COVER STORY: Parmish Verma Leads a Punjabi Music Revolution in ‘Kanneda’

Punjabi music has never been about just one place. It moves with its people, evolving in new directions with every destination, while holding on to its roots. Canada has been a key part of this journey, where generations of artists have shaped and reshaped the genre—infusing it with themes of identity, displacement, and the realities of growing up as an immigrant. From the bhangra boom of the 1990s to the fusion of Punjabi hip-hop with mainstream rap, the country has been a breeding ground for innovation. Apache Indian and Jazzy B laid the foundation, mixing folk influences with global sounds, while Bohemia, Fateh, and Sidhu Moose Wala took it even further, turning Punjabi music into a global behemoth.

It’s this legacy that Kanneda, the latest JioHotstar series starring Parmish Verma, reflects on through both its narrative and soundtrack. Parmish not only plays the lead role of Nimma—a struggling musician in late 1990s Canada—but also serves as the series’ music director, shaping a soundtrack that captures the era’s cultural and artistic tensions. The series explores the divide between the polished mainstream industry and the underground rap scene, using music as a storytelling device that mirrors Nimma’s evolution.

The Punjabi music scene in Canada was already thriving before the 1990s. In the 1980s, bands like Heera, Alaap, and Premi introduced UK-style bhangra to audiences worldwide, laying the groundwork for a sound that would soon be embraced in Canada as well. The emergence of Canadian-Punjabi acts, particularly those incorporating elements of reggae, hip-hop, and R&B, marked the next evolution. This shift gave rise to artists who experimented with mixing traditional Punjabi folk music and the urban sounds that surrounded them in North America.

In the early 2000s, Punjabi music’s influence became even more pronounced with the rise of artists such as Panjabi MC, whose global hit “Mundian To Bach Ke” had mainstream Western audiences frenetically grooving to bhangra. Meanwhile, Bohemia’s pioneering work in Punjabi rap introduced a raw and authentic voice that resonated with a generation of young South Asians, as he rapped about the immigrant experience, struggles with identity, and life in the diaspora. His impact on the Canadian-Punjabi music scene was profound, paving the way for artists who mixed traditional Punjabi lyricism with the beat-heavy sensibilities of hip-hop.

Parmish approached Kanneda’s soundtrack as a bridge between the past and present, authenticity and aspiration. Each phase of Nimma’s journey—ambition, love, betrayal, and rebellion—is musically distinct. High-energy compositions fuel his drive for success, while melodic and soulful elements highlight the tender moments of vulnerability. Darker, more atmospheric tones underscore betrayal, and raw, aggressive beats define his rebellion against an industry that refuses to embrace him. The soundtrack doesn’t just accompany Kanneda; it immerses the audience in the protagonist’s emotional transformation. Parmish explains, “I wanted the music to feel lived-in, like it belonged to the time and place we were portraying. There’s a rawness to the underground sound that we embraced, and at the same time, we honored the polished production that was gaining traction in the mainstream.”

“I wanted the music to feel lived-in, like it belonged to the time and place we were portraying.”

A crucial aspect of the soundtrack’s design was differentiating Nimma’s own music from the background score. Nimma’s songs are woven into the storyline, written as organic expressions of his struggles and aspirations. They reflect the sound of the underground—gritty, raw, and personal. The background score, in contrast, serves as an evocative layer, enhancing the storytelling without explicitly exploring his perspective. Parmish describes the music’s evolution as an emotional arc. “We start with hopeful, almost naive melodies. As Nimma faces setbacks, the production gets darker and more layered. By the time he fully embraces the underground scene, the music has completely transformed.”

It’s also emblematic of the Punjabi music industry’s rebirth in Canada, which can largely be credited to the rise of South Asian and Western sounds fusing together in the late 1980s. With Toronto emerging as a hub for experimentation, producers and DJs mixed Punjabi vocals with house, reggae, and dancehall, setting the stage for the mainstream hip-hop influence that would follow. While local talent in Canada continued to thrive, artists like Rishi Rich and Panjabi MC played a critical role in taking this hybrid sound to the world.

