A music producer has returned to his home city to support local talent.
Harpreet Singh Jandu, who is better known as PBN (Panjabi By Nature), was born in Wolverhampton and went to school in Pendeford before studying business at the city’s university.
Since then he has claimed nine number-one singles on the Official Asian Music Chart, produced music for the 2022 Commonwealth Games opening ceremony, and has more than 170 million YouTube views and 20 million Spotify streams.
He has now launched Playback Creates, a not-for-profit company which aims to nurture young artists and promote Punjabi art and heritage in the West Midlands region.
Mr Jandu revisited the science park where he used to study and told the University of Wolverhampton: “I’m a creative, an artist, and an entrepreneur. I want to nurture British-born talent and give them opportunities I never had.”
In 2024, he was awarded an honorary doctorate by the university, and he said: “Music and the arts are global now, but Wolverhampton is home. I want to fly the flag for the Black Country.”
The university said through his new company he hopes to provide workshops, festivals, and heritage programmes, offering local talent access to industry experts who could usually only be found in big cities.
David Wedge, head of alumni and development at the university, said Mr Jandu had been on a journey from student to global artist and now “mentor and changemaker”.
“Through his new ventures, he’s creating opportunities for young people to thrive in the creative industries, right here in the city that shaped him,” he added.