Bijaan’s new single ‘Jungle’ explores third-culture identity through music and lyrics.
Singer Bijaan
‘Born in the West but I came from the East”, says singer Bijaan in his new hip-hop track ‘Jungle’. It’s the explanation behind his strong commentary on identity and belonging, as evident with the refrain of the chorus: “I’m straight out the jungle. Go tell ‘em it’s trouble, I’m straight out the jungle.”
‘Jungle’ is a song about his own third culture identity, which Bijaan proclaims with pride. One generation of people left India decades ago, their children built new lives abroad and had children of their own. While these third generation migrants grow up being exposed to Indian traditions at home, they often never set foot in India, resulting in an identity crisis where they seem to belong to multiple places yet don’t completely belong anywhere.
There is a subtle disconnection from the culture of one’s homeland and roots. Bijaan’s track makes a strong statement of intent and belonging, and aims to be an unapologetic anthem for those navigating their own layered identities.
With roots in India, East Africa and Canada, Bijaan has certainly earned the moniker of being a truly global hip-hop artist. He claims the lyricism and authenticity of the hip-hop genre’s early pioneers, such as A Tribe Called Quest, Mos Def and Lupe Fiasco, as the inspiration for his work. Modern stars like Saba, J. Cole, and Smino have also influenced him.
Born and raised in Calgary, Alberta, as a child of immigrant parents, Bijaan embraced the dominant country music landscape in Western Canada, early on. He was drawn to the warmth and soul of his father’s Motown records and the grit and lyricism of late-90s hip-hop. He wrote his first song while he was still in the sixth grade.
In 2025 he performed live at major festivals across Canada such as JUNO Week, NXNE, Sled Island and Do It For The Culture Fest. He also headlined the National Music Centre’s Summer Series in Calgary. He has opened for established artists like Kardinal Offishall and TOBi, and will be sharing the stage with Canadian hip-hop artist Shad in January 2026.
He explains, “The new single ‘Jungle’ is a statement of intent and belonging. It is about reclaiming roots, embracing heritage and standing on one’s identity. For third-culture kids, those of us born outside their culture of heritage, it is common to struggle with a sense of rootlessness. As a child of Gujarati descent, born in Canada and with roots through East Africa, I have a connection to all these places, but it’s easy to feel like I don’t truly fit into any single one. Jungle is my way of bringing together all the cultures that I come from and an anthem for those of us looking for a place to call home.”
Speaking about the pleasure of releasing his first ever single, he shares, “It’s fitting that a song about identity and self-discovery is the first impression I get to make on the world… True art at the end of the day is just an expression of who we are as human beings, and Jungle feels like a really good way to start to tell my story.”
In an exclusive chat with the Sunday Guardian, Bijaan shares his thoughts about his new release. Excerpts from an edited interview:
Q: What was the journey of creating this song like?
A: Over the last few years, I have spent a lot of time learning about my family’s history, where we come from, and how we have spread throughout the diaspora. I often find that my inspiration to write music comes in waves, and I get these sudden urges to write when inspiration strikes. I wrote Jungle in early 2024, not with the intention of making anything specific, but just writing about what was currently on my mind. That wave of inspiration birthed one of my favourite pieces of work and I’m really proud of how it came together.
Q: What was the recording and production process like?
A: It was so much fun! I originally wrote the song to a beat I found on YouTube. I had the idea for a ‘straight out the jungle’ hook, and just needed to find a beat with a similar tempo that I could write to as a placeholder. It sat in my drafts for a while until I was in the studio with Junia-T in June last year and brought him the idea.
I told him that I wanted the production to draw inspiration from the instruments and tones typically found in Indian music, and he took it from there and knocked it out of the park.
To bring the song together we brought in Gurpreet Chana to add live tabla percussion, Adrian Irvine to play strings, The Chmst and Joseph Bahhadi to layer their horns, and Anuja Panditrao to add her raag vocals. The whole process was just so easy and organic and required no instruction from anyone. Everyone involved really got the vision and brought their unique skillsets together to bring Jungle to life.
Q: What are you working on next?
A: There’s lots going on! I spent the last year playing at festivals and shows all over Canada and playing my music live before diving into releasing commercially. I’ve actually had Jungle as part of my live set since August 2024. This next year will be a year of consistent releases, more time in the studio, and hopefully, international shows and festivals.
Being three generations removed from India, I haven’t yet had the opportunity to visit home, and I think it would be really special for music to be the thing that takes me there. So, fingers crossed that happens.
Q: A message you would like to share with your listeners?
A: Thank you, sincerely, to anyone who presses play on the song, watches the video, or shares it with their friends. My music is my small offering to the world, and I am humbled and grateful for anyone that it connects with.
‘Jungle’ is now available on all major streaming platforms.
Noor Anand Chawla pens lifestyle articles for various publications and her blog www.nooranandchawla.com.
