Talwiinder’s Meteoric Rise Is All About The Slow Burn

There’s a reason Talwiinder chose the name Misfit for his debut album. It’s not just a title, it’s a personality trait—one that the Punjabi singer wears as loudly and proudly as the ghoulish face paint that’s become his second skin and signature armor.  

Peel back the layers of paint and ambition, and you’ll find an introspective boy from Tarn Taran, Punjab, who grew up immersed in the sounds of Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan and Gurdas Maan—studying every note and nuance like a blueprint. Born Talwinder Singh Sidhu, the San Francisco-based Punjabi lyrical powerhouse is known for his velvety croon, emotive vocals, and mesmerizing rhythms. His tracks tell tales of desire and yearning, often cross-pollinating across genres like R&B, synth pop, drill, and lo-fi, though his voice fits just as easily in a Punjabi folk tune.  

Even when nearly every track he stamps his name onto—from his first song “Unforgettable” to his recent release, “Haseen”—comfortably crosses the million-stream mark, he is in no rush to conform to traditional standards of success. And while he’s already claimed his spot as one of Punjabi music’s fastest-rising stars, it’s not an ascent he wants to make alone.  

Keeping friends close, collaborators closer: Picking the right collaborators is an important part of Talwiinder’s process. He’s not interested in being “basic” by chasing big names with bigger followings. Instead, he consciously seeks the ones who go against the grain. “When you work with somebody who’s already famous or established, the hunger is not really there,” he points out, explaining that he always tries to look for pieces of himself in the artists he chooses to jam with. “I’m just trying to find my people that I’m gonna take over with.” This is especially evident in the creative relationship he’s cultivated with close friend and producer NDS over the years, ever since the pair first came together for the 2020 track “Khayaal.” It’s his drive to really connect with his collaborators that probably explains why his debut album is stacked with features—from singers like Amari, Arsh Heer, Simar, and Hasan Raheem to rappers like Supreme Sidhu and Kidjaywest. It also makes sense, given that it was his early contributions to Hasan Raheem’s “Wishes” and rapper Yashraj’s “Dhundala” that first launched him into the stratosphere. “In five or seven years, we’re gonna look back and [think], like, we made it [big] together.” 

Taking his time: Talwiinder believes a track needs time to breathe and simmer to reach its full potential. “I try not to rush the song,” he shrugs. “I like to sit with it, live with it, listen to it at different times of the day, different seasons of the year. My ritual is marinating in the music.” He mentions that the track “Tera Chera” from his 2024 album was first conceptualized way back in 2019, and went through at least five different versions before he finally felt it was ready for the world. When asked if there’s a moment when he just instinctively knows that a song is finished, he is quick to point out that, like most artists who chase perfection, he never truly feels any song can be. “You can always keep on adding and adding. I feel like you have to just, internally, be satisfied that you gave your best. And instead of wasting more time on this project, [decide that] it’s time to test it out with the world. You can always do an acoustic version or a remix or remaster in the future. But I feel like the audience needs the music.” 

The slow rush: Though Talwiinder admits that his schedule can get extremely hectic (he recounts an instance where he went straight from shooting a music video overnight for his song “Tu” with Jackie Shroff, to catching an early morning flight for a show in Lucknow), he doesn’t really seem to mind. “I’ve gotten really good at packing,” he jokes. He commanded the stage as the opening act for G-Eazy and Dua Lipa during their respective India tours last year. When we talk, he’s just wrapped up a four-city tour with Zomaland and is playing around with different ways to redefine his live experience for the upcoming season. “For this album [Misfit], we haven’t really performed that many songs yet because I wanted the audience to kind of live with the album for like 6-7 months [before performing it live],” he says. His slow-burn approach to music, he admits, also extends to his live experience. “In cities where I know they understand who I am and what I’m doing, I give them everything. But when I’m somewhere new, performing for the first or second time, it’s just slowly, slowly… snippets, you know? Because we’re gonna do this for a decent amount of time, so there’s no rush to give them everything in one show.” 

Costume party: The enigmatic artist is also keen on curating live shows around immersive themes like Holi and Halloween—occasions that naturally lend themselves to costume, color, and theatricality. Halloween, especially, is a big one for him because it ties back to his first memories of moving to San Fracisco’s Bay Area as a 14-year-old. “When I moved to the United States in October 2008, Halloween was the first festival that I saw,” he recounts. “I was very excited that this is the one day you get to tap into a different version of yourself. You can put on any outfit or wear any mask. So, I wanted to include that in my shows and encourage people to come to the show with face paint on. Nobody will know who you are. You can dance like nobody’s watching. And [at] all these shows, like, people do come in face paint. So I feel like it’s working in the way that I’m imagining.” 

What’s next: Throughout our conversation, Talwiinder eagerly drops tidbits of what’s to come. He recently lent his voice to “Pal Pal,” a collaboration with Afusic and producer AliSoomroMusic that transforms the classic ballad into a synth-laced reverie. Another track he’s excited to release explores where he is mentally right now. “The song talks about people questioning whenever anybody in their family or their friends tries to pursue a creative job,” he says. “Obviously, people tell you ‘don’t do this,’ or ‘Look for something safe,’ or ‘this is a risky career.’ This song is kind of [my] answer [to those people].”  

While Talwiinder has never shied away from making two or three genres collide, this year he is searching for new inspirations. “I have a few projects where I’m working on country tracks,” he says. “And I definitely want to have more fun with jazz. I think that’ll be the next thing I’m looking forward to.”