The Punjabi singer released 60 singles in five years, attracting a loyal fanbase even as he battled his way through several controversies
In a career spanning nearly five years, 27-year-old Punjabi singer Sidhu Moosewala has released over 60 singles, three albums and worked with musicians like Raja Kumari and rapper Bohemia.
The controversial hiphop artist of Punjabi music, who was shot dead on Sunday evening, was a quintessential, eclectic mix of problems for the industry, from the promotion of gun culture to the toxic male tantra and disturbing displays of caste supremacy. was. However, Moosewala’s recent songs show a slight change from his early (2017) releases such as ‘Lifestyle’ and ‘So High’.
This year, Sidhu contested the Punjab Legislative Assembly election and released eight songs, all under his independent label Sidhu Moosewala. Once a scathing, cryptic commentary on the political churn in militancy-hit Punjab, his month-old song ‘Scape Goa’ is a candid, provocative rebuttal to all those questioning his defeat in the assembly elections. Not only that though.
Moosewala, like many other Punjabi singers, joined the cultural zeitgeist of farmers’ protests in 2020. his song ,‘Punjab – My Motherland’ was her independent label’s second offering, the first being ‘Legend’ which won Track of the Year (2019–2020) at the Brit Asia TV Music Awards.
words of ,‘Punjab – My Motherland’ features Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale – the leader of a controversial, yet iconic politico-spiritual sect that emerged in Punjab during the turbulent and volatile 1980s – and ‘Takky Naal Jinnu Dab Longe, Kashmir De Varg Nai , Which translates succinctly as ‘Unlike Kashmir, you cannot suppress Punjab’. The song sparked speculation about Musewala’s political leanings and his stance on Khalistan.
A year later they independently released ‘295’ on their third and final album. mousetape, The song depicts the politico-religious hegemony of Punjab through compelling lyrics: ,Sach bolenga tah milu 295, je karega taraki put hat milugi’ (If you speak the truth, you will be booked under section 295. If you succeed, you will get hate). Section 295 of the Indian Penal Code deals with hurting religious sentiments.
Sidhu Musewala became the first mainstream Punjabi R&B musician to express his views on Punjab’s Sikh politics in subtle terms.
In a recent interview In the air, Published on YouTube just three days ago, Musewala clarified his stand on Khalistan, including his fascination for guns. “I respect Bhindranwale. I had put his picture on my Twitter account and people questioned him when I joined Congress. I didn’t delete his picture. Is it a crime to respect someone? You might not like it, but I do. how can you change my mind I am not forcing anyone to like him. I lost by a lot of votes because of this also,” he said.
He still had conflicts with the law, politicians, religious figures and social workers.
The year 2020 was the most controversial for the singer. At that time, he was booked along with five police personnel for firing at a police range. In the same year, he was booked for singing ‘Sanju’, for which he was accused of promoting gun violence.
Moosewala had a habit of releasing at least one track on YouTube every month, which shows his dedication towards his craft. Just four days before his tragic demise, he released a song titled ‘Levels’ in collaboration with Sunny Malton, a rapper with whom Moosewala had collaborated several times before.
Fans Musewala had received the best reflection in social media tweets and posts over time, mourning his loss after the shooting on Sunday. His following can be gauged from the fact that he had 8.3 million followers on Instagram, 1.2 million followers on Facebook, and 2.2 million followers on Twitter (on which he was not that active).
One of his most popular songs, ‘So High’ garnered 484 million views by the end of the day. Punjabi music producer and film director Manasvi Aditya Sharma, popularly known as MAS, said that Moosewala changed the way the Punjabi music industry viewed the genres of hip-hop and rap. “Music and lyrics stand out when it comes to content and sound. It was all fresh, whether it was the rhyme or the rhythm and the melody,” said MAS, who also goes by the name Giza.
Fans mourning his sudden loss posted their tributes on social media. It featured Grammy-winning R&B artist Drake, who wrote a simple: “RIP, Moose.”
Drake’s story on Instagram