Mai Dhai ( ur, مای دھائی) is a Pakistani classical singer hailing from

Tharparkar Tharparkar (Dhatki language, Dhatki/ sd, ٿرپارڪر, ur, ), also known as Thar, is a district in Sindh province in Pakistan headquartered at Mithi. Before Indian independence it was known as the Thar and Parkar district. The district is t ...

Sindh Sindh (; ; ur, , ; historically romanized as Sind) is one of the four provinces of Pakistan. Located in the southeastern region of the country, Sindh is the third-largest province of Pakistan by land area and the second-largest province ...

. She formed a folk-band called Mai Dhai Band composed of Jamal Shab, a harmonium player and dhol player, Muhammad Fakir. Mai and her band has performed in US at

SXSW South by Southwest, abbreviated as SXSW and colloquially referred to as South By, is an annual conglomeration of parallel film, interactive media, and music festivals and conferences organized jointly that take place in mid-March in Austin, Te ...

Music 2015, where her music style was met with extravagant positive response. She rose to prominence on national television after appearing as a featured artist in eight season of music series ''

Coke Studio Coke Studio may refer to: * ''Coke Studio'' (Pakistan), a Pakistani television series featuring live music performances. * ''Coke Studio'' (India), an Indian television series featuring live music performances. * ''Coke Studio Bangla'', a Banglade ...

''.

Background and career

Mai belongs to the

Manganiar The Manganhar are a Muslim community found in the desert of Rajasthan, India; mostly in the districts of Barmer and Jaisalmer. also found in the districts of Tharparkar and Sanghar in the bordering province of Sindh in Pakistan. They are know ...

community. In 2013, she appeared in Lahooti Live Sessions a Live Music Sessions to promote Indigenous Music Sufi/Folk music, musicians, instruments among masses specially youth which is produced by the band The Sketches. She rose to fame after performing in Lahooti Live Sessions. In March 2015, as a part of DubMC collaboration with the US embassy in Pakistan and

Foundation for Arts, Culture and Education Pakistan National Council of the Arts ( ur, , or PNCA) was set up to spearhead the development of arts in Pakistan by an Act of Parliament in 1973. It aims to build a robust arts ecosystem by creating an environment conducive to the flourishi ...

(FACE) at

Music 2015 Global program, Mai performed in New York City at

Graduate Center The Graduate School and University Center of the City University of New York (CUNY Graduate Center) is a public research institution and post-graduate university in New York City. Serving as the principal doctorate-granting institution of the C ...

of City University. In an interview with Broadway world, she said, "I have confidence in my voice and the culture I come from," she states. "Things around here are getting stricter, especially when it comes to a woman singing on stage. I am the only women from the Manganiyar Tribe who has performed on a big stage But I am hopeful that things will get better, maybe for the next generation. And as long as my voice is with me I will keep singing." The Sketches & Lahooti Live Sessions helped Mai Dhai to appear in Coke Studio Pakistan. In 2015, she debuted in the eight season of Pakistani music reality television series ''

'', where she sang two songs including "Aankhaṛli Phaṛookai" and "Kadi Ao Ni with artists Karam Abbas Khan &

Atif Aslam Atif Aslam is a Pakistani playback singer, songwriter, composer, and actor. He has recorded many songs in both Pakistan and India, and is known for his vocal belting technique. Aslam predominantly sings in Urdu, but has also sung in Hindi, ...

respectively. Mai's appearance with Atif on Coke studio was received well by critics and viewers. Before appearing in ''Coke Studio'',

Saif Samejo Saif Samejo (born 23 January 1984) is a musician and founder, lead vocalist and songwriter of the Pakistani Sufi folk band The Sketches. In May 2014 he opened the first music Aashram (School) in Hyderabad, Sindh named as "Lahooti Music Aashr ...

of ''The Sketches'' collaborated with Mai, in an interview with ''

Express Tribune ''The Express Tribune'' is a daily English-language newspaper based in Pakistan. It is the flagship publication of the '' Daily Express'' media group. It is Pakistan's only internationally affiliated newspaper in a partnership with the ''Intern ...

'' he said, "The style in which Mai Dhai is performing on Coke Studio is her natural style, whereas we have tried to incorporate our style of music into hers, so that it retains its original Rajasthani flavour while also sounding like a dialogue between us." She sang two songs with the band.

Discography

* "Doro" (with

) The Sketches (Lahooti Live Sessions) (2013) * "Moriya (with

) The Sketches (Lahooti Live Sessions) (2015) * "Sarak Sarak" – Mai Dhai Band * "La Gorey" – Mai Dhai Band * "Aankhaṛli Phaṛookai" (with Karam Abbas Khan) – ''

Coke Studio Pakistan (season 8) The eighth season of the Pakistani music television series ''Coke Studio'' premiered on 16 August 2015 and aired its finale on 4 October 2015. It aired a weekly episode every Sunday on various channels across Pakistan. The season was revived u ...

'' * "Kadi Ao Ni" (with

) – ''

Filmography

* ''

Ho Mann Jahaan ''Ho Mann Jahaan'' ( ur, ) is a 2015 Pakistani coming-of-age musical drama film, written and directed by Asim Raza at his directorial debut. The screenplay was written by Rashna Abdi, Imtisal Abbasi and Asim Raza, while dialogues were written ...

'' – "Sarak Sarak"

Awards and recognition

Nigar Awards The Nigar Awards ( ur, , translit=Inʿām Negār, lit=Picture Awards) were presented in an annual award show to recognize outstanding achievement in Pakistani cinema. The honors are awarded by Nigar Magazine founded in 1948. The Nigar Awards a ...

for Best Playback singer in 2017 for film ''

''.

References

External links

*
Mai Dhai
at ''

''
Mai Dhai Band
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mai, Dhai 1919 births 20th-century Pakistani women singers Pakistani playback singers Pakistani radio personalities Pakistani women singers Pakistani folk singers People from Tharparkar District Pakistani people of Rajasthani descent Sindhi-language singers Pakistani classical singers Women ghazal singers Pakistani ghazal singers Nigar Award winners Thari people 21st-century Pakistani women singers