Canadian-Punjabi community calls Sidhu Moose Wala’s death ‘a big loss’

A notable musician-turned politician in India has been shot dead. National reports say 28-year-old singer, rapper, and congressional candidate Sidhu Moose Wala was killed in Jawaharke village of Mansa district on Sunday.

The news comes just a day after Punjab Police ordered the withdrawal of security details from Moose Wala and a few hundred other “VIPs”.

The musician, who has some massive hits on Canadian and British billboard charts recently became involved in politics and lost a congressional election in March. On Sunday, the rapper was gunned down and killed while in his vehicle with two other people.

DJ Reminisce, a South Asian radio broadcaster and music entertainer who had previously worked with Moose Wala, said the community was reeling at the news of the shooting.

“It’s hit everyone from artists to managers … it’s hit the community hard,” he said. Adding, “there’s a lot of sadness and anger at this moment in time and rightfully so.”

He said Moose Wala was a transformative artist who changed the way South Asian music was performed and was a voice of the Punjabi working class.

“He was huge for that demographic because we came here the same way working these hard jobs, coming over as student, leaving our family. He was singing about stuff that directly relates to (us).”

Harpreet Pandher, a Punjabi music fan, says upon reading the news of the death he did not believe it.

“It’s just shocking. You open up your WhatsApp and you see you see the opening link and you just think  it’s a joke, right? That somebody’s just putting out fake news,” Pandher told CityNews.

Brutal murder of Sidhu Moosewala is shocking. My profound condolences to the bereaved family.

Law and order has completely collapsed in Punjab. Criminals have no fear of law. @AAPPunjab government has miserably failed. Nobody is safe in Punjab!

— Capt.Amarinder Singh (@capt_amarinder) May 29, 2022

The Ontario-based rapper grew to immense fame amongst the South Asian community in Canada after he moved to Brampton as a student.

Although he was only 28, Pandher says the rapper had a massive impact on the Punjabi community in Canada, and showed many how to “stay linked to their roots.”

“I think a lot of our kids and the younger generation, might have been born and raised in Canada, but being of Punjabi descent, Indian descent, Sidhu Moose Wala might be their link to their roots again, to start to listen to Punjabi music again and think it’s cool.”

Many on social media mourning Moose Wala, including other Punjabi celebrities, calling it “shocking” and a major loss to the music industry.

“As a fan of the music, it’s a big loss. But there’s one thing I know, his music will definitely live forever,” Pandher said.

With files from The Canadian Press