Nivie Singh (dj5rivers)
dj5rivers (Nivie Singh) is an entrepreneur, dj, creative writer, spoken word poet, film producer, and festival organizer displaced from the land of five rivers (5aab), currently based on Turtle Island, also known as Canada. Their artistic practice and professional work focuses on music and media arts sectors.
With over a decade of experience in the Canadian Music Industry, dj5rivers has worked across radio, independent and major-label ecosystems in roles including; Marketing Coordinator for Departure Festival (A Reimagined Canadian Music Week), Programmer for NXNE, A&R with Nycesound Production Inc. (in partnership with DefJam Recordings), Label Manager for Ishkōdé Records (in partnership with Universal Music Canada), Marketing Manager at Leaf Music Inc., and Operations Director at CKDU 88.1FM.
Their work demonstrates a sustained professional practice in artist development, digital distribution, audience engagement, and sector infrastructure. dj5rivers co-founded Pineapple Express Media (PEMedia), where they focus on rights management, music publishing, and the development of artist-centred frameworks that prioritize cultural integrity, ownership, and long-term sustainability. As a marketing and audience-development specialist, dj5rivers has supported the growth of artists including LAL, 3rd Verse Records artists, Liyah Katana, Spitty, and Certified Bad Guys. Their campaigns integrate storytelling, community engagement, and culturally responsive strategy to expand reach while maintaining artistic intent. Internationally, dj5rivers is engaged in building sustainable pathways for Canadian and diasporic artists to access global markets.
dj5rivers is also active in mentorship and sector development. They serve as a mentor with the Music Managers Forum (MMF) Bespoke Mentorship Program and are currently a participant in the Women in Music Canada Leadership Accelerator program, supporting emerging professionals through skills transfer, governance literacy, and sustainable career development, focusing on equity-deserving communities.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
In 2025 DJ5RIVERS
CO-FOUNDED SABCOFEST
SABCO (“All of Us”) is a cross-continental creative convergence platform dedicated to amplifying South Asian voices across music, comedy, and film, as disruptors, and ecosystem builders.
SABCO’s mission is to transform representation into collaboration, and economic opportunity by connecting emerging and mid-career creators with cross-disciplinary labs, co-commissioning editorial, industry networking, and diaspora-to-diaspora pipelines creating measurable creative impact.
BHINDI TOAST
(AUTHOR)
Imagine your favorite private group chat gone public where memes are smart, opinions are unfiltered, and poetry hits with surgical precision. Think Desi Vice meets The Daily Show, with a splash of NPR’s Pop Culture Happy Hour, only sharper, poetic and infused with masala. Bhindi Toast covers what’s trending, what’s timeless, and what’s quietly simmering in the fringes of society, all deserving the spotlight. This is an exclusive conversation that serves as a cultural experience. The discourse is hot, and the takes are even hotter. Cultural chaos, served with a side of achar.
THE PEDAGOGY OF SIKH DIASPORIC OPPRESSION ON TURTLE ISLAND | MAY 11, 2025
READ FULL ARTICLE HERE
THE SOUND OF MIGRATION: SIDHU MOOSE WALA AND THE SHADOW OF STATE VIOLENCE | MAY 21, 2025 | READ FULL ARTICLE HERE
DIGITAL RAGE SEEDED IN THE COMMENTS | February 2, 2026
READ FULL ARTICLE HERE
INDIA TAUGHT ME TO STOP CHASING GHOSTS | JANUARY 26, 2026
READ FULL ARTICLE HERE
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. 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'
'LGHDTV'