Karan Aujla’s P-Pop Culture Album Review
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by Rahul
Karan Aujla dropped his third solo album P-Pop Culture on 22nd August, marking his second full-length project shaped under Ikky’s direction, with additional contributions from Euro, Milano, and others.
The rollout began with the pre-release of lead single MF Gabhru! on August 1 — a bold, high-energy track that set the stage for just how ambitious this album would be, both visually and sonically.
Interestingly, the first track recorded for the project, For A Reason, was also released on 22nd August alongside the album, complete with its own music video. In contrast, MF Gabhru! was the very last song to make it onto the record — a neat full-circle detail that frames the album’s journey.
Aujla first announced the project during his sold-out show in Montreal, and ever since, fans have been waiting eagerly for its arrival.
But does it live up to the hype — and its name? Is this the album that will come to define Punjabi pop and push it onto global stages? To answer that, we need to look at what P-Pop Culture really means for the artists behind it.
The Artwork & Title: A Monument to Punjabi Pop Culture
The artwork of P-Pop Culture is a deliberate act of symbolism.
Karan Aujla stands in a lavish hall, facing a cracked marble bust of himself. The statue feels like something you’d see preserved in a museum, a reminder that Aujla isn’t just chasing hits — he’s chasing legacy.
The cracks tell their own story: the pressures of fame, the flaws of being human, and the inevitable struggles behind the image of success. Yet, despite those fractures, the monument stands tall — resilient, unshaken, enduring.
By positioning himself face-to-face with his own statue, Aujla isn’t just reflecting on his journey — he’s confronting the bigger question of legacy.
Will he be remembered as just another pop star, or as a cultural figure who reshaped the narrative for Punjabi music?
The title, P-Pop Culture, doubles down on that vision. At first glance, it’s shorthand for “Punjabi Pop Culture,” but its stylization clearly nods to “K-Pop.” That’s no coincidence.
Just as K-Pop rebranded Korea’s sound into a global export, Aujla is making the case that Punjabi music deserves the same stage. It’s playful wordplay, yes, but also a manifesto: Punjabi music is not niche — it’s global, and he intends to be its ambassador.
In both the artwork and the title, Aujla is carving himself into the architecture of global pop culture — cracked, but unbreakable.
Two Sides of P-Pop Culture: Love & Legacy
What makes P-Pop Culture stand out structurally is its split into two discs, each with a different mood and audience in mind.
Disc 1 leans into melody and vulnerability. With pop-rock sensibilities running through tracks like I Really Do and Boyfriend, Aujla softens his tone and lets his songwriting orbit around love, longing, and intimacy.
These are polished, radio-ready songs with crossover appeal — music that resonates strongly with his female fanbase and with listeners who lean toward mainstream pop.
It’s Karan tapping into vulnerability without losing his edge, showing that he can craft songs that sit comfortably alongside global pop playlists.
Disc 2, on the other hand, is pure flex and inspiration.
From MF Gabhru! to 7.7 Magnitude, Aujla reclaims the swagger and grit that’s always been central to his artistry. The beats hit harder, the flows feel sharper, and the lyrical focus shifts toward dominance, status, and resilience.
It’s the side of the album that speaks directly to his hip hop audience and the male fans who look to Aujla as both a voice and a symbol of confidence.
By splitting the project this way, Aujla doesn’t just diversify his sound — he acknowledges the duality of his career.
He’s the lover and the hustler, the pop star and the rapper, the vulnerable songwriter and the cultural icon. P-Pop Culture gives both halves the space to breathe, but together they form a whole that feels bigger than either on its own.
Ikky’s Sonic Vision
If P-Pop Culture is Aujla’s statement of legacy, it’s Ikky’s versatility that gives it wings.
Across two discs, he moves seamlessly from pop-rock gloss (I Really Do, Boyfriend) to seismic bass-heavy flex (7.7 Magnitude), proving why he’s one of the most in-demand producers today.
The sound is polished enough to cross over globally, but still rooted in Punjabi identity. It’s the production that allows Aujla to stretch between vulnerability and dominance without losing cohesion.
Desi Renaissance Top 3 Picks
1) Daytona (Prod. by Ikky)
On Daytona, Karan Aujla leans heavily into themes of loyalty, hustle, and identity.
