Much of his newer music depicts a high-flying lifestyle, one more reflective of the American hip-hop scene than his rural Indian roots. He’s got songs with titles like “Caviar,” “Lamborghini,” “High End,” “GOAT,” and “Born to Shine,” the latter two of which he performed on The Tonight Show.
Dosanjh even has a song dedicated to Rihanna titled “Ri Ri,” where he imagines the pop star decked out in a traditional Patiala suit worn by Punjabi women. He sings about wanting to attend a concert of hers, dressed in traditional Punjabi clothes himself.
It’s worth digging a little deeper, though, to older songs in his repertoire, where you might be surprised to find a pious undertone. His 2013 album, simply titled “Sikh,” has eight tracks, each dedicated to spirituality and valor. He has also released other softer, more obviously devotional songs.
“Diljit is a very, very mild-mannered person when you interact with him one-on-one,” Chaubey says. The sentiment is echoed by Imtiaz Ali, the latest Hindi filmmaker to have worked with Dosanjh, for the film Amar Singh Chamkila. The role of Chamkila fit Dosanjh perfectly: a Punjabi musician known for his catchy tunes, raucous lyrics, anti-establishment bent, and deep affection from his fans. Dosanjh “remains basic and simple in his approach,” Imtiaz observes. But don’t let the simplicity fool you, those still waters run way deep.
Bridging cultures through music — and a sense of humor
Despite film and music industries that generate billions of streams on any given day, Indian culture has little foothold in America. If you’re not yet buying my argument, consider this. My in-laws — suburban, middle class, white New Jerseyites — may have heard of Shah Rukh Khan but couldn’t name one of his films. They know Priyanka Chopra as a Jonas. Regardless of its seemingly enormous success in the West, none of them have either heard of RRR or have one clue what a “Naatu Naatu” is. (If you need to click away from this article to Google now, please just go on, come back quickly, and don’t admit it to anyone).
While the US is a new frontier that Dosanjh has set his sights on, fans in India need not worry. At every new venue, “Punjabi aa gaye” (“Punjabis have arrived”) is Dosanjh’s rallying cry. Dosanjh now serves as an ambassador of Punjabi, and Indian, culture.
His refrain is heard, too, across his social media. Some of the most popular posts on his page are mini-vlogs he shoots in his free time. One viral video features Dosanjh engaged in friendly banter with Alexa, asking her to play his song, with the device repeatedly failing to understand his Punjabi accent.
Ever so playfully, the singer exposes how a certain kind of assimilative attitude is required of brown people when we go to America. By speaking naturally to no avail and then adopting the most comical, stereotypical American accent to get the job done, he flips the “outsider” narrative on its head. The virtual assistant tech, much like America, doesn’t know what it’s missing.
I can confidently predict that Dosanjh — and a slew of other talent from India — will bring you an endless stream of vibrant, bass-heavy, dance-friendly, and uncompromisingly accented music and movies in years to come. Maybe you’ve already bought your ticket. But if not, as Dosanjh told me last week: “My answer remains the same. This is nothing. I have barely begun.”