‘Unapologetically Punjabi’: the explosive, global rise of Jawani 4eva

The first excuse I found to combine one of the scarves with a Ludhiana waistcoat would be months later, back in London – the next time I saw Sukh. I arrived at the rooftop of The Standard Hotel in Kings Cross as the July sun beat down. DJs were taking turns blasting UK garage, bhangra and amapiano. Vocalists grabbed the mic to sing and spit. Guests wearing white kurtas and salwar kameez danced raucously into the night. Meanwhile, Sukh played host.

Photos from that day feature among others in a new book called Dresscode: Panjabi, which documents and celebrates the explosive, global rise of Jawani 4eva over the past 18 months. What started as Sukh’s leaving party in September 2022 has evolved into a pioneering events concept of diasporic representation, musical expression and good vibes.

“I wanted a space for people to be unapologetically Panjabi,” Sukh told me recently, adding that every Jawani 4eva party is a place that “low-key evokes the feeling of being both at a wedding and at a club.” Jawani means “youth” or “young age” in Punjabi, Hindi and Urdu. Embracing a philosophy of Punjabiyat, or ‘Punjabiness’ – championing cultural reconnection between those with roots on either side of the border that has split the ‘land of five rivers’ since 1947 – its branding leverages both Gurmukhi (the Indian Punjabi script) and Shahmukhi (the Pakistani Punjabi script). Jawani was born out of Sukh’s pride about South Asian art, fashion and culture gaining more exposure in the UK over recent years, but also his frustration that not enough attention and respect has been shown to regional nuances.

“South Asians were all coming together, and that was amazing at that point in time,” Sukh says. “But we started pocketing ourselves into one identity, and the white media and different parts of the industry started placing us under that umbrella. Instead of a Panjabi or Bengali or Tamil or Gujarati DJ, they would book a South Asian DJ. But our language, music and cultures are different.”

The first Jawani 4eva party was attended by 180 guests, mostly sourced from Sukh’s social network. The designer has since coordinated over 10 parties that have grown in size every time. Across 2023 he threw parties in Delhi, Ludhiana, Toronto and New York, before returning to London to host UK bhangra legends Panjabi MC and Tru-Skool for a show in September. The Jawani in December was attended by 850 people. All of them have sold out.

Its impressive numbers are matched by a stomping cultural footprint breaking down previously inaccessible doors. On top of its regular slot at The Standard, in March this year the Jawani team joined the Southall-based dub reggae sound system Vedic Roots and DJ Yung Singh’s Ekta in Room 2 at Fabric. In April, the first FLINTA Edition of Jawani – for individuals who identify as Female, Lesbian, Intersex, Non-Binary, Trans+ and Asexual/Agender – took place “to create a safe space and to educate people, because of the way that certain men choose to behave,” Sukh says. “There are things that need to be tackled, like alcohol consumption. As much as these nights are there for people to drink, we want to make sure they are being safe and drinking the right amount.”

“South Asians started pocketing ourselves into one identity, and the white media and different parts of the industry started placing us under that umbrella… But our language, music and cultures are different” – Sukhchain Singh Sohal

When I ask what he’s learned from the journey so far, Sukh explains that it’s made him realise how diverse people’s relationships with their Punjabi identity is. “Some individuals have messaged me to say, ‘I don’t know if I’m welcome, because I don’t have Panjabi clothes, I don’t know Panjabi music.’ But it’s about encouraging them to come along and give it a go, making it as inclusive as possible,” he says. “I know people who have gone to buy outfits, or started listening to Panjabi music, after attending their first Jawani. People still tag me in photos of them wearing their Oora Airaa scarf,” he chuckles, referring to how the scarves have become a key accessory on every Jawani dance floor.

As party host, Sukh will grab the mic and introduce performers like a sound system or pirate radio MC. He and others climb on shrugging shoulders; birthday cakes are cut and distributed; Haribo is thrown into the crowd. But the Jawani trademark is the seamless showcasing of traditional, live folk instrumentation and singing alongside contemporary electronic music mixing. Dhol, alghoza and tumbi players take space on stage alongside turntablists. “Platforming is important. Not gatekeeping is important,” Sukh says. A growing cohort of DJs and vocalists – including Avs, Arjxn, Bal-T, Riva, Juss Nandra, Golden Roots and many more – have gained exposure and consolidated their audiences at Jawani. Sukh has even teamed up with producer Jungli to put together the first Jawani 4 Eva mixtape. 

“I want to get bigger, reach more cities, get to the diaspora. Australia, Singapore, Malaysia – wherever there’s a big population of Panjabis,” Sukh says, encouraging people to stay up-to-date via the Jawani mailing list. He looks ahead to throwing smaller, intimate events in secret settings, too. The Spring/Summer 2024 collection of lahoS drops later this month. “I want to keep taking the scale of the nights larger, keep tackling issues, keep dropping new merch and keep building stronger communities.”