"political groups constantly use our artists' public image as a chess piece"
AP Dhillon has given his thoughts on the controversy around fellow singer Shubh.
Shubneet Singh, known as Shubh, was scheduled to perform in India as part of his Still Rollin Tour.
However, it was cancelled by the Indian government over his alleged support for the Khalistan movement.
In March 2023, Shubh shared a distorted map of India on Instagram, where Jammu and Kashmir, Punjab and other Northeastern states were blacked out along with “Pray for Punjab” written beside it.
The story came at a time when there was a lot of political uproar in India as the Punjab Police were searching for the now-arrested Amritpal Singh.
Speaking about the cancellation, Shubh said:
“As a young rapper-singer hailing from Punjab, India, it was my life’s dream to put my music on an international dais.
“But the recent happenings have tumbled my hard work and progress, and I wanted to say a few words to express my dismay and sorrow.
“I’m extremely disheartened by the cancellation of my tour in India.
“I was highly amped up and enthusiastic to perform in my country, in front of my people.
“The preparations were in full swing and I was practising with my heart and soul for the last two months. and I was very excited, happy, and ready to perform.
“But I guess destiny had some other plans. India is MY country too. I was born here.”
AP Dhillon has now broken his silence on the matter.
Showing support for Shubh, the singer wrote:
“I try to stay out of all the social mania as it is clear to me that regardless of what I say or do, it is a lost cause… someone, somewhere is going to spin the narrative to their liking and create more division.
“As an artist, it has become almost impossible to stay focused on your craft and do what you love.”
“I try to be mindful of everyone’s sentiments but it has gotten to a point where we have to second and triple-guess our every move due to fear of unintentionally fuelling even more division.
“Special interest and political groups constantly use our artists’ public image as a chess piece to further their agenda, while we are just trying to make art that helps people on an individual level, regardless of their colour, race, religion, nationality, gender etc.
“Spread love not hate. Let’s start thinking for ourselves and not let hateful influences program our beliefs.
“We are ALL one. Let’s not let man-made social constructs divide us. Division has gotten us to this point but unity is the key to the future…”
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