Bonus. World of Secrets: The Killing Call

12:51Ishleen Kau:But that drive to make music, it just won't go away.

12:58Bobby Friction:That summer, a television talent show arrives on campus and Sidhu signs up. When the presenter signals to him to come forward, he steps out in front of the crowd. He's dressed in a green turban and a neat checked shirt. The presenter asks his name.

13:19Ishleen Kau:Sidhu smiles shyly. He looks nervous, unsure what to do with his hands. He tells the anchor he's into singing and he's got a song that he'd like to perform. Immediately, Sidhu's whole demeanour changes. His posture straightens, his shyness evaporates and he begins belting out the lyrics. They're about how real men don't get gun licences for their guns.

13:51Ishleen Kau:The crowd and even the interviewer begins clapping along. When Sindhu finishes, the interviewer says, well written, but then adds, I hope you won't act on the song's violent message. Sindhu is quick to reassure him. No, no, no, sir.

14:13Bobby Friction:Siddhu's starting to get some campus kicks. And there's a bit of a following too. But there's also some mockery. He used to practice every day in the morning and people used to laugh at him behind his back and that wasn't good. They would make fun of his appearance a lot. His songs too. They didn't believe that he's going to be a singer. They used to make fun of him because he wasn't that handsome. It was really bad. He knew about that, but he didn't care about it.

14:47Ishleen Kau:His single-mindedness is starting to emerge, a determination that no matter what people say about him, behind his back or to his face, he's not going to be stopped.

14:58Bobby Friction:His ambition is growing, but so is that feeling of defiance. He approaches a famous songwriter and asks to get some lyrics from him. The guy agrees, but he keeps putting Sidhu off.

15:14Bobby Friction:I kept chasing the songwriter and he kept saying yes. Then finally he said, come to my village and I'll give them to you. It's a two-hour bus journey, but the guy has promised he'll pick him up when he gets there. So Sidhu sets off. The weather is terrible.

15:35Bobby Friction:It was raining really heavily that day. And when I got to the village, there was nowhere to shelter. So I kept calling the songwriter, saying, Bro, could you come now and meet me? But he said, I'm not coming. It's raining. Go home. We'll do it another day. And I was drenched, you know. My eyes were tearing up and I was thinking, this is wrong. And when he called me, he was really emotional. He was really angry. He told me that he cried at that bus stop.

16:14Bobby Friction:I had travelled so far to meet him. And I was so wet. And I swore from that day on, I was never going to sing anyone else's song. I'm going to write my own songs. I used to respect that guy. I still do. And actually, you know, I wouldn't be anything now if he hadn't said no to me that day. So I would say that that was really one of the key points in his life that changed him, for sure. If he used to say something, he used to do it. He used to stand by his words. From now on, Sidhu tells Pushdeep, not only is he going to write his own songs, he's going to give music everything. think. He made up his mind, I'm going to give a best shot that I could give to this because I want to do this for my rest of my life.

17:06Ishleen Kau:One day Sidhu comes back to college after a weekend at home in his village of Musa and he tells Pushpadeep he's decided on a stage name. And Sidhu asked me, what do you think about this name Sidhu Musiwala?

17:19Bobby Friction:I said, I loved it man. So he said that the sole purpose of doing that was because he wanted his village name to come forward. He loved where he came from. And Sidhu told me that when he would get famous, he's going to make his village famous.

17:42Bobby Friction:For me, my village is like heaven. And what I wanted is that wherever I go, the name of My village goes with me. That's why I call myself Sidhu Musayala. I always believed in him. He was so confident always. You would say that he was a thousand percent confident. He used to claim that he's going to rip everything apart and whatever it's going to take, he's going to be a successful singer. he's going to sing that kind of stuff that nobody has ever imagined.

18:23Ishleen Kau:He is going to sing the kind of stuff nobody could ever have imagined. But this fame will come at a cost.

18:40Bobby Friction:And ladies and gentlemen, we're those passengers on Air Canada's flight 824 service to Madrig. Our flight this evening will be quite full. Toronto's Pearson International is Canada's busiest airport. For over 40 years, it's been the gateway for hundreds of thousands of young Indians, especially Punjabis, drawn by the promise of a better life, a college education and, crucially, a Canadian passport.

