After years steadily building a reputation as the go-to lyricist for Punjabi mainstays like Jazzy B, Bohemia and Jassie Gill, Karan Aujla stepped into his own in 2018. Teaming up with singer Gurlej Akhtar, he broke through with “Don’t Worry”—they would later reunite for hits like “Red Eyes” and “Haan Haige Aa”—and it established rousing conviction as his calling card across a raft of party anthems and forthright cuts. Whether it’s with buoyant, shimmering hip-hop (“Na Na Na”) or icy trap (“Black Money”), Aujla holds forth on the importance of perseverance in his booming croon.