Jasmine Sandlas Recalls Family’s Poverty After Move To U.S.

India-West News Desk

MUMBAI -Popular singer Jasmine Sandlas recently shared the story of her family’s migration from Punjab to the United States, highlighting the stark contrast between her father’s professional standing in India and the poverty they faced upon arrival. Speaking on the podcast hosted by Ranveer Allahbadia, the artist detailed how her father traded a high-profile legal career for manual labor to secure her future.

“My father worked in India in a powerful position and he was a law school valedictorian,” Sandlas told Allahbadia. She recalled that upon moving to New York when she was in the eighth or ninth grade, the family of six shared a one-bedroom, low-income apartment.

Despite his academic and professional credentials in India, Sandlas’s father took a job pumping gas. The singer recounted a specific memory of him sitting in the snow without proper footwear because “snow shoes are very expensive.” Meanwhile, her mother worked in factories and picked cherries as a manual laborer to help the family survive on food stamps.

The family’s financial situation eventually improved after moving to California, where her father re-entered the legal system as an interpreter. Sandlas noted that she did not speak English when she first arrived and attended local schools while the family navigated their new environment.

The singer, who gained initial fame with her viral track “Shararat,” is currently featured on the ‘Dhurandhar 2’ soundtrack. Her recent work includes the songs “Jaiye Sajana,” “Main Aur Tu,” “Aari Aari,” and “Rang De Lal (Oye Oye).”