Tarsem Jassarਤਰਸੇਮ ਸਿੰਘ ਜੱਸੜ

Early life

Tarsem Singh Jassar was born on 4 July 1986 in the village of Jassar in Ludhiana district, Punjab. Inclined toward writing from a young age, he sang kavishri in his school days. He studied at Mata Gujri College, Fatehgarh Sahib, alongside his friend Kulbir Jhinjer, and began a post-graduation before a visa took him to England, where his sister lived. Lonely and working as a labourer — his first earning was 30 pounds planting grass — he poured his homesickness into a song, 'College Di Yaad'.

The village of Jassar in Ludhiana district gave Tarsem Singh Jassar his name and his material — the rural Punjab he would write about for the rest of his career. Singing kavishri as a schoolboy taught him the declamatory style that still marks his delivery, and Mata Gujri College, Fatehgarh Sahib, gave him both an education and his lifelong collaborator, Kulbir Jhinjer. The England sojourn — labouring jobs, loneliness, a sister's support — gave him his first great song.

Career

Back in Punjab, 'College Di Yaad', sung by Kulbir Jhinjer to Jassar's lyrics, became a superhit and launched him as a lyricist. He made his singing debut with 'Attwadi' featuring Jhinjer, and in 2013 the two launched their own label, Vehli Janta Records. His pen produced anthems including 'Vehli Janta', 'Patiala Shahi Pagg' — the song that made the Patiala-shahi turban a youth trend — 'Sardarni', 'Chak Asla' and 'Udaari'.

His debut album Illuminati arrived in 2016 on Vehli Janta Records, followed by Turbanator (2018), My Pride (2020) and New Order (2024). In 2017 he debuted as an actor in Rabb Da Radio, a sweeping family drama that was a box-office success, and he returned for Rabb Da Radio 2 (2019), alongside films like Daana Paani, Afsar and Uda Aida. His 'Tere Bajhon' from Rabb Da Radio remains one of his signature songs.

'College Di Yaad' was the making of him as a writer: Jhinjer's voice carrying Jassar's homesick words, it became an anthem for every Punjabi student abroad. 'Attwadi' announced the singer, and Vehli Janta Records (2013) gave the partnership its own platform — Jassar has famously never sold his songs, keeping his writing in-house. 'Patiala Shahi Pagg' was the cultural moment: a song that put the traditional Patiala turban back on young heads across Punjab.

The albums — Illuminati (2016), Turbanator (2018), My Pride (2020), New Order (2024) — built the catalogue, but Rabb Da Radio (2017) made him a film star. The family drama was a genuine box-office hit, 'Tere Bajhon' became a signature song, and the sequel plus Daana Paani, Afsar and Uda Aida confirmed the actor.

Major works

Illuminati (2016), Turbanator (2018); the songs 'Patiala Shahi Pagg', 'College Di Yaad', 'Attwadi', 'Tere Bajhon'; the films Rabb Da Radio and Rabb Da Radio 2.

'College Di Yaad', 'Attwadi', 'Patiala Shahi Pagg', 'Tere Bajhon'; Illuminati; Rabb Da Radio and Rabb Da Radio 2.

Personal life

Jassar is married and is based in Punjab, where he runs Vehli Janta Records with Kulbir Jhinjer. He is known for never selling his songs, keeping his writing for his own label.

Jassar is married and based in Punjab. He and Kulbir Jhinjer remain partners in Vehli Janta Records, and he is known for his grounded public persona and his distinctive Patiala-shahi turban.

Legacy

A lyricist who became a singer who became a film star, Tarsem Jassar represents the self-made Punjabi artist — and his 'Patiala Shahi Pagg' quite literally changed what Punjab's youth wore on their heads.

Lyricist, singer, actor, label boss — Tarsem Jassar did it all without selling a single song, and 'Patiala Shahi Pagg' changed how a generation dressed. The village boy from Jassar became Punjab's self-made star.