Punjabi superstar Diljit Dosanjh is taking his place in the halls of education in a first-of-its-kind course planned for Toronto Metropolitan University — and it’s an indication of this country’s emergence as a major hub for the Punjabi music renaissance.
TMU announced earlier this summer that the Indian singer and actor will be the focus of a first-year course in fall 2026 that uses Dosanjh’s achievements to explore how regional cultural expression can shape international trends and strengthen diasporic communities.
“Looking at what has been happening with his career trajectory, he really creates an exciting case study as an artist and the rise of Punjabi music globally,” said Charlie Wall-Andrews, an assistant professor in the creative industries department at TMU.
Dosanjh became a regional sensation in the Punjab after starting his music career there in 2003. After he expanded into acting in India’s Punjabi and Hindi film industries, he exploded into global consciousness.
He became the first Punjabi artist in 2023 to perform at Coachella, followed by a record-breaking tour last year.
He was also the first Punjabi artist to perform sold-out shows at Toronto’s Rogers Centre and Vancouver’s BC Place. His concert there was the largest Punjabi performance outside of India.
And in May, Dosanjh made worldwide headlines at the Met Gala for a majestic look inspired by Maharaja Bhupinder Singh, the erstwhile ruler of the state of Patiala in British India in the early 20th century.
“Diljit is a legend in our community,” said Bhavneet Toor Kang, a Punjabi music industry consultant and former marketing director of 5X Fest, the largest Punjabi arts organization in North America.
“He’s one of the first Punjabi artists to attain worldwide recognition when it comes to not only his level of artistry, but also his economic impact,” Kang added. “When he did his last tour, he was able to increase tourism and hospitality and entertainment spending in Canada.”
Punjabi-Canadian artist Simar Bola — who goes by Simar — called the news of TMU’s course on Dosanjh “phenomenal.”
“Overall, just his entire career is really something to be studied,” Simar said.
“The way he was able to kind of take the culture on his back and keep it moving forward by doing something new and fresh has been such a tremendous thing for our community, and for the music industry to see.”
The TMU course will focus on the evolution of the Punjabi music industry and will use Dosanjh as an “anchor,” Wall-Andrews said.
“Students are going to examine how Punjabi music has evolved from its folk and oral traditions, to the sociopolitical anthems to the more contemporary chart toppers,” she said. “It’s important that we can see how someone from the Sikh and Punjabi community is really breaking barriers at an accelerated pace in the mainstream.”
Dosanjh’s blending of trap, pop and R&B music is a very special phenomenon, she said, “and we also wanna look at how he goes from singer to actor to icon to sometimes activist.”
Lately Canada has emerged as a major hub for Punjabi music.
In the early 2000s, the music scene outside India was largely rooted in the U.K., infused with the sounds of garage and disco. Over the past decade, the centre of gravity shifted to Canada, where artists are blending traditional Punjabi rhythms with hip-hop, R&B and pop.
The influence of the Canadian Punjabi music industry can be seen in streaming and sales charts, and even at the Juno Awards, where artists like Karan Aujla, AP Dhillon, Inderpal Moga and Chani Nattan have performed and/or won trophies.
The 2025 Junos also saw the introduction of the South Asian music recording of the year category.
While the Punjabi music industry in Canada was initially largely based in Surrey, B.C., according to Kang, the GTA has emerged as another hub.
Artists constantly travel between the two hot spots, Simar said.
“It goes back and forth because a lot of the artists from here (the GTA) will go there (Surrey) to create music, and then a lot of artists from there come here and make music,” she explained.
Kang added that Punjabi music is here to stay in Canada and the TMU course is just the latest sign of that.
As Dosanjh frequently likes to remind his audiences, “Punjabi aa gaye oye” (“The Punjabis have arrived”).
