DHL Fast-Track featuring Raf-Saperra
DHL Fast-Track returns with British-Punjabi artist and former DHL employee Raf-Saperra. Celebrates cross-border creativity and music's unique ability to connect artists and fans around the world.
As part of the collaboration, DHL supported an exclusive fan experience celebrating South Asian music from its roots to a global stage. Held in London, the event offered a rare insight into Raf’s creative world, exploring the influences, stories and cultural connections that shape his sound.
Raf invited fans to Village Underground, Shoreditch, to the exclusive event. The evening opened with an intimate conversation between Raf and DJ, broadcaster and creative producer Jyoty, exploring Raf's remarkable full-circle journey, from working as a DHL courier during lockdown to selling out venues worldwide and becoming one of DHL FAST-TRACK's featured artists for 2026.
The interview was followed by a special acoustic performance from Raf-Saperra, accompanied by two of his band mates on guitar and dholki.
Every element of the event was designed to immerse guests in Raf's creative world, orchestrated by his Creative Director, Avleen Kaur. Projection scrims suspended from Village Underground’s vaulted ceiling showcased Kid Rusk’s hand drawn Fat Boy animations. Two chrome clad booths handed out limited-edition merch to fans: ELIXIR – The Scent Mixologists, an experiential fragrance booth, with three fragrances made in collaboration with Raf, inspired by and named after his songs: Charmer, Velvet Venom and Heer; and Kush Shah’s bespoke Taveets (pendants), with Saperra in Shahmukhi on one side and Gurmukhi on the other in a co-branded box. Together, these elements highlight DHL’s role in enabling global creative exchange and bringing artists and fans closer together.
The collaboration continued with a mini-film, which documents the journey leading up to the event and telling the story of Raf-Saperra’s artistic evolution. Touching on the significant moments that have shaped Raf’s creative world; from his passion for cinema and filmmaking to his growth as a pre-eminent lyricist. Having previously spent two years behind the wheel for DHL, Raf often used his time on the road listening to and developing the music that would eventually define his own career. The film explores how those early experiences helped fuel his creative ambition, charting his path from local talent to international artist. Alongside showcasing the cultural influences that shape Raf’s world, the film highlights the unique full-circle nature of this partnership with DHL, who are supporting an artist who was once part of its team.
In that stillness, between drops, my first EP was formed. Chords arrived first, then words, then feeling – the quiet architecture of my first body of work was moulded in the very seats of a DHL van."
Raf-Saperra
The DHL FAST-TRACK collaboration underscores what has always been integral to Raf’s artistry: cross-border creative connection, cultural exchange and creating impact beyond music itself.
DHL FAST-TRACK is a music programme created in collaboration with Universal Music Group and Abbey Road Studios, aimed at shining the spotlight on exceptional artists and fast-tracking their rise to global stardom by leveraging both companies’ local and global expertise. DHL is supporting the hottest artists by accelerating their local to global journey, by helping connect their distinctive sound with audiences across the globe through unforgettable music moments.
More about Raf-Saperra
Raf-Saperra is at the vanguard of a cultural renaissance. UK-born and globally rooted, he merges the visceral soul of Punjabi folk with the uncompromising edge of contemporary hip-hop. His genre-defying sound, marked by raw vocal delivery and sharp lyrical presence, has carved out a lane all his own—bridging centuries-old traditions with a modern street ethos.
With an undeniable global presence, Raf has headlined sold-out tours across the UK, USA, Canada, and Australia, while collaborating with legendary South Asian artists such as Ustaad Dildar Hussain and Sukshinder Shinda, as well as East Coast rap royalty Ghostface Killah and Conway the Machine.
This year, Raf released his highly anticipated album Venomz Vol. II and was nominated for a JUNO Award. he also underwent a sold-out world tour, playing in the biggest venues of his career to date, culminating in a sold-out homecoming show at Somerset House in London this July.
2026 also saw Raf return as a featured artist on “Bass Dhol” alongside Ahadadream and Skrillex. a club-forward EDM record built around traditional Punjabi folk vocals reaching number 1 on the official British Asian chart. While the collaboration signals international reach, the real story is structural: Punjabi-language vocals and folk traditions are being positioned as the primary hook within modern dance and bass music.