From boAT to Virat Kohli, why is Canadian singer Shubh facing backlash?

Electronics brand boAt on Tuesday announced that they are withdrawing sponsorship for Shubh's upcoming India tour, but what is the issue?

Canada-based Punjabi singer Shubhneet Singh, better known as Shubh, has been facing backlash from several celebrities and brands across the country for his alleged support for Khalistan. The issue has been in the eye of the storm after a wanted separatist, Hardeep Singh Nijjar, was killed in Canada. Canada has alleged that India has played a role in his murder. India has denied the claim. Both countries have expelled a top diplomat each.

What is the controversy?

Shubh is facing backlash due to his social media post earlier this year. Shubh shared a distorted map of India on his Instagram story, omitting the union territories of Jammu and Kashmir, Punjab and the Northeastern states. He wrote, "Pray for Punjab" with the picture.

Later, he deleted the map and replaced it with the message "Pray for Punjab".

Also Read: Virat unfollows his 'favourite singer' Shubh for sharing controversial post

What happened now?

On Wednesday, BookMyShow cancelled Shubh's India tour after the ticket booking app faced a boycott call on social media for hosting a singer who is allegedly a Khalistani sympathiser. In a post on X, formerly known as Twitter, BookMyShow said it will do a complete refund of the tickets within 7-10 days.

"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," it said.

Electronics brand boAt on Tuesday announced that they are withdrawing sponsorship for Shubh's upcoming India tour. In a statement posted on social media platform X (formerly Twitter), the brand said, "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. We will continue to foster a vibrant music culture in India and create platforms where emerging artists can show their talent."

The Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha (BJYM), the youth wing of the BJP, also removed posters promoting Shubh's concert, saying there is no place for "Khalistan" supporters in the country.

According to reports, Virat Kohli and several other cricketers like KL Rahul and Hardik Pandya unfollowed the singer on Instagram.

Who is Shubh?

Shubhneet Singh, or Shubh, is an Indian rapper and singer based in Canada. He was born on August 10, 1997, and works in the Punjabi music industry. He rose to mainstream fame in 2021 with his single "We Rollin". His singles have charted on the UK Asian and UK Punjabi charts published by the Official Charts Company and Official New Zealand Chart.

He has announced a World Tour in 10 cities this fall. These are Bengaluru, Gurgaon, Hyderabad, Chandigarh, Ludhiana, Ahmedabad, Jaipur, Mumbai, Kolkata and Pune.

What are his popular songs?

Shubh started in 2021 with the single "Don't Look" with Irman Thiara. Later, he released his breakthrough single, "We Rollin". Following this, he released songs "Elevated" and "Offshore".

In 2022, Shubh released three singles: "No Love", "Baller", and "Her". His song "Baller" became his most streamed track of all time. It charted on the Canadian Hot 100 at 68.

In 2023, he released his debut album, "Still Rollin". "Still Rollin" was ranked 16th on the Billboard Canadian Albums Charts.