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Ten years later, Kaur鈥檚 has more than 4.2 million views.

It鈥檚 a far cry from where Kaur is now, the wife of NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh on the cusp of his third federal election 鈥� this time as his party is in trouble. NDP support has plummeted since January, with the party projected to receive less than seven per cent of the popular vote and, according to 海角社区官网Star poll aggregator the Signal, only nine seats in Ottawa 鈥� a devastating loss from the 24 seats the party currently holds.

If the projections bear out, the NDP is at risk of losing its official party status. For some, Singh’s leadership of the party is already in question.

During this gruelling campaign, Kaur has occasionally joined Singh and shared glimpses of life on the trail on her Instagram. Outside of the spotlight, she is a mother of two, a former basketball champion and 鈥� as her decade-old viral video would indicate 鈥� a dancer.

Meeting Jagmeet

Kaur first met Singh when she was at York University.

They were both involved in an organization that worked with Sikh activists and students to put on events, said Kiran Rai, her friend of more than 20 years.

鈥淚 always used to have a huge crush on him,鈥� Kaur recently told the Star. When a friend started dating one of his friends, their social circles began to overlap. The pair went on one lunch date in 2011 and much later, in 2017, she finally told him: 鈥淗ey, buddy, I got a crush on you.鈥�

By early 2018, they were married. Singh proposed at a private party just blocks away from Queen鈥檚 Park, in front of dozens of friends and family 鈥� plus some reporters 鈥� at the vegetarian restaurant where they had their first date.

Singh had been private about his personal life until then, declining to confirm or deny if he was even in a relationship until photos of the two together were posted to social media.

“Gurkiran and I have had many conversations about taking our relationship to this level and part of that conversation was about how a public presence would factor in,” Singh told CBC in a statement after the engagement. 鈥淲e鈥檙e very interested in striking the right balance between events which will be more private and others that will have more of a public factor.鈥�

Kaur had left her job at RBC by then, dedicating her time to Singh鈥檚 leadership campaign in 2017. For Kaur, it was a whirlwind two years that saw Singh鈥檚 election as leader, his byelection in Burnaby and his first federal election campaign.

鈥淚t鈥檚 just been one amazing thing after another,鈥� Kaur said.

Clothing lines and YouTube hits

Kaur grew up in Brampton and Mississauga, the daughter of immigrants. In high school, she performed in talent shows, doing the traditional Punjabi giddha dance alongside friend Rai.

She was an A student and excelled at basketball, Rai said. As a forward, Kaur helped Harold Brathwaite Secondary School win a Region of Peel Secondary School Athletic Association championship in the 2004-05 season.

Kaur also enjoyed math 鈥� Rai said Kaur is the only reason she passed a geometry group project.

She stopped playing basketball when she graduated high school, enrolling in economics at York and working at TD Bank through university. But she didn鈥檛 give up on her other passions.

Kaur founded Jangiiro, a Punjabi clothing line, with her sister Anupreet. Sparked by their love for South Asian clothing and desire to explore new fabrics, Kaur and Anupreet named the clothing line after their grandmother, who helped raise them.

鈥淪he was one of the first ones,鈥� Kaur said, 鈥渢o instil that love and that passion for Punjabi culture, for Punjabi attire, and wanting to look your best in South Asian clothing.鈥�

Kaur also kept dancing. She sometimes performed with Rai鈥檚 dance group, which promoted Punjabi folk traditions. And she danced in the 鈥淢ime Through Time鈥� parody.

鈥淚 remember thinking, like, ‘I should probably tell my parents if we鈥檙e putting this up on YouTube,’” Kaur said in a . 鈥淲e got like 30,000 views in an hour and I鈥檓 like, ‘I really need to tell my parents. The last thing I need for them is to find out through somebody else.’鈥�

Kaur said her parents loved the video when they saw it.

A struggling campaign

These days, Kaur is busy parenting. Kaur gave birth to her first daughter, Anhad, in 2022, then welcomed a second baby girl, Dani, in 2023. Kaur said her mom has come to B.C. to help take care of the kids during the election campaign.

鈥淪he just loves being a mom,鈥� Rai said. 鈥淓veryone in the family is very involved in supporting (her).鈥�

Kaur is also helping with the election. She flew to Montreal for the debates and has occasionally campaigned with Singh.

The NDP needs all the help it can get. With just days to go until the election 鈥� and with an estimated 7.3 million ballots already cast, a record number for advance polls 鈥� the party is facing its worst polling averages in years and could lose more than half its seats in Ottawa.

But at a time when Singh may be facing more scrutiny than ever, Rai said Kaur is his support system.

鈥淭hey have a really great dynamic and balance,鈥� Rai said. 鈥淭hey make time for each other. They make time for family.鈥