After a hiatus of six years, Punjabi pop-singer Sukhbir Singh is back with a new album Tere Naal Nachna.
Just like the city he moved to more than 16 years ago, singer-songwriter Sukhbir Singh's music has developed thanks to a fusion of cultures, innovative landscape and impressive architecture.
Dubai is unrecognisable to anyone who visited in the early years and so, claims Singh, is his music today. “I launched my music career in Dubai and looking back I can't imagine anywhere else in the world I would have rather done it," he says.
“The inspiration in this city is amazing and it has greatly influenced my music. The people I have met, things I have experienced and memories made have all inspired me to look further than just what comes out in the first instance," he says.
Singh, 38, made his name in Dubai back in 1992 when he performed his first concert at the World Trade Centre to more than 6,000 fans.
This week the Indian-born singer launched his latest album, Tere Naal Nachna.
The Bhangra singer, who grew up in Nairobi for 20 years before moving to the UAE, has since performed in venues from New York to Kolkata, wowing fans with his unique sound and energetic stage presence.
Singh is often referred to as the Prince of Bhangra boasting a style which varies from fusion to pure Punjabi.
“Nothing prepares you for fame," he said. “I remember my first concert and I couldn't believe I was the centre of attention. It was the first moment at which I realised I could actually make it in the music industry but it felt odd all the same.
“In Kolkata, I performed as part of a bigger event at the Salt Lake stadium, which holds more than 160,000 people. The stage was in the middle of the stadium so I was surrounded by fans. It was amazing."
At just 14 years old, a young Singh honed his singing skills practising kirtans on the harmonium, strumming the guitar and perfecting the dhol a traditional Punjabi drum playing in the local gurudwara (temple) with his father in Nairobi, Kenya.
“This apprenticeship laid the groundwork for the musical side of my bhangra career," said Singh. “It taught me about music through traditional and religious paths, which I believe shaped the person I am today." But it could have all been very different admits Singh as he looks to the skies longingly and recalls a childhood dream to be a pilot.
“I was obsessed with flying and things that fly. It is all I ever wanted to do."
But the plan for a life in the sky was quickly forgotten when he saw his friends, who had trained to be pilots, struggling to find work.
In the background the music was always playing.
Followed his dream
“It wasn't long before I was asked to be in a band by one of the people who had heard me sing in the temple," he said. “I was shocked, but not as shocked when I heard my father agree to the offer. He told me to ‘get out of here and experience all that music had to offer' and I've never looked back since then."
Experimenting with new instruments and styles Singh was eventually spotted by businessman Ketan Somaiyya, who suggested he should record an album.
“He told me I was good and said to leave it with him so I did. I didn't hear from him for a year. Then one fine day he called me up and said he had built a recording studio in London."
So it was with no money and experience that Singh followed his dream and headed to the bright lights of London where he also met his wife of three years Dimpy.
“We didn't know what we were doing so we recorded an album with me singing in nine languages because we thought that would be quite impressive," recalls Singh with a smile. “Turns out it wasn't such a good idea as the record companies informed us nobody would buy a song in Spanish or Portuguese in India."
With a mainly Indian target audience in mind it was back to the drawing board for Singh and his partner who eventually recorded and released New Stylee in 1996 to great acclaim.
Unique fusion
Recorded in Dubai with many foreign influences, the album was nominated for the 1996 Channel V Awards in three categories: Best Debut Album, Best Male Vocalist and Best Music Video (for Punjabi Munde).
But it's his unique fusion which appears to keep his avid audience guessing about what might come next.
“My music is like bhangra with rap, techno and reggae. I allow everything around me to influence me. What comes from my heart and soul comes on my melody. But the one thing which always seems to break through in some shape or form is the Punjabi style."
Launched in collaboration with Dubai-based Viva Entertainment, Singh's just released his eighth album. Tere Naal Nachna is available in all major music stores across the UAE.
“I consider myself extremely lucky everyday and cannot believe I get to do what I love the most for a living," says Singh and signs off.
His albums
New Stylee (1996)
Gal Ban Gayee (1997)
Hai Energy (1999) Prince of Bhangra Volume 1 (2000)
Oi! Triesto (2000)
Sukhbir — Greatest Hits (2000)
Dil Kare (2001)
Tere Naal Nachna (2008)
