‘New York vich munda rehnda’: Punjabi beats by ‘Babbulicious’ ring out at Mamdani oath

JALANDHAR: As Zohran Mamdani made history by taking the oath as New York City's mayor on Thursday, the ceremony concluded on a celebratory note with the Punjabi anthem, "New York vich munda rehnda, sohniye Punjabi aayeeaee".

The performance by Canada-based Sikh singer Babbu Singh, known as ‘Babbulicious', quickly took over social media.Moments after Mamdani concluded his speech and began greeting the crowd alongside his wife, the track began to play. As the mayor stepped off the stage, Singh — striking in a fuchsia turban — appeared to perform the song live.

Originally titled "Gaddi Red Challenger" (Cruising in a Red Dodge Challenger) and released in Nov 2022, the song's original chorus was set in Brampton, Canada.

For the inauguration, Singh reimagined the track, replacing international cities like London and Dubai with local New York neighbourhoods. The performance celebrated Mamdani's own heritage; his mother, acclaimed filmmaker Mira Nair, is of Punjabi origin, was seen clapping and lip-syncing along to the lyrics.

The event culminated in a viral moment as Mamdani and Singh embraced on stage. Singh later posted on social media, "Thank you Mr Mayor for having me perform at the inauguration."

While the performance was a hit with the crowd, it sparked a polarised reaction on X. Accounts, such as @WallStreetApes, labelled the event an "Islamic takeover," misidentifying the Sikh singer as Muslim and the Punjabi lyrics as Arabic. However, the backlash ultimately backfired, with scores of users flooding the platform to clarify the distinction between Punjabi and Islamic cultures and inadvertently spreading wider awareness of the Sikh community.