Fake Moosewala heads for stage

Express Tribune

20-07-2025

When Sidhu Moosewala was shot dead in May 2022, it felt like time stopped for millions. He was more than just a singer. He was a movement, a voice that cut through the noise with raw honesty, rooted pride, and political grit. His death left a void in Punjabi music that felt impossible to fill.
Now, three years later, that silence has been cracked open again by an announcement no one expected: Sidhu Moosewala is going on a world tour.
Embracing technology
Titled Signed to God, the tour is set to kick off in 2026 with shows lined up in Indian Punjab, Toronto, London, and Los Angeles. Except this time, Moosewala will not walk onto the stage in person. Instead, audiences will see a digital version of him created through AI and hologram technology. His team promises an immersive experience that feels just like watching him live, maybe even more lifelike than we are ready for.
This kind of digital resurrection is not entirely new. Back in 2012, Tupac Shakur's hologram stunned Coachella audiences. Michael Jackson's likeness has toured the world, from Cirque du Soleil's Immortal World Tour to a hologram performance at the Billboard Music Awards 2014. Over the years, we have seen actors, singers, and public figures digitally reanimated, blurring the line between tribute and spectacle.
But Signed to God marks the first posthumous world tour of its kind for a South Asian artist. And at a time when artificial intelligence is increasingly being used to replicate voices, faces, and entire performances, this tour feels both groundbreaking but unsettling.
Reactions to the announcement reflect the same. Some fans are overjoyed, calling it the tribute they had been waiting for. One X user wrote, "I was never a Sidhu fan but the way his legacy is being managed deserves serious credit. Keeping his momentum alive more than a year after his death isn't easy, it's something worth studying." Another user wrote, "With the technology we have, they can literally cook with this. It will be too sick, with all the guest appearances, especially. Hope they execute it well, because if done so, it will be one for the books."
'Late stage capitalism'
Others, however, are not so sure. There is a growing discomfort around the idea of turning someone into a digital avatar without their explicit consent.
Some have pointed out that Moosewala was known for maintaining creative control. He launched his own label, handpicked his visuals, and crafted every move with intention. For fans who admired his independence, this tour is bringing to question the sanctity of his legacy. As a user on Reddit expressed, "How much milking is left? This is too much. And people are going to buy these tickets, if this is not late stage capitalism, then I don't know what is."
Others echoed the sentiment. "Such artists lived, created and passed," wrote a fan. "They deserve to rest in peace, not be mocked after their passing for the entertainment of people who never knew them personally or the profit of executives who likely never cared. A machine can't capture the soul, intent or spontaneity of a human being, it just mimics. At some point, it stops being art and starts being mockery."
There is no doubt that Signed to God will be technically impressive. The use of AI, holograms, and immersive soundscapes will likely make for a visually stunning performance. It will draw in fans from all over the world who never got to see him live. But beneath the glitter of innovation, there is a deeper question. Who is this really for?
For some, it will be closure. For others, it will feel like a line has been crossed. Moosewala was not just known for his voice or stage presence. His music was layered with the pain of displacement, the rage of the working class, and the vulnerability of a man who knew what it meant to live with a target on his back. Those things are not programmable and they certainly cannot be coded into an algorithm.
So, this tour may bring Moosewala's image back to life, but what it cannot replicate is his soul. And maybe that is what fans are wrestling with most. Whether we call it a tribute or a spectacle, one thing is clear. Moosewala is gone. But what does remain is how we choose to remember him.