19:06Ishleen Kau:Canada now has the biggest Punjabi population outside of India and Pakistan. Families mortgage their land to send their children. So, to Sindhu's parents, it's the obvious choice for their only child after he finishes college. A way to give him the best start in life. But Sindhu doesn't want to go.

19:32Bobby Friction:At first, I refused to come to Canada, even though I had a visa. But then I thought, my parents have taken so many good decisions for me. and they've taken this decision too. So they must be right.

19:46Ishleen Kau:Ever the loyal son, in December 2016, Sidhu Musiala finds himself in the arrivals hall, one of the first young men from his village to travel to Canada.

19:58Bobby Friction:He enrols himself at a college in northern Toronto. To pay his way, he works in a hotel kitchen at night, washing pots and pans, and in the day, he lugs lighting equipment around for a film crew. Any free time he has, he's hustling, reaching out to music producer Skatagan, hoping someone will take notice.

20:24Ishleen Kau:Then, one day, he's working for the film crew. They're shooting a music video in a Toronto parking lot, and on set is a well-known music producer. Sidhu's holding the lights, but he's got something else in mind. He just needs one minute with this big shot producer. So he asks someone to introduce them. And then he launches into a song he's written right there in the middle of the shoot.

20:58Bobby Friction:The producer is visibly impressed. He tells Sidhu to bring him more songs. They'll record something.

21:06Ishleen Kau:That something is the first track Siddhu releases. It's called G-Wagon.

21:17Ishleen Kau:And it's a hit. G-Wagon goes viral, but it's just the start.

21:30Bobby Friction:Siddhu reaches out to another music producer in Toronto. He's called Big Bird. And no, not the one from Sesame Street. You know, I kind of, like, made it my own. I just changed the spelling of it, just because I thought I didn't want any, like, legal issues or, you know, just changed the I's to the Y. So B-Y-G, B-Y-R-D. And you're not wearing your gold chain today. Yeah, I forgot it at home. I was in a rush. I was kind of sad about that, you know. I always got to wear my chain. That's my signature.

22:05Bobby Friction:He actually reached out to me on Facebook. Basically, he just told me, hey, I'm Shubdeep Singh Sidhu. I'm looking for a music production. Like, can you please call me? I don't even think I replied back. I just, like, got my manager to just call them. And then he came to the studio. And what happened at the studio? I mean, like, I could feel from his energy that, you know, he was about to really do something. So I said, oh, like, what song do you want to record? Right. And he's like, I have this one song written. And after he was done recording, which was super easy to record him, like he's like a machine.

22:41He was very efficient.

22:44Bobby Friction:He didn't take many takes, like so organic and so like on point and precise. So after he was done recording and he came out before he left, I asked him like, oh, how do you want the music to sound? Right. All he said was he's like, hey, bro, like I want to make this sound like an anthem.

23:01Ishleen Kau:And it's an anthem, all right. The track is called So High.

23:15Bobby Friction:I had Sidhu come back in a few days later to actually listen to the song in person. And his reaction was just speechless. And I could see the excitement. I mean, eventually I sent it to him because he asked me, like, I want to listen to this in the car. And I'm like, yeah, no problem. Tell me if you want any changes or you want to add anything. And the crazy part was like a few days after that, I was outside of my house and I heard like cars going by and they're playing the song. And I was just taken back by that. I'm like, wait, how is this song playing? Like what's going on? I don't know how that happened, but it was just a really good feeling.

23:55Bobby Friction:because even when I was out and about, I would hear the song blasting in people's songs like everywhere and I was like... Even before it officially released, you were getting feelers. Yes, before it even dropped officially, like it was already out there in the world and people were already listening to like the rough, unmixed and unmastered version and people were going crazy. Like, who is this guy? Who is this Sidhu guy?

24:22Bobby Friction:Bobby, tell me, what was your reaction when you first heard So High?

24:26Ishleen Kau:Well, I was sitting in my studio and Big Bird actually sends me the link to the track and I click on it and I start watching and honestly, it was like a concrete breeze block hitting me in the head. It was just everything I wanted from a true Punjabi artist. It had that kind of pinned Punjabi, you know, that village Punjabi, the way his mouth and his tongue kind of went around all the words, the colors. And also, you know, when you watch videos, sometimes one singular person really stands out. You can't take your eyes off them. That was Siddu in that video. I didn't really know what was going on in the rest of the video because I was just drawn towards Siddu's presence.

