Josh Brar Found His Voice in the Silence His Father Left Behind

Long before Josh Brar had a hit song under his name, he was just a kid tagging along with his father, legendary Punjabi artist Raj Brar, into music studios. “I didn’t fully understand everything back then,” the 10-year-old singer recalls, “but just watching him dub vocals, seeing the process—it felt magical.” There was something sacred about those sessions. Even if he didn’t yet grasp the meaning of music production or melody, he understood the weight in the room—the way his father spoke through song and how everyone around him responded with quiet reverence. It wasn’t ambition being passed down, just a quiet seed being planted. 

A song that found its people: Despite growing up surrounded by music, Josh didn’t immediately see it as his path. His first love was sports. He trained seriously, saw a future in athletics, and music remained in the background—something he did for fun, a way to reset after training sessions. “I thought that’s what I’d do with my life,” he says. “Music was just something I enjoyed—it made me feel calm.” But after school, when he couldn’t find a proper training center, that dream slowly slipped away. “I felt stuck. Like I lost the one thing that made me feel alive.” The silence that followed was unfamiliar. Until music filled it. “It gave me the same sense of purpose and stillness that sports once did,” he says. “It started off as second. But slowly, it took the front seat.” That seat became a driver’s seat when Tere Bina Na Guzara E dropped. The song was intimate and heartfelt, and though Josh had a strong feeling about it, he wasn’t prepared for the wave that followed. “It just took off,” he says. “People weren’t just listening—they were messaging me, sending blessings. It felt like the song had gone beyond me.” The track racked up millions of streams and became the sound of countless reels. But Josh wasn’t content to ride the wave. “The first thing I thought was—what’s next?” he says. “If people are listening, I want to keep giving them something honest.”

Grace in the frame: The music video added another layer to its impact, thanks in part to Pakistani actor Kinza Hashmi. “When I came across her Instagram, it wasn’t just her beauty that stood out,” he says. “It was her saadgi — the simplicity. That grace. I knew she was the right fit.” For Josh, that saadgi mirrored the soul of the song itself. Tere Bina Na Guzara E wasn’t made to impress, it was meant to feel. “The track was about love, loss, and softness,” he says. “And she carried all of that just by being herself.” When she came on board, the emotion in the music found its visual echo and the song took on a new kind of life.

When the crowd sang back: Josh’s music has a quiet emotional weight. Nothing is overstyled or overthought, which is exactly how he prefers it. “I don’t force myself to write a certain way,” he says. “I just let it flow. If it makes someone feel something — even just a smile — I’ve done my job.” That instinct carries into his live shows too. One of the moments that stayed with him forever came during his opening set for AP Dhillon in New Delhi. “I was anxious,” he remembers. “I didn’t know if the crowd would listen.” But they did. Thousands of voices sang his lyrics back to him. And then, just as he stepped offstage, a girl hugged him and whispered, “Thank you for sharing the gift of your voice with us. and that one moment… it meant everything.”

A legacy, lovingly preserved: Being the son of a Punjabi music legend has never been lost on Josh. “Before I entered the industry, I was scared of being compared,” he says. “But I realised it was going to happen no matter what. So instead of trying to escape it, I leaned into learning and giving it my best.” For him, legacy is less about continuing something and more about respecting where it ends. “I don’t see a legacy as something you carry. It’s something you preserve,” he says. “My dad had his own journey — his own beautiful arc. I want to preserve that with love, while creating something new that’s mine.” 

For Punjab, and far beyond: For Josh, Punjab isn’t just where he’s from, it’s the heartbeat behind everything he creates. His connection to the land, its people, and its musical heritage runs deep, and he doesn’t take it lightly. “As a Punjabi from Punjab, I have immense respect for my roots and culture,” he says. “I truly believe that God entrusted me with the duty of creating music that brings joy to people.” When Josh Brar looks ahead, he sees a future for Indian music that’s bold, diverse, and entirely unboxed. “I envision the future of music in India as a space where boundaries between genres continue to blur,” he says. “Artists should never feel restricted by rules, because true art thrives in freedom.” His own playlists swing from qawwalis and ghazals to house music and drum and bass, and that genre-fluid approach is beginning to show in his work. “In my upcoming song, you’ll hear exactly that—a smooth blend of two very different styles. That’s the direction I see Indian music heading: fearless fusion.”