June 11 marks the late Sidhu Moosewala’s birth anniversary. The legendary singer who formidably cemented the Punjabi music industry’s place on the global map, would have been 31 years old today. Though 2 years have passed since the assassination which shook the nation, Moosewala’s memory is kept alive and thriving by his deeply loyal fanbase which only seems to be growing voraciously. Not just his fans, Moosewala’s sudden passing also left a gaping impact on the Indian music industry at large with several notable names periodically remembering him. Here’s a look at some unmissable tributes, shared in his evergreen memory.
Diljit Dosanjh
In June 2022, Diljit Dosanjh’s Vancouver concert turned emotional for fans as well as the singer himself as the Chamkila actor addressed Sidhu Moosewala’s recent passing. With a digital banner reading ‘This Show Is Dedicated To Our Brothers’, Diljit shared his condolences with the slain singer’s father, who had notably taken off his turban at the former’s funeral.
Though Diljit did not dedicate a song in particular to Moosewala, the entire concert was taken forward in his memory. He also shared a glimpse of the moment to his X handle, captioning it “ONE LOVE”.
Karan Aujla
Sidhu Moosewala’s blow hot-blow cold rivalry with Karan Aujla is surely one for the books. The feud was sparked in 2017 when a video of Sidhu targeting the Softly singer was leaked to the latter’s management who then threatened to attack him. Though the rivalry seemingly died down in the middle, it stood revived with Aujla’s diss track Lafaafe, directed at Sidhu. Aujla eventually buried the hatchet with the latter, albeit posthumously. He released his peace offering in 2023, titled Maa, in memory of Moosewala.
Divine
Rapper Divine achieved a career milestone when he was invited to perform at IPL 2023’s closing ceremony. The Vibe Hai singer commenced his performance by saying, “Rest in peace Sidhu Moosewala”, which unsurprisingly received quite the reaction from fans present at the stadium for the Chennai Super Kings versus Gujarat Titans match.
King
Rapper King, who served as a judge on MTV Hustle 2.0, made a brief reference to the deceased legend. Speaking about Moosewala, King said, “Vo humare beech nahi hai legend, jiske gaane ne aapko uthaake, ya toh kuch bohot accha karne ko majboor kar dete, ya paagal kar dete aapko”. He ended his tribute by shouting out ‘Sidhu paaji’ followed by a sign of respect.
Shubh
Shubh performed at his first live concert, held in October 2023 in London. Midway, the rapper and singer lifted up a hoodie which presumably carried an image of Sidhu Moosewala, a gesture greatly applauded by his fans. Later on in the concert, Shubh proceeded to belt out his rendition of Moosewala’s chartbusting track, So High, featuring BIG BYRD.
Kapil Sharma
Kapil Sharma’s footprint as a comedian and television personality supersedes his pursuits as a singer. Regardless, during a live performance last year, Kapil Sharma remembered Sidhu Moosewala by belting out a rendition of his song 295. Incidentally, 295 was also used as a Moosewala reference by Congress’ Rahul Gandhi as he affirmed his faith in the public having his back for the recently concluded general elections.
AP Dhillon
AP Dhillon went global this year as he performed at the Coachella music festival. His tribute for Moosewala however, was a tad different than others. Along with songwriter and rapper Shinda Kahlon, AP performed against a digital banner that boldly read, ‘JUSTICE FOR SIDHU MOOSEWALA’. As a matter of fact, the With You singer also shared the moment to his social media handles with the pointed caption, “The media is controlled and I’m out of control.”
Raja Kumari
American Hip Hop artiste Raja Kumari recently ventured into Punjabi music. She collaborated with Guru Randhawa for his track In Love. However, not many know that it was Moosewala who had first expressed his desire to hear Raja Kumari sing in Punjabi. Finally taking the plunge, her first Punjabi track then, is essentially a spiritual ode to him.
How will you be remembering Sidhu Moosewala on his birth anniversary?