Dilpreet Dhillonਦਿਲਪ੍ਰੀਤ ਢਿੱਲੋਂ

Dilpreet Dhillon is a Punjabi singer and actor from Fatehgarh Sahib in Punjab, India, best known for his 2014 breakthrough song Gunday No. 1. Born Amarinder Singh on 24 August 1991, he built a lasting career with the albums 8 Kartoos, Dushman and Next Chapter, hit duets with Gurlez Akhtar, and lead roles in Punjabi films.

Early life and the road to a first song

Dilpreet Dhillon was born on 24 August 1991 in Fatehgarh Sahib, Punjab. His birth name was Amarinder Singh, a name he later changed to Dilpreet Dhillon when he became a singer. He comes from a Sikh family: his father worked as a principal, and his elder brother Manpreet Dhillon serves as a police inspector. Music was part of his life from childhood, and accounts of his early years say he sang at family wedding functions long before he recorded professionally.

He attended Sant Ishar Singh Ji Memorial Public School in Ludhiana and then moved to New Zealand for higher education. There he took on part time jobs while he studied and, after graduating, worked as a truck driver. The driving work had a purpose beyond a wage: he was saving money to pay for his first recording. He was a devoted fan of the Punjabi singer Kulwinder Dhillon, whose style helped shape the kind of singer he wanted to become.

When he returned to India for his brother's wedding, he approached the production duo Desi Crew about making a song together. They did not accept him straight away. Instead they told him to practise more and improve before releasing anything. It was a setback, but it also set the pattern for his career: he went away, worked on his singing, and came back ready.

Where is Dilpreet Dhillon from?

Dilpreet Dhillon is from Fatehgarh Sahib in the Malwa region of Punjab, India. Fatehgarh Sahib is both his home town and the name of his home district and tehsil, a district headquarters town beside historic Sirhind that is named for Sahibzada Fateh Singh. That Malwa grounding runs through his music, from the language and references in his songs to the rural friendships and village pride that return again and again as themes.

Breakthrough with Gunday No. 1

His career began in 2014 with the single Gunday No. 1, made with Desi Crew and written by Narinder Batth. The upbeat track introduced a confident new voice and gave him the identity he is still associated with: his social media handles have long referenced the song. A second hit, 32 Bore, followed and confirmed that the debut was not a one off. Together the two songs placed him among the most talked about new Punjabi singers of the mid 2010s.

His first album, 8 Kartoos, collected the sound that had made him popular. Its tracks included Gulab, Thar Wala Yaar, Muchh, Fire Bolde with Inder Kaur, Noonh Bebe Di and Dhillon Da Munda. Songs such as Gunday Returns and Shreaam Apni kept the momentum going, while Yaaran Da Group and Sade Munde Da Viah, the latter with Goldy from Desi Crew, became firm favourites with listeners in Punjab and the diaspora.

Albums, hit songs and collaborations

Collaboration has been central to his work. With Gurlez Akhtar he recorded a run of popular duets, including Dilpreet Dhillon Is Back, 25 Ghante and Blames, all built around the call and response style that Punjabi duets do so well. He joined Karan Aujla and Shree Brar on Yaar Graribaaz, sang Gunday Ik Vaar Fer with Baani Sandhu, and later featured Karan Aujla again on Jatt Te Jawani. That song charted internationally, reaching the Canadian charts and the top of the UK Punjabi chart listings reported for the release.

His second studio album, Dushman, arrived in 2020 with tracks such as Kabza, Chandigarh with Gurlez Akhtar and Akdaan. Next Chapter followed in 2021, and later albums including Another Level and Let's Go kept him releasing full projects alongside singles such as Picka, Rangle Dupatte, Veham, Shining Koka with Mehar Vaani and Taur Jattan Di with Kulbir Jhinger. Through all of it, Desi Crew remained his most frequent musical partners, giving his catalogue a consistent sound.

Acting in Punjabi films

Singing led naturally to acting. He made his film debut in 2016 as Ranjeet in Once Upon a Time in Amritsar, a thriller that also used his song End Jattiye. In 2017 he played Gurjant in The Great Sardaar. Two films followed in 2019: Chandigarh Amritsar Chandigarh, where he played Prince, and Jaddi Sardar, where he played Jeeta in a family drama about land, brothers and village honour.

He continued on screen in 2022 with Saas Meri Ne Munda Jamya, playing Harmeet, and Mera Vyah Kara Do, playing Ekam. The film roles have never replaced the music: they run alongside it, and his screen image, the proud young Jatt rooted in his village and family, closely matches the world his songs describe.

What is Dilpreet Dhillon known for?

Dilpreet Dhillon is known for Gunday No. 1 and for a catalogue of energetic Punjabi songs about friendship, pride and rural life, delivered in a strong, direct voice. More than a decade after his debut he remains an active recording artist and a familiar live performer for Punjabi audiences in India, Canada and beyond. His story, from truck driving in New Zealand to saving for a first song that a top production team initially turned down, is a large part of why listeners have stayed loyal to him.