Ikky Releases 'I Like You' With Late Punjabi Pop Pioneer Soni Pabla

Punjabi-Canadian producer Ikky is back with a new single in tribute to a Punjabi pop pioneer.

"I Like You" features the voice of Punjabi singer Soni Pabla, who helped popularize Punjabi pop music when he moved to Canada in the 1990s. Pabla died tragically in 2006, but Ikky is making sure to carry on his legacy. The new single follows a 2022 posthumous collab, "She's the One," which was also in tribute to Pabla.

"Soni Pabla was one of the pioneers of Punjabi pop and was an idol of mine when I was growing up," Ikky says of the new single. "It was inspiring to see what a global force he was, and I loved the fact that he was from Toronto just like me!"

In an interview with Billboard Canada as part of the Punjabi Wave cover story last year, Ikky talked about being a bridge between cultures, so it makes sense for him to also build bridges between generations of singers. “I can take someone who’s a star in a [specific] community and then put them up next to the biggest artists in the world," he said at that time.

"I Like You" puts Soni Pabla's warm vocals over a relaxed guitar strum, with lush harmonies chiming in. The track comes ahead of Ikky's upcoming tour dates through India with Karan Aujla, who hit a new peak on the Billboard Canadian Hot 100 this week after setting a new high for Punjabi music on the Canadian Albums chart alongside Ikky last year.

Check out the song below.