Punjabi celebrities who rose to fame via YouTube

The popularity of YouTube is not hidden from anyone. The site has everything the millennials can ask in the name of infotainment. Not just this, YouTube has also served as a career starter for many. Since the site has an enormous reach, you really don’t know when your video catches whose attention. There are various present-day Punjabi celebrities who got their first shot via this very site. Scroll down to know about the Punjabi stars who rose to fame through YouTube.

Punjabi singer Sunanda Sharma recently made her acting debut in Pollywood with ‘Sajjan Singh Rangroot’ opposite Diljit Dosanjh. People know her for her phenomenal vocals, killer expressions and cute looks. However, what a lot of people might not know is that this power-packed Punjabi singer got her entry into the fame world via YouTube.

Just like any other music lover, Sunanda loved doing YouTube covers, least did she know that those covers will make her bag the ticket to Punjabi music industry. Her cover video of ‘Sucha Soorma’, which was originally sung by Kulwinder Billa went viral on the internet and from there, things started falling in place. She got an offer to record her first single ‘Billi Akh’, and if you go by numbers then with over ten million views on YouTube it would be right to say that her debut track was a chartbuster. Later she recorded various other songs and some of her best includes ‘Patake’ and ‘Jaani Tera Naa’.

They say it’s hard to find the combination of hotness and cuteness; however, one look at Punjabi singer-actor Babbal Rai is all one needs to change that perception. Babbal Rai was recently ruling the charts of Punjabi pop music with his latest release ‘Uche Uche Kad’. Being at the top of the charts has been a thing for this Punjabi gabru from the very beginning. Don’t go by our words, just take a factual flashback of the success of ‘Australian Challa’.

The song ‘Australian Challa’ by Babbal Rai was not recorded in any studio and nor was it his official singing debut, but it was the first track that rose him to fame. The song was sung by Babbal at a friend’s birthday party, while his other folks recorded the same on their camera. Later it was posted on YouTube and the rest is history. Back then, Rai was studying in Australia and did odd jobs to make a living. The song became such a success that it worked as an inspiration for Bollywood song ‘Challa’ of the 2010 released movie ‘Crook’.

The ‘Cute Munda’ of Punjab, who made you recall your ‘Hostel’ days is our next pick for the category. Sharry Mann is one of the leading Punjabi singer-actors of the industry. But before earning all the love, Sharry Mann was just a regular civil engineer, who was fond of singing, never thought of pursuing the same professionally.

Mann was constantly pushed by his near and dear ones to take his singing seriously. Initially, he wasn’t really sure of the idea, but he did know the power of the internet and the way to use it in his favor. He first came to limelight when his track 'Kudiyan Te Bussan' was leaked online. It made him fetch a lot of attention and since then he never looked back.

Shirley Setia made her Punjabi singing debut this year only with the release of ‘Koi Vi Nahi’. The song is a romantic duet, in which Gurnazar gave male vocals. Before entering into Punjabi music industry, Shirley was known for giving her voice to various Hindi songs. But what made her name shine in the world of music was a YouTube video.

Shirley recorded a YouTube video for participating in a contest. The video was recorded in her bedroom. Shirley didn’t bother to deck-up for the video and recorded the same in pyjamas. She became one of the winners of the contest and a New Zealand daily gave her the title ‘Pyjama Popstar’. From there on, Shirley started recording and uploading YouTube videos on regular basis. Later, she collaborated with various YouTube artists and today, she is enjoying the fame.

Just like Shirley, another Punjabi singer who made his debut in the Punjabi music industry this year is Badal. His first song ‘Vamos’ was made in collaboration with Dr. Zeus and Grammy winner Raja Kumari. The song was an instant hit and made him earn a lot of recognition. But what brought Badal into the limelight is none other than one of the most popular videos streaming sites YouTube.

Before joining the world of Punjabi music, Badal used to do song covers and post the same on YouTube. Those same covers made him really popular and later he was approached by a music label to release his very own songs. Beside ‘Vamos’, his singles ‘Trip’ and ‘Puro Puro’ also created a buzz on the internet.