Bikram Singh (born 1980/1981) is an American
bhangra music artist. A graduate of
Touro Law School, he also works as an
attorney in
New York City
New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...
.
Early years
Singh emigrated from
Punjab
Punjab (; Punjabi: پنجاب ; ਪੰਜਾਬ ; ; also romanised as ''Panjāb'' or ''Panj-Āb'') is a geopolitical, cultural, and historical region in South Asia, specifically in the northern part of the Indian subcontinent, comprising a ...
, India, to
Queens
Queens is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Queens County, in the U.S. state of New York. Located on Long Island, it is the largest New York City borough by area. It is bordered by the borough of Brooklyn at the western tip of Long ...
,
New York when he was twelve years old. He quickly entered the local music scene, debuting his tracks at an open mic night in
Greenwich Village
Greenwich Village ( , , ) is a neighborhood on the west side of Lower Manhattan in New York City, bounded by 14th Street to the north, Broadway to the east, Houston Street to the south, and the Hudson River to the west. Greenwich Village ...
. Singh began exploring the boundaries between Punjabi folk lyricism and Asian Underground electronica, and he teamed up with New York's DJ Navdeep to record the underground hit "Aa Gayee". Singh performed with
Panjabi MC
Rajinder Singh Rai (Punjabi: ਰਜਿੰਦਰ ਸਿੰਘ), 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", ...
at Summerjam 2003, when he sang "
Beware of the Boys
"Mundian To Bach Ke" ( pa, ਮੁੰਡਿਆਂ ਤੋਂ ਬੱਚ ਕੇ, ), also titled "Beware of the Boys (Mundian To Bach Ke)" or "Beware", is a bhangra music song produced by British musician Panjabi MC, with vocals and lyrics by Punjab ...
" for a crowd of over 20,000. Since then, Singh has toured all over
Europe
Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a subcontinent of Eurasia and it is located entirel ...
, the United States, and the United Kingdom.
The 2004 mix-tape ''Exclusives''
Review of ''Exclusives''
/ref> included a collaboration with Global Soul recording artist Shakti to produce "Do the Thang Thang," which played on New York radio stations Hot 97
WQHT (97.1 FM, ''Hot 97'') is a commercial radio station, licensed to New York, New York, which broadcasts an urban contemporary music format. The station is owned by Mediaco Holding and operated by Emmis Communications under a shared ser ...
and Power 105
WWPR-FM (105.1 FM) is an urban contemporary music radio station licensed to New York City. WWPR-FM is owned by iHeartMedia and broadcasts from studios in the former AT&T Building in the Tribeca neighborhood of Manhattan; its transmitter is l ...
. Also on the album were the Tigerstyle-produced hits "Taakre" and "Nachna".
Singh's latest album, ''American Jugni'', has spent several weeks on the top of the BBC Asian Bhangra charts. Singh brought in two major Bhangra producers, Tigerstyle
Tigerstyle is a Scottish folkhop group from Glasgow with a British Punjabi background.
Background
Brothers Raj Singh and Pablo (Pops) Singh come from a folk background, with the traditional upbringing of a Sikh family, with their roots in Punja ...
and Ravi Bal, to work on the album. In 2005, ''American Jugni'' was the best-selling album in the UK and the track "Kawan", which featured vocal talents of Gunjan (a well established female Hindi/Punjabi singer) was named by BBC radio as the track of the year.
In 2007, Singh linked up with producer and hip hop extraordinaire Wyclef to create a track on DJ Rekha's (Basement Bhangra) upcoming Koch Records release. Rekha had actually asked Bikram a while back to do a track for the album and the vocals sat there over the years and nothing materialized for a while. But with the album release finalized, Rekha rekindled the record this year and asked him to re-do the vocals on the track in collaboration with Wyclef, and the ‘Basement Bhangra Anthem’ was born.
In 2011, Singh performed on Das Racist
Das Racist was an American alternative hip hop group based in Brooklyn, composed of MCs Heems and Kool A.D. and hype man Ashok Kondabolu (a.k.a. Dapwell or Dap). Known for their use of humor, academic references, foreign allusions, and unconven ...
's "Punjabi Song" from their album ''Relax
Relax may refer to:
Aviation
* Roland Z-120 Relax, a German ultralight aircraft design for the 120 kg class
Music Albums
* ''Relax'' (Blank & Jones album), 2003
* ''Relax'' (Das Racist album), 2011
Songs
* "Relax" (song), a 1983 song by Fran ...
''. He sings the hook, entirely in Punjabi.
The band
Bikram Singh and the band consists of a drummer, tabla player, dholki player, dhol player, a bass guitarist, and a keyboardist. Bikram Singh has been performing with a band for the past 7 years. These musicians are some of the best in the world, having played alongside award-winning singers and producers including A.R. Rahman (India), Panjabi MC
Rajinder Singh Rai (Punjabi: ਰਜਿੰਦਰ ਸਿੰਘ), 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", ...
(UK), Tigerstyle
Tigerstyle is a Scottish folkhop group from Glasgow with a British Punjabi background.
