Punjabi music is booming in Canada as touring musicians claim their business in the maple country have gone up by 60 to 80 per cent in the last two to three years.

While Punjabi music dominates the market in the UK and Dubai, but its success in Canada is unprecedented, said a report in the Daily Mail.

Many like rapper Raftaar attribute the growing population of Indians in Canada to the increasing popularity of the genre.

"Most Punjabis go to Canada anyway, and in the last two to three years, there has been an increase in Punjabi population in Canada, which is also evident in the number of Punjabi people Prime Minister Justine Trudeau has in his cabinet," he told the Daily Mail.

"The demand has shot up almost by 80 per cent," says Raftaar, adding that the fan following has also swelled in countries such as the US, UK and Australia.

Some of the recent remakes of Punjabi classics like (kala chasma) have found a more global market, he says.

Folk hop artiste Jaz Dhami is all praise for Canadian Prime Minister Trudeau for his contribution towards Indian culture.

"It's great what Trudeau has done. He is promoting Indian culture and Punjabi music, by extension, which has a great following. This is one leader who understands the importance of Punjabi music in his country's music space."

Singer Dilbagh Singh believes that it's folk style Punjabi music that works best in Canada.

"A lot of Punjabi people have shifted to Canada, and the older generation wants the younger ones to know about the Indian culture through music, hence the demand for folk numbers," says Singh.

He also attributes the growing popularity to social media and platforms like YouTube.

"Earlier, people living abroad would get to listen to a Punjabi song only if it was extremely popular in India, and was shown on TV or if someone you knew was travelling and would get a copy of the song along.

But now, if you upload the video/soundtrack in the morning, you can hear it anywhere in the world in five minutes," he says.

Agrees folk hop artiste Dhami: "Social media is a great platform for Punjabi artistes today. The number of hits, likes and shares you get on YouTube, Twitter, Instagram or other platform of social media, decides the fate of artistes today.

"If you don't have an online presence, you lose out on many fans and opportunities," he says.

"The market has increased by at least by 60 per cent in the last couple of years, and most Punjabi artistes are now doing triple the number of shows abroad," says Dhami, The Daily Mail reported.

According to Dilbagh Singh there is a major difference in the taste of audience when it comes to India and abroad.

"In India, people want to listen to tadka and want some Western and urban edge to Punjabi music, but outside the country, they want to listen to folk style Punjabi music," says Singh.

"So, my line-up is completely different when I perform in India and when I perform abroad. I can do a two to three hour non-stop performance filled with some Bollywood songs in India, but when I go abroad for shows, I have to prepare old folk songs," he adds.

The real test of Punjabi music now is to break into Hollywwod, says singer Manj Musik.

"It might take another 10 years or more. But that's when I will say Punjabi music has become truly global," says Musik.