Punjabi Music

While being in Canada and spending time with various people, one of the things I got used to was listening to Punjabi music. My favorite singer during this time was and still is Imran Khan. He himself can be count as a hybrid person, who has a diasporic background. Imran Khan is a Punjabi Pakistani singer who was born in Holland and moved to Birmingham in England. He gained success after the release of his debut single Ni Nachleh in 2007. His latest album, Unforgettable, was released in July 2009. His music has become extremely famous in Pakistan, Europe and North America especially among South Asians (cf. e.g. http://www.bhangra.org/artists/singers/imran-khan/).

Music seems to fulfill a very important function in a diasporic context. Even for the second generation listening to Punjabi music is still part of constructing an identity. Stuart Hall describes identity as something produced, which is never complete, always in process and always constituted within representation. Diaspora identities are constantly producing and reproducing themselves anew, through transformation and difference. The concept of hybridity captures the notion of a new creation in the in- between, whereas double- consciousness does not grasp the idea of the Third Space, in my opinion it shows only the awareness of two different cultural sets. Imran Khan’s music can be count as a form of hybrid arts. It combines elements in Punjabi and English and mixes sound patterns which seem to be more Eastern with a Western style. On the one hand, there is the notion of home and familiarity, on the other hand there are the “new” and “modern” styles which are dominant in the host society. The notion of home and a feeling of secureness in music songs are in my opinion more relevant for listeners of the first generation. The situation of the second generation is more interesting and more difficult to analyze. Although the second generation was born in the host society and is used to the music and culture of the host society, there still is a connection to the culture of the parents. Listening to Punjabi music with Western influences is an important identity marker and defines an exclusive cultural group, who may share the same experiences. I think this exclusion is nothing especially related to a diasporic context, rather it is an indicator of constructing identity and being part of a certain group. This step of youth culture and constructing identity can probably be seen in every culture all over the world. The diasporic context plays a more important role in the choice of the social group and in the way the individual wants to be noticed by the society. Singers like Imran Khan create something new and fresh and contribute in a positive way to constructing a hybrid identity. There is no longer the need to choose between the culture of the parents or the host culture, hybrid individuals are able to live in both and furthermore, they are able to live in the Third Space.