Ikwinder Singh is too young to remember the last time Punjabi music was on the cusp of breaking into the mainstream in Canada.

The 23-year-old producer was only a baby when rapper Jay-Z joined British-Indian artist Panjabi MC on 2003B次元官网网址檚 B次元官网网址淏eware the Boys (Mundian To Bach Ke).B次元官网网址� The track drew attention for its distinctive combination of bhangra music and a killer hip-hop bassline, inching up the music charts and offering Indian listeners hope that a new scene was emerging globally.

And then pop radio moved on to the next big sound.

B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 one of those things no one was ready for,B次元官网网址� supposes the Toronto-raised music creator, known as Ikky.

He suggests that North American record executives of that era may have been caught off-guard by the songB次元官网网址檚 success and that not enough Punjabi artists were primed for crossover careers.

Singh doesnB次元官网网址檛 waste much time wondering what couldB次元官网网址檝e been. HeB次元官网网址檚 confident that today the story is different.

Over the past few years, a new generation of Punjabi performers has emerged from Canada with a unique fusion of cross-cultural influences that couldB次元官网网址檝e only come from this country.

The Punjabi wave, as some call it, is a blend of the Indo-Aryan language with elements of global hip-hop, R&B and trap music. In Canada, its popularity is led by an array of names including AP Dhillon, Karan Aujla, Gurinder Gill and producer Ikky.

These artists, helped by a tight-knit community of music professionals, have scaled India and CanadaB次元官网网址檚 charts, launched major tours and left some in the industry wondering if Punjabi music is on the cusp of its breakout moment akin to what B次元官网网址淕angnam StyleB次元官网网址� and B次元官网网址淒espacitoB次元官网网址� did for Korean and Spanish-language pop music.

This weekend, two rising stars of the Punjabi-Canadian music scene head to Halifax for the Juno Awards, where they vie for the fan choice prize alongside popB次元官网网址檚 biggest names, including the Weeknd and Tate McRae.

Karan Aujla, whose track B次元官网网址淪oftlyB次元官网网址� certified the British Columbia-raised singer as a hitmaker last year, will compete with rapper Shubh, a Brampton, Ont.-based artist known for his streaming hits B次元官网网址淥ne LoveB次元官网网址� and B次元官网网址淐heques.B次元官网网址� The fan choice award is handed out at the end of SundayB次元官网网址檚 CBC Junos broadcast.

This is a pivotal moment for the Punjabi genre, which has never been represented in the marquee Junos category, which aims to capture the zeitgeist. Aujla holds a second Juno nod for breakthrough artist this year.

All of this comes as the genreB次元官网网址檚 profile continues to rise in Canada.

One of the most symbolic moments happened during last yearB次元官网网址檚 Junos in Edmonton, where AP Dhillon made history as the first Punjabi music act on the broadcast.

The Victoria-based indie rapperB次元官网网址檚 flashy delivery of his single B次元官网网址淪ummer HighB次元官网网址� was designed to usher in a new era for the genre. But it was upstaged by a topless protester who crashed his introduction by Avril Lavigne. Despite the unexpected turn of events, DhillonB次元官网网址檚 presence signalled how quickly the scene was being taken seriously.

Then last summer, Warner Music Canada announced a partnership with its India division to launch 91 North Records. The Canadian label was designed to foster a generation of local South Asian artists and better link two sides of the world. The labelB次元官网网址檚 first release B次元官网网址淢aking Memories,B次元官网网址� a collaboration between Aujla and Ikky, debuted at No. 5 on the Billboard Canadian Albums chart.

In February, Punjabi rapper Sidhu Moose Wala debuted at No. 9 on the Billboard Canada Hot 100 chart nearly two years after his shooting death in India. His single B次元官网网址淒rippyB次元官网网址� became the latest in a run of Punjabi-Canadian chart hits.

Outside the country, the Punjabi music industry has taken notice. Next month, India-based performer Diljit Dosanjh launches an arena and stadium tour that rolls through five Canadian cities, starting in Vancouver and ending in Toronto.

B次元官网网址淭his is just the tip of the iceberg,B次元官网网址� said Toronto rapper AR Paisley, who appears on B次元官网网址淒rippy.B次元官网网址�

B次元官网网址淲ith whatB次元官网网址檚 happening, weB次元官网网址檙e going to see a lot of young and talented artists on the come up.B次元官网网址�

Music producer Gagundeep Singh Randhawa said it takes looking back a couple decades to understand how Punjabi-Canadian music reached its current status.

For the longest time, Punjabi artists relied on folk music instruments B次元官网网址� such as the tablas and tumbis B次元官网网址� for their sound. He said that meant even rap songs such as B次元官网网址淏eware the BoysB次元官网网址� sounded like traditional music, which often relegated them to Indian weddings and other cultural spaces.

It took the work of people like Jazzy B, a Surrey, B.C.-based performer who found success in the mid-2000s, to fuse electronic and hip-hop elements in a new way that inspired a generation.

