Karan Aujla is a shining example of strength and raw talent in the world of Punjabi music, where tradition meets hip-hop swagger. Jaskaran Singh Aujla was born on January 18, 1997, in the quiet village of Ghurala in Punjab’s Ludhiana district. This Indian-Canadian artist has turned his own tragedy into songs that people all over the world can relate to. Aujla has broken records, gotten billions of streams, and won a Juno Award, all while staying true to his Punjabi roots. His story isn’t just about beats and rhymes; it’s about how to turn loss into something that lasts.
Early Life: A Childhood Full of Loss
Karan Aujla was born into a poor family in the fertile fields of rural Punjab. His parents were Balwinder Singh Aujla and Rajinder Kaur. Life changed in a terrible way early on: when Karan was 9 years old, his father died in a motorcycle accident, leaving him in shock. Five years later, when he was 14, his mother died of gallbladder cancer, leaving him without any parental guidance. Aujla was raised by his uncle and sisters. He found comfort in words and music, writing lyrics to deal with his pain. “I feel like it just opened my eyes too early,” he said later in a CBC interview. He said that those difficulties helped him develop his unfiltered songwriting style.
By ninth grade, Aujla’s talent had caught the attention of Punjabi singer Jassi Gill at a wedding in their hometown. Aujla shyly offered lyrics for the song “Range.” Aujla’s first taste of fame came when the song became a hit on Gill’s album Replay. In 2014, he moved to Canada on a student visa to look for better opportunities. He and his sister moved to Vancouver. He went to high school at Burnaby South Secondary, worked part-time as a longshoreman in Surrey, and had late-night studio sessions, all while getting better at his craft.
The Grind: From Writing Songs to Being in the Spotlight
Aujla’s start in the music business was low-key and behind the scenes. He wrote hits for big names like Deep Jandu, Elly Mangat, Gagan Kokri, Jazzy B, Bohemia, and Sukh-E. One of his most famous songs is “Blessings of Bapu,” which fans loved for its heartfelt tone. He built a quiet reputation by insisting on credits by putting his name and village (“Karan Ghurala”) into verses, which is a nod to Punjabi tradition.
In 2014, he released his first solo song, “Cell Phone,” with Mac Benipal. It didn’t do well commercially, which taught him what it felt like to be rejected. Aujla didn’t let that stop him from releasing “Property of Punjab” in 2016. It was a gritty statement of pride that showed he was a rapper. He appeared on songs like “Alcohol 2” and “Yaarian Ch Fikk,” which combined Punjabi folk music with trap beats inspired by Jay-Z, J. Cole, and Kanye West. Jay-Z’s remix of Panjabi MC’s “Mundian To Bach Ke” had set him on fire: “Who knew a Punjabi song would be playing at raves?” I think that needs to come back.
“Don’t Worry,” which came out in 2018 and featured Gurlez Akhtar, was a big hit for the band. The soulful banger, which was about not giving up, got over 100 million views on YouTube and topped the UK Asian Music Chart. It changed everything for Aujla, going from a songwriter to a star. “Rim vs. Jhanjhar” (later featured on Apple Music’s 2010s Punjabi essentials) and “Na Na Na” were hits that followed. These songs made his style clear: street-smart lyrics over catchy hooks.
Rise to Fame: Charts, Collaborations, and Bollywood News
Aujla couldn’t be stopped by 2019. “Don’t Look” stayed on the Asian Music Chart for 24 weeks and was popular on Apple Music India. “Hint” was the most popular song on YouTube India for five days, and “Chitta Kurta” was the 35th most popular song in the world and the 9th most popular song in India. That year, Spotify named him Punjab’s most popular artist, and he was nominated for Best Singer – Punjabi at the Gaana User’s Choice Icons.
The 2020s sped up his rise. His first album, Bacthafucup (2021), reached No. 6 on Spotify’s Global Debut Album chart and No. 19 on Billboard’s Canadian Albums chart. This made him India’s Biggest Digital Artist (world rank 38). There were a lot of collaborations, like “YKWIM” with KR$NA in 2022, and the EP Way Ahead hinted at his growth. Making Memories (2023) reached No. 5 on Billboard Canada and led to an acoustic unplugged version in 2024.
