Punjabi Music Streams in UK soar by 285%

UK streams of Punjabi music have risen by 286% over the past five years.

Globally, it has increased by 2077%. However, some fans are not happy with the direction the genre is heading in.

Safiya Lambie Knight, head of music, UK & Ireland at Spotify, said:

“The signs are there that Punjabi music is only going to continue to grow in influence around the world.”

Hip-hop blends and collaborations with mainstream stars like Ed Sheeran have fascinated music lovers, regardless of the spoken language.

One of the top Punjabi artists right now is Karan Aujla.

His innovative melodies and quick-witted bars helped him become the first Punjabi artist to win a Juno Award.

After his concert at London’s O2 Arena, Karan said:

“I’m just a kid that came from nothing, from a small village so if you told me 10 years before I’ll be performing at the O2 London and selling out the whole arena, I wouldn’t know if that’d be possible, but we did it today.

“So if anybody out there is watching me, just know that it’s all possible.”

Karan’s fanbase also includes non-South Asians.

“I feel like music itself has no language, and it’s just so lovely how somebody that doesn’t know your language could still vibe to your music.

“And I’ve seen that with my own eyes at my shows and in my DMs, or like on Facebook or wherever when people send me videos of jamming to my songs, but they’re from a whole different country.

“I feel like Punjabi music will be one of the biggest things in this whole world in the next few years, and I believe in that.”

Despite Punjabi music’s rise in popularity, some artists have come under fire for promoting and glorifying drugs, violence and gun culture through their lyrics and music videos.

It was this trend that forced Panjab Radio to ban some singers from their airwaves.

Panjab Radio’s managing director Surjit Singh Ghuman MBE told Sky News:

“My personal belief is that lots of youngsters went from Punjab to Western countries, especially Canada and America, where there’s a big drug scene there, there’s a big gun culture there, and I think it all stemmed from there.

“It makes me feel sad because that is not our culture. Guns and drugs is not Punjabi culture.”

When the station started broadcasting in 2000, “we didn’t need to listen to the whole song, but now with the new music, we have to listen to every single song before it goes onto the system because there’s lots of swear words”.

Mr Ghuman added: “I think it’s all about the views now.

“It doesn’t matter what the message is you’re giving to the youngsters or the community, it is to do with earning money.”

But he hopes “positive changes are coming” and that artists will “start to focus their songs on the rich Punjabi culture rather than violence”.

However, the controversies continue.

AP Dhillon’s new song ‘Old Money’ contains so many violent scenes in its music video that there is a warning at the beginning.

His home in Canada was shot at several times in what is believed to have been a targeted attack.

Police are still investigating the suspects to establish a motive.

When it comes to Punjabi music, the UK stands as a place where the focus remains on the culture rather than the controversy.

Although controversies have contributed to the genre’s rise in popularity, its ability to strike a chord with diverse audiences indicates a hopeful future.