In Kanneda, the music reflects this transition. While Nimma starts with a sound rooted in folk influences, his style shifts as he encounters the underground rap scene. The clash between tradition and modernity is echoed in the way the music mutates throughout the series. Parmish elaborates, “There’s a moment in the series where Nimma realizes he doesn’t have to conform to the mainstream to be heard. That’s when his sound changes—he starts rapping in Punjabi, experimenting with beats that feel more aggressive, more urgent.”

“There’s a moment in the series where Nimma realizes he doesn’t have to conform to the mainstream to be heard. That’s when his sound changes—he starts rapping in Punjabi, experimenting with beats that feel more aggressive, more urgent.”

While much of the focus has been on the 1990s and early 2000s, Punjabi music’s evolution in Canada has continued to break new ground. The 2010s saw the rise of artists such as Karan Aujla, who incorporated nods to his cultural roots into contemporary hip-hop and trap. In fact, the fusion of Punjabi lyrics with Western music genres has grown from strength to strength, with collaborations between South Asian and mainstream North American artists becoming more common. Among the most influential figures in this movement is AP Dhillon, whose groundbreaking hits such as “Brown Munde” and “Insane” have expanded Punjabi music’s global footprint. More recently, emerging Canadian-Punjabi rappers such as AR Paisley and Intense have also taken the genre in bold new directions, mixing intricate lyrical dexterity with high-octane production while keeping their cultural identity intact.

Punjabi music’s impact has also been visible in unexpected areas. The popularity of bhangra in universities and clubs contributed to the rise of artists such as DJ Rekha in New York, who helped turn the Punjabi- origin dance form into a staple of North American dance culture. Meanwhile, Punjabi artists such as Shubh and Kanwar Grewal in Canada have used their music to address social issues, from immigration struggles to generational conflicts, adding depth and meaning to the genre beyond its danceable beats.

“The contrast between mainstream rejection and underground acceptance is a major theme in Kanneda, and the music accentuates this divide.”

The contrast between mainstream rejection and underground acceptance is a major theme in Kanneda, and the music accentuates this divide. While the mainstream sound reflects an industry that values conformity over individuality, the underground scene, by contrast, is unfiltered, and deeply expressive. Parmish and his team leaned into the imperfections of Punjabi music production from that era, steering clear of overproduced elements in favor of a more live and raw aesthetic that captures the authenticity of the time. “There’s a grit to underground music that mainstream pop doesn’t have. That’s what we wanted to capture in Kanneda—the imperfections, the urgency, the need to say something real,” says Parmish.

The story of Kanneda resembles the real-life struggles of many Punjabi artists in Canada who found success outside of the traditional Bollywood or bhangra industry. For years, Punjabi rappers and producers had to fight for recognition, often being sidelined in favor of more commercially palatable acts. The underground movement that Nimma is drawn to in the series reflects this reality—a world where artists create for the love of music rather than mainstream acceptance. At its core, this isn’t just a story about a Punjabi musician trying to make it big in Canada, but also raises important questions about representation and ownership in the music industry—who gets to define Punjabi music, and who decides what’s commercially viable?

Composing music for a TV series presented a unique challenge. Unlike standalone albums or film soundtracks, Kanneda’s music had to evolve with the story, fitting into Nimma’s world while still holding up as a cohesive body of work. The balance between storytelling and musicality was crucial—every track needed to carry narrative weight while maintaining its integrity. “Writing music for a show like this is different from making an album. Every song had to serve a purpose—it had to drive the story forward,” Parmish notes. At the same time, the “Desiya Da Daur” rapper believes this soundtrack could set a new benchmark for Punjabi music in the Indian web series space. “We weren’t just [focused] on making hits; we [tried to] create a musical experience that would stay with the audience long after the credits rolled.”

This cover has been shot in a paid partnership with JioHotstar.

Photographer: Sumit Ghag
Executive Producer: Dushyant Tak
Creative Directors: Dushyant Tak & Aryan Jain
Editor: Karamvir Chopra
Stylist: Sejal Parulkar
HMU Artist: Kajal Saroj
Video Team: Tanay Shetty
Art Directors: Dushyant Tak & Aryan Jain
Art Team: Rohit Shinde
Production House: Dushyant&Karam.