Daily Times

UK streams of Punjabi music have risen by 286 percent over the past five years. Globally, it has increased by 2077 percent. 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.”

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.

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.