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.
Baljit Singh "Bally" Sagoo is a British-Indian record producer and DJ. Born in Delhi, India, Sagoo was raised in Birmingham, England. He entered the recording and entertainment industries in 1989. He is the figurehead of the UK/Belgium-based entertainment company, Fresh Dope Industries.
Rishpal Singh Rekhi, better known by his stage name Rishi Rich, is a British-Indian music producer based in London. He began his career in the Asian Underground scene and later became internationally known for his bhangra tracks, his Hindi remixes, and as a pioneer of Asian-R&B fusion music.
Surjit Bindrakhia was a singer from Punjab, India. He was known for his unique voice and hekh, in which he sings a note continuously in one breath. His biggest hits include Meri Nath Dig Paye, Dupatta Tera Satrang Da, Lakk Tunoo Tunoo, Bas Kar Bas Kar, Mukhda Dekh Ke, Tera Yaar Bolda, and Jatt Di Pasand. Surjit is considered to have one of the greatest voices in Bhangra. He received a special jury award at the 2004 Filmfare Awards for his contribution to Punjabi music.
Swami is a British Indian electronic music/ bhangra/ world music act from Birmingham, England. "Swami" is also the pseudonym of the DJ producer Diamond Duggal. Swami currently performs as a hybrid electronic DJ act with special world music guests and collaborations including Deep Forest and PunjabTronix.
Harcharanjit Singh Rupal, known professionally as Channi Singh, is a British-Indian bhangra musician, known as the "godfather" of bhangra in the West.
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.
Arif Lohar 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.
Sukhbir Singh is an Indian singer. He is often referred to as the "Prince of Bhangra". His Bhangra music varied from fusion to pure Punjabi at times.
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.
Shaukat Ali, also known as Shaukat Ali Khan, was a Pakistani folk singer.
Mukhtar Sahota is a British Punjabi music composer and producer, associated with the group Sahotas.
Heera Group UK is a bhangra music band that originated in the early 1980s. Also known as the pioneers of British Bhangra, and one of the most successful British Bhangra bands in history. The lead singers are Palvinder Dhami and Jasvinder Kumar.
Foji(Punjabi: ਫ਼ੋਜੀ, foji) is a Birmingham-based Punjabi singer, writer and producer,. First rising to fame in 2010 with hits such as Dafa Hoja and Bruah, Foji has continued with a number of successful releases and has featured in the top 3 of the Official Asian Download Chart for longer than any other bhangra artist. Foji Gill was sentenced to five years imprisonment for committing offences related to money laundering in April 2015 until January 2019.
Anita Lerche is a Danish-American singer-songwriter, composer and actress originating from Denmark. With the release of her album Heer from Denmark in November 2006, she became the first non-Asian woman from the west to create a solo album in Punjabi. In addition to singing in Punjabi, she has sung in a total of 16 different languages.
Bhujhangy Group are the world's longest-running bhangra band. The group was founded in Smethwick, near Birmingham, England, in 1967 by brothers Dalbir Singh Khanpur and Balbir Singh Khanpur, who had come to the United Kingdom to in the mid 1950s and been joined by their families in 1964, initially working as labourers in the West Midlands' factories. They were named Bhujhangy – meaning "kids" – as they were still teenagers, and their first recording was "Teri Chithi Noon Parthan", a 7" EP recorded in 1967 and distributed manually in pub juke boxes before being officially recorded and distributed in late 1969-70.
Silinder Pardesi is a Bhangra singer-songwriter, lyricist, and composer from Coventry, West Midlands, England. He is the founder and lead singer of the highly acclaimed British Asian Bhangra band 'The Pardesi Music Machine'. In 1994 Silinder Pardesi moved onto pastures new and began his solo career. Over the past 30 years Silinder Pardesi has released over twenty albums and collaborated with an array of artists including Rishi Rich and Neeru Bajwa.
PBN or Punjabi By Nature is a UK-based Indian music producer, singer and songwriter, specialising in bhangra and Asian fusion productions, working with a great number of Desi music artists mainly based in the UK, beginning with the early 2000s. He is signed to Limitless Records and Playback Records. He has also formed TeamPBN as a collaborative project with Bambi, Raj Bains and Serena. Throughout his career, he has become well-known not only in his native UK, but in India, Europe, the Middle East, United States and Canada, Australia and, in general, the Asian music market. His productions are used extensively in night venues, DJ events and on BBC Asian Network and its weekly chart.
Luv Randhawa is a Canadian-British singer based in Vancouver, British Columbia. Luv is known for his debut mainstream album entitled Believe In Me which Hit #2 on iTunes R&B/ soul charts. He also known for his solo album This Side of Luv, which was released in 2011. According to CKYE-FM, Luv is the pioneer of the Bhangra Fusion Movement in the western hemisphere.
Bups Saggu is a British Bhangra DJ, music producer and singer based in Wolverhampton, England.
