Bikram Singh's latest album, "American Jugni" has spent week after week on the top of the BBC Asian Bhangra charts. Bikram, the embodiment of Punjabi folk music in the new millenium, has his feet firmly planted in Punjabi soil. Now he looks to conquer the world with his golden voice, his masterful lyrics, and his urban attitude.
After a twelve-year-old Bikram emigrated to Queens, New York, from Punjab, he was looking for a medium to express himself. He didn't have to reach farther than his "Tumbi" instrument. Bikram began emulating the Punjabi superstars on whose music he was raised: Kuldip Manak, Surinder Shinda, and Yamla Jatt. By 2001 he had produced his own tracks, which he debuted at an Open Mic Night in Greenwich Village. Bikram reminisces, "The response that night was amazing, it was so positive. I mean, people loved my stuff."
That core fan base loved Bikram's easy-going personality, too, and so did the producers who flocked to work the rising star. Soon Bikram was exploding 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". Bikram took his show on the road with Punjabi MC at Summerjam 2003, when he sang "Beware of the Boyz" for 20,000 strong and shared the stage with LL Cool J, Nas, and Lil' Kim. Since then Bikram hastoured all over Europe and the UK, Vegas, Los Angeles, Northern California and, of course, NYC.
Bikram brings the folk roots of his people's music to the forefront of global culture. Though the beats behind Bikram's lyrics represent a diverse range of musical genres, his verses and style have always come from the same Punjabi core: "An artist's music has to be honest, you can't pretend to be something that you're not."
The 2004 mix-tape "Exclusives" was the culmination of this young artist's experimental stage. He worked with Global Soul recording artist Shakti to produce "Do the Thang Thang," which quickly found its niche on the radio rotations of NYC's Hip Hop mainstays Hot 97 and Power 105. Also on the album were the Tigerstyle-produced hits "Taakre" and "Nachna".
With the British-produced "American Jugni," Bikram brought two major Bhangra producers (Tigerstyle and Ravi Bal) on one album, a feat unheard of in the UK music scene. Ravi Bal's storied past includes work with Punjabi music legends Malkit Singh and A.S. Kang, as well his recent mega-hit with rising star Daljit Mattu, "Captain Bhangre Da." Tigerstyle top all European charts and bring an urban precision previously unknown in Punjabi music. Tigerstyle put the beat behind Bikram's latest hit track "Kawaan," featuring Gunjan, a sexy duo about two separated lovers. "Kawaan" is already a major hit in the UK, Europe, and North America, and it's soon to make waves in India when the album is released in the subcontinent in late March 2006.
This powerhouse vocalist and writer isn't done yet. Bikram Singh has found his medium for expression, and now he's got his eyes set on being the Punjabi folk voice for a new generation to enjoy, love, and immortalize. Says the rooted singer, "You have to keep tied to the folk elements, and I never forget the history, our history."- Biography courtesy of R.S Gill.
