| Sukhbir | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Sukhbir Singh |
| Also known as | Prince of Bhangra |
| Born | 11/09/1969 |
| Origin | Jalandhar, Punjab |
| Genres | Bhangra |
| Occupations | Singer |
| Years active | 1995-present |
| Labels | EMI |
Sukhbir Singh (born 1969) is a Bhangra singer. He is often referred to as the "Prince of Bhangra".[1][2] His Bhangra music varied from fusion to pure Punjabi at times.
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He was born in Jalandhar, 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 kirtans on the harmonium.[3] This apprenticeship laid the groundwork for the musical side of his Bhangra career.[2] His family spoke Punjabi at home, and his lyrical inspirations have also come from his childhood.[4] He spent 20 years in Nairobi before returning to India.[5] 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.[4] He then moved to London for a year and a half, before moving to Dubai in 1994.[6]
His first album (New Stylee) was recorded in Dubai 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?".[1] 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").[7] 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: tablas, congos, guitars and keyboards in his music.[7][8]
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 [6] 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
He is based out of Dubai with his wife Dimpy. He has one brother in London and two brothers in India.[6]