B次元官网网址淗e brought a different flavour,B次元官网网址� said Randhawa, who works under the name Gminxr (pronounced G-minor).

B次元官网网址淗e shifted the scene. But after him, it just went back to folk.B次元官网网址�

Nearly a decade passed before Punjabi music was reinvigorated. He credits Moose WalaB次元官网网址檚 early work for launching the current wave with its blend of the Punjabi language and trap music.

Moose WalaB次元官网网址檚 career got underway around 2017 while he was an international student living in Brampton, Ont., and his reputation spread through online forums.

Randhawa said the rapperB次元官网网址檚 music opened his ears to how Punjabi songs could break barriers and find broader audiences.

Around the same time, an influx of young students was moving from India, which the Victoria-based producer said offered him further motivation.

B次元官网网址淐oming from this small city, where itB次元官网网址檚 predominantly white, and all of a sudden seeing Indian people everywhere, it was a big change,B次元官网网址� Randhawa added.

Meanwhile, other changes were taking place in how people consumed music. More Punjabi music fans were gravitating to paid subscription services instead of solely YouTube, where the genre first thrived.

In response, the streaming platforms began to support more Punjabi-Canadian artists, placing their new songs in prime real estate. Spotify began positioning Dhillon and others on its New Music Friday Canada playlist, exposing their sound to listeners who never heard Punjabi music.

By the time COVID-19 restrictions were easing, those streaming numbers were proving themselves in concert ticket sales. DhillonB次元官网网址檚 Out of This World Tour kicked off in late 2022, drawing crowds to the 19,000-seat Rogers Arena in Vancouver.

Live Nation promoter Baldeep Randhawa said heB次元官网网址檚 confident Punjabi music can draw far bigger numbers in the coming years. To make that happen, people like him are working to secure the right artists for the biggest venues, offering them technical support that puts them on a level with global stars.

B次元官网网址淲eB次元官网网址檙e giving them the same opportunities that someone like Drake would (have),B次元官网网址� he said.

B次元官网网址淭heyB次元官网网址檙e able to play these professional venues (and) do it with a vision they like and want. When the audience is coming to these shows theyB次元官网网址檙e leaving in awe of the level of production.B次元官网网址�

The Live Nation promoter has already witnessed the positive impact of these massive concerts on the local Punjabi-Canadian community.

B次元官网网址淚B次元官网网址檓 watching so many people come into these rooms for the first time,B次元官网网址� he said.

B次元官网网址淎nd I remember hearing a kid say B次元官网网址業 canB次元官网网址檛 believe someone with a turban is playing this stage.B次元官网网址橞次元官网网址�

What CanadaB次元官网网址檚 Punjabi music wave still needs to thrive is more domestic support from the major record labels, say many who watch the scene.

While Warner has thrown themselves into the mix full force, Universal Music Canada and Sony Music Canada have yet to announce any significant investment in the genre or its performers.

Paisley is confident itB次元官网网址檚 only a matter of time.

B次元官网网址淪ome people in the industry have taken notice, but I think thereB次元官网网址檚 some (who) are still trying to turn a blind eye,B次元官网网址� he said.

B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 going to take more of an in-your-face moment. WeB次元官网网址檝e had a couple, but maybe itB次元官网网址檚 going to take a couple more.B次元官网网址�

One of those moments may have happened earlier this month at a concert in Mumbai. Pop superstar Ed Sheeran shocked his fans by bringing out Indian star Diljit Dosanjh B次元官网网址� the artist whoB次元官网网址檚 touring Canada this spring.

Together, they sang DosanjhB次元官网网址檚 hit B次元官网网址淟overB次元官网网址� with Sheeran chiming in to perform the chorus in Punjabi. It was a moment that earned positive attention on social media and suggested that Sheeran has his eye on the burgeoning corner of music.

Paisley said collaborations like these will be key to the Punjabi waveB次元官网网址檚 crossover success. He would like to hear more songs between the genreB次元官网网址檚 stars and big names in Latin and hip-hop music, as long as they feel authentic.

B次元官网网址淚 think weB次元官网网址檙e stronger together than we are apart,B次元官网网址� he added.

Producer Ikky agrees. He recently released B次元官网网址淚kkyB次元官网网址檚 House,B次元官网网址� an EP that plays around with genre conventions and introduces the Punjabi language into the pop sphere with help from Punjabi and English artists.

His production work aims to blend his perspective growing up in Canada with positive cultural values established in Punjabi music. ItB次元官网网址檚 a concept heB次元官网网址檚 still working on, and something he believes will take time for the rest of the world to catch up to.

B次元官网网址淲eB次元官网网址檙e still in a very early stage of global domination,B次元官网网址� he said.

B次元官网网址淔irst to India, we had to prove Canada is the home of Punjabi music. Now that weB次元官网网址檝e succeeded, we have to prove to Canada that this is Canadian music.B次元官网网址�

B次元官网网址淎fter that, weB次元官网网址檝e got to tell the world.B次元官网网址�

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