Sukhbir (musician)
Encyclopedia
Sukhbir Singh is a Bhangra singer. He is often referred to as the "Prince of Bhangra". His Bhangra music varied from fusion
to pure Punjabi
at times.
, Punjab
but moved to Nairobi
, Kenya
at the age of one and a half. His father Raghbir Singh was a gyaniji (priest)
at the local Gurudwara. There, young Sukhbir honed his singing skills practicing kirtan
s on the harmonium
. This apprenticeship laid the groundwork for the musical side of his Bhangra career. His family spoke Punjabi
at home, and his lyrical inspirations have also come from his childhood. He spent 20 years in Nairobi before returning to India. In Nairobi, he was discovered by businessman Ketan Somaiyya, who suggested Sukhbir make a living with his music. Supported by his father, he began recording in 1996. He then moved to London
for a year and a half, before moving to Dubai
in 1994.
and had many foreign influences. Though he was nominated for many awards, at one point he was asked "Who's going to listen to this stuff in India?". The album though, was nominated for the 1996 Channel V Awards in three categories: Best Debut Album, Best Male Vocalist and Best Music Video (for "Punjabi Munde"). He can sing in nine languages, and his album "Oi Triesto" has many Spanish and Portuguese vocals and music.
His second album (gal ban gayi) was a success. He was awarded by Sony TV and golden disk award by Indian music society for this. The title song gal ban gayi was a huge hit. He received a plantinum disc for this.
His third album (hai energy) was another huge success. The album contained hit songs like Ishq tera tardpaye which is Sukhbir's most popular song and sauda khara khara. His video sauda khara khara has bollywood actors Dino Morea
and Bipasha Basu
.
His other album Dil kare has hit songs like the title song dil kare, nachle soniye and girls girls girls.
Sukhbir's unique Bhangra is a fusion of Bhangra with rap, techno and reggae. The juxtaposition of these musical styles is enhanced by Sukhbir’s use of original Bhangra instruments like the dhol
and dholak
. In Oi Triesto, his music was complemented by Spanish and Portuguese rhythms, while he also uses instruments like: tabla
s, congos, guitar
s and keyboards in his music.
Albums like gal ban gayi, hai energy, prince of bhangra vol 1 and dil kare have made Sukhbir very successful.
In the realm of Indian music
, he cites Jagjit Singh as a big influence and said that if he wasn't doing Bhangra he would be a ghazal
singer. He also stated that Daler Mehndi
and Malkit Singh
were his biggest competition in the Punjabi music market He has also collaborated with Pakistani musicians such as Shehzad Roy
. He has also sung a song with a popular Indian singer Shaan
. He sung the song Dil laga from Dhoom 2
. He has also sung a song with Indian band Josh
. When the tsunami
occurred he sung a song with Jassi Sidhu
, Shin, DCS and Taz, stereo nation. He is back to singing now and his new album is Tere naal nachna.
Sukhbir recently won face of the year in Masala Lifestyle awards
with his wife Dimpy. He has one brother in London
and two brothers in India
.
Jazz fusion
Jazz fusion is a musical fusion genre that developed from mixing funk and R&B rhythms and the amplification and electronic effects of rock, complex time signatures derived from non-Western music and extended, typically instrumental compositions with a jazz approach to lengthy group improvisations,...
to pure Punjabi
Punjabi Culture
Punjabi Culture is the culture of the Punjab region. It is one of the oldest in world history, dating from ancient antiquity to the modern era. The Punjabi culture is the culture of the Punjabi people who are now distributed throughout the world. The scope, history, sophistication and complexity of...
at times.
Early life
He was born in JalandharJalandhar
Jalandhar is a city in Jalandhar District in the state of Punjab, India. It is located 144 km northwest of the state capital, Chandigarh...
, Punjab
Punjab (India)
Punjab ) is a state in the northwest of the Republic of India, forming part of the larger Punjab region. The state is bordered by the Indian states of Himachal Pradesh to the east, Haryana to the south and southeast and Rajasthan to the southwest as well as the Pakistani province of Punjab to the...
but moved to Nairobi
Nairobi
Nairobi is the capital and largest city of Kenya. The city and its surrounding area also forms the Nairobi County. The name "Nairobi" comes from the Maasai phrase Enkare Nyirobi, which translates to "the place of cool waters". However, it is popularly known as the "Green City in the Sun" and is...
