6 people, 1 bedroom, no shoes: Dhurandhar 2 singer Jasmine Sandlas on early struggles before Bollywood break

Jasmine Sandlas, the powerful voice behind Dhurandhar 2’s viral track Jaiye Sajana, has become one of the most recognizable names in Punjabi and Bollywood music. From her roots in Jalandhar to building a career in California, the singer’s journey has been marked by resilience, personal hardships, and years of determination. With chart-topping Bollywood songs, multiple albums, and a loyal fan following, Jasmine’s rise to fame was far from easy. Her path through immigration challenges, financial struggles, and personal loss reveals the untold story of an artist who fought through adversity to secure her place in the music industry.

Not long ago, Jasmine Sandlas appeared on YouTuber Ranveer Allahbadia’s podcast, where the singer opened up about how she and her family navigated a struggling life in the US. For the unversed, Jasmine and her family shifted to the United States from Punjab when she was in school, with her father, a law school valedictorian, leaving his powerful, well-respected job and starting from scratch in the new country.

Dhurandhar 2 singer Jasmine Sandlas on difficult life in US

Recalling those difficult early years, Jasmine shared that, unable to speak English at the time, she was enrolled in a local school while her family of six squeezed into a modest one-bedroom low-income apartment. Her father took up work at a gas station, while her mother, formerly a teacher, worked factory jobs and even picked cherries to support the household. The family depended on food stamps as her parents worked tirelessly to rebuild their lives from the ground up.


Jasmine emotionally remembered the sacrifices her father made, including enduring freezing winters without proper shoes because the family could not afford them. She reflected on how he gave up his successful career and social standing in India to provide his children with better opportunities abroad. Over time, their circumstances slowly improved after relocating to California, where her father eventually found work within the legal system as an interpreter.

For Jasmine, adapting to life in America was deeply overwhelming. Between the ages of 13 and 18, she found herself caught between cultures while her family struggled financially, emotionally, and socially. The adjustment to a new language, environment, and way of life was far from easy, and it took years before they found stability.

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Jasmine Sandlas’ rise to fame

Amid the chaos, music became Jasmine’s only refuge. As a young teenager, she found solace singing shabads at the gurudwara, long before music became a professional aspiration. She has often acknowledged that the immense stress her parents faced as immigrants shaped the emotional atmosphere at home, leaving children like her to navigate instability while longing for guidance and security.

Despite her deep love for music, Jasmine’s ambitions were initially met with hesitation from her parents, who viewed singing as an uncertain path. Determined to prove herself, she asked for six months to pursue her dream seriously. Although success did not come immediately, she refused to abandon her passion. Her perseverance ultimately paid off in 2014 when Yaar Na Miley from Salman Khan’s Kick became a massive Bollywood hit, transforming Jasmine Sandlas into a household name and cementing her place in the Indian music industry

Even through the low points, Jasmine never completely stopped making music. The late 2010s brought a new creative chapter with Illegal Weapon and Sip Sip with Garry Sandhu, which became massive hits, later finding their way into the Bollywood film Street Dancer 3D. In 2020, she released her album What’s in a Name.