dj5rivers - Nivie Singh
Co-Founder - Pineapple Express Media Inc.
"Whatchu know about me? Nitty Gritty Nivie, 5rivers in my blood but Tarono's in my psyche"
dj5rivers (Nivie Singh) is a non-binary, queerdo settler displaced from the land of five rivers (5aab). They are an entrepreneur, film producer, DJ, community builder, and spoken word poet based in Tkaronto.
dj5rivers co-founded Pineapple Express Media Inc. in 2020, a Toronto-based record label and full service publishing company that is dedicated to shifting culture and amplifying world music through cross-cultural collaboration and entrepreneurial innovation with forward-thinking strategies that celebrate cultural storytelling.
Their work in amplifying Hip Hop, Afrobeats, Punjabi, Reggae and World Music spans across mediums with over 10 years in Music and Digital Marketing, Music Programming, Label Management and Community building. dj5rivers has worked with major and independent labels, music festivals and organizations across Canada including; as A&R for The Certified Bad Guys with Nycesound Production Inc., Label Manager for Ishkōdé Records with Universal Music Canada, Marketing Coordinator for Departure Festival (a reimagined Canadian Music Week), programmer for NXNE, Marketing Manager at Leaf Music Inc., and Operations Director for CKDU 88.1FM. They have developed an intimate understanding of music distribution, digital marketing, and artist development, working with both emerging and established artists alike.
Their dedication extends beyond the music industry into community-building and advocacy. They are a current Board of Director for Elevate Equity, and have worked as a BOD for organizations such as Thunder Pride, Halifax Pride, Obey Convention (now Everyseeker), StART Festival, and Nocturne Halifax while collaborating with groups like Youth Art Connection and Unity Charity. Their work is deeply rooted in anti-capitalist, anti-racist frameworks, reimagining governance models and redistributing resources to support historically oppressed groups around the world.
PRESS
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Toronto-based record label, dedicated to developing richness, shifting the culture and changing the status quo in world music.
Our conversation revolves around the formation and vision of Aux Tale Gravy their roots in Nova Scotia. The label, founded by Reid, NIV, and Kayla, aims to support artists from diverse backgrounds, particularly those from Black and Brown communities.
June 2025 -
Canada’s first Punjabi and African Nova Scotian owned record label is revolutionizing world music
A common trend Singh has noticed in the past decade is seeing many racialized artists sign faulty contracts and cope with toxic relationships because he says the Canadian music industry isn’t ready for them yet.
“This model hasn’t worked and there’s a generation that’s on its way out. The changes are happening at festivals and conferences that are inviting more emerging artists, but the mentality of how artists are connecting to the industry isn’t changing,” Singh said.
January 26, 2025 -
Toronto musician breaking barriers for the Panjabi queer community one beat at a time
“PEMedia highlights the interconnectedness of Indian, Jamaica and Caribbean cultures and the influence of that connection on music genres gaining commercial viability. Through colonization our cultures met and created electrifying music,” co-founder Nivie Singh told Now Toronto.
PEMedia was founded in 2020 by Singh and Kayla Borden to provide spaces for the South Asian and Caribbean diaspora in Canadian and European contexts through events and to help multicultural artists connect with music buyers, sellers, and executives.
June 2024 -
We’ve got spirit, yes we do; we’ve got spirit, up to two! Halifax Pride takes on the complex Two-Spirit identity.
The lecture, one in a series of talks titled Queer Perspectives, is a lunchtime learning opportunity being held at City Hall. It's being moderated by new Halifax resident Nivie Singh, who wants to structure the lecture as more of a conversation. "I'm really interested in community and having dialogue," they say. "I think that communities need to engage in that conversation." Originally from Ontario, Singh is cautious about their place in this conversation. "I want to be mindful to the fact that I am a new community member," they say. Indigenous-settler reconciliation is a hot topic right now, and Singh says this talk helps meet that goal—if only by a small step. "There's a lot of work that goes into reconciliation," they admit. "I think this is, on a very surface level, opening up that conversation and making space for bridges to be made in order to get to reconciliation. I think this is a first step to start to make that bridge."
JULY 20, 2017
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New Declaration gives public voice to climate targets and justice
“We recognize that the work towards reduced emissions and climate justice must centre the rights of Indigenous Peoples and follow treaty rights and responsibilities under the Peace and Friendship Treaties here in Mi'kma'ki. Representing the student community, we feel that by moving towards a low-carbon economy, Nova Scotia can provide a social and economic, environmentally just and equitable way of life.”
August 30, 2018
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November 4 – Take Back the Night Thunder Bay
A number of community partners and speakers will be present to share stories and services. Speakers will include: Jayal Chung (Honouring Our Stories Coordinator), Nivie Dhami (Pride Central Coordinator), Joy Wakefield (Legal Aid Ontario Staff Lawyer), Farah Ahmed (Racialized Young Professionals), Sharon Johnson (Full Moon Memory Walk), and Sherrie-Lee Petrie (Gender Issues Centre coordinator). There will be music by Outside the Lines.
September 2017
dj5rivers is a DJ and spoken word poet who has performed on stages across Canada, showcasing at festivals such as Jwani4Eva Toronto, OBEY Festival, Lulaworld Festival, Panjabi Folk Dub Sessions Halifax Pride & All The Flowers Open Mic Sessions. Opening for large acts like; Ciel, Sikh Knowledge and Bambii.
dj5rivers style blends traditional Hip Hop, old school Reggae & Panjabi folk sounds, meshing political undertones with underground sound. They pull inspiration from M.I.A, Lee Scratch Perry, Bjork and Panjabi MC.
SAMALAINGIK
(homosexual)
Documentary highlighting Nivie Singh's experience as Pride Central Coordinator for the Lakehead University Student Union. Filmed by En Tze April 2016 Thunder Bay, Ontario dj5rivers aka Nivie Singh is a multi-media digital artist and poet, whose work is a narration of their experience as a politically charged, displaced Panjabi Queerdo. They explore the effects of war, capitalism, the patriarchy and our collective participation in oppressive colonial structures as the South Asian diaspora. 
'Dhami'
'Not All Branches Are Olive'
'Siri, Play Brown Munde by AP Dhillion'
'Believe in your flyness. Conquer your shyness'
'West Finch'
'Co-opting Wokeness'
'Brampton'
'Blast From The Past'
'Bitch's Rain'
'LGHDTV'