WHITNEY PIER, N.S. — In a place as musically diverse as Cape Breton, Jashandeep Singh has brought his own sound.
The 25-year-old moved to the island in 2019 as an international student.
The Punjabi rapper uses the stage name JD Godson.
"This community is so welcoming. They accept you no matter what,” Godson said.
Godson had a sizeable presence on social media back home in India before coming to Canada.
Looking back, he says nobody in his new home knew about his talents. That all changed when he performed at that year's Diwali celebrations.
"I asked a buddy, I said, 'Are you sure they're going to understand what I'm trying to explain?'’” Godson recalled.
The president of the Cape Breton University Students' Union has known JD Godson since childhood.
He says he’s pleasantly surprised at how well his friends act has caught on, and his music is a source of pride among students from India.
"He's really famous among students,” said Damanpreet Singh. "Yeah, I think it's a great success for him. As well, everybody knows him in the community."
While his new surroundings took some getting used to, JD Godson said it's easy to find inspiration for songs here on the east coast.
"In short, like if you want to talk with a stranger, no reason why you can't talk with them for 15 or 20 minutes and they will talk with you like you're family."
As for a backup plan, he earned a civil engineering degree back home in India and graduated from CBU in 2020 with a post-baccalaureate diploma in environmental studies.
When it comes to performing, his time in Cape Breton has taught him that one thing is universal.
"The language of music,” Godson said. “They don't care about what you're saying. They're not judgmental or something like that. Yeah, it was so accepted - it was so welcomed from this community."
Godson says his next goal is to release an EP in the near future.
