ਰਣਜੀਤ ਬਾਵਾਰਣਜੀਤ ਬਾਵਾ

Ranjit Bawa is a Punjabi folk singer and actor from the Gurdaspur area of Punjab whose 2013 debut single 'Jatt Di Akal' won the PTC Best Folk Oriented Song award, and whose debut album Mitti Da Bawa (2015) won Best World Album at the Brit Asia TV Music Awards. A formally trained singer with a Master's in Music, he has released eight albums and EPs, most recently The Folk Era (2026), and played the title role in the film Toofan Singh (2017).

ਮੁੱਢਲਾ ਜੀਵਨ

Ranjit Singh Bajwa was born on 14 March 1989 in the village of Wadala Granthian near Gurdaspur, Punjab. He began singing in the sixth standard, when a school performance earned him praise from his teachers, and his music teacher Master Mangal Singh trained him and pushed him to enter competitions. He won singing competitions for six straight years. He graduated from Guru Nanak College, Batala, did his post-graduation at Khalsa College, Amritsar, and earned a Master's in Music from Guru Nanak Dev University, Amritsar: a formal grounding rare among Punjabi pop singers. Entertainment profiles report that his father was the late S. Gajjan Singh Bajwa and his mother is Gurmit Kaur Bajwa, and that he grew up idolising folk legends Kuldeep Manak, Gurdas Maan and Satinder Sartaaj.

Music career

The stage name came first. For six years Bawa sang the folk standard 'Bol Miti Deya Baweya' in competitions, and audiences began calling him 'Bawa'. The name stuck. His debut single 'Jatt Di Akal' (2013), with music by Pavneet Birgi and lyrics by Jaggi Sanghera, won the PTC Best Folk Oriented Song award, and his debut album Mitti Da Bawa (2015), released on T-Series, was awarded Best World Album at the 2015 Brit Asia TV Music Awards.

A long run of singles followed, each sharpening his folk-meets-modern sound: 'Tankha' (2014, Jassi X, Kabal Saroopwali), 'Jean' (2015, Nick Dhammu, Lovely Noor), 'Ja Ve Mundiya' (2016, Desi Crew, Narinder Batth), 'Sher Marna' (2017, Jay K, Rav Hanjra), 'Weekend' (2018, Enzo, Rav Hanjra), 'Adhiya' (2019, Street Boy, Vinder Nathumajra), 'Impress' (2020, Desi Crew, Bunty Bains), 'Kinne Aye Kinne Gye' (2021, Sukh Brar, Lovely Noor, a social-political song), 'Punjab Bolda' (2022, Sukh Brar, Lovely Noor) and 'All Eyez on Me' (2023, Mxrci, Rav Hanjra). 'Yaari Chandigarh Waliye' and 'Impress' peaked on the UK Asian and UK Punjabi music charts.

His later albums built on that base: Ik Tare Wala (2018, T-Series), LOUD (2021, Speed Records, with Desi Crew on music), Ve Geetan Waleya (2022, his own Ranjit Bawa Music label) and God's Land (2022, Bless Studios), followed by Mitti Da Bawa 2 (2023), the sequel to his debut album. The Proud Jawani EP arrived on 20 June 2025, produced by Amanpreet Kaur Bains and presented under Brand B, pairing him with Desi Crew and lyricist Bunty Bains on four tracks: 'Proud Jawani', 'Follow', 'Koka Gaani' and 'Rumal Reshmi'. His most recent release, The Folk Era (5 August 2026, Ranjit Bawa Music), is a nine-track return to folk roots with music by Goldy Desi Crew, Nick Dhammu, Desi Frenzy, SHXxn, Black Virus and Babbu, including 'Mirza', 'Laung Labb Gya' and 'Jagga Jatt'.

He has also been a busy playback singer for other films: 'Narrow Salwar' (Oh My Pyo Ji, 2014), 'Des' (Love Punjab, 2016), 'Kaal' (Great Sardar, 2017), 'Mukabla' (Bailaras, 2017), 'Sarvaan Putt' (Sarvann), 'Tufan Rokne' (Toofan Singh), 'Sun Sohniye' (Afsar, 2018), 'Chan Wargi' (Mr & Mrs 420 Returns, 2018), and 'Manak Di Kali' and 'Rani' (Bhalwan Singh, 2018).

What does 'Bawa' mean in his name?

The name comes from the folk standard 'Bol Miti Deya Baweya', which he sang in singing competitions for six years before his debut. Audiences began calling him 'Bawa', and the nickname became his stage name.

Acting career

Bawa made his film debut in the title role of Toofan Singh (2017), the semi-biographical action film about the 1980s Punjabi activist Jugraj Singh Toofan. He followed with Sarvann, the period comedy Bhalwan Singh (2018), the ensemble comedy sequel Mr & Mrs 420 Returns (2018, as Laadi), Khido Khundi (2018, as Fateh) and Vekh Baraatan Challiyan (as Shindi). His 2018 work earned him two nominations at the Jio Filmfare Awards (Punjabi): Best Debut Male for Sarvann and the Critics' Award for Best Actor Male for Bhalwan Singh.

In 2019 he starred in the friendship-based drama High End Yaariyaan and led the romantic comedy Tara Mira, produced by singer Guru Randhawa. Later films include Khaao Piyo Aish Karo (2022) and LehmberGinni (2023), where he played Lehmber in a story mixing social themes with romance. He joined the cast of Enna Nu Rehna Sehna Ni Aaunda (2025), directed by Rupan Bal, acting alongside Jassie Gill, Mandy Takhar and Pakistani actor Imran Ashraf.

Public voice and controversies

Bawa has used his platform for causes he believes in. On 25 September 2020 he joined fellow singers Harbhajan Mann, Tarsem Jassar and Kulwinder Billa at a farmers' protest in Nabha against the farm bills, exhorting farmers to intensify the agitation and saying the government should have taken farmers' approval before drafting the bills.

The same year his song 'Mera Ki Kasoor', written by lyricist Bir Singh from a Dalit person's point of view and calling out caste and religious discrimination, drew hate, threats and police complaints. Bawa was forced to remove the song from YouTube with an apology.

Personal life and legacy

Bawa is unmarried and keeps his personal life private. He credits his mentor Master Mangal Singh for pushing him toward live performance, and names Kuldeep Manak, Gurdas Maan and Satinder Sartaaj among his idols. He represents the formally trained folk singer in an era of auto-tune: a Master's in Music, a Brit Asia award, and a voice rooted in the soil of Majha that carries Punjabi folk into the streaming age.