Hasan Raheem calls Talwiinder his ‘brother’ after viral performance amid backlash in India

Pakistani singer Hasan Raheem has opened up about his viral onstage collaboration with Indian artist Talwiinder, calling him his “brother” and saying that “art is supposed to be borderless” despite backlash faced by the Indian singer back home.

The duo surprised fans during Raheem’s concert in Toronto on May 10 when Talwiinder joined him on stage to perform their hit track Wishes live for the first time. The moment quickly went viral across social media, with fans praising the rare cross-border collaboration.

Speaking to BBC Asian Network host Haroon Rashid, Raheem recalled the emotional experience, saying he “couldn’t stop hugging” Talwiinder after the performance.

“At the end, music and art will win,” Raheem said during the interview.

The singer shared that he and Talwiinder have already collaborated on three songs and described the Indian artist as someone who is unapologetically himself.

“I feel like art is supposed to be borderless,” Raheem said. ““If I like his songs, if I like the way he talks, if I like his energy, I’m going to just hit a message up and I’ll be like, you want to do a song together? It’s as simple as that. But if you want to make it more complicated, you can also do that.”

Hasan Raheem revealed that the pair initially hoped to keep Talwiinder’s appearance low-key, but the crowd erupted the moment he stepped onto the stage. According to the singer, fans demanded multiple encores after the duo performed Wishes together.

“We did it once, then twice because the crowd wanted it again,” Raheem said, adding that when fans called for a third performance, Talwiinder encouraged him to go ahead with it.

The Joona singer also reflected on why sharing the spotlight matters to him, saying he grew up watching surprise guest appearances at concerts that left audiences thrilled.

While the performance was warmly received by many Pakistani fans, Talwiinder reportedly faced criticism from some social media users in India over appearing alongside a Pakistani artist amid tense political sentiments.

Despite the backlash, Talwiinder has continued collaborating with Pakistani musicians. His previous projects include Sachay Loki with Meesha Shafi and the viral track Pal Pal with Afusic and Ali Soomro.