25:11Ishleen Kau:And then on top of that, you then had these real gangster beats, well-produced, amazing beats done by Big Bird. I just remember going, this is going on the playlist straight away. and that literally never happens. So I heard it as a DJ. You heard it as a punter. I'm so jealous. How did you hear it?

25:32Bobby Friction:So in a Punjabi family, you end up discussing Punjabi music and cut to when my brother was getting married a few months later. I remember the only track that we played was so high. So it felt like one Punjabi song that has cut through generations. So it wasn't just for me, a millennial, but also my parents, my puas, my aunts, grandparents, we were all dancing to this one track, So High.

26:02Ishleen Kau:So it's only been eight months since Sindhu landed at Toronto Airport and his song So High is getting airplay all over the globe.

26:14Ishleen Kau:Sindhu and Big Bird start playing shows across Canada.

26:19Bobby Friction:it's one thing where you're out and about and you know you hear it playing in the car but being in front of like a crowd and they're chanting they're singing along and then i'm looking into the crowd with the bright lights and then i see like everybody's cameras are out people are just so happy to like see us on stage and they're cheering us on it's hard to describe in words right but the best way i could say like it felt magical it was like a magical moment anytime I performed with him. Hit after hit follows. His music is everywhere.

27:03Bobby Friction:The turning point for him was the Just Listen song. Even with the actual music video, they put a spin on it where little kids are looking up to him and they're not wearing a turban, But because they see him wearing a turban, they wanted to look like him and wear a turban. And there was numerous cases of this in real life. That's how much an impact that he had.

27:30Ishleen Kau:Sindhu starts winning awards, like Brit Asia's best lyricist.

27:35Bobby Friction:I've seen people come, I've seen people go. This guy is definitely here to stay. He's a bad boy lyricist. He's an amazing performer. And he is none other than Sidhu Musyara. Love you, Jacque. Thank you, Jacque, baby. Thank you. God bless you.

27:55Ishleen Kau:His songs make the charts in Canada and in India, the UK, New Zealand, Pakistan. He's collaborating and performing alongside big names in music, Stéphalondon, Mist, Steel Bangles. Come on. And obviously we've got another guest with us, International Vibes. This is the biggest international superstar, yeah? This is Sid Dumusewala, yeah? Make some noise for Sid Dumusewala. Even Drake, the most successful Canadian rapper of them all, is a fan.

28:29Bobby Friction:Back home in India, he's also getting a big following. He even has his own catchphrase. I love you, Sid Dumusewala.

28:46Bobby Friction:You can hear it whenever people talk about Siddhu. It means I'm not a bad person or I've got a good heart. It's even on car stickers. Siddhu's evenings washing dirty pots and pans in a hotel kitchen are long gone. He's achieved what many Punjabis who come to Canada can only dream of.

29:09Ishleen Kau:But then, suddenly, Sidhu Mursayala makes a decision that no one's expecting.

29:17Bobby Friction:Canada made all of this possible for me. But somehow, I couldn't live without my parents. I thought, they're in their 50s and 60s now. And if something happens to them, I'm going to regret it. I need to be near them. I need to spend time with them.

29:37Bobby Friction:Siddhu decided to go back to Punjab because he really loved his place, his band Musa. So basically, in 2019, he decided to go back. And I thought it was just temporary, but like he felt obviously at home with his parents.

29:55Ishleen Kau:I remember thinking, why are you doing this, bro? He's a massive figure by now. He's leaving the place where he literally created Siddam Husayala. He is the Canadian voice for Punjab, a voice for the entire diaspora. But what I didn't really understand was just how hungry Punjabis in India were for his kind of vision. They needed someone to come along and change the game.

30:23Bobby Friction:And he does change the game. He'd begun his career singing about the classic gangster rap stuff like, Look at my cars, look at my guns. But he's returning to a place, Indian Punjab, that has a troubled and violent past. And gradually, those ghosts of unresolved grievances and the problems of the present begin to influence his songs. Fresh violence today erupted in the north Indian state of Punjab. Fighting has been continuing around the Golden Temple in Amritsar. Indira Gandhi, ruler of the world's largest democracy, died today. has now grown into a mass movement, one that's become about more than just the agriculture law.

