The hallmark of the "Great musician's" often lies in their ability to hone to perfection a strong and easily assimilated iconic, but singular image. It may evolve slowly and surely over the years but will always be presumed to be a natural maturing. Daler Mehndi, as a musician, performer and song - writer, defined this convention completely. He continually re-invented himself and his art at breakneck speed and illogical disjointedness. It seemed as though time was always at a premium. With complete disregard for the then prevalent - regional- Punjabi- music style loyalty or so called integrity, he combined the most unlikely forms of music with newfound subject matter sprinkled with his fetish for "RabRab" (God) words, rendered with versatile Power Pitched Vocals, performed with exquisite choreography and character, ornamented further with the signature self designed Maharaja Robes, Bejewelled Turban and Jewellery - a Style only befitting a Maharaja presenting the then unknown and unborn Indian Pop Industry with its first true Pop Icon. He deconstructs that which makes him singular, and then a new element arises to confound and entice the masses who think they have just figured out his latest incarnation. His USP was his Originality. Mehndi exemplifies the new aesthetic from his humble folkie yet celebrated beginnings from Bolo Ta Ra Ra to the glitter and glam of the rocking Balle Balle & Jalwa, to the pied piper rage of Tunak Tunak , to the elegance of Ru -Ba -Ru & Shaam Say Maine Puchha, at each twist and turn of his career, creating more than one myth to harken back to his creative visions.
In the beginning... Daler Singh was born in Patna, Bihar on August 18th, 1967. He was born into a family of musicians who had been singing for seven generations. His early influences on music are his parents, who taught him the ragas and Shabad's from the Guru Granth Sahib Ji. At age 11 inspired by the Patiala Gharana style of Indian Classical Music, he ran away from home in search of the Late Ustad Raahat Ali Khan Sahib of Gorakhpur for lessons. Gave his first stage performance in front of an audience of 20,000 at the age of 13 in Jaunpur where his parents found him standing center-stage, his shoulders overflowing with garlands of flowers, sandalwood and money. Classical music of the great Indian Maestros heard on radio, concerts and cassettes of the legendary Bade Ghulam Ali Khan, Nazakat Ali- Salamat Ali, Mehdi Hasan, Parvaiz Mehdi, Chote Ghulam Ali Khan and the Illahi Kirtan Durbars attended all over India provided him with an introduction into the world of gurmat sangeet, thumri, khayal, ghazal.
By 1991, he formed his own group comprising of his brother's, cousins and musician friends. Daler performed at the Who's Who and within a year was a must have at each socialite's do. By 1995 he was Daler Mehndi, with long flowing robes, bejeweled turban and aspirations of stardom rustling about his head. Mr. Shashi Gopal of Magnasound signed him immediately for a 3 Album Contract for 3 years.
Success followed Daler without doubt and Indian Pop was never the same since his advent into it. He was majorly responsible for the elevation of the Indian Pop Music through the Super Success of all his albums. His innovative, inimitable and imaginative style of music was responsible for the elevation of Pop Music to a degree of respectability that it commands today. The inspiring and refreshing mix of the classically seeming traditional music fused with the funky beats of the new age proved to be a potent mixture.
1998 was an eventful year of his career. He was signed by Coca Cola to counter Pepsi's Bollywood Brigade for a whooping record deal, which made History. Daler Mehndi was Coca Cola's Brand Ambassador and the Jingle sung buy Daler for Coke with the signature Daler Mehndi choreography became a rage. Daler was taken for a 30 city Tour of India with each city having more than 50 thousand to a Lakh of Audience creating hysteria. The same year Daler dropped another bombastic track "KUDIYAN SHEHR DIYAN" for the film titled "ARJUN PANDIT" featuring the chirpy Juhi Chawla. The song is still a must play at all weddings, and clubs and the chart busters were enough to help the producers have their cash registers running. Daler's musical journey was creating waves through his Tour's abroad. USA tasted the Mehndi Mania during the Blast 98 Tour.
In 1999 he released "TUNAK TUNAK". It became famous as the pied piper track and its music video which was conceptualized by Mehndi in retaliation to the media's comment that the success of his videos depend only on the glam models featured in the videos. Daler Mehndi's exquisite choreography done by himself the song and the video became an instant HIT, such was the craze of the song that people across the globe are being enchanted by him to this day. For India it was the first ever music video using the Blue Screen technology. Tunak Tunak won the prestigious RAPA Award, the Channel V Award, The Videocon Award, The Screen Award. Such was the craze of Daler that almost every movie, T.V serial or commercial started emulating him as a person or his style or his songs and tunes to copy the success he was relishing. Right from dressing like Daler, singing in Punjabi and greeting with Balle Balle became a trend. Even during the election campaign, various political parties ran their campaigns on tunes of his hits to capture the attention of common man.
The Press was dizzy with his energetic performances. One journalist mesmerized with the Bhangra King's performance went to the extent of writing on record "HE IS ALL THAT… HE IS BIGGER THAN THE BEATLES" (Home News Tribune). Post the Singapore concert; one journalist went onto write, "If Daler's legs found a lawyer they would sue his pants off them. That's the way Daler jigs around so frantically that it is almost infectious, like a ballerina on steroids." Daler Mehndi Concert Tours in USA, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, UK, Europe, UAE, South Africa, East Africa, Oman, Bahrain, Malaysia, Pakistan, Hong Kong, Singapore, West Indies, Belgium, Holland to name a few have had crowds swooning to his music and dancing away to glory as one fan fondly describes his music "the stairway to Heaven". Such is the persona of the man that when he is performing live before a cheering mob, none can resist exercising their sweat glands with him. On stage he is electricity personified. The press quoted his Malaysian concert as "Bigger than that of Michael Jackson's" Daler apart from weaving his musical magic had set another rage that of his costumes. From Bollywood Actors, to kids, grown ups, to foreigners all were aping his signature long flowing robes, he was also responsible for adding glamour to the Sikh "Turban", he made 'colorful turbans, a trend.
In 1999, he received the Elle Style Award for the Most Stylish Music Artiste. The Millennium had Daler Mehndi jiving with his young fans dressed like him in the Delirious "EK DANA" album. The Album outsold its predecessors and is to this date his highest selling album on the net. In 2005 Daler released "Destiny" to the world stage.