Aujla’s mix of Punjabi pop and hip-hop became a huge hit around the world. Bollywood’s “Tauba Tauba” crossed over to non-Punjabi audiences, and “Softly” and “Admiring You” got people dancing at the 2024 Juno Awards, where he made history by being the first Punjabi artist to win the TikTok Fan Choice Award. That year, Apple Music’s Up Next program put him in the spotlight. His numbers are mind-blowing: almost 3 billion YouTube views, more than 1 billion audio streams, 11 million monthly Spotify listeners, and 8 million social media followers.
Discography: A List of Hits
Aujla has released a lot of music: 50 lead singles, 34 as a songwriter, and 54 features. Some important releases are:
Albums: Bacthafucup (2021), Making Memories (2023), and P-Pop Culture (2025 double album, which started with the hit song “MF Gabhru”).
Collaborative Albums: Street Dreams with Divine, a Mumbai rapper, came out in 2024 and mixed hip-hop and R&B.
Four You (2023), Four Me (2024), and Way Ahead (2022) are all EPs.
“Don’t Worry” is a great single. “Take It Easy,” “52 Bars,” “Tauba Tauba,” “Courtside” (2025), and “For A Reason” (2025 with Tania and Ikky).
P-Pop Culture, which was announced at a concert in Montreal in 2025, has already gotten 30 million streams on Spotify in its first week, showing how powerful Aujla is.
Aujla’s tattoos tell the story of his life. In 2019, he got tattoos of his parents’ faces on his right arm. A year later, he got tattoos of Indian freedom fighters Bhagat Singh and Udham Singh on his left arm. These were symbols of rebellion and roots. He wants to work with 50 Cent and Drake, and he has a Canadian Permanent Residency Card.
Aujla is devoted to his wife Palak Aujla, whom he married in 2023 after a nine-year romance that started in Canada in 2014. When trolls on the internet body-shamed her, he stood up for their relationship with all his might: “I married her—it’s no one’s business.” Their love story, from wedding sherwanis to quiet support, keeps the global star grounded.
Fame caused problems, fights, and complaints. Aujla and Sidhu Moose Wala had a fight in 2018 that led to diss tracks like “Warning Shots” and “Lafaafe.” However, they made up before Moose Wala died tragically in 2022, and Aujla paid tribute to him with “Maa.” His lyrics, which were often rough about guns, violence, and vice, made people angry. Chandigarh Police told him not to play them at a 2020 show (he did), and complaints were made about “Sharab” (2021) for being sexist (resolved) and for being too general (December 2024). People said that a gang attack in Surrey in 2019 was just media hype. Aujla channels criticism into art through it all, refusing to tone down his voice.
A Year of Successes and Tours in 2025
Aujla is at his best as of September 2025. P-Pop Culture celebrates the rise of Punjabi pop around the world, with Spotify billboards in New York and London praising him. He has a lot of high-charting singles, like “Courtside,” “For A Reason,” and “Tell Me” with OneRepublic and Ikky. His “It Was All A Dream” tour starts in the summer of 2025 and will go to North America and Europe. It will stop at Scotiabank Arena in Toronto and Rogers Arena in Vancouver.
He will be the main act at Rolling Loud’s first show in Mumbai, India, on November 22 and 23. Other acts include Wiz Khalifa, Central Cee, Hanumankind, and Divine. He also showed his charitable side by giving all the money he made from a concert on September 7 to victims of the Punjab floods, just like he had done in the past. Aujla is not only touring; he’s also pushing the boundaries of Punjabi music with P-Pop Culture’s historic Billboard debuts.
Karan Aujla’s rise from a sad boy in a village to a chart-topping force shows that pain can give you strength. In “Range,” he raps about how to beat the odds and get the spotlight. Aujla isn’t following trends; he’s setting them, one beat at a time, in a genre that is changing faster than ever.
