“Welcome to the fold champ,” tweeted Punjab Congress President Navjot Singh Sidhu as Punjabi singing sensation Sidhu Moose Wala joined the Congress party on Friday, 3 December.
Joining the Punjab Congress chief in welcoming the new joinee, the state’s chief minister Charanjit Singh Channi also said:
"He (Moose Wala) has won the hearts of everyone. He is a son of a farmer and his father is an ex-army officer. I am sure he will make Congress party proud, I welcome him on behalf of Congress."
Meanwhile, Moose Wala embraced the welcome, telling reporters, as per NDTV:
"This is my first press conference. Just three years back I started singing. Now four years later I am taking a new step. Mansa is not that developed... a part of this area raised me, so I will raise my voice from here."
But who is Sidhu Moose Wala? Where does he hail from? And what are the controversies that have dotted his singing career so far?
Roots
Born Shubhdeep Singh Sidhu to a Sikh family in a village called Moosa, in Mansa, Punjab, Moose Wala grew up to study Electrical Engineer at Guru Nanak Dev Engineering College, Ludhiana.
His father, as pointed out by the Punjab chief minister, was in the army. His mother Charan Kaur won the sarpanch election in their village in December 2018. Moose Wala is believed to have actively campaigned for his mother.
Music
Moose Wala is a famous artist, associated with Punjabi music and Punjabi cinema. He leapt to fame in 2017 with his track ‘So High’. In 2018, his debut album at its peak was ranking at 66 at the Billboard Canadian Albums Chart. In 2020, he was named by The Guardian as among the ’50 new artists for 2020’.
“South Asian music rarely crosses over into the UK charts, but Punjabi singer Sidhu Moose Wala managed it in October with blockbuster track 47, flanked by British rappers Mist and Stefflon Don,” the Guardian wrote about Moose Wala
Tracks from Moosewala’s 2021 release Moosetape charted globally as well.
Besides music, Moose Wala is also reported to have ventured a stint in Punjabi cinema.
Controversies and Cases
But Moose Wala’s music career has been flanked by controversies and underlined by court cases.
His feud with rival musician Karan Aujla often takes prominence in both the artists’ music, social media, and live performances.
But Moose Wala has also sparked controversy for allegedly promoting gun culture and boasting about the court cases against him in his songs.
Two of Moose Wala’s viral videos show him training to use an AK-47. In one, he is with five police officers while, in the other, he seems to be using a private pistol.
Moose Wala has been booked under two sections of the arms act, has been underground to avoid arrest, and is presently out on regular bail.
Further, he has been fined for using black-tinted glasses in his car.
According to NDTV, Moose Wala has also been accused of glorifying caste divides in his videos.
Moose Wala, in an interview to News18 Punjab, alleged that he is being targeted by news channels and some lawyers.
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