He is probably the No.1 Bhangra act in the world today. His 17th album, "Millennium Mixes" represents a colossal union of the musical and lyrical presence that has kept him at the forefront of the Bhangra music scene.
After the worldwide and platinum successes of Midas Touch, Forever Gold and Upfront, Malkit Singh and his 'Golden Star' troop now head for his 28th foreign tour. He has proved himself in the mainstream with his glorious debut on the Apache Indian single Independent Girl - taking Punjabi music, culture and gospel to realms yet unknown.
He was born with a mercurial flair for the arts. When he was just four-years old, his singing ability won him admission into a school meant for six-year-olds. Ever since, the thirty-something Malkit Singh has maintained his head start on the competition, taking Punjabi bhangra music into realms previously unexplored.
True to his name, Malkit, which translates to ‘One Has Rules The World’, has taken his music from the Punjabi vernacular to cross-cultural experiments ranging from rap and house to the Hindi film screens. The traditional folk music has gone from the relative obscurity of a Punjabi village to the heady heights of a world stage. As the music spreads its wings across the globe, Malkit Singh encompasses an audience of all ages.
Over the years he has accumulated a wide range of awards for his songs, his live act, sales and for individual services to music. One of the most distinguished accolades was presented in 1997, The Recognition of the City of Los Angeles for Services to the Indian Community.
Amongst the world renowned arenas, Malkit Singh has performed at Maple Leaf Gardens in Toronto, The Lincoln Center in New York, The National Cricket Stadium in New Delhi, India (to over 12,000 fans), the Queen Elizabeth Halls and The Victoria & Albert Museum in London and the Hyatt Regency Hotel in Dubai. Many of these performances have been debut stage shows for a Bhangra artist still yet to be equalled by any of Malkit Singh's modern day adversaries.
He is arguably one of the greatest stars of Bhangra music in the world today, the idol of all generations and holder of the unofficial title as the King of Bhangra. This Punjabi music icon has been catapulted from virtual obscurity in the early eighties to this, his overwhelming status as one of the pioneers of Bhangra music all within a short musical lifetime.
Now as he embarks on his travels to promote his latest album of his career, Malkit Singh gives Little India an insight into what makes him the original Golden Star.
Twenty-seven countries have already experienced the live Malkit Singh phenomenon and he has set foot on some of the biggest and most renowned stages world-wide. His songs are the heartbeat of Punjabi’s around the globe with his multitude of reminiscent gems etched in their minds forever. To put the icing on his own celebrated cake, he has most recently been awarded the Best Male Vocalist in the UK for the third year running, and his duet with Apache Indian has just debuted in the mainstream market. As his new album Akh Larr Gayee nestles at the higher regions of music charts everywhere, is Malkit Singh set to emblazon his name to places yet unknown to Bhangra?
In 1981, his winning of the third Punjab collegiate competition award was marked with a "golden star" pendant. Malkit adopted the name for his band, and the Golden Star band is as synonymous to Malkit as the E-Street Band is to Bruce Springsteen.
As we move into 2002, Malkit Singh is still winning new audiences in the exploding world of bhangra and in the process he's opening the floodgates for many upcoming Bhangra artists.
malkit singh punjabi singerFrom the classic debut song Nach Gidde Wich, the infectious-feel-good Gurh Nalo Ishq Mitha ‘Boliyan’ [an anthology of traditional folk songs], his trademark anthem Tootak Tootak Thootian (Hey Jamalo), these songs became the benchmark sound of the 1980’s. Furthermore, with his 90’s and Y2K excursions Midas Touch, Forever Gold and the smash-hit Kudi Patoley Wargi, the songs went on to become some of the most popular songs and videos in modern Bhangra music history.
As an international recording and touring artiste, performances at internationally acclaimed venues have further cemented his dominance of his music genius. Astonishingly, twenty-seven countries have already witnessed the live phenomenon that is Malkit Singh and his backing band ‘Golden Star’.
malkit singh the star of bhangraAn enviable plethora of prestigious accolades have been bestowed on Malkit Singh over the years including the honour of being the biggest selling Bhangra artists in the world, recognised by the Millennium Edition of the Guinness Book of World Records in 2000. That follows his Recognition of the City of Los Angeles for Services to the Indian Community in 1997, Best Punjabi Male Singer and the Most Outstanding Track of the Bhangra Era for Tootak Tootak Thootian (Hey Jamalo). In 1998, the former Indian premier Mr. I. K. Gujral presented the Punjabi Cultural Award for services to music to Malkit Singh at his official residence - the sole recipient of this unrivalled honour. Earlier in 2001, Malkit Singh was honoured with the Guru Nanak University in Amritsar’s 27th Convocation Gold Medal Award Doctorate for his services to Punjabi Music and Culture.
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