Subhdeep Singh Sidhu, popularly known as Sidhu Moosewala, dominated the Punjabi music industry during 2016-2017 and gained a huge fan base with songs like 'so high', 'old school', '295' and the 'last ride'. The rapper was murdered a year ago on May 29.
On his first death anniversary, fans from several parts of Punjab made their way to his tomb to pay their respects. The nagar panchayat of Jawaharke village in Mansa district had arranged for a ‘paath’ ceremony a day before the anniversary at the very spot the singer lost his life.
Hailing from the Moosa village in Mansa district, Subhdeep Singh Sidhu made the name of his hometown his identity. From a very young age, he was into singing and acting. Though his parents wanted him to do well in studies and get a job, destiny had different plans for him. Sidhu actively participated in singing competitions and cultural events during his student days. He decided to pen his own lyrics after a lyricist snubbed him repeatedly.
Soon after college, Sidhu shifted to Canada in 2016. He released his debut, 'G Wagon' there. Sidhu’s debut as a lyricist was 'License' sung by Ninja which became a worldwide hit. In 2017, his 'So high' catapulted him to popularity and he won the best lyricist award at the Brit Asia TV music awards in 2017. He released more singles that year, including 'Issa Jatt', 'Selfmade', 'Famous' and 'Warning shots'.
In 2018, he started doing concerts in Punjab and Canada. Guns, violence, and fury were regular features in his lyrics, and he was accused of 'normalising violence'. He also started releasing diss tracks for his haters. There were charges against him for using weaponry (AK-47) and obscenity in his songs. Eventually, he also made it to the big screen with Teri Meri Jodi. His other movies included Yes I Am Student and Moosa Jatt.
In 2021, he began his political career by joining the Congress in 2021 and contested the 2022 Punjab assembly elections from the Mansa constituency, but lost.
On 29 May 2022, Sidhu, accompanied by two others, was on his way to meet his relatives on his jeep when he was shot dead by unidentified assailants. Canada-based gangster Goldy Brar claimed responsibility for the murder. Later, Lawrence Bishnoi, a close associate of Brar, was arrested for the murder.
After his death, in June 2022, his song '295' was on the Billboard Global 200 chart. In July 2022, his size statue was installed at the place where his last rites were held.
His music continues to delight many even after his death. The first song 'SYL' from his unreleased collection came out three weeks after his death, registering ten lakh views within an hour. However, it was later removed. A second song 'Vaar', released four months after his death, hit a million views in 20 minutes of release.
Another song, 'Mera Na' was released on April 7, 2023. It had a million views within 15 minutes of the release. He continues to have a loyal fan base even after his death. In the fast-paced, ever-evolving music industry, Sidhu Moosewala managed to secure a place of his own, in the few years that he was active.