, Kenya
Kenya
Kenya , officially known as the Republic of Kenya, is a country in East Africa that lies on the equator, with the Indian Ocean to its south-east...
at the age of one and a half. His father Raghbir Singh was a gyaniji (priest)
Priest
A priest is a person authorized to perform the sacred rites of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in particular, rites of sacrifice to, and propitiation of, a deity or deities...
at the local Gurudwara. There, young Sukhbir honed his singing skills practicing kirtan
Kirtan
Kirtan or Kirtana is call-and-response chanting or "responsory" performed in India's devotional traditions. A person performing kirtan is known as a kirtankar. Kirtan practice involves chanting hymns or mantras to the accompaniment of instruments such as the harmonium, tablas, the two-headed...
s on the harmonium
Harmonium
A harmonium is a free-standing keyboard instrument similar to a reed organ. Sound is produced by air being blown through sets of free reeds, resulting in a sound similar to that of an accordion...
. This apprenticeship laid the groundwork for the musical side of his Bhangra career. His family spoke Punjabi
Punjabi language
Punjabi is an Indo-Aryan language spoken by inhabitants of the historical Punjab region . For Sikhs, the Punjabi language stands as the official language in which all ceremonies take place. In Pakistan, Punjabi is the most widely spoken language...
at home, and his lyrical inspirations have also come from his childhood. He spent 20 years in Nairobi before returning to India. In Nairobi, he was discovered by businessman Ketan Somaiyya, who suggested Sukhbir make a living with his music. Supported by his father, he began recording in 1996. He then moved to London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
for a year and a half, before moving to Dubai
Dubai
Dubai is a city and emirate in the United Arab Emirates . The emirate is located south of the Persian Gulf on the Arabian Peninsula and has the largest population with the second-largest land territory by area of all the emirates, after Abu Dhabi...
in 1994.
Music
His first album (New Stylee) was recorded in DubaiDubai
Dubai is a city and emirate in the United Arab Emirates . The emirate is located south of the Persian Gulf on the Arabian Peninsula and has the largest population with the second-largest land territory by area of all the emirates, after Abu Dhabi...
and had many foreign influences. Though he was nominated for many awards, at one point he was asked "Who's going to listen to this stuff in India?". The album though, was nominated for the 1996 Channel V Awards in three categories: Best Debut Album, Best Male Vocalist and Best Music Video (for "Punjabi Munde"). He can sing in nine languages, and his album "Oi Triesto" has many Spanish and Portuguese vocals and music.
His second album (gal ban gayi) was a success. He was awarded by Sony TV and golden disk award by Indian music society for this. The title song gal ban gayi was a huge hit. He received a plantinum disc for this.
His third album (hai energy) was another huge success. The album contained hit songs like Ishq tera tardpaye which is Sukhbir's most popular song and sauda khara khara. His video sauda khara khara has bollywood actors Dino Morea
Dino Morea
Dino Morea is an Indian actor who appears in Bollywood films and a former model.-Early life:Dino Morea was born in Bangalore to an Italian father and an Anglo Indian mother. He is the second of three brothers. Nicolo Morea is his older brother, and Santino Morea is his younger brother. His family...
and Bipasha Basu
Bipasha Basu
Bipasha Basu is an Indian actress who mainly appears in Bollywood films. A former model, she was the winner of the Ford's Godrej Cinthol Supermodel contest in 1996.-Early life:...
.
His other album Dil kare has hit songs like the title song dil kare, nachle soniye and girls girls girls.
Sukhbir's unique Bhangra is a fusion of Bhangra with rap, techno and reggae. The juxtaposition of these musical styles is enhanced by Sukhbir’s use of original Bhangra instruments like the dhol
Dhol
Dhol can refer to any one of a number of similar types of double-headed drum widely used, with regional variations, throughout the Indian subcontinent and nearby regions. Its range of distribution in India and Pakistan primarily includes northern areas such as the Assam Valley, Bengal, Gujarat,...
and dholak
Dholak
The Dholak is a North Indian, Pakistani and Nepalese double-headed hand-drum Madal. The name dholki may also refer to a slightly different instrument that uses high-pitch tabla style syahi masala on its treble skin. This instrument is also known as Naal or Dholki....
. In Oi Triesto, his music was complemented by Spanish and Portuguese rhythms, while he also uses instruments like: tabla
Tabla
The tabla is a popular Indian percussion instrument used in Hindustani classical music and in popular and devotional music of the Indian subcontinent. The instrument consists of a pair of hand drums of contrasting sizes and timbres...
s, congos, guitar
Guitar
The guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
s and keyboards in his music.
