Here to create legacy: Indo-Canadian Punjabi singer-song-writer Abbu

Diasporas have produced vibrant works in the fields of music, art and literature. The Indian diasporas in the UK and Canada are known for their new wave of music – a blend of traditional and contemporary sounds in the genres of pop, Indie and fusion. If you look at the history of Punjabi music, you see how it underwent a great extent of diasporic experiments by mixing Sufism and elements of folk with American hip-hop and R&B, and eventually produced a new generation of musicians from Canada.

Rapper-singers AP Dhillon, Gurinder Gill, Jonita Gandhi, Karan Aujla and Ikky (Ikwinder Singh) are some of the promising names in Canada today. Indo-Canadian singer-songwriter Avneet Kaur, popularly known as Abbu, is another young and vibrant artist who has gained billions of streams on platforms like Spotify in a short span of time.

Abbu released her first EP titled ‘In Love’ on February 14, Valentine's Day. In a heart-revealing tone of her own, Abbu blends contemporary pop with traditional sufi and Punjabi folk to create music that resonates with global audiences. Her lyrics explore themes of love, identity, and self-expression, making her songs relatable and impactful. With a growing fanbase, Abbu is establishing herself as one of the promising new voices in the music industry. Her journey as an artist — balancing her roots while exploring global music trends — offers a fascinating perspective on how Punjabi music is transforming and gaining recognition worldwide.

Born in Jalandhar (Punjab), Abbu grew up listening to Punjabi folk songs and Sufi songs sung by Ustad Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, Surjit Bindrakhia and Surinder Kaur to name a few. Even though she left India for Canada, Abbu didn’t change the track, as there was an undercurrent of a fusion of Punjabi folk, elements of Sufi and bhangra in her.

There are more than 7,71,000 people in Canada who have been identified as Sikh. The country is home to the largest Sikh diaspora outside India. The diplomatic relationship between India and Canada hit a rock bottom since the murder of Hardeep Singh Nijjar, a Sikh separatist leader, in Canada in June 2023. According to a BBC report, the Canadian police accused Indian agents of involvement in “homicides, extortion and violent acts” and targeting supporters of the pro-Khalistan movement, which seeks a separate homeland for Sikhs in India. However, Canada has faced sharp criticism from India for failing to oppose the pro-Khalistan movement within its borders.

As both the countries pass the buck, many feel that the new wave of music that the Indian diasporas in Canada produce brings in a sigh of relief to the diplomatic tensions. For Abbu, Canada is the place which shaped her as a human being as well as an independent artist. “We have a huge number of Indians living in Canada. So I never felt that I had to do something different to get the attention of people. The music that I do is something which comes naturally to me,” said Abbu, when asked about her music (why she sings only in Punjabi), diaspora, and challenges of establishing herself as a Punjabi singer in Canada.

Even though Abbu uses foreign beats in her music, she sticks to her mother tongue when it comes to singing. “I was born in Jalandhar (Punjab). I am a Punjabi by heart. And the cherry on the top is that I'm the youngest one in my family. So as a kid, I was literally listening to the same music, what my parents used to hear or what my siblings used to hear. So I grew up listening to all these Punjabi folk songs, all these Sufi songs sung by Ustad Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, Surjit Bindrakhia and Surinder Kaur,” she said. Listening to their music has shaped her in a very unique way as an artist.

“If these songs were not there in my life as a kid, I don't know what I would have been able to do when I started taking music as a profession in my life. The influence of these songs plays a huge role in my life. It is my identity. I feel true to myself. I feel true to my roots, my culture,” she added.

When Abbu started singing professionally and publicly on social media platforms, she chose Punjabi folk songs, but she created different melodies and compositions. “Punjabi is my mother tongue, so it was the best for me to kind of like to sing when it comes naturally to me. But at the same time, using those contemporary beats, which makes me feel different, which makes me feel unique. So it’s a perfect blend that I find out from that,” said the 26-year-old.

Abbu has a fascinating concept about life as she believes that every human being on this earth is unique. The only difference is that some people just know about those things which make them unique, and the rest are not just aware about those things. “Why I think I'm unique as a singer and songwriter is the confidence that I have for my music and the belief that if you do something by heart, then there are people out there who are waiting to listen to the same type of music… I sing because it genuinely makes me feel validated. And this validation is something which I'm not looking for from anybody. It is an internal satisfaction and validation from within. Singing is healing me. It has healed me in many ways, and it is still healing me,” she said. Abbu said her music is all about her feelings and she wants to express her feelings of self-love, empowerment, courage, even though she also wants to sing about joy, party, having fun, being young, being old, everything. “I just want people to feel connected. So it is the confidence which makes me unique. I'm not here to follow any trends. And I'm not here to be famous for just 15 seconds on social media. I'm here to create a legacy,” she said.

As a kid, Abbu used to get tense during her examinations. To get away from it, she would lock her door and play music loudly. She would also sing and dance to the music. It was a kind of meditation for the little one. It was music that saved her those days. “Music is everything to me and that’s why I want people to feel what I feel through music,” said Abbu.

Even though Canada is known as a welfare state, Abbu faces a lot of challenges as an independent artist settled there. “There are many challenges that I have to face. As an independent artist, I would say it is difficult to do things of your own whenever it comes to expenses. If you're in India, accessing any resources related to music is way much easier and cheaper as compared to getting that access for studios or paying for production is expensive in Canada. It is a challenge, particularly when you are an independent singer in Canada,” said Abbu, who believes that Punjabi music is undergoing a significant shift. How? Because it is evolving globally. Three of the top 10 tracks in India in 2022 were made by Canadian artists and “Excuses” sung by AP Dhillon and Gurinder Gill remained the top streamed track on Spontify. “There are many collaborations taking place in the field. Our Punjabi music artists are collaborating with international artists out there. For example, AP Dhillon and Diljit (Diljit Assam) Assam are doing some great international collaborations,” she added. The independent artists are doing a great job, according to her. They are blending the folk songs with those trap music beats, hip hop songs, and also how they're producing those mixes with Sufi songs. “So there is a lot to comment on this evolving shift that we're having in this Punjabi music industry. The collaborations that Punjabi artists are doing with the international artists are good signs for the Punjabi music as a whole,” said Abbu.

Abbu is based in Canada and she sings in Punjabi, but she finds her listeners mostly in New Delhi. “It really excites me whenever I talk about my listeners in India. And recently, I was checking my Instagram and I found out that the top most listeners in India are from Delhi. It is such an amazing feeling. Because it is obvious that I sing in Punjabi, so I'm going to get Punjabi listeners. I live in Canada, so I'm going to get North American listeners. But getting listeners from Delhi and from other parts of India, that is like a success for me already,” said Abbu, who wants her music to reach every corner of the world.

As a song-writer, Abbu maintains a time-table. “I don’t have a fixed time for gym or writing. It depends on my day-to-day activities. If I feel like writing, I take my notebook and pen and I will skip my gym,” said Abbu, whose transformation from Avneet Kaur to Abbu has been beautiful. “I am learning each and every single day about my music, about my art, and how I want to do things differently in this music industry. I don't want to follow any trends. I want to create my niche audience. I want to deliver that music which has no boundaries where people are just vibing to it,” she added.