Punjabi-Canadian singer Shubhneet Singh or Shubh.
Credit: Instagram/shubhworldwide
Days after the cancellation of his India music tour, Canada-based Punjabi rapper-singer Shubhneet Singh, popularly known as Shubh, said he was "extremely disheartened" by the news.
In a three-part statement posted by Singh on Instagram, he expressed deep disappointment at his show being cancelled and urged people to refrain from naming every Punjabi as a separatist or anti-national.
Cancellation of Singh’s Still Rollin Tour for India was announced on Wednesday after the singer received massive backlash on social media for allegedly supporting anti-India elements.
Singh, who hails from Punjab, said: “I was highly amped up and enthusiastic to perform in my country, in front of my people… But I guess destiny had some other plans.”
He then went on to assert that India was his country and whatever he is today is because of being a Punjabi.
"India is MY country too. I was born here. It is the land of my GURUS and my ANCESTORS, who didn't even blink an eye to make sacrifices for the freedom of this land, for its glory, and for the family. And Punjab is my soul, Punjab is in my blood. Whatever I am today, I am because of being a Punjabi," he wrote in his Instagram post.
Pointing to the allegations of supporting anti-India elements, Singh further wrote that such accusations deeply affected him.
Singh also defended his earlier post regarding Punjab saying, “My intent in resharing that post on my story was only to Pray for Punjab as there were reports of electricity and internet shutdowns throughout the state. There was no other thought behind it and I definitely didn't intend to hurt anyone's sentiments.”
He had stirred controversy earlier this year when he shared a distorted map of India omitting the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir, Punjab, and the Northeastern states. His caption read, "Pray for Punjab". After backlash, he deleted the photo and left the text "Pray for Punjab".
Shubh is an upcoming Punjabi rapper who rose to fame due to the large number of streams on Instagram reels of his song Still Rollin. He released his first breakout single We Rollin in 2021 and as of 2023, it has reached more than 201 million views on YouTube.
He recently released his debut album Still Rollin and announced his first-ever India tour starring in 10 different cities and a cruise this year.
This development comes amid the ongoing tension between India and Canada on the diplomatic front over the allegations related to the killing of Khalistani activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar.