Karan Aujla at the Juno Awards. Darren Calabrese/The Canadian Press, via Associated Press

Karan Aujla, 27, became the first Punjabi artist to win an award at the Juno Awards, a marquee event for Canada’s music industry.

His music has bubbled to the top of what some industry watchers are calling the “Punjabi wave,” a cohort of artists who are blending South Asian sounds with influences from rap and hip-hop, and collaborating with Western stars to reach new audiences.