Indian Rap Stars DIVINE & Karan Aujla Give Back to the Community in “Nothing Lasts”

3.4.2024

The Latest Video From Street Dreams Takes the Duo to the Streets of Dharavi in Mumbai, as the Two Emcees Reflect on the Ever-Changing Nature of Life During a Charitable Food Distribution Drive and Sneaker Giveaway

The 7-Track Album is Home to Lead Single “100 Million,” Which Has Over 22 Million Views on YouTube, and Features Production From Boi-1da, Harry Fraud, WondaGurl & More

With Over 10 Billion Combined Streams Already in the Bank, the Duo Have Collaborated With and Received Co-Signs From Stars Like Nas, Tiësto, Metallica, Pusha T, YG, Jadakiss, Armani White and More

Stats and Accolades for DIVINE & Karan Aujla:

DIVINE:

Over 1 Billion audio streams and 6 Billion + video views across his catalog
Winner of 2021 MTV EMA Award for “Best Indian Artist”
Collaborated with legendary artists like Metallica, Tiësto, Pusha T, Hit-Boy, Jadakiss & many more
Debut album Kohindor went 20x platinum in India
Performed at the first-ever halftime show of an Indian Premier League Cricket final, showing out in front of 140,000 attendees in the stadium and over 40 million fans across the globe
The Bollywood film Gully Boy was inspired by his life, growing up from poverty in Mumbai to global stardom
Social stats
- INSTAGRAM (2.4M)
- FACEBOOK (630K)
- X / TWITTER (123K)
- SPOTIFY (4.6M MONTHLY LISTENERS)
- YOUTUBE (6.99M SUBS / 1.2B VIEWS)

Karan Aujla:

Over 6.6 billion video views and 1.9 billion audio streams across his catalog
His 2018 debut album B.T.F.U. debuted at #6 on Spotify’s Global Albums Chart
His 2022 album Making Memories (created in collaboration with fellow Punjabi artist Ikky), debuted at #3 on Spotify’s Global Chart and peaked at #5 on Canada’s Billboard Chart, making it the highest-charting Punjabi album of all time
Profiled in Billboard Canada, highlighted as part of the country’s “Punjabi Wave”
Social stats:
- INSTAGRAM (6.4M)
- FACEBOOK (1.2M)
- TWITTER (35.6K)
- SPOTIFY (10.7M MONTHLY LISTENERS)
- YOUTUBE (1.59M SUBS / 1.1B VIEWS)

The Video:

DIVINE and Karan Aujla‘s new collaborative album Street Dreams is a watershed moment for the Indian rap scene, topping music charts across the globe and winning the hearts of millions of music lovers. The two subcontinental superstars share the video for “Nothing Lasts,” the album’s powerful and melodic introductory track. The song was produced by Yeah Proof & Jay Trak, with the video directed by Joey D’Souza (JD). The “Nothing Lasts” video features scenes from a Langar and Sneaker Distribution for the local kids of Dharavi (a neighborhood in Mumbai, India), organized by DIVINE and Karan Aujla with assistance from the Hemkunt Foundation. The distribution of sneakers benefitted over 100 students and staff members of the Dharavi After School of Hip-Hop, where students actively work towards realizing their dreams of pursuing careers as artists and musicians. The video complements the song’s powerful message, encouraging people to face their fears and enjoy their lives, because nothing lasts forever.

Watch “Nothing Lasts” HERE

Sharing his thoughts on the song, Karan Aujla expressed, “‘Nothing Lasts’ is a very special song and one of my personal favorites. Spending time with the children in Dharavi was a lovely experience, embracing the simple joys of life. Through this song, we have shared our life learnings that nothing truly lasts forever and we should treasure the moments we have and be grateful for the life we live. We hope the song resonates with everyone and conveys our emotions.”

Adding to the same, DIVINE said, “Nothing Lasts’ in its very essence highlights the impermanence in life, we come into this world with nothing and we leave with nothing. We are ecstatic to see the response the song has received so far and look forward to everyone’s reaction to the video with the lovely kids. We had the best time with them.”

Harteerath Singh Ahluwalia, Director of Hemkunt Foundation, expressed in a statement, “We always want like minded people to join hands with us at Hemkunt Foundation to serve humanity. Sewa [humanitarian charity] can be done in numerous ways. I feel that spreading the message of sewa through music is happening for the first time thanks to Karan Aujla and DIVINE. This association will help us take the message of Sewa to millions of Karan Aujla and DIVINE listeners and help us impact more lives for the greater good.”

Dolly Rateshwar, Director & Co-Founder of The Dharavi DREAM Project, said in a statement, “We are honored to have Vivian Divine and Karan Aujla visit our project and inspire our young talents. Their generosity and commitment to giving back to the community align perfectly with our mission of empowering under-resourced talents through hip-hop.”

