As the scene developed it became more diverse and moved beyond the
original designation of 'bhangra'. Artists such as Apache Indian incorporated
elements of ragga into their music, while Bally Sagoo mixed in drum
'n' bass to produce 'acid bhangra' and turned his attention to Hindi
film songs, producing re-mixed versions of hits on albums such as Bollywood
Classics and Bollywood Flashbacks (both 1994). These artists have achieved
great popularity in India itself, with many of these innovations feeding
back into the South Asian popular music and dance scene. More recently,
groups such as the Asian Dub Foundation and Fun^Da^Mental have mixed
South Asian
instrumentation and lyrics with rap, producing music with an explicitly
political message, while Cornershop, a guitar-based band, has roduced
rock-oriented music.
Malkit Singh
After his first super hit "Tutak Tutak Tutian", he strode
from the mustard fields of Punjab to the chrome-curtained studios in
London. If you have heard of 'Kurri Garam Jayee, Kurri Naram Jayee'
and 'Gur Naloon Iskh Mitha' you know who I am talking about. Malkit
needs no introduction. In his new album, his 20th, produced by Universal,
Singh jams with Apache Indian and Britain's latest hit band "Payasyougo".
With his amazing voice and new album Millennium mixes, he stands today
at number 2 on the top 10 UK Bhangra charts. The new video for Gur Naloon
Iskh Mitha explains why every wedding today plays Malkit till the bride
crosses over the threshold. Malkit remains today's favorite, tomorrow's
legend.
Malkit Singh has taken the Punjabi vernacular to wide-ranging experiments
to rap with strains of underground grunge, hip-hop and Hindi film music,
picking up along the way, 12 number-one hits of the British charts that
have turned the village boy into a multi-millionaire.
He was born with a mercurial flair for the arts. When
he was just four-years old, his singing ability won him admission into
a school meant for six-year-olds. Ever since, the thirty-something Malkit
Singh has maintained his head start on the competition, taking Punjabi
bhangra music into realms previously unexplored.
True to his name, Malkit, which translates to One Has Rules The
World, has taken his music from the Punjabi vernacular to cross-cultural
experiments ranging from rap and house to the Hindi film screens. The
traditional folk music has gone from the relative obscurity of a Punjabi
village to the heady heights of a world stage. As the music spreads
its wings across the globe, Malkit Singh encompasses an audience of
all ages.
In 1981, his winning of the third Punjab collegiate competition award
was marked with a "golden star" pendant. Malkit adopted the
name for his band, and the Golden Star band is as synonymous to Malkit
as the E-Street Band is to Bruce Springsteen.
As we move into 2002, Malkit Singh is still winning new audiences in
the exploding world of bhangra and in the process he's opening the floodgates
for many upcoming Bhangra artists.
From the classic debut song Nach Gidde Wich, the infectious-feel-good
Gurh Nalo Ishq Mitha Boliyan [an anthology of traditional
folk songs], his trademark anthem Tootak Tootak Thootian (Hey Jamalo),
these songs became the benchmark sound of the 1980s. Furthermore,
with his 90s and Y2K excursions Midas Touch, Forever Gold and
the smash-hit Kudi Patoley Wargi, the songs went on to become some of
the most popular songs and videos in modern Bhangra music history.
As an international recording and touring artiste, performances at
internationally acclaimed venues have further cemented his dominance
of his music genius. Astonishingly, twenty-seven countries have already
witnessed the live phenomenon that is Malkit Singh and his backing band
Golden Star.
An enviable plethora of prestigious accolades have been bestowed on
Malkit Singh over the years including the honour of being the biggest
selling Bhangra artists in the world, recognised by the Millennium Edition
of the Guinness Book of World Records in 2000. That follows his Recognition
of the City of Los Angeles for Services to the Indian Community in 1997,
Best Punjabi Male Singer and the Most Outstanding Track of the Bhangra
Era for Tootak Tootak Thootian (Hey Jamalo). In 1998, the former Indian
premier Mr. I. K. Gujral presented the Punjabi Cultural Award for services
to music to Malkit Singh at his official residence - the sole recipient
of this unrivalled honour. Earlier in 2001, Malkit Singh was honoured
with the Guru Nanak University in Amritsars 27th Convocation Gold
Medal Award Doctorate for his services to Punjabi Music and Culture.
Malkit Singh - Bhangras Saviour - is back with his 19th new album
recorded in India with Jahawar Wattal in Delhi and purified in the UK.
Bhangra is definitely here to stay with Malkit Singh as the purveyor
of new school Bhangra
hail the revolution, long live the King!