This track carries one of the strongest beats on the album. While the first half of P-Pop Culture leans toward pop-rock polish, the second half pushes into more experimental territory — both in writing and in flow. Daytona is a perfect example of that shift, blending hard-hitting production with verses that feel both raw and self-defining.
The recurring chorus — that love and loyalty can’t be found in materialism or transactions — reinforces Aujla’s self-definition: he belongs to a rare set of people whose names and legacies are tied to friendship, authenticity, and resilience.
2) P-Pop Culture (Prod. By Ikky, Euro & Milano)
The title track functions less like a conventional single and more like a manifesto. Aujla uses a series of declarative lines to lay down his philosophy: resilience, loyalty, and the refusal to bend under pressure.
Take these lines for example:
“Sadde pind ch siyaal hunda, sardi ni hundi
Jatta dunian kade vi, dassa jardi ni hundi
Hawa saath na dave ta, guddi chadh’di ni hundi
Maal khara na hove tan, akkha khad’di ni hundi”
Aujla uses everyday Punjabi imagery — winter in the village, the flight of a kite, the sharpness of goods — to make a larger point about authenticity and resilience.
They’re simple on the surface but double as metaphors for Aujla’s career — staying resilient, needing the right support, and always aiming for authenticity in a world full of facades.
Musically, the track leans on choir chants of “P-POP” that give it an almost anthem-like, ritualistic feel. It’s less about being a radio-ready single and more about stamping an identity — Aujla positioning himself as the face of a cultural movement.
The track closes on an explosive guitar solo, with a crowd chanting “P-Pop” in unison, giving it the feel of an anthem being born in real time.
Just as the energy peaks, the sound begins to fracture and glitch, almost as if the track itself is collapsing under the weight of its ambition. It’s a striking way to end the album — celebratory, defiant, but also restless, refusing to resolve neatly.
3) For A Reason (Prod. By Ikky & Milano)
With For A Reason, Aujla taps into a device he has used many times before — writing and singing from a woman’s perspective.
It’s a tradition rooted in Punjabi music history: decades ago, women were often barred from singing publicly, so male vocalists would voice both sides of the story. Aujla revives that lineage here, giving the song an intimacy and vulnerability that feels refreshing in the context of an album.
Fittingly, this was the first track recorded for the project, and it sets the tone for what Aujla and Ikky set out to achieve: an album that feels modern and globally polished without ever losing its Punjabi soul.
Musically, Ikky and Milano shape the track with smooth, melodic, slightly upbeat production, allowing Aujla’s vocals to carry the emotional weight.
A special mention goes to Ikky’s bass work, which shines not just here but across the record — adding depth and groove that most Indian hip-hop productions, often built in isolation on laptops, simply don’t capture.
That live, jam-room quality gives his sound a distinct character and emotional pull, making the songs feel alive rather than programmed. Whether through session players or his own multi-instrumental skills, Ikky brings an organic touch that elevates this project and sets his work apart.
The result is one of the album’s most striking blends — contemporary in polish yet deeply traditional in spirit, a bridge between Punjabi folk storytelling and modern pop sensibilities.
Conclusion: Punjabi Pop on the Global Stage
With P-Pop Culture, Karan Aujla has crafted more than just a collection of songs — he’s delivered a vision.
And standing right beside him is Ikky, whose production versatility holds the entire vision together — proving that behind every cultural shift is not just a voice, but a sound bold enough to carry it forward.
As Aujla himself put it, the album is “everything — love, flex, struggle, memories,” and the sessions were about more than just making music: “We lived in that studio.”
That lived-in intensity carries through every track.
Whether listeners are drawn to the emotional pull of I Really Do and Boyfriend or the swagger of MF Gabhru! and 7.7 Magnitude, the larger statement is clear: Punjabi music is no longer waiting for global recognition — it’s demanding it.
And yet, much like the cracked statue on its cover, the album raises a deeper question: what truly endures? Hits fade, trends pass, but P-Pop Culture pushes us to think about permanence — about building something that lasts beyond the charts.
If K-Pop was Korea’s flag to the world, then maybe this is Punjabi music’s moment to plant its own.
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