Canada-based Punjabi singer Shubh, also known as Shubhneet Singh, is currently facing significant backlash on social media. The rapper-singer was set to perform in Mumbai from September 23 to 25 as part of the Cruise Control 4.0 event. Additionally, he had a three-month-long tour in India, with performances planned in other cities such as New Delhi, Bengaluru, and Hyderabad. However, the tour was abruptly canceled following a controversy. For the unversed, Shubh had posted a distorted map of India on his Instagram Stories, triggering outrage and accusations of supporting separatist Khalistani elements.
In response to the controversy, BookMyShow announced the cancellation of Shubh's India tour and initiated a refund process for ticket buyers. The platform stated, "Singer Shubhneet Singh’s Still Rollin Tour for India stands cancelled. To that end, BookMyShow has initiated a complete refund of the ticket amount for all consumers who had purchased tickets for the show. The refund will be reflected within 7-10 working days in the customer’s source account of the original transaction." The controversy surrounding Shubh has led to a significant public outcry and debate over his alleged affiliations and actions, particularly in relation to the sensitive issue of Khalistan separatism.
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The Punjab-born, Brampton, Canada-based 26-year-old rapper Shubhneet Singh waded into controversy on a day when India-Canadian ties hit rock bottom after Prime Minister Justin Trudeau accused 'Indian agents' of perpetrating the June 23 killing of Khalistani separatist Hardeep Singh Nijjar at a gurudwara in Surrey, Vancouver.
In an Instagram post captioned 'Pray for Punjab', along with two folded hands emojis, this baby-faced follower of the late Sidhu Moose Wala ran a map of India without the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir, Punjab and the North-East on it, which he eventually deleted. He put it up during the Punjab Police hunt for Khalistani terrorist Amritpal Singh and the arrest of many of the singer's followers.
Amid this, boAt withdrew its sponsorship for Shubh’s India tour. BoAt said on X (previously known as Twitter), "At boAt, while our commitment to the incredible music community runs deep, we are first & foremost a true Indian brand. Therefore, when we became aware of the remarks made by artist Shubh earlier this year, we chose to withdraw our sponsorship from the tour."
Shubh is yet to react to the outrage.
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About Shubh
Shubh rose to prominence with his 2021 track, 'We Rollin', which helped him gain a following in the Punjabi diaspora across Canada, the UK, the US, and New Zealand. Then his single, 'Baller', also made it to the Billboard Canadian Hot 100, ranked No. 68.
The rapper started in 2021 with the single 'Don't Look' that he co-produced with Punjabi pop artist Irman Thiara. Later, he released his breakthrough single, 'We Rollin', which is till date his most streamed song. Next to follow were 'Elevated' and 'Offshore'. Earlier this year, Shubh released his debut album 'Still Rollin', which ranked No. 16 on the Billboard Canadian charts.