Ikky is Keeping the Team Spirit Up on Karan Aujla’s India Tour

Punjabi-Canadian hitmaker Ikky saw a funny TikTok about what people could expect from his supporting set for Karan Aujla at his longtime collaborator’s ongoing It Was All A Dream India tour. “It was like a POV: he changes the song every 30 seconds,” Ikky says with a laugh.

Born Ikwinder Singh, he’s been a vital force behind some of Aujla’s biggest hits, including “Admirin’ You” and “Softly” from 2023 album Making Memories. The 23-year-old has also collaborated with hitmakers like Shubh (“Baller”), Diljit Dosanjh (“Chauffeur” with Canadian hip-hop artist Tory Lanez and “Akh Laal Jatt Di”) and Jay Sean, among others. On the industry side, Ikky is also the founder of the4N Records and was tapped to be creative director of 91 North Records, the result of a partnership between Warner Music India and Warner Music Canada.

Out in India on this tour, Ikky’s in total performer mode. Usually holding down a 30-minute solo set and then being on stage with Aujla and the band for about two hours as “DJ and musical director.” He says, “My goal in India is definitely to make a lot of people do bhangra in states that aren’t really Punjabi-focused.” Already big on star quotient – Aujla has brought out everyone from Badshah to Hanumankind to actors like Varun Dhawan and actor-dancer Nora Fatehi on shows so far – Ikky promises that they want to make “more special moments” for everyone in the audience.

He adds, “We’ve definitely not ever done a tour this big. It’s very inspiring.” On stage, he’s also there for moral support. “It’s just consistent… talking to each other and a lot of words of affirmation to Karan to keep him alive on stage and at the same time, making calls on stage to change something.”

Where do you start building a performance of this level, that’s drawing at least 20,000 people at every stop? Ikky says coolly that it starts with him sitting down in front of his laptop, understanding and dictating aspects like stage design. “People are here to see a show and they want to hear some good music, so everything kind of starts with the music and that comes pretty easy to us,” he says.

Inspired by the likes of hip-hop titan Busta Rhymes’ performances, Ikky says there’s a lot to learn in terms of body language and control, from the dance moves to the confident stage presence.

Ikky also arrives in India on the back of releasing his new song “I Like You,” featuring the voice of late Punjabi folk-pop star Soni Pabla. Back in 2022, Ikky released his first song featuring Pabla, “She’s The One.” By his own admission, Ikky likes “putting out happy music and keeping it very positive and uplifting” with the music he puts out. It’s an intentional two-year span between the Soni Pabla singles, because Ikky says he always has a “two-year plan of everything.” He adds, “I thought it was coming up to two years [since ‘She’s The One’] so I thought it would be the right time to drop this one.” He hopes it “keeps the community alive.”

By adapting the voice of artists like Pabla, it’s evident that roots is important for Ikky. In terms of the changing global popularity of Punjabi pop and hip-hop music, the producer is clear that he’s not “trying to westernize it [Punjabi music] but commercialize.” He adds, “For the longest time, I’ve been very anti-features. I understand what we’ve been through in terms of trying to get global. I’ve said, ‘Without having Drake on a song, how can we really blow this up?’”

Outside of the performances with run up to Jan. 5, 2025, Ikky says he and Aujla have a video shoot right after the India tour. He does plan to explore the country a little bit. “Our parents are from India, but they haven’t seen all these places, you know? So it means a lot for us guy to be able to do that. So we’re definitely going to explore and find new things,” he adds.