Until last week, it would seem improbable to talk about Miguel from Coco and Talwiinder, the skull-faced Punjabi singer who grew up in a small village near Amritsar, in the same sentence, let alone compare them. The latter, known for performing with his face painted, has become an unlikely reference point for anyone attempting a spooky Halloween look. A meme posted on Instagram imagines someone dressed as the animated character hopping into a cab, only for the driver to mistake him for the singer. It has clocked over 38k shares and laughs. Another one cuts straight to the punchline, pairing Miguel with a photograph of Talwiinder under the caption āRemember this kid? This is Talwiinder nowā. Somewhere over the last couple of years, the 28-year-oldās painted face has become the benchmark against which Halloween skull makeup is measured. Itās quite an achievement for someone whose entire public persona is built around not showing his face.
When we catch up over Zoom, heās in Mumbai, sporting his signature white paint and squeezing media appearances between performances while promoting his new EP, Paiinted Feeliings. Thereās something a little unnerving about speaking to someone whose face resembles a skull; it takes a minute or two to get used to, particularly when he laughs. The thing is, unlike his masked look, Talwiinder himself is quite warm and gentle in conversation. Read The Nodās conversation with the Punjabi singer on his new EP, āPaiinted Feeliingsā, collaborations across borders, and that rather unwelcome sneaky video.
