Bhangra is a type of non-traditional music of Punjab originating in Britain, specifically Southall and Birmingham. It is a type of upbeat popular music associated with the Punjabi diaspora in Britain. The style has its origins in the folk music of Punjab as well as western pop music of the 1970s and 1980s. Prior to this musical fusion, Bhangra existed only as a dance form in the native Punjab. This Punjabi music was unique in that it was not traditional nor did it seek any authenticity. While the traditional folk music of Punjab has a set of melodies that are used by various singers, Bhangra was a form of strict "band culture" in that new melodies were composed for each song. Therefore, the musicians were as important as the singers.
Rajinder Singh Rai, better known by his stage name Panjabi MC, is a British-Indian recording artist, rapper, producer and DJ. He is best known for the worldwide 2002 Bhangra hit "Mundian To Bach Ke", which sold 10 million copies worldwide, making it one of the best-selling singles of all time. Among other songs, he gained acclaim with the 2003 release "Jogi". AllMusic has called him "one of the most prominent names in bhangra".
Max Alfred Elliott, known by his stage name Maxi Priest, is a British reggae vocalist of Jamaican descent. He is best known for singing reggae music with an R&B influence, otherwise known as reggae fusion. He was one of the first international artists to have success in this genre, and one of the most successful reggae fusion acts of all time.
Asian underground is a term associated with various British Asian and South Asian Canadian musicians who blend elements of Western underground dance music and the traditional Asian music of their home countries in South Asia. The sound has roots in the South Asian Diaspora, and many notable musicians within the genre are immigrants or children of immigrants. The first well-known mention was the compilation album Anokha - Soundz of the Asian Underground released in 1997 and masterminded by Talvin Singh and Sweety Kapoor. It is not a strict musical genre per se, since the specific sounds can vary wildly.
Malkit Singh, MBE is an England-based Punjabi bhangra singer. Born in Hussainpur and raised in Nakodar, he moved to Birmingham in 1984. Singh was the first Punjabi singer to be honoured with an MBE by Queen Elizabeth II at Buckingham Palace. He is most famous for the songs "Gur Nalo Ishq Mitha", "Tootak Tootak Tootiyan", "Kurri Garam Jayee", "Dekh li vilyait", "Chal Hun", and "Jind Mahi", the latter two from the soundtrack to the popular film Bend It Like Beckham.
Sukshinder Shinda is a British Punjabi playback singer-songwriter and bhangra record producer from Handsworth in Birmingham, England. He hails from Village Dhamai, District Hoshiarpur, Punjab in India.
No Reservations is the debut studio album by British-Asian musician Apache Indian, released in January 1993 by Island Records and their subsidiary Mango. The musician and singer recorded the album primarily in Jamaica's Tuff Gong studios with producers including Simon and Diamond, Bobby Digital, Phil Chill and Sly Dunbar. It follows, and includes, Apache Indian's 1990–91 singles – "Move Over India", "Chok There" and "Don Raja" – which saw him pioneer a fusion of Jamaican ragga and Indian bhangra later known as bhangramuffin.
"Boom Shack-A-Lak" is a song by British singer-songwriter and reggae DJ Apache Indian, released in August 1993 by Mango Records and also included on his extended play Nuff Vibes. The song was written by Steven Kapur and gave him his biggest hit in the United Kingdom, reaching number five on the UK Singles Chart. The single and EP were also released worldwide, reaching the top 10 in both Ireland and the Netherlands while reaching the top 20 in Austria and New Zealand. The promotional video for the track won the Best Reggae Video award at the 1994 Black Music Awards in London.
Arif Lohar(born 18 April 1966) is a Pakistani Punjabi folk singer. He became popular in Pakistan as well as in India after his famous song "Jugni" with Nooran Lal in 2006. He usually sings accompanied by a native musical instrument resembling tongs. His folk music is representative of the traditional folk heritage of Punjab. He is the son of the renowned folk singer Alam Lohar.