31:05Bobby Friction:Patience is the shield and the sword that the farmers are using in this agitation. For some reason, the government...

31:10Ishleen Kau:With his lyrics, he's literally making poetry of what's happening politically in India. He's challenging the government. To many Punjabis, he's becoming an icon, a modern-day poet.

31:23Bobby Friction:But he's also controversial. Inevitably, when you're that famous, When you're that outspoken, not everyone's a fan. His vulgar songs dishonor our region. You only sing about weapons. Do something new. And he's making enemies in all sorts of places. Get lost, you Khalistani. You bring shame on your turban.

31:54Bobby Friction:Fast forward three years and Sidhu Musiala is one of the highest-grossing rappers in India, a global star. But he's chosen to live back in the village where he was born. I'm a farmer first, he tells people, riding his tractor out in the fields, nothing like a star.

32:19Ishleen Kau:It's the 29th of May, 2022. It's a Sunday and it's just gone five o 'clock. The early evening sun sending slants of light across the fields and the air still heavy with the heat of the day. A black SUV pulls out of the gateway of a brand new mansion Sid who's built for his parents. Sid who's driving and in the car with him is his cousin and a friend. They're going to visit Sidhu's arm in a nearby village.

32:50Bobby Friction:They haven't gone far along the dusty dirt roads lined with fields when they notice a car that seems to be following them. Suddenly, another saloon car swings out, overtaking the car behind. After a while, it draws parallel with Sidhu's SUV, forcing it into the wall. They both stop. The man in the passenger seat of the car gets out. He's armed. Sidhu grabs his own pistol. They both fire.

33:24Ishleen Kau:The gunman stands on the front bumper of Sidhu's SUV and he opens fire with an assault rifle. The other car that was following is now stopped as well. Four more gunmen jump out and they spray Sidhu's vehicle with bullets. the air is thick with gun smoke and the sounds of metal hitting metal and a breaking glass

33:52Bobby Friction:and then the gunmen are gone

34:00Ishleen Kau:the crowd gathers around the gym is it Siddu Mursiala? someone asks he's still alive another person says Quick, quick, people shout. Get him out. Someone call an ambulance.

34:16Bobby Friction:They manage to slide Sidhu from the driver's seat. The other two are helped out as well. They sit at the side of the road, bloody and dazed. But by the time Sidhu reaches the hospital, he's dead. He was 28.

34:38Ishleen Kau:Back at the family home, it's hard to imagine the shock and disbelief they must have felt. The horror as news filters in.

34:46Bobby Friction:We've got some breaking news that's coming in right now. The deep, raw, burning, all-consuming grief. Their only son, their only child. With bullets, multiple rounds seem to have been fired at the three passengers of the Thar vehicle. Who would want to kill Sidhu Musiala? And why? That's what we want to find out. Next time on World of Secrets.

35:32Bobby Friction:This has been episode one of five of The Killing Call, season eight of World of Secrets from the BBC World Service.

35:41Ishleen Kau:The Killing Call is a BBC Eye production. We hope you've enjoyed listening. Do post about World of Secrets on social media and tell people you know. and follow or subscribe so you get every episode automatically.

35:56Bobby Friction:World of Secrets The Killing Call is presented by me, Ishleen Kaur.

36:01Ishleen Kau:And me, Bobby Friction.

36:03Bobby Friction:It's produced by Louise Hidalgo, Rob Wilson and Eamon Kwajah with script advice from Matt Willis.

36:11Ishleen Kau:Sound design and mix is by Tom Brignall and the executive producer is Rebecca Henschke.

36:17Bobby Friction:The editor is Daniel Adamson and the BBC Eye series producer is Ankur Jain. Original music by Ashish Zakaria. Fact-checking is by Curtis Galland.

36:29Ishleen Kau:Additional research by Ajit Sarati and Arvin Chabra. The production manager is Dawn McDonald. And the production coordinator is Katie Morrison.

36:40Bobby Friction:Many thanks to the BBC World Service Commissioning Team that's behind World of Secrets.

36:44Ishleen Kau:And thank you for listening.

37:01Bobby Friction:www.worldofsecrets.com

37:17Bobby Friction:Phew, and to think, that's just a small taste of what Schwab offers. Because Schwab knows that when it comes to your finances, choice matters.

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