Another star is born in the world of music as the ‘That Girl’ hip-hop track hit YouTube six days ago and amassed 35 lakh, or 3.5 million, views within days of its release. According to YouTube and social media reactions, the song has resonated with people, thanks to the raw talent, vibe, and soul-stirring voice of 19-year-old singer and rapper Paramjeet Kaur, also known as Param, who hails from the small village of Duneke in Punjab’s Monga. The pitch, the voice, and the style is reminiscent of late singer Sidhu Moosewala for many social media users who are calling her the ‘female Moosewala’.
‘She’s giving that female Sidhu Moosewala feel,’ wrote a user. ‘She has such a international vibe,’ another one commented on the YouTube video. “That girl by Param might just be song of the year,” a fan wrote on X.
As the song produced by British record producer Manni Sandhu, and backed by a record label – Collab Creations, has become an instant hit, what has been gaining even more attention is Param’s humble background, and how she entered the world of music, making a mark with her distinct swagger and voice, not considered typical among female rappers.
How Param’s musical journey took off
Unlike a lot of musical talent in the industry, she didn’t have anyone in the family from the musical background, nor they had any resources to support her in her journey. She wasn’t even considered a great singer in school, her friend Jashanpreet Singh told Indian Express. However, it looked like she was destined to enter this space.
Her mother was a househelp while her father worked as a daily-wage labourer but Param’s journey was different. When she was in Class 10 in her village’s government high school, she developed interest in rap. That interest grew when she had music as a subject in her college. She also found her own circle where she could jam with the like-minded and further hone her skills.
She along with her friend Jashanpreet Singh or Saab who wrote additional lyrics for ‘That Girl’ would jam with others boys and girls from college interested in hip-hop in Moga’s Dana Mandi, the local grain market that had an open space where the young teens could indulge in freestyle rap and create reels for social media.
That’s how the social media platform @cypher.pb29 was born where the youngsters began hosting cypher sessions at Dana Mandi, which used to become viral as people connected with the fresh voices.
‘Within 5 seconds, she started to sing this..’ Sandhu recalls recording song with Param
After the song’s humongous success, Manni Sandhu is glad he recorded this song with Param. He shared on a video on Instagram, how the magic happened within a few seconds when Param started to sing and the recording was done soon after, that too in an Airbnb, and not an expensive studio.
Sandhu recalled how they could hear cars outside and people shouting, while recording the song, but the vocals still came out so crisp.
“So, I’d already worked with Param in the past, so it only made sense to go out of India and sit down with her and see what we could come up with. So I started to play some keys and literally within 5 seconds, she started to sing this,” he said.
“I got the mic for recording and the craziest thing is we recorded this song in not an expensive studio. There was no acoustic treatment. It was a random Airbnb and you could hear cars outside, people shouting, but the vocals were coming out so crisp,” he added.
‘Experiences like this only happen now and then’
Sandhu, born in West London and raised in Newcastle-Upon-Tyne, says in his 15 years journey, experiences like this only happen now and again.
“Within 10 minutes we already had the vibe of the song down. So I took the vocals back to my studio, added all the final touches and the song was pretty much done. For music video we linked up with our very good friends Tru Makers (Dilsher Singh and Khurpal Singh). We gave them the vision we had for the video. They took the idea and almost smashed it,” he further said, adding, “it’s giving so much hope about future of music because this was simply down to raw talent.”
“I just want to support my family. I want to build a really nice house for my parents. I want them to sit at home and just relax,” Param said in a BBC Punjabi documentary on Moga’s rap scene.
Param’s parents have always supported their daughter’s children. Her mother shared with BBC how they have never put any restrictions on their daughter and want her to fulfill her dream and also them proud.