‘Surreal’: Babbulicious on making NYC groove
A subway station is an unlikely venue for a mayoral oath — and Punjabi pop an even more unlikely soundtrack. But when New York mayor Zohran Mamdani danced to the track ‘Gaddi Red Challenger’ by Toronto-based artist Babbu aka Babbulicious at his inauguration, American politics met bhangra beats in a moment that instantly went viral.With Mamdani, his wife Rama Duwaji and hundreds in attendance joining in, the ceremony turned into an unexpected celebration of diasporic culture. For Babbulicious — the turbaned Sikh singer, who is also a comedian and designer, it was a powerful moment of visibility. “Zohran sang along, and the sight of (US senator) Bernie Sanders clapping and vibing to a Punjabi song was surreal,” he told TOI over email.Born Babbu Singh and raised in Toronto’s Brampton Punjabi belt, Babbulicious’s creative journey has been anything but conventional. He dropped out of art college at 19 and went on to build a career that spans influencer skits, visual art, puppet series, children’s books and charting music.“All my art, in one way or another, is about connecting with my younger self — creating things that would have made me feel seen, valued,” he says.Mamdani’s team discovered ‘Gaddi Red Challenger’ through social media. Singh later adapted lyrics to “New York vich munda renda”, reflecting the mayor’s multicultural identity. The celebratory moment also drew predictable backlash. Far-right voices criticised the use of non-Western music at a civic ceremony and misidentified the turbaned artist’s religion. Singh remains unfazed. “Sometimes it’s best not to engage. It’s hard to convince someone to change their bias, so the best thing is to smile and continue with your day,” he says.Much of Singh’s work deliberately challenges stereotypes around Sikh identity, often through humour, including his popular ‘Khalsa Uncle’ skits. Representation, he believes, is essential. He recalls the impact of seeing Indian American designer and actor Waris Ahluwalia in Wes Anderson films while growing up. “Seeing someone who looked like me meant everything. Funny enough, he was at the inauguration — we met for the first time, and I hugged him and told him how much that visibility mattered. It made me feel like we could be anything we wanted to be.”While rappers like Lil Wayne and Jay-Z have shaped his musical sensibility, Singh says artists who push creative boundaries while staying true to themselves resonate most deeply. “Outkast, the Beatles, Daft Punk, Ye have had a meaningful impact on me.”Today, Toronto’s diasporic energy is propelling Punjabi pop onto the global stage. Reflecting this shift, Toronto Metropolitan University is set to launch a course on Diljit Dosanjh this year, examining his influence on music, identity and the Punjabi diaspora. For Singh, his subway-station bhangra moment signals a wider cultural shift. “Punjabi music is ready for the mainstream,” he says.This story had continued from a page 1 story in the newspaper. For your reading convenience we have added it below.
