From record-breaking concerts and chart hits to the Juno awards, South Asian acts have been making a sizeable impact in the Canadian music industry for some time now.
It’s no surprise then that some of the executives behind these success stories find a spot in Billboard Canada’s just-published 40 Under 40 list, through which the publication is “celebrating the next generation of music industry leaders”.
They include Baldeep Randhawa, tour promoter at Live Nation Canada. Among his projects are Diljit Dosanjh’s tour of the Great North in 2024, and Karan Aujla’s global trek this year, which includes a headlining slot at Rolling Loud India this weekend.
Additionally, Randhawa launched the inaugural edition of the Punjabi music festival Breaking Borders, which was held in September in Malta (the country in Europe, not the neighbourhood in Mississauga, Ontario) and played an integral part in the introduction of a South Asian Recording of the Year category at the Junos.
Also on the list are Shivam Malhotra, founder and CEO of Malsons Media, the artist management company that works with the DSP-dominating independent Punjabi pop singer and rapper Shubh.
Gabriel Obadia, head of music at YouTube in Canada where Punjabi-language artists frequently top the charts, and Matt Sousa, vice president of A&R at Warner Music Canada, the roster of which boasts a number of South Asian acts such as Aujla, also make the list.
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