Karan Aujla

Karan Aujla emerged as an Indian-Canadian pop singer, songwriter, and rapper who achieved international prominence toward the close of the 2010s. Early singles such as the 2019 track “Hint” and the 2020 release “Jhanjar” placed him on the U.K. Asian and Punjabi charts, where both became breakthrough hits that also drove his rapid rise among the most-streamed figures in Punjabi music. In 2021 he issued the solo album Bacthefucup, then joined producer Ikky for the 2023 collaborative project Making Memories, which reached the Canadian Top Five; the following year he partnered with rapper Divine on the joint album Street Dreams.

Aujla was born on January 18, 1997, in Punjab’s Ludhiana district. Orphaned at nine, he was raised by his sisters and uncle before emigrating to British Columbia, Canada, during his teenage years. Already composing lyrics, he debuted with the 2014 single “Cell Phone,” recorded alongside Mac Benipal, then waited two years before issuing “Property of Punjab” in 2016. During this period he began supplying material for other artists, including Deep Jandu, Elly Mangat, and Jazzy B. His own output continued, culminating in the 2018 single “Don’t Worry” featuring Gurlez Akhtar, which cracked the Top 40 on the U.K. Asian chart.

After that success Aujla increased his release pace over the next two years, placing multiple singles on the same U.K. charts and occasionally on the Punjabi listing; standout tracks from the era included “Jhanjar,” “So Far,” and “Adhiya.” He moved into longer-form projects with the Tru Skool-produced debut album Bacthefucup in 2021 and the Way Ahead EP in 2022. In 2023 he issued two further collaborations with Canadian producer Ikky—the Four You EP and the full-length album Making Memories—before releasing the joint album Street Dreams with Indian rapper Divine in early 2024. Later that year he returned with the solo EP Four Me and the single “Tauba Tauba,” featured on the soundtrack to the film Bad Newz.