Surjit Bindrakhiaਸੁਰਜੀਤ ਬਿੰਦਰੱਖੀਆ

Early life in Bindrakh

Surjit Singh Bains was born on 15 April 1962 in Bindrakh, a village in Punjab's Rupnagar district, to Sucha Singh — an accomplished wrestler — and Gurcharan Kaur. The village gave him his stage name. He grew up steeped in rural Punjab's folk culture, and as a college student he began singing boliyan for his college bhangra team — he had been a bhangra dancer before he ever thought of commercial singing. Recognising his raw vocal power, he took formal training from the music composer Atul Sharma.

From boliyan to the recording studio

Before he was a recording star, Bindrakhia appeared in Punjabi films — his first appearance came in Anakh Jattan Dee (1989), where he sang the title song “Baniye Ne Jatt”. Lyricist Shamsher Sandhu recognised his talent and opened the door to the music industry; most of Bindrakhia's hit songs would be written by Sandhu with music produced by Atul Sharma — the partnership that defined his sound.

The breakthrough and the hekh

His first big break came with the 1990 album Addi Utte Ghum, whose track “Jugni” featured his famous hekh — a single note held continuously in one breath, reportedly stretching to 32 seconds on that recording and, at his peak, up to 42 seconds. The hekh became his trademark: a high-pitched, sustained cry that paused and shifted with the dhol, giving his singing what one critic called “the air of a child gone a little mad with his voice.” No other bhangra singer could sustain a note the way he did.

The voice of 1990s Punjab

Through the 1990s Bindrakhia cut 32 solo audio cassettes and became one of the most successful traditional artists on the bhangra circuit. His 1994 album Dupatta Tera Sat Rang Da exploded: the title track stayed at number one on the UK Punjabi charts for weeks and made him, in the words of music writers, the first international superstar of bhangra. Hit followed hit — “Tera Yaar Bolda”, “Lakk Tunoo Tunoo”, “Bas Kar Bas Kar”, “Mukhda Dekh Ke”, “Meri Nath Dig Paye”, “Jatt Di Pasand” — songs that