Karan Aujlaਕਰਨ ਔਜਲਾ

Early life

Jaskaran Singh Aujla was born on 18 January 1997 in the village of Ghurala in Ludhiana district, Punjab, to Balwinder Singh Aujla and Rajinder Kaur. He lost both his parents when he was nine years old and was raised by his sisters and his paternal uncle. As a schoolboy he began writing poetry and lyrics, turning private grief into notebooks full of verses.

In 2014 he moved to Canada, joining a sister in Surrey, British Columbia. While finishing high school at Burnaby South Secondary School he worked part-time as a longshoreman, writing songs in whatever time remained.

Career

Aujla began as a songwriter. His first credited work was 'Range', sung by Jassi Gill, and he went on to write for Deep Jandu, Elly Mangat and others in the Toronto studio scene. His own debut single, 'Property of Punjab' (2016), announced him as a performer, and tracks like 'Yaarian Ch Fikk', 'Unity' and 'Lafaafe' built a following. The breakthrough came in 2018 with 'Don't Worry', his first song to enter the UK Asian chart.

The years that followed were a hit parade: 'Jhanjar', 'Red Eyes', 'Kya Baat Aa', 'So Far', 'Chitta Kurta' and 'Don't Look' all charted in the UK, and several entered the Global YouTube music chart. His debut album Bacthafucup (2021) peaked at number 20 on the Billboard Canadian Albums chart and made him Spotify's 'Largest Digital Artist 2021' in Punjabi music. Making Memories (2023), made with producer Ikky, carried him further — including the viral single 'Softly'. In 2024 Apple Music selected him for its Up Next program, the first Indian artist ever chosen, and he won the Fan Favorite award at the Canadian Juno Awards.

Music style

Nicknamed 'Geetan Di Machine' — the song machine — Aujla writes nearly everything he records. His songs blend hip-hop and R&B grooves with Punjabi lyricism: confessional, street-wise and melodic at once. He is as much a songwriter's songwriter as a performer, with writing credits across the industry.

Personal life

Aujla married makeup artist Palak Aujla in 2023. He has spoken rarely about his parents' deaths, but the loss runs through his most personal lyrics, and he remains close to the sisters who raised him.

Legacy

Karan Aujla represents the songwriter's path to stardom: from ghostwriting for others to becoming one of Punjabi music's most-streamed artists. His catalog — over fifty singles as a lead artist — and his Juno and Apple Music milestones mark him as a bridge between Punjab and the global mainstream.