Manika Kaur | |
|---|---|
| Born | Melbourne, Australia |
| Genres | Religious, Kirtan, Spiritual, Yoga, New Age |
| Occupation(s) | Singer, songwriter and philanthropist |
| Years active | 2012–present |
| Labels | Shemaroo Entertainment, Invincible Recording, United Sound Recordings, Suriya Recordings and Six Degrees Records |
| Website | www |
Manika Kaur is an Australian religious singer, songwriter and philanthropist from Melbourne.
Kaur was born and raised in Melbourne, Australia, to parents who were active members of the Sikh community. [1] In 2006 she married and moved to Dubai. [2] She currently resides in London with her three children. [3]
In 2012, Kaur released a music video for her song “Guru Ram Das Rakho Sarnaee”, telling the life story of Guru Ram Das through shadow puppets and hand shadowgraph by Amar Sen. [4]
Kaur's debut album, Bandhanaa, was released in 2008 by Shemaroo Entertainment. The album was produced by Sukhbir Singh. [5] In 2014, the album was re-mixed and re-released as Satanam Waheguru by Invincible Recordings. [6]
In 2015, Kaur's second album was released by United Sound Recordings through Proper Music Distribution. Its title track, "I Bow to You Waheguru", was produced by Talvin Singh. [7]
The album features collaborations with Rakesh Chaurasia, Jyotsna Srikanth, [8] Soumik Datta, Bernhard Schimpelsberger, [9] and Reiner Erlings. She performed material from the album on the Sikh Channel, BBC London, and ABC Australia TV.
Kaur's third album, Sacred Words, was released in 2018 on Martin ‘Youth’ Glover's label Suriya Recordings and was released in the US on imprint label partner Six Degrees Records. It features collaborations with Scottish folk musician James Yorkston, Jyotsna Srikanth (violin), and Tunde Jegede. [10]
Manika Kaur’s fourth album, EK, was released in 2021. It was produced by Oskar Vizan and Vinod Gadher and incorporates themes influenced by Sikh teachings. The album combines traditional Sikh kirtan with elements of world music. Contributing artists include Jyotsna Srikanth, Jesse Bannister, Soumik Datta, Kirpal Panesar, Suhail Yusuf Khan, and Sanjeev Shankar. [11]
Released in 2020, Yoga Ambient (remixes) features reinterpretations of Kaur’s previous works by producer Martin "Youth" Glover. The album blends kirtan vocals with ambient and downtempo electronic styles and is intended to complement activities such as yoga and meditation. [12]
Also released in 2020, Journey (The Ambient Remixes) includes remixed versions of Manika Kaur’s devotional music, produced by Martin "Youth" Glover. [13] The album integrates ambient and electronic sounds while maintaining the spiritual nature of the original compositions. [14]
| Year | Album or non-album single | Featured artist(s) | Composer(s) | Label |
| 2008 | Bandhanaa | Shemaroo Entertainment | ||
| 2014 | Satanam Waheguru | Invincible Recording | ||
| 2015 | I Bow To You Waheguru | Rakesh Chaurasia, Jyotsna Srikanth, Soumik Datta, Bernhard Schimpelsberger, and Reiner Erlings | Talvin Singh | United Sound Recordings |
| 2018 | "Aval Allah" (single) | feat. James Yorkston | Manika Music | |
| 2018 | Sacred Words | James Yorkston, Jyotsna Srikanth (violin), and Tunde Jegede | Talvin Singh, Tigerstyle, and Oskar Vizan | Suriya Recordings |
| 2018 | "Tu Sultan" (single) | feat. James Yorkston | Manika Music | |
| 2020 | Yoga Ambient (Remixes) | Rakesh Chaurasia, Jyotsna Srikanth, Soumik Datta, Bernhard Schimpelsberger, and Reiner Erlings | Manika Kaur | Six Degrees Records |
| 2020 | Harbour of Inner Lights | Rakesh Chaurasia, Jyotsna Srikanth, Soumik Datta, Bernhard Schimpelsberger, and Reiner Erlings | Manika Kaur | Six Degrees Records |
| 2021 | Magic Mantra (single) | Jyotsna Srikanth | Manika Kaur | United Sound Recordings |
| 2021 | Diwali Di Raat (single) | Jyotsna Srikanth | Manika Kaur | United Sound Recordings |
| 2022 | Mool Mantra Extended Version (single) | Talvin Singh | Manika Kaur | United Sound Recordings |
| 2022 | Waheguru the Journey Simraan Extended Version (single) | Manika Kaur | United Sound Recordings | |
| 2024 | Pavan Meh (single) | Rakesh Chaurasia | Manika Kaur | United Sound Recordings |
| 2025 | Siddhartha (Radio Edit single) | Martin Glover | Manika Kaur | Six Degrees Records |
| 2025 | Wakan Tanka (Radio Edit single) | John Thorpe | Manika Kaur | Six Degrees Records |
| 2025 | Devocean | Martin Glover, Roopa Panesar, Giuliano Moderelli, Jesse Bannister, Kabiraj Singh, Sukhvinder Barj, Michael Rendall | Manika Kaur | Six Degrees Records |
Through her foundation Kirtan for Causes, Kaur raises awareness for issues such as equality, global access to feminine hygiene products, and education of females of all ages around the world. [15]
Her foundation currently supports the education of 100 programme participants [16] and supports the education of over 200 children. [17] Kaur raised over one million dirhams (approx. £210,000) through her first album, which she donated to finance a new Gurdwara (Sikh temple) in Dubai. [18] All of the revenue from Kaur's work go to support her charity. [5]
Kaur won the 2016 Sikh Award [19] for Sikhs in Entertainment [20] and placed sacred Sikh vocal music and Kirtan in the World Music Charts Europe for the first time. [21]