The Sound of Modern Punjab

Punjab memories anchor Karan Aujla, even as his voice dominates international charts and sold-out shows

- By Sneha Menon Desai Photography by Shivangi Kulkarni

Karan Aujla landed in a rainy Mumbai, swag fully intact after a fleeting trip to his hometown Punjab — where he admits to sleeping most peacefully on the terrace of his chath (terrace) under the stars.

The 28-year-old Punjabi pop sensation was in Mumbai to launch his highly anticipated "P-Pop Culture" album. He spoke about his journey with The Hollywood Reporter India — from writing songs for others to becoming the world's most-streamed Punjabi artiste, the feeling of hearing 20,000 people chant his name in sold-out arena tours across North America, and the tightrope he's now walking between writing for a global audience while staying rooted to Punjab.

Aujla also reflects on the loss of his parents at a young age, opens up about his dream collaborations with artistes like Arijit Singh and international stars like Jay-Z and Snoop Dogg, and the responsibility that comes with influencing millions of fans.

THR India: How would you define P-pop [Punjabi pop]?

KARAN AUJLA: When we started working on the album [“Making Memories”, 2023], the first thing I considered was its name. And when I heard some samples of my songs, the dummy versions, I felt like I needed a name for my genre of music. I had a brief talk with my team, and we came up with ‘Punjabi Pop Culture’. That's what we do, the way we dress, carry ourselves, the food we like.

THR India: We've been listening to [your new song] “Gabru”. What part of yourself did you put into it?

KA: Confidence. I wanted to make a sound that's rock Punjabi with heavy guitars. We were focusing on the beat first. Ikky [music producer] and I were in the studio, when he played this heavy, rock-punk guitar beat with hip-hop drums. And then he added some Punjabi instrument samples flipped in there. I felt I had to write something with this.