Sukhwinder Singh was born on 18 July 1971 in Amritsar, Punjab. He is a playback singer known for a loud, high-energy voice with roots in Punjabi folk music, and he has sung in Hindi, Punjabi, Tamil and other languages.
He began pursuing music at the age of 17 and did early work with the composers Laxmikant–Pyarelal before wider recognition came in 1998. His signature song is “Chaiyya Chaiyya” from Mani Ratnam’s Dil Se (1998), composed by A. R. Rahman with lyrics by Gulzar and sung with Sapna Awasthi.
His work with Rahman continued in Taal (1999), where “Ramta Jogi” was among his hits. He was one of the credited performers of “Jai Ho” from Slumdog Millionaire (2008), the song that won the Academy Award for Best Original Song for its composer, Rahman, and lyricist, Gulzar.
He also sang “Haule Haule” from Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi (2008), composed by Salim–Sulaiman, and received a Filmfare award for the song.
He is regarded as one of the most recognisable Punjabi voices in Hindi cinema, with a style that favours power and rhythm over delicacy.
Featured image: Sukhwinder Singh performing at IFFI, Goa, 2012 (cropped). Photo by joegoaukiffi3, licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
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