic, some others carried a sense of hope. “Writing was a way for me to process my emotions during that challenging time. I wrote about loss, heartache and longing. It felt like a cathartic experience that laid the foundation for my musical journey, helping me find my voice and connect with others. I didn’t know how to talk about it to anybody, but I slowly realised I could turn songwriting into a hobby and then a profession,” says Aujla,

Aujla was in class IX when his first song, Cell Phone, with singer Mac Benipal, whom he met at a wedding, was released on YouTube. The song, which spoke about feeling lost and alone amidst grinding poverty, tanked. “That song happened when I was 15. Looking back, every struggle taught me something valuable. It was those hard times that shaped my identity,” says Aujla.

It was on a visit to Chandigarh with Benipal that Aujla discovered luxury SUVs, especially the Range Rover, and became fascinated with it. He eulogised the car and wrote Range, a song based on the rhyme and meter of Cell Phone, but this time describing the feeling of owning the luxury car. Gill, whom Aujla met when he was 14, was then an upcoming singer from the neighbouring village of Jandali. With a few hit songs in tow, he was already doing shows in Punjab. Aujla found out that Gill frequented his friend’s salon in Khanna, met him and offered him the lyrics of Range. “It was surprising that it had come from such a young boy. There were some very intricate things and rhythmically the song landed perfectly,” says Gill. The song became Aujla’s calling card to approach other producers.

During those early writing years, he also started looking up online tutorials and interacting with established producers whilst experimenting with different styles. “I draw inspiration from both traditional Punjabi poetry and contemporary music,” says Aujla, who was always drawn to the work of Kuldeep Manak and Gurdas Mann.

Range (Replay, Speed Records) came out in 2014 and was an instant hit. But by that time, Aujla had already immigrated to Canada to live with his sisters. “He was really young then and wanted to be featured in the music videos, but the new boys weren’t keen to give him a chance then,” says Kohli.

The move to Canada from Ghurala in his early teens was a significant transition. “It was a mix of anxiety and nervousness…with a different culture, lifestyle and way of life,” says Aujla, who also figured that this was the space where he could express himself more freely. He found himself amid a multi-cultural setting that broadened his horizons.

“It was inspiring to see how diverse communities came together and celebrated their heritage. This experience fuelled my creativity and encouraged me to explore new sounds and influences in my music. Over time, I began to find my place, build friendships, and embrace the opportunities. It became a pivotal chapter in my life, shaping both my identity and my musical journey,” says Aujla, who after high school took up a part-time job as a longshoreman in Surrey, British Columbia. As he loaded and unloaded cargo on the docks and learned the value of hard work, deep down he knew it was a temporary phase.

“During those long hours, I would daydream about my music and the impact I wanted to make. It was a tough environment, but it motivated me to push harder for my dreams. That experience reinforced my belief in pursuing my passion. It reminded me that every struggle can lead to growth, and ultimately, I knew I was meant to share my stories through music. It was all part of the journey to get where I am today,” says Aujla.

He soon met Punjabi composers and producers Deep Jandu and Elly Mangat and began writing lyrics for them. This also led him to write for Jazzy B and Bohemia, two big names in the circuit. His song Blessings of Bapu (2015) sung by Gagan Kokri found some attention back home.

But Aujla wasn’t still a familiar name because he wasn’t the face of the songs. Also, the concept of credit for the lyricist was a bit muddled. What changed the game for him was a song called Don’t Worry (2018) featuring Punjabi singer Gurlez Akhtar, which captured his personality, helping him connect with the fans.

“I was still navigating my way through the music industry. The song captured the essence of facing life’s challenges with a positive outlook, which resonated deeply with many people,” says Aujla. He didn’t look back from here, releasing one song after another, most of them blending hip-hop with a typical Punjabi sound identity. The audience was lapping it up and asking for more.

In the last few decades, Punjab’s cultural identity has seen a big transformation. Shrinking agriculture prospects, lack of jobs and industry have led motifs in older songs that spoke of births, weddings and military life and rich Punjabi literature, to be replaced by lyrics dominated by guns, drugs and misogyny, among others. The loss of innocence and its replacement by a certain aggressive culture in Punjabi songs has been a prominent cultural shift, buoyed by the Internet.

Aujla’s rivalry with slain singer Siddhu Moosewala was also a consequence of being in the same gun-toting, sabre-rattling space. The two started off as friends, but conversation leaks led to both sides dissing each other through their songs. Aujla blames “the pressures of fame, expectations from fans, and the aggressive nature of the industry” for the conflicts and misunderstandings.

“It is a reminder of how fragile relationships can be in this industry and how important it is to communicate openly and respectfully. I hope that artistes can learn from such situations and focus on creating music that brings people together rather than allowing conflicts to divide us. It’s crucial to prioritise our artistry and the message we want to convey, while also remembering the importance of unity within the music community,” says Aujla.

A couple of years before Moosewala’s death, Karan Aujla was also asked by Chandigarh police to refrain from songs glorifying violence and drugs. He agreed to make the change. “As an artiste with a large following, I recognise my responsibility. I’ve become more mindful about my lyrical choices and believe in striking a balance between hard and soft tracks. It’s about creating a body of work that is both relatable and responsible. My music will maintain that balance while evolving with the changing industry landscape,” says Aujla, who is all set for a new, big release with Dosanjh besides the upcoming tour.

“This tour is not just about performing; it’s about celebrating our culture, Punjabi music and sharing it in the country that shaped me as an artiste,” he says.