Rupi Kaur: Pirelli Calendar 2027 Artist

“I first came here [to Jaigarh Fort in Jaipur, India] 10 years ago, and now to shoot here is a dream. The experience so far has been magical”

Best-selling poet and performer Rupi Kaur – who’s credited with reinventing and popularising poetry for a new generation – was born in Punjab, Northern India, before emigrating with her family to Canada when she was a child. She was excited to return to India to appear in the Pirelli Calendar – shooting with Norwegian photographer Sølve Sundsbø in a hilltop fortress.

“It feels great to be on set. I’m excited for my readers to see this side of me again”

India is a country she describes as a “vast, explosive, magical place” – “where all five senses are invigorated”, and she has many happy memories of it.

“My happiest memories of India were of growing up with my Nana Ji (mom’s father). He’d always take me on motorcycle rides and we were the best of friends. The day we left India to immigrate to Canada, they had to pry me out of his arms because, even at 3.5 years old, I knew we were moving for good. My mom, bless her soul, lied and said we’d be back. I wouldn’t see him again for another decade.”

The poet’s favourite place to visit in India is Harmandir Sahib, the Golden Temple in Amritsar: “It’s such a special place for my Sikh community, and a place where every time I step in, my shoulders relax and the energy moves me.” Her favourite Punjabi word, meanwhile, is ਰੂਹ (pronounced Rooh).

“It means soul. It’s the sound of the word: it almost sounds like a spirit and I think it’s so beautiful”

Kaur discovered both a passion for, and comfort in, reading and writing while at school. She has been writing and performing spoken-word poetry since she was a teenager.

“I first started performing on stage in high school and I didn’t know whether to call it storytelling or poetry, but then I learned about “spoken word poetry" and it all clicked. Being up in front of an audience made me feel so alive”

Through her art – Kaur is also an illustrator whose line drawings accompany her writing – the poet has processed life experiences such as grief, loss and heartbreak. She’s won fans through her honest and impassioned reflections on topics around love, femininity, identity and trauma.

“What surprises me the most on tour is how no matter where in the world I perform, the essence of those who come to watch me perform is the same. People just want to feel connected and loved. Performing always reminds me how we’re all more similar than we are different”

After gaining popularity on Tumblr and Instagram, Kaur self-published her debut collection, Milk and Honey, in 2014, hoping to sell a few hundred copies. To date, it has sold over six million and been translated into more than 40 languages. Meanwhile, her tours sell out around the world.

“The secret to my international appeal? I don't know. My work explores the human condition. Despite who we are and where we come from, we all feel emotions in the same way and I think that's why my work is so universal”

Since her debut, Kaur says her art has evolved greatly, to the point where she feels like there are lifetimes between her and the teenager behind her earliest poems. And today she tackles themes she never would have contemplated a decade ago.

“Writing is a medium that allows me to feel connected to myself. It’s not easy, but on the days I find flow, nothing feels better.”