Punjabi singer Guru Randhawa’s latest track Fine Shyt has faced considerable criticism online since its release on Thursday, with several social media users accusing the song of being misogynistic and calling its presentation a “cringe fest”. Much of the backlash has focused on the song’s title, its corporate office setting and the depiction of women in the music video.
Randhawa has now responded to the criticism, dismissing the controversy by calling the title “a silly little slang”. In an Instagram post, he shared a video of himself driving a Porsche on an empty desert road and wrote, “Guilty as charged of making songs that repeat in your head forever. Low-key loving the edits though. No bad vibes! It’s just a silly little slang calm down calm down calm down fam.”
What is the controversy about?
The Fine Shyt video begins with a disclaimer stating that everyone featured is above 18 and that the entire video is fictional. It describes the video as “camp and satire” and jokingly warns viewers against trying similar behaviour in their actual workplaces.
Set inside a corporate office, the video features Guru Randhawa as a senior professional surrounded by younger employees, particularly women. While his character is shown focused on work, the female colleagues are seen dancing and singing around him.
The portrayal has drawn criticism from some viewers, who accused the video of sexualising the workplace and objecting to the manner in which the women are presented.
How social media reacted
Several users mocked the song’s title and criticised its portrayal of corporate life. One X user argued that the track misrepresented the workplace, while another compared the title unfavourably with Randhawa’s earlier songs.
Other reactions questioned why the singer chose Fine Shyt as a song title despite the availability of a much wider vocabulary across different languages.
Randhawa’s response
Before directly addressing the criticism, Randhawa appeared to reflect on the controversy during a visit to the Golden Temple in Amritsar. On Sunday, he shared a photograph of himself sitting near the holy Amrit Sarovar along with a message about faith and perseverance.
Written in Punjabi, the message essentially said that someone blessed by Waheguru cannot be shaken by any storm and that those guided by Baba Nanak continue to move forward.
He later directly responded to the criticism through his Instagram post, describing Fine Shyt as nothing more than “a silly little slang” and asking people to calm down.
Not his first controversy
Randhawa has faced criticism over his music before. His earlier song Azul was also questioned for allegedly sexualising schoolgirls, adding to the scrutiny surrounding his latest release.