Albums like gal ban gayi, hai energy, prince of bhangra vol 1 and dil kare have made Sukhbir very successful.
In the realm of Indian music
Music of India
The music of India includes multiple varieties of folk, popular, pop, classical music and R&B. India's classical music tradition, including Carnatic and Hindustani music, has a history spanning millennia and developed over several eras. It remains fundamental to the lives of Indians today as...
, he cites Jagjit Singh as a big influence and said that if he wasn't doing Bhangra he would be a ghazal
Ghazal
The ghazal is a poetic form consisting of rhyming couplets and a refrain, with each line sharing the same meter. A ghazal may be understood as a poetic expression of both the pain of loss or separation and the beauty of love in spite of that pain. The form is ancient, originating in 6th century...
singer. He also stated that Daler Mehndi
Daler Mehndi
Daler Mehndi , born August 18, 1967, is an Indian Bhangra pop singer.Mehndi was a student of traditional Punjabi music and his first album broke sales records in India. Since 1995 he has recorded several highly successful albums in India, and also sung as a playback singer for several Hindi movies...
and Malkit Singh
Malkit Singh
Malkit Singh MBE born in 1962 in village Hussainpur, Jalandhar, and raised in Nakodar, Jalandhar, Punjab. He is a famous foreign based Punjabi bhangra singer. Malkit Singh has become the first Punjabi singer to be honoured by Queen Elizabeth II at Buckingham Palace in London with the award of...
were his biggest competition in the Punjabi music market He has also collaborated with Pakistani musicians such as Shehzad Roy
Shehzad Roy
Shehzad Roy is a singer and humanitarian from Karachi, Pakistan. With five hit albums under his belt, including the 2008 Qismat Apney Haath Mein , he is also the president and founder of Zindagi Trust, a non-profit charitable organization, that seeks to educate the underprivileged children of...
. He has also sung a song with a popular Indian singer Shaan
Shaan (singer)
Shaan , is an Indian playback singer, and television host. He hosted the shows Sa Re Ga Ma Pa, Sa Re Ga Ma Pa L'il Champs, Star Voice of India and "Star Voice of India 2"...
. He sung the song Dil laga from Dhoom 2
Dhoom 2
Dhoom 2: Back In Action is a 2006 Bollywood action film directed by Sanjay Gadhvi and produced by Aditya Chopra and Yash Chopra at an estimated budget of Rs 350 million. It is the second film in the Dhoom series. Abhishek Bachchan and Uday Chopra star in the film as buddy cops Jai Dixit and Ali,...
. He has also sung a song with Indian band Josh
Josh
Josh is a diminutive of the given name Joshua. "Josh" may also refer to:* Josh, the nom-de-plume of the poet Josh Malihabadi* "Josh", an early pseudonym of Samuel Clemens, better known as Mark Twain* Josh , a Canadian Indian/Pakistani fusion band...
. When the tsunami
Tsunami
A tsunami is a series of water waves caused by the displacement of a large volume of a body of water, typically an ocean or a large lake...
occurred he sung a song with Jassi Sidhu
Jassi Sidhu
Jassi Sidhu is a Bhangra singer and the former lead singer of British Asian bhangra band B21. He split from the group, declaring that they would "never, ever reconcile" and that " nothing more than a glorified mime act", quoting differences between himself and Bally Jagpal.He has released three...
, Shin, DCS and Taz, stereo nation. He is back to singing now and his new album is Tere naal nachna.
Sukhbir recently won face of the year in Masala Lifestyle awards
Discography
- New Stylee (1996)
- Gal Ban Gayee (1997)
- Hai Energy (1999)
- Prince of Bhangra Volume 1 (2000)
- Oi! Triesto (2000)
- Dil Kare (2001)
- Sukhbir - Greatest Hits (2002)
- Tere naal nachna (2008)
Family
He is based out of DubaiDubai
Dubai is a city and emirate in the United Arab Emirates . The emirate is located south of the Persian Gulf on the Arabian Peninsula and has the largest population with the second-largest land territory by area of all the emirates, after Abu Dhabi...
with his wife Dimpy. He has one brother in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
and two brothers in India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
.
External links
- Third time lucky Sukhbir The Tribune - September 18, 1998
- Sukhbir sings a song for India’s beauty queens Apunkachoice - April 19, 2001
- Sukhbir: Still jiving it up ApunkaChoice - July 3, 2001
- List of Songs featuring Sukhbir - Desimusic.com