Sidhu Moose Wala's parents say Saga Music released Phantom without consent

The parents of late Punjabi singer Sidhu Moose Wala, Balkaur Singh and Charan Kaur, have accused the music label Saga Music of releasing his song "Phantom" without their permission or authorisation, and say they are taking legal action. Saga Music says it holds the rights to the unreleased song under an agreement the singer signed in 2020.

In a statement on Thursday (12 November), posted on Instagram by Balkaur Singh, the couple said: "The song “Phantom” by Sidhu Moose Wala is being released by Saga Music without our permission or authorization. Despite our request to halt the release and discuss a resolution, Saga Music has proceeded, without any valid documentation from us. We are taking appropriate legal action to protect Sidhu Moose Wala's legacy and rights."

They also asked other artists and labels who "claim to hold any paperwork or rights to Sidhu Moose Wala's songs" to consult the family before making any public announcement or release, ANI reported.

Saga Music has not accepted the family's position. In a statement on social media on Friday (13 November), written in Punjabi and translated by Newsgram, the label said Moose Wala agreed to give it the rights to the song and that it paid him directly. Dainik Bhaskar's English site reported that the label shared the first page of what it called a "Content Assignment Agreement" signed with the singer, but not the full document, saying it contains private and confidential terms. The label also released an old live-session clip in which Moose Wala says his song "Phantom" is coming out on Saga Music.

Saga Music said it respects the family and does not want a public fight, and claimed it had tried to contact Balkaur Singh more than 100 times over the years. It also claimed that in their last phone conversation he told it that if its documents were complete and correct, it could release the song. Newsgram reported that the song was released on 13 November. TII has not seen the full agreement, and none of these claims has been tested in court.

This is not the first dispute over Moose Wala's posthumous music. In August 2022, his parents went to court to stop the release of Jaandi Vaar, a song by Salim-Sulaiman featuring Afsana Khan, and the release was put on hold. The family also objected when SYL leaked online before its scheduled release and filed an FIR against unidentified people. In June 2025, they raised concerns over royalties they said were due from his music, Hindustan Times reported.

Moose Wala, whose real name was Shubhdeep Singh Sidhu, was shot dead in Punjab's Mansa district on 29 May 2022. He was 28.