Information:
After chart-smashing international
success with his last compilation, American Jugni,
Bikram Singh rages back onto the Punjabi music scene
with another hot album, Tip Top! Ik Waari Aja features
the hot young vocalist Gunjan, which along side
Aashiqaan De Dill made it to the top ten BBC network’.s
charts. Bikram’s popularity is ever-growing, but the
artist knows his base, “The fans can always expect great
music from me. The new album has some amazing dance
songs, and songs with inspiring messages”
Bikram, the embodiment of Punjabi folk music in the new
millennium, has his feet firmly planted in the Punjabi
soil. He conquered the North American, European, and
Asian charts with his golden voice, his masterful
lyrics, and his urban attitude. Bikram brings the folk
roots of his people's music to the forefront of global
culture. The beats behind Bikram's lyrics represent a
diverse range of musical genres, but his verses and
style have always come from the same Punjabi core. "An
artist's music has to be honest, you can't pretend to be
something that you're not” says the rising star.
Bikram’s unique style brings a diverse batch of talent
to the new album. Kam Frantic from the UK, Josh of
Montreal, Sunil Sehgeal from Jersey, and the world
famous Tigerstyle of Scotland all contribute. Bikram has
already filmed two videos, for the playful Telephone and
the title track Tip-Top, and is now working on touring
Europe, India, the States and Australia.
Biography:
“Music was always around me. I began writing at a very
young age, and continued writing until one day I was
playing around with music software and recorded what I
had written. It sounded pretty good”
At the age of twelve Bikram immigrated to Queens, New
York, from Punjab. He was looking for a medium to
express himself. Bikram began emulating his favorite
Punjabi superstars: Kuldip Manak, Surinder Shinda, and
Yamla Jatt.
“When people responded positively to my music, my
interest grew even more, to the extent that I decided to
do music professionally.”
By 2001, Bikram produced his own tracks, which he
debuted at an Open Mic Night in Greenwich Village. "The
response that night was amazing, it was so positive. I
mean, people loved my stuff". Bikram’s fans loved his
easy-going personality and so did the producers who were
keen to work with the rising star. Soon Bikram exploded
the boundaries between Punjabi folk lyricism and Asian
Underground electronica. He teamed up with New York's DJ
Navdeep to record the underground hit ‘Aa Gayee’. Bikram
took his show on the road with Punjabi MC at Summerjam
2003, when he sang Beware Of The Boyz for a 20,000
strong crowd and shared the stage with LL Cool J, Nas,
and Lil' Kim. Since then Bikram has toured all over
Europe and the UK, Vegas, Los Angeles, Northern
California and, of course, NYC.
The 2004 mix-tape Exclusives was the culmination of this
young artist's experimental stage. He worked with Global
Soul recording artist Shakti to produce ‘Do the Thang
Thang’, which quickly found its niche on the radio
rotations of NYC's Hip Hop mainstays Hot 97 and Power
105. Also on the album were the Tigerstyle-produced hits
Taakre and Nachna. With the British-produced American
Jugni, Bikram brought two major Bhangra producers
(Tigerstyle and Ravi Bal) on one album, a feat unheard
of in the UK music scene.
Tigerstyle topped all European charts and brought an
urban precision previously unknown in Punjabi music.
Tigerstyle put the beat behind Bikram's hit track Kawan
(featuring Gunjan), a duet about two separated lovers.
The song was a major hit in the UK, Europe, and North
America, and made epic waves in India. Says the rooted
singer: "You have to keep tied to the folk elements and
I never forget the history, our history."
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