Malkit Singhਮਲਕੀਤ ਸਿੰਘ

Early life

Malkit Singh Boparai was born around 1963 in Hussainpur village near Jalandhar, Punjab, and was raised in nearby Nakodar. In 1984 he moved to Birmingham, England, where he joined the city's thriving Punjabi music scene and began performing with his backing band Golden Star.

Hussainpur and Nakodar in the 1960s and 70s were deep in Punjab's folk country, and the young Malkit Singh Boparai grew up hearing the songs he would later take to the world. Moving to Birmingham in 1984 placed him at the centre of the UK bhangra explosion, and fronting Golden Star gave him the live apprenticeship — hundreds of gigs, wedding crowds, dancefloors — that forged his powerhouse vocal style.

Career

Singh's breakthrough came with the 1990 album Tootak Tootak Toothian, whose title track — written by Veer Rahimpuri — became the fastest-selling and most successful bhangra single of its time, moving 2.5 million records, a record for bhangra Indi-pop. His catalogue grew into a string of anthems: 'Gur Nalo Ishq Mitha', 'Kurri Garam Jayee', 'Dekh Li Vilyait', and later 'Chal Hun' and 'Jind Mahi', the latter two featuring on the soundtrack of the hit film Bend It Like Beckham (2002).

The Guinness Book of Records listed him as the biggest-selling bhangra solo artist of all time, with sales of over 4.9 million records across his career. In 2008 he became the first Punjabi singer to be honoured with an MBE by Queen Elizabeth II at Buckingham Palace. He received the 'Commitment to Scene' award at the UK Asian Music Awards in 2005, an Outstanding Achievement award at the Brit Asia TV Music Awards in 2010, and a star on the Birmingham Walk of Stars in 2012.

'Tootak Tootak Tootiyan' was a phenomenon: written by Veer Rahimpuri, it sold 2.5 million copies and became the fastest-selling bhangra single of its era, its irresistible hook crossing over far beyond the Punjabi audience. 'Gur Nalo Ishq Mitha' and 'Kurri Garam Jayee' cemented his reign through the 1990s, and the Bend It Like Beckham soundtrack — 'Jind Mahi' and 'Chal Hun' — introduced him to a global film audience in 2002.

The honours accumulated: the Guinness record as bhangra's biggest-selling solo artist, the UK Asian Music Awards' Commitment to Scene prize, and then the MBE in 2008 — the first for a Punjabi singer — presented by the Queen at Buckingham Palace. The 2012 star on the Birmingham Walk of Stars put him alongside the city's greats.

Major works

Tootak Tootak Toothian (1990), 'Gur Nalo Ishq Mitha', 'Jind Mahi' and 'Chal Hun' (Bend It Like Beckham), and the 2025 remake of 'Gur Nalo Ishq Mitha' with Yo Yo Honey Singh.

Tootak Tootak Toothian (1990), 'Gur Nalo Ishq Mitha', 'Jind Mahi', 'Chal Hun', and the Honey Singh remake of 'Gur Nalo Ishq Mitha' that introduced him to a new generation.

Personal life

Singh lives in Birmingham with his family. His son Manraj and daughters Amardip and Harpreet joined him at Buckingham Palace for the MBE ceremony.

Singh lives in Birmingham with his wife Daljit; their children Amardip, Harpreet and Manraj joined the family celebration at Buckingham Palace.

Legacy

Known as the 'Golden Voice of Bhangra', Malkit Singh carried Punjabi folk-pop from the dancefloors of Birmingham to Buckingham Palace, and his record sales remain the benchmark for bhangra solo artists.

The 'Golden Voice of Bhangra' earned its title: across four decades, Malkit Singh has been the genre's most reliable hitmaker and its most decorated ambassador, from Birmingham dancefloors to Buckingham Palace.