Background
Brothers Raj Singh and Pablo (Pops) Singh come from a folk background, with the traditional upbringing of a Sikh family, with their roots in Punja ...
(UK) and many more. It's a power packed performance with Bikram Singh singing some of the most traditional folk cover songs along with his high energy original tracks from his recent albums. After a four-year hiatus, Bikram Singh released "Ek Gabru" a single, which features the lyrics of Preet Kanwal and music production of Tigerstyle.
Tour destinations
Below are some of the cities and countries Bikram has taken his show to:
*United Kingdom:- London, Birmingham, Leicester, Leeds.
*Switzerland: Basel, Zurich.
*Norway: Oslo & Drammen.
*Denmark: Copenhagen.
*Germany: Berlin, Cologne, Frankfurt.
*Thailand: Bangkok.
*Costa Rica: San Juan.
*Puerto Rico: San Jose.
*India: Bombay, Delhi, Chandigarh, Ludhiana, Amritsar.
*Canada: Toronto, London, Edmonton.
*Singapore.
In addition, Bikram Singh has performed numerous times in the United States in the following States: New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Vermont, Michigan (Detroit, Lansing), Florida (Miami, Orlando, Fort Lauderdale), Pennsylvania (State College, Philadelphia, Easton, Allentown) Massachusetts (Boston, MIT) Virginia, District of Columbia, West Virginia, Minnesota (Minneapolis), Indiana (West Lafayette, Indianapolis), Georgia (Atlanta), Illinois (Chicago), Ohio (Columbus), North Carolina, South Carolina, Texas (Houston, Dallas), Nevada (Las Vegas), Arizona, California (Los Angeles, San Francisco, Sacramento, Yuba City, San Diego, Colusa) and more.
Discography
Singles:
"Kawan 2" featuring Tigerstyle & Gunjan
Release date: March 2014
"Botal" featuring DDS
Rlease date: October 2014
"Rusiya Na Kar" Feat. PropheC
Release date: August 25, 2016
ALBUMS
Title: BIK I AM
* Artist: Bikram Singh
* Label: Sony BMG Ent. / Soldier Sound Recordings/ Inar Records
* Production: Tigerstyle, Ranbir S., Twin Beats, Mentor, DDS - Ecamp,
* Release Date: November 24, 2011
Tracks:
1. Kinna Sohna Munda - Bikram Singh
2. Beyonce - Bikram Singh
3. Tenu Kinne Sikhaya - Bikram Singh & Premi Johal
4. Electro Love Boliyan - Bikram Singh feat. Ranbir S.
5. Nachengi - Bikram Singh
6. Mere Naal Nach - Bikram Singh feat. Twin Beats
7. Mein Na Avanga - Bikram Singh
8. Sohni Lagdi - Bikram Singh
9. Just For A Dance - Bikram Singh feat. Bellringer, Mentor, Pramänik
10. Naina'ch Sharab - Bikram Singh
11. Ghar Aja Ve Mahi - Bikram Singh & Jyoti Gill
12. Yaari - Bikram Singh
13. Jaaniye - Bikram Singh feat. PropheC
14. Mere Naal Nach (Remix) Bikram Singh feat. DDS
Title: Tip Top
* Artist: Bikram Singh
* Label: Vip Urban UK / Angel Records India
* Production: Tigerstyle
* Release Date: December 16, 2008
* Tracks:
1. Naagni
2. Aashiqan De Dil
3. Ik Waari Aaja (ft Gunjan)
4. Gidhian Di Rani
5. Akhiyan’ch Tu Vasdi (ft Josh)
6. Tip Top Putt Jatt Da
7. Telephone
8. Solwa Saal
9. Mein Boli Punjabi
10. Dil Sanu De Mutiyare
11. Pehle Tor Di Sharaab
12. Ik Waari Aaja ( Bandish Projekt “Come Back” Remix)
Title: American Jugni
* Artist: Bikram Singh
* Label: Vip Urban UK / Universal Music India
* Production: Tigerstyle
* Release Date: December 21, 2005
* Tracks:
1. American Jugni - Bikram Singh
2. Kawan - Gunjan & Bikram Singh
3. Akh Nagni - Bikram Singh
4. Bhabi Munda Lambran Da - Bikram Singh
5. Chaklo Gandasay - Bikram Singh
6. Kei Katal Hongay - Bikram Singh
7. Sada Dil - Bikram Singh
8. Kushian De Dhol - Bikram Singh
9. Luggian - Bikram Singh
10. Chaklo Gandasay (Remix) - Bikram Singh
11. sohni kuriye - Harsimran Sanghera
Title: Exclusives from Bikram Singh
* Artist: Bikram Singh
* Label: Anamika Records
* Production: Tigerstyle, Ranbir S.
* Release Date: January 3, 2003
References
* https://web.archive.org/web/20071007092006/http://www.bikramsingh.com/
* http://www.punjabonline.com
* http://www.punjab2000.com
* https://web.archive.org/web/20110430180603/http://desimusic.com/
External links
Official SiteUniversal Music India profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Singh, Bikram
1980s births
Living people
New York (state) lawyers
Touro Law Center alumni
21st-century American singers
21st-century American male singers