5 Things we learned from ‘AP Dhillon: First of a Kind’ the Prime Docu-series that’ll make you appreciate his meteoric rise even more

Unless you’ve been living under a rock, this shouldn’t come as news: AP Dhillon has been commanding the music industry with his Punjabi beats infused with Punk Groove music, blow-out aesthetics, and pop-rap bangers. All of AP Dhillon’s songs have been a sensation on reels, including “Brown Munde,” “Summer High,” and “Excuses.” His stardom ensures that his just saying “Jado hase toh lage tu Khushi Kapoor” in his song “True Stories” could spiral into a series of memes and speculations.

This week AP again broke the internet with his new music video “With You” which unfolds like a personal gallery roll of his vacation in Ibiza with Banita Sandhu. Surely AP is the Red hot thing in the market right now and the time couldn’t be more perfect for Prime to drop the docu-series “AP Dhillon First of a Kind”.

This 4 episode docu-series on genre royalty AP Dhillon with the usual suspects Gurinder Gill and Shinda Kahlon is an excellent entry point in gaining a deeper understanding of the intensive work they put in to make their fans go wild. Documentarian Jay Ahmed, with extensive access to the singer, chronicles AP’s rise from their early days in Gurdaspur to Canada, where he is now based.

Using AP’s account of the journal with contemporary interviews with his close associates and behind-the-scenes looks at their performances, every episode shows the viewer why these people deserve recognition in the Punjabi music scene and how they plan out their global domination in the future both on and off stage.

On paper, an AP Dhillon documentary shouldn’t work. He’s only a few years into stardom, and as we saw with the Olivia Rodrigo and Miley Cyrus docs, making a film about someone so early in their career often means a dearth of content. Though this particular doc also suffers from the lack of substantial material to play with, it is still an effective one since it traces his rise to fame in almost real-time, something that is unique in these career retrospectives and let’s-plan-a-concert films.

From early musical inclinations to being a migrant clueless about where his life is heading to jamming with friends to create that one viral track, we see AP as a very normal young person falling into extreme stardom. The docu-series benefits from the mystery that surrounds this man as he hasn’t given many interviews (except one to Forbes India which is short & unremarkable) and it is genuine among the South Asian diaspora that how a Brown guy made it so big while doing only independent Music.

If you love AP but don’t have the attention span or leisure to sit through the 4 episodes, here’s everything we learned and loved about “AP Dhillon: First of a Kind”

AP struggling with his life as a migrant

AP tells us the story of him coming to Canada as an immigrant with two suitcases, having no idea what a credit card was. He admits that the language and culture barrier made him consider the decision to move back to India. He worked hard as a Sales associate and for two and a half years, he kept saving money to put into his music.

Moreover, he assembled the music team in Canada and called this gang his family, which he could lean on during his tough days. The docu-series shows us his introverted and shy side. We get lovely scenes with AP’s old hairstylist. He said AP was a regular guy who would hardly talk, not even cool but always smart. AND HE MIXES AND MASTERS HIS OWN SONGS. Isn’t that so cool?

AP Dhillon pushed the release of his EP after Sidhu Moosewala’s death

AP recounts his horrific experience of receiving threats and numbers getting leaked during his first tour to India in 2021. We see him on a phone call with his inspiration and legend Sidhu Moosewala, who was touring at the same time as well. They connected over the song “Brown Munde.”

He was working on a project that he wanted to release in the summer but he pushed it due to Sidhu Moosewala’s murder. AP called Sidhu the greatest rapper on earth and said he how was devastated after his passing, as he even had a call with him two days before the incident. AP was not being able to work or listen to music days after his death and admits to having thoughts on whether it is worth making music in a world like this. But he decides to carry Moosewala’s legacy as the next brown sensation.

 

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The AP vs. Amrit dichotomy & how social media outrage almost made him drop

AP Dhillon is a Pandemic sensation. His father forced him off Canada and the unpleasant interference of the virus ensured his passion for music rekindled. AP always wanted to make music that connects the South Asian audience and the diaspora. The South Asian social media contributed hugely to his meteoric rise and he started filling up arenas as an independent artist— something that the show takes a lot of pride on. He talks about how he wants to keep his AP persona away from his personal life, where he is just Amrit.

He wants to give the audience the AP they want but he also wants to nurture his artistic persona. AP is very particular about the background dancers and incorporates a spicy choreography for the song “Hills. When the “Hills” bit garnered huge criticism on social media after one performance since the South Asian community is usually closeted in terms of showing intimacy, AP considered taking that bit out of the tour.

We see AP struggling to deal with the criticism and almost falling internally to manage his artistic ambitions. He instructed his team to drop that bit to cater to a more conservative brown audience. But goes back on his decision at the last moment going into the Toronto show as he says, “At the end of the day, we are trying to put some art on the shows… that girl who is dancing on the stage has more balls than people who are watching.”

AP rose above the hate he received and at the risk of making his fans uncomfortable, kept the bit hoping people will appreciate their attempt in the future. He bravely spoke about how social media trends force a new-age artist to create stuff against his will and that there is no creative satisfaction to it.

NAS loves AP’s music

At the New York leg of the “Out of this World” Tour, AP Dhillon brought out Nas for a brief appearance. While the legendary NY emcee didn’t drop bars at AP’s live set, he sure gave the Punjabi R&B and Pop superstar his praises.

“Let me say somethin’, I represent New York City… and I have come out to see the newest, greatest artist in the motherf*king world,” Nas said to a massive crowd, going the Brown Munde phenomenon. The domestic and diaspora both love AP since he never abandoned the rustic language in his songs despite his apparent Western influences like The Weekend. That is why even a person sitting in the US can also relate to his songs as much as a young guy from a remote Punjabi village. We hear you Nas and we say you are bang on.

He had a nasty throat infection before his performance at the Lollapalooza Mumbai

AP getting to perform at Lollapalooza Mumbai was a huge deal since it is the first time the festival is coming to India and this will be the biggest crowd they are getting to perform in front of. It was their stepping stone to global recognition and establishing themselves as the voices to take South Asian culture forward. But just a day before the show, AP had a nasty throat infection.

Even after taking the medications and vapors, his voice continued to be raspy. We see him being nervous about his throat and him instructing his sound team how to manage if his voice cracks. But luckily, the crowd roaring motivated him to give his best to represent the Punjabi culture and he came out on top.

Though far from being a perfect one, “AP Dhillon First of a Kind” is a documentary that is all about pride. In fact, it doesn’t delve deep into AP’s personal life or the history of Punjabi pop-rap culture. However, it clearly demonstrates what AP’s meteoric rise can mean for the future. It is a “brown blueprint” of how to make it big, traversing borders and making the Punjabi community heard at a global level beyond the stereotypes.

Where to watch AP Dhillon: First of a Kind