Diamond Duggal also known as DJ Swami is a British-Indian music producer, composer, musician and AI researcher. He has produced for a number of notable artists, including Shania Twain, Pras Michel, Apache Indian, Maxi Priest, Stereo Nation, Zoheb Hassan and Viktor Kiraly as well as remixing for artists including Erasure, the Beat and Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan. He is an accomplished guitar player and multi-instrumentalist and toured as lead guitarist with Boyzone and Robbie Williams. Diamond is also co-founder of production duo Simon and Diamond with his brother Simon Duggal. As DJ Swami, he performs and records electronic, Indian Punjabi bhangra and South Asian music both as a solo artist and as band leader of UK electronic world music acts Swami and PunjabTronix. DJ Swami also tours and performs in collaboration with Deep Forest.
Raghav Mathur, known professionally as Raghav, is a Canadian singer. He has released three studio albums: the debut Storyteller in 2004, Identity in 2009, and The Phoenix in 2012. His most known commercial success was with "Angel Eyes" which peaked at number 7 in the UK in 2005. His singles "So Confused", "Can't Get Enough" and "It Can't Be Right" also reached the UK top ten in 2004. Raghav continued to have success on Canadian charts in 2010s with subsequent hits like "So Much" with Kardinal Offishall, "Fire", "Top of the World", "Woohoo" and "Until the Sun Comes Up" (featuring Indian actor Abhishek Bachchan and US artist Nelly. In an interview with Calgary Herald in 2017, Raghav says his upbringing in Calgary plays a crucial role in his musical development.
Gurinder Kaur Kainth, popularly known by her stage name Miss Pooja is an Indian singer and actress who primarily sings Punjabi songs in Bhangra, Pop and Folk genres.
Imran Khan is a Dutch-Pakistani singer, songwriter, and rapper. He performs sings in both English and Punjabi. He first became known in 2007 after the release of his first single "Ni Nachleh", and was signed to Prestige Records later that year. His second single, "Amplifier", was released in 2009. His debut studio album, Unforgettable, was released on 27 July 2009 via Prestige Records. His song "Satisfya", released in 2013, is his most-viewed YouTube video with over 880 million views.
Muhammad Mumith Ahmed, known professionally as Mumzy Stranger or his producing name SP, is a British rapper, singer, songwriter and record producer. He made his mainstream recording debut in the summer of 2009 with his debut single "One More Dance" along with follow-up single, "Showgirl". The following year, he released Fly with Me which is the lead single from his debut album, Journey Begins.
The UK Asian Music Awards, also known by the abbreviation UK AMA, was an awards show that was held annually in the United Kingdom from 2002 to 2012. The awards show has been produced and broadcast by B4U Music since 2008. Awards winners were decided by public voting at a website, from a list of nominees presented by the event organizers, except for the special category awards "Outstanding Achievement" and "Commitment to Scene" which are decided by the organizers. Desimag called the event "The most prestigious Asian music awards ceremony in the UK".
Jaswinder Singh Dhami, better known as Jaz Dhami, is a British-Indian playback singer, music composer, music producer, and performer.
Avtar Singh Kang is a Punjabi singer and Punjabi folk contributor. He is also known as 'A.S.' Kang.
Ranjit Singh Bajwa known professionally as Ranjit Bawa, is an Indian singer and actor associated with Punjabi language music and films. He rose to fame from his single "Jatt Di Akal" from his debut in the 2015 album, Mitti Da Bawa which was awarded the "Best World Album" award in the 2015 Brit Asia TV Music Awards. He has also received "PTC Best Folk oriented Song Award" in 2013 for his Song in 2013, Jatt Di Akal. His numorous songs including 'Yaari Chandigarh Waliye' and 'Impress' peaked on UK Asian Music Chart and UK Punjabi Music Charts. He made his film debut in playing the title role in Toofan Singh, a semi-biographical film about the 1980s Punjabi activist Shaheed Bhai Jugraj Singh Toofan.
The Brit Asia TV Music Awards, also known as Brit Asia TV World Music Awards or the abbreviation BAMA, is an awards show that has been held annually in the United Kingdom since 2010, usually in October. The awards show is produced by Brit Asia TV. Award winners are decided by public voting on a website from a list of nominees presented by the event organizers at a nomination party. Website desiblitz called it "UK's largest celebration of South Asian music" and "the biggest awards in the British Asian Music calendar".
Make Way for the Indian is an album by the English musician Apache Indian, released in 1995.