“Nothing Lasts” is one of seven songs on Street Dreams that demonstrates why they are among the most exciting artists in the Indian scene. Out now via Mass Appeal India, Street Dreams had an extremely successful debut, reaching #1 on Apple Music within 24 hours of release, and taking over the number one spot on Apple Music’s Album Charts in 40 countries, including India, Canada, New Zealand, and Australia. All seven songs from Street Dreams charted on Spotify’s Daily Top Songs in India, and are currently trending on Instagram.

The album is a relentless effort, bringing bilingual bars that express sentiments that need no translation. The album features production from Western heavy-hitters like Boi-1da, WondaGurl, Harry Fraud, Leven Kali, and Trox, who deliver premium productions for Karan and DIVINE to annihilate, along with hip-hop producers from the Indian scene. “HISAAB,” which inspired a visually-striking animated video, finds the two artists counting their myriad accomplishments in 6/8 time, taunting any comer who can’t match their quick maths, while “Top Class / Overseas” lays playful strings atop sliding 808s as DIVINE and Karan proclaim their valedictory status. “Yaad,” meanwhile displays a softer side of the duo, as they trade off vocals with Indian-Canadian singer Jonita Gandhi.

Stream Street Dreams HERE

Also among the highlights is “100 Million,” the tape’s lead single and music video, which made waves across the globe. Defined by nostalgic hip-hop production reminiscent of Y2K-era Dr. Dre, in this case produced by American producer Trox (50 Cent, Cordae), “100 Million” is an anthem for those with grand dreams, the two icons reflecting on the enduring habits that propelled them to greatness. The song arrived in mid-January, with a video filmed in Dubai and directed by Karan Aujla’s long-time collaborators Rupan Bal, Dilpreetvfx and Anmol Raina. The song and video immediately became a huge success–the song reached the #1 spot of the YouTube Trending Charts in India, and reached the Top 10 in countries including Canada (#2), New Zealand (#4), UK (#6), Australia (#8) and the UAE (#8). Overall, the song racked up over 22 million YouTube viewsto date, as well as over 8.7 million Spotify streams.

Watch “100 Million” HERE
Stream “100 Million” HERE

Karan Aujla and DIVINE have individually topped several charts across India with their albums and songs such as Karan’s “Softly”, “White Brown Black”, “Mexico,” and “Players,” and DIVINE’s “Mirchi”, “359 AM”, “Baazigar” (80 million YouTube views), and “Kaam 25” (65 million YouTube views). Their upcoming collaborative project is the first of its kind in the Indian music space and is poised to be a landmark moment in Indian music history.

With Street Dreams out now, the dynamic duo prepares to make their presence felt on American shores. Stay tuned for more videos and announcements from DIVINE and Karan Aujla in the near future.

Street Dreams tracklist:

Nothing Lasts
Top Class / Overseas
Straight Ballin’
Yaad ft. Jonita
Tareefan
Hisaab
100 Million

DIVINE and Karan Aujla are available for interviews. Please contact Michelle or Annjie for more info.

DIVINE (L) and Karan Aujla (Photo Credit: @anmollium / Anmol Raina)

Additional photos available HERE

Critical Praise:

“‘100 Million,’ gives us a glimpse of the charged-up potential between the artists. Over a roomy beat produced by Portland artists Trox aka Samuel Troxel and Samarei aka Sam Waldo, DIVINE and Aujla bring their best bars.” – Rolling Stone India

“The life story of Divine, the rapper who inspired Ranveer Singh’s Gully Boy” – GQ India

“”Karan Aujla Incites a New Era of International Punjabi Music” – HYPEBEAST

Karan Aujla featured in Billboard Canada

The Background:

About DIVINE:
Vivian Fernandes, popularly known as DIVINE, has become the embodiment of an entire generation’s aspirations. His come-up story and music inspired the Bollywood film Gully Boy, and sparked a new movement of hip-hop artists and fandom in India and beyond. Having redefined the gold standard of the South Asian music industry, with two #1 albums, an MTV EMA award, dozens of platinum plaques, and over 3.5 billion on-demand streams, the superstar rapper is taking Indian Hip-Hop global with every move he makes.

About Karan Aujla:
Karan Aujla was born in Ghurala, India before he moved to Vancouver, Canada at the age of 17. He began songwriting to express his emotions following the tragic passing of his parents. Having written hundreds of songs for emerging Indian artists, Karan began recording songs leading to his first major hit, which was 2018’s “Don’t Worry.” As he continued to record, write and collaborate with producers, honing in on his unique sonic offering, he released his debut album B.T.F.U. which landed #6 on Spotify’s Global Chart. Followed was his Way Ahead EP which boasted a YG collaboration and his next massive hit, “Don’t Look” which surpassed 180 million views on YouTube alone. More recently Karan released his second studio album Making Memories, which debuted at #3 on the Spotify Global Top Albums chart. Karan has over 6.6 billion official video views, has garnered over 1.9 billion audio streams, and has 20.8 million followers across his channels.

Links:

“HISAAB”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vJvp7i5fLas

Street Dreams: https://lnk.to/street-dreams

“100 Million”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0dXiVYq8HBc / https://orcd.co/100millionsingle

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