On Saturday night (April 27), Vancouver witnessed Diljit Dosanjh write history The artist kicked off his Dil-Luminati tour with a sold-out stadium show at BC Place to a crowd of 54,000. the biggest Punjabi music concert outside India.
The show leaned into its landmark achievement, with an ominous voice-over preceding Diljit Dosanjh's entrance, “Remember, firsts are always special and what you see here will never be repeated.”
In more than two decades in the music and film industries, Dosanjh has cemented himself as a global star. Last year, he was the first Indian-born Punjabi singer to perform at Coachella and recently made strides in international music by garnering hundreds of millions of streams on collaborative tracks with Sia, Saweetie and Camilo respectively. Most recently, Dosanjh is fresh off the critical acclaim of his performance in the title Amar Singh Chamkilaa Bollywood biopic about the life and death of the controversial Punjabi singer who was killed at the height of his fame in 1988.
With anticipation palpable in the air, Dosanjh delivered a dynamic 27-song set with charisma and undeniable star power that easily captivated the record-breaking audience. It was an unabashed celebration of Punjabi music and culture.
The artist has a deep connection to Vancouver. Several of the popular Punjabi films that boosted his career like Jatt and Juliet and Honsla Rakh were filmed throughout Greater Vancouver, making this moment that much more special for fans who have been longtime supporters of him long before his recent international successes.
“Now, Punjabis have reached the courts,” said Dosanjh. “The next generation will not be able to say that this has never happened before. Now for generations to come, our children can dream even bigger.”
During his performance of “Vibe”, the singer picked up a young fan from the crowd who was dressed in signature Diljit Dosanjh attire, inviting him to dance with him. As the boy, understandably intimidated by the size of the crowd in front of him, got comfortable, he broke into the dance himself. It was his hopes for the next generation coming to life right in front of him – a kid who can now literally see himself on stage playing for a field of fans.
tour-dates&data=05%7C02%7Cmarc.schneider%40billboard.com%7Ccde6ab6127d54b671dee08dc6b883665%7Ce950f25546e44144a778a6ff4f557492%7C0%7C0%7C638503479983965934%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&sdata=ICAhIgsQ0OZ7U5yRhJ5zEZ7bY%2BhDvpKmGngF2YfHqnA%3D&reserved=0″ rel=”nofollow” target=”_blank”>Dosanjh's tour continues with arena dates in Winnipeg, Edmonton, Calgary, Los Angeles and more, and another stadium date at Toronto's Rogers Center on July 13. – Jeevan Sangha
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Rising Canadian stars Chani Nattan and Owen Riegling are making international moves
Punjabi powerhouse lyricist Chani Nattan is the next signing to Warner Music Canada and Warner Music India's joint venture, 91 North Records. Nattan will join fellow Punjabi-Canadian artists Karan Aujla, Jonita Gandhi and AR Paisley on the label, which was created to support South Asian artists.
Born and raised in Surrey, BC, Nattan has already met Punjabi music audiences around the world. In 2021, Nattan collaborated with Inderpal Moga and released “Daku” — a heady Punjabi hip-hop track that has amassed 247 million views on YouTube and become one of the most streamed songs on Spotify India. Featuring Sukha and Punjabi singer Gurlez Akhtar, Nattan's '8 Asle' sparked a viral TikTok dance trend and charted on the Billboard Canadian Hot 100.
Nattan marks the signing with the release of his new song “Facetime”, alongside frequent collaborator Inderpal Moga and iconic Punjabi singer Miss Pooja.
Nattan uses a traditional Punjabi duet style, usually consisting of a playful back-and-forth between an arguing couple. “Facetime” combines those old-school Punjabi vibes with the hip-hop elements he's so heavily influenced by, says Nattan Billboard Canada.
“The beats are different, but the heart and soul of it retains the sound of Punjab and its meanings,” he says. “It's about honoring our roots while embracing the evolution of our music.”
In the meantime, Canada-based management and production company Workshop Music Group has announced a new partnership with talent agency The Familie to co-manage up-and-coming young country singer-songwriter Owen Rigling. The Familie's client roster includes Machine Gun Kelly and Avril Lavigne, and it recently launched a country music division.
With more than 50 million global streams for his songs, Riegling won the 2022 Emerging Artists Showcase at the CanCountry mega-fest Boots & Hearts and subsequently signed his record deal with Universal Music Canada. Last year he was selected for Apple Music's UpNext program and is now part of Spotify's Hot Country Artists To Watch and Amazon Canada's Breakthrough Artists to Watch 2024. – Jeevan Sanha & Kerry Doole
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The Toronto Chinese restaurant is getting a boost from Kendrick Lamar's Namedrop
Toronto caught some strays on Kendrick Lamar's “Euphoria,” the first of two diss tracks aimed at the city's star Drake. While listing all the things he hates about Drizzy, Kendrick takes a moment to put on an exaggerated Toronto accent with local slang and a surprising reference to a popular late-night Chinatown restaurant: “I'm in New Ho King, eating fried rice with a dipping sauce and a blemish, crondi,” he raps.
CityNews spoke with New Ho King owner Johnny Lu for a TV segment. Playing him the track, they get his live reaction to the nametrack: “See, Kendrick's a good guy. Oh my God!” he says.
CityNews also met residents who are Kendrick fans who made trips just to try the fried rice. “I came all the way from Markham just to see this fried rice,” says one. “Kedrick Lamar, man. Gotta respect K. Dot, man. Ever since the diss track came out, I've been like, “I have to visit this place.”
The reference may have had a darker meaning than fried rice, with some fans believing it was a sly reference to Drake 2009 armed robbery. Toronto rapper Sizzlac, who was rumored to be part of the heist, once shot a music video at New Ho King, which may be how the restaurant hit Kendrick's radar. But New Ho King is reaping the benefits. Ever since the track dropped, New Ho King has been flooded with five-star reviews on Google and Yelp. – Richard Trapunsky
Last week in Canada: Cowboy Junkies Write to US Senators
from our partners at https://www.billboard.com/pro/diljit-dosanjh-chani-nattan-punjabi-music-canada-industry-news/
