Sukhwinder Singh

Name: Sukhwinder Singh











BIOGRAPHY

Sukhwinder Singh is an Indian singer, most famous as a Bollywood playback singer. His greatest success is arguably the song Chaiyya Chaiyya (Eng: Walk in the Shadow) for Mani Ratnam's 1998 film Dil Se, composed by A. R. Rahman, for which he won the 'Best Male Playback' award at the 1999 Filmfare Awards in India.

Sukhwinder Singh is one of the most in-demand singers in Bollywood. The Chaiyya Chaiyya man arrived in style. Chaiyya Chaiyya needs no introduction. The first stage performance was at the age of 7 – 8 when he sang the Lata number ‘Sa re ga ma pa, pa, pa, ga ma re, ga re mere sang mere saajna’. He also released a Punjabi album called Munda Southhall Da with T – Series and came to collect an award and decided to stay back. He joined Laxmikant Pyarelal’s troupe and quickly became a music arranger. Then as with Hindi film actors, he went looking for work to the south of India and did a film called Rakshagan.

Luck seemed to favour him as he got a break in a Madhuri Dixit starrer called Khilaaf in which he sang a hit song ‘Aa ja sanam’. But the singer himself realised that something was missing in his voice. He left his dream city to tour England and America to learn more about music. To see, hear and understand the various forms of music. After this broadening of his musical horizons he returned to Mumbai to kick-start his musical career.

His first effort in Hindi films, Aaja Sanam, went largely unremarked, even though the music carried the names of Laxmikant-Pyarelal. Then, along came Dil Se. A R Rahman, always interested in something new, used Sukhwinder for the unforgettable Chaiyya Chaiyya. It was no flash in the pan, and Sukhwinder is now highly regarded as a sensitive and eloquent singer. Other films followed, including Taal, Biwi No 1, 1947 Earth, Daag, Dillagi and Thakshak have now made him a household word. Sukhwinder owes a large part of his success to Rahman's encouragement, and makes no effort to gloss over that fact.

Sukhwinder has some pretty strong opinions about writing music - he has once stated that if he was ever involved in writing music for film, he would delve deep into the Indian musical landscape and not simply conjure up some digital tricks with pop and fusion.Rahman and Sukhwinder are presently working very closely together, and the duo have decided to make music that is not tailor-made to fit in with films, but to venture into realms where they can truly express themselves.