When Sukhjit Kaur Khalsa first stepped into an open mic event in Perth, she was unaware that this would be her entry point into the world of slam poetry—a journey that would eventually lead her to perform at the Sydney Opera House. There, she boldly addressed topics as personal as her body hair, a subject deeply tied to her identity as a Sikh woman.
Khalsa’s inspiration to write spoken word poetry was sparked at the age of 18 while studying political science. A friend’s introduction to the American poet Sarah Kay ignited her passion. “I was looking for a way to make change and get my political message out there, but I didn’t want to wait,” she recalls. “Slam poetry seemed like a good way to do it quickly.”
Despite her enthusiasm, it took Khalsa a year to muster the courage to write her first poem. This poem, which she shared at that Perth open mic, explored her experiences as a Sikh woman who chooses not to remove her body hair for cultural reasons, yet sometimes feels judged for it. “The poem was so niche and directed towards my community, I didn’t know how to translate that to this very mainstream, white audience, but I did it anyway,” Khalsa says.
From Open Mic to National Stage
Her performance at the open mic catapulted her to the national final of the Australian Poetry Slam at the Sydney Opera House in 2014, setting her artistic career in motion. Since then, Khalsa has achieved significant milestones, including earning an Order of Australia medal, becoming the CEO of Perth’s independent theatre, Blue Room, and releasing her debut book, Fully Sikh: Hot Chips and Turmeric Stains.
The Sydney experience was transformative for Khalsa. “You can do this full-time. You can be an artist,” she realized, surrounded by poets and published authors.
Embracing Her True Self
Khalsa’s ambition to be an artist was a long-held dream, even if she didn’t initially realize it could become a reality. At just four years old, she wrote her first play, dictating it to her older sister. “They were always family parodies, with larger-than-life characters,” she says. “But there was a deep issue that little me wouldn’t have known was a deep issue.”
As she grew older, Khalsa began writing and performing observational poetry, often touching on themes of spirituality and early experiences of racism. Despite performing these poems at school, she remained shy until slam poetry encouraged her to embrace her true self on stage. “I hated myself, hated my body hair, hated not belonging,” she admits.
Expanding Horizons
Khalsa leveraged the momentum from the Australian Poetry Slam to move to Melbourne at the age of 20, with only $500 in her pocket. This move was an escape from the perceived limitations of the Perth arts scene, including its isolation and lack of opportunities for artists. In Melbourne, she landed her highest-profile gig yet on Australia’s Got Talent in 2016, which opened doors to international opportunities, including facilitating poetry workshops with Sikh communities in North America, Southeast Asia, and New Zealand.
“It was very exciting, but it was also a rollercoaster,” she says. “I don’t remember most of it.”
Theatre and Beyond
While in Melbourne, Khalsa was invited by Perth’s Barking Gecko Arts and Black Swan State Theatre Company to return home to create a spoken word production for young people. This project evolved over three years into the stage show Fully Sikh, which premiered in 2019 and earned her the WA Performing Arts Award for Best Newcomer. “It was the first Sikh play in Australia,” she notes.
The production was a cultural blend, with audiences removing their shoes in the theatre and some even participating in cooking a Punjabi meal with Khalsa. “It was a f***ing hard experience, but you need to do those fights, so the next theatre-maker can go: ‘No, that was done’ and create their own show.”
Leadership and Future Ambitions
The onset of the pandemic in 2020 prompted Khalsa to pivot her career once more, exploring filmmaking and writing for digital platforms. “There’s a lot of problem-solving and it’s not necessarily super creative,” she explains. “It’s actually logical and takes longer and more money.”
This exploration led her to the role of CEO at Blue Room Theatre, where she focuses on creating the opportunities she found lacking when she left for Melbourne. “I’ve never had a full-time job in my life; I’ve always been a freelancer,” Khalsa says. “[This] was my chance to delve into an arts organization that has the same values as me.”
Educating and Inspiring
Reflecting on her slam poetry days, Khalsa views them as an exercise in educating audiences about Sikh identity in Australia. “It was like ‘Sikh PR’, saying ‘We’re not terrorists’,” she explains. However, her focus has shifted. Now, she sees her identity as an artist as encompassing more than her Sikh heritage, working on screen projects, a rom-com musical, and new music. “I want to embrace fun,” she says. “I want to find joy in the mundane or even in chaos or when things aren’t perfect.”
Khalsa remains a role model for younger culturally and linguistically diverse artists and producers. “I’ve been aware of being a role model since the moment I went on Australia’s Got Talent,” she says. This sense of responsibility informs her leadership at Blue Room Theatre. “I just feel this responsibility. There’s very few of us that have been given these opportunities. I just want to make the most of it.”
Yet, Khalsa’s ambitions extend beyond her current role. “Why am I letting imposter syndrome and systemic barriers stop me from wanting to maybe be the arts minister one day? Those are the goals that inspire me to keep going.”
