Sidhu Moose Wala
This is a collection of articles archived for the excellence of their content. |
The assassination of a legend
Gurjant Pannu, May 29, 2023: The Indian Express
“Mera na mera na, har passe har thaan. Har galli har mod, lagge paye aa billboard. Feeling like I’m a God, tere Jatt da ni tod (It’s my name, it’s my name in every direction and place. There are billboards with my name on every corner and street. I feel like I am God and no one can compete with me).”
These are the lyrics of Sidhu Moose Wala’s last song that was released posthumously on April 7 this year with Nigerian singer Burna Boy. The song talks about the immense global fame that the singer-rapper amassed over his lifetime and how his loyal fans have his name on their lips and he is seen everywhere on billboards and murals.
Songs released posthumously get millions of views
The song garnered a million views in only 15 minutes, which is telling about his impact and legacy. The singer-rapper was shot dead at Punjab’s Jawaharke village of Mansa district on May 29 last year, a day after the Punjab government reduced his security cover, details of which were made public.
Three songs of Moose Wala have been released posthumously. The other two — SYL and a track on Sikh warrior Hari Singh Nalwa titled Vaar — have been embroiled in controversy. While the song SYL, on the riparian dispute between Punjab and Haryana was banned on YouTube, the track on Hari Singh Nalwa was objected to by a section of the Muslim community over a reference to “Muhammad” in the song. Moose Wala was no stranger to controversy, something he referenced in his hit number 295 saying that “everyday a new controversy would be created and there would be debates in the name of religion”.
Rise and breakthrough as an artiste
Shubhdeep Singh Sidhu, popular as Sidhu Moose Wala, was born in a farmer’s family from Mansa’s Moosa village on June 11, 1993. He adopted the name Moose Wala that denotes someone from Moosa village and his surname Sidhu, showcasing his caste (Jatt) pride.
The rise of Moose Wala was unfathomable as he caught the popular imagination almost overnight with his song ‘So High’ that was released in 2017. In collaboration with music producer Byg Byrd, the song with lyrics “sirr utto langan fly kar ke, ucchiyaan neh gallan tere yaar diyan” became such a rage that it was blaring in car speakers and discs everywhere.
Though it was not Moose Wala’s first song, which was G Wagon, a duet with Gurlez Akhtar and produced by Deep Jandu, ‘So High’ was the song that catapulted him to such immense fame and there was no looking back.
Old videos of Moose Wala depicted his simple and shy nature
After his demise, old videos of Moose Wala performing at his college fest have gained millions of views and it is difficult to predict how a plain looking boy with a shy demeanour became such a big star.
Studying at Guru Nanak Dev Engineering College, he appeared on an episode of popular show ‘Canteeni Mandeer’ a few years before he made it big. Introducing himself as Shubhdeep Sidhu to the anchor, he then informed him that his first song ‘License’ was released recently and sung by Ninja. He then showed a glimpse of his singing and was greeted by a rapturous applause from his fellow college audience.
However, no one could have predicted that in the next few years, Moose Wala would go on to define a whole new genre of Punjabi music. What made his songs different from others was his ability to connect with the fans with a mix of rustic Punjabi and English words spoken in colloquial ways.
Controversies over song lyrics and accused of glorifying gun culture
Many of his songs ran into controversy with religious ‘panthic’ leaders of Punjab. He had invoked the name of 18th century Sikh warrior Mai Bhago in his track Jatti Jeonay Morh Di Bandook Wargi, which didn’t go down well with Shiromani Akali Dal who even demanded his arrest. In another song titled ‘Sanju’ that was released in July 2020, he compared himself to Bollywood actor Sanjay Dutt after he was booked under the Arms Act for firing an AK-47.
His song Panjab (My Motherland), dedicated to the farmers protest with lyrics like “keh keh ke badle lainda menu Panjab kehnde aa. Delhi vi napp lainda, mainu Panjab kehnde aa” pitted Punjab as fighting for their rights against the tyranny of Delhi. The video carrying the visuals of Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale was criticised as pandering to the separatist (Khalistan) agenda.
‘Misunderstood and vilified’
The singer was often accused of glorifying gangsters and gun culture in his songs, but the people close to him say that he was misunderstood. They say his songs don’t reflect who he was as a person.
Sam Malhi, a DOP, who worked along with music director Sukh Sanghera and collaborated for seven videos of Moose Wala like US and GOAT, shared some fond memories of the time they spent together.
“Moose Wala was one of the most honest persons I have ever met. Even though he was such a big name in the industry, he never had any starry airs about himself and treated everyone with respect. That is why I think there was such an outpouring of grief all over the world on his demise. People not only loved his songs but connected to his persona,” Malhi said.
He sees Moose Wala’s death as a huge loss for the Punjabi music industry that can’t be filled by anyone else. “The way Moose Wala took Punjabi music to an international level can’t be replicated by others. If he was alive today, I am sure he would have collaborated with Drake. He collaborated with UK artistes like Tion Wayne and Stefflon Don and it was no mean feat. Burna Boy came to his village to shoot the video of their song. So, it was evident that international artistes also recognised his genius,” Malhi expressed.
Malhi also shared how they have an unreleased song and video with Moose Wala but respecting his parents’ wishes, he has now left it on them when they would like to release his songs.
Mandy Takhar, a British-born actress, who worked with Moose Wala in his debut film ‘Yes I am Student’ that released in 2021, remembered him as a “grounded and rooted person who loved Punjab, music and his parents more than anything”.
In a chat with The Indian Express, she said, “He dreamt of taking Punjabi music to international platforms. What he achieved in just five years of being in the industry, many couldn’t do in decades. He had an expectational talent and lyrically, he was one of the best the industry has witnessed. I’m glad I worked with him on his first film.” She shared how he was soft-spoken and shy on sets but they built a comfort zone over the days of the shoot.
Preferred his songs to do the talking
Another persona of Moose Wala could be seen in the way he replied to controversies through his songs. Moose Wala stood for Punjab Vidhan Sabha elections from the ruling Congress party but faced a rout from AAP’s Vijay Singla. While Moose Wala polled more than 36,000 votes, he lost by a margin of more than 63,000 votes. His defeat wasn’t ignominious considering that the Congress suffered a drubbing at the hands of Aam Aadmi Party that won 92 seats and reduced the ruling party to 18 seats in the 117-member assembly.
Came out with a song after defeat in the Punjab Assembly elections in which he targeted AAP
But Moose Wala after the election drubbing replied to his defeat in his conventional way by releasing a song titled ‘Scapegoat’. He called those who didn’t vote for his party as traitors of the community and even referenced the names of Bibi Khalra (Paramjit Kaur Khalra, wife of Jaswant Singh Khalra, who fought Lok Sabha election as a candidate of Punjabi Ekta Party) and Simranjit Singh Mann (current Lok Sabha MP from Sangrur) in the song.
While Moose Wala’s fans come to grips with his absence, it is undoubtable that he would continue to dominate the music scene with his unreleased songs and his legacy will live on for the foreseeable future.
