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Karan Aujla is an Indian-Canadian pop singer, songwriter, and rapper who rose to international fame at the end of the 2010s. He began appearing on the U.K. Asian and Punjabi charts with singles like 2019's "Hint" and 2020's "Jhanjar," which were both breakout success, especially in the streaming world where he became one of Punjabi music's most popular stars. Along with the 2021 solo album Bacthefucup, Aujla released the 2023 collaborative album, Making Memories, with producer Ikky. It made the Canadian Top Five. A year later, he teamed up with rapper Divine on another joint album, Street Dreams.

Born January 18, 1997, in Pubjab's Ludhiana district, Aujla was orphaned at age nine and was subsequently raised by his sisters and uncle. By the time he was in his teens, he had emigrated to British Columbia, Canada, where he spent his teenage years. He was already writing lyrics at this point and released his first single, "Cell Phone," with Mac Benipal in 2014. Two years passed before he tried again with 2016's "Property of Punjab." Around this time he began to find more work as a songwriter and lyricist, working with artists like Deep Jandu, Elly Mangat, and Jazzy B, among others. He also continued releasing singles of his own and eventually had breakout success with 2018's "Don't Worry" with Gurlez Akhtar, which made the Top 40 on the U.K.'s Asian chart.

Having struck with that single, Aujla ramped up his output in the next two years, and he landed numerous singles on that same chart, some of them hitting the U.K. Punjabi chart as well. Among his most popular songs during this period were "Jhanjar," "So Far," and "Adhiya. He started experimenting with longer releases, including his Tru Skool-produced debut album, Bacthefucup, in 2021 and the Way Ahead EP in 2022. 2023 saw two different collaborations with Canadian producer Ikky, starting with the Four You EP, followed by the full-length joint album Making Memories, which was a hit in Canada. Next up was another full-length collaboration, Street Dreams, with Indian rapper Divine. Following its early 2024 release, Aujla made a solo EP, Four Me. He also resumed releasing singles like the hit "Tauba Tauba" from the soundtrack to the film Bad Newz. ~ Timothy Monger

Toronto native Ikwinder Singh found success in the late 2010s, writing and producing tracks for high-profile Indian artists like Gurnam Bhullar, Amrit Maan, and Garry Sandhu. Combining elements of Punjabi pop with North American rap and multicultural rhythms, he later launched both a label, 4N, and a solo career under the name Ikky. With help from previous collaborators Maan and Sandhu, Ikky released his first single, "80 90," in 2021.

Growing up in Toronto, Singh was influenced equally by the city's hip-hop and R&B music as by that of his own family's Punjabi culture. Recognizing his son's budding talent, his father bought him some basic production equipment and he developed rapidly during his teenage years. Through a mutual friend, Singh was paired with up-and-coming Indian singer Gurnam Bhullar and the two found a massive hit with the 2018 breakout track "Diamond." From there he went on to work with more-established artists like Amrit Maan and Sidhu Moose Wala, adding North American urban flair and other global sounds to popular Punjabi music.

In 2021, Singh stepped into a new role as a rapper/singer, shortening his name to Ikky and launching the ambitious 4N label in partnership with Warner Music. His first single, "80 90," featured contributions from both Maan and Sandhu. ~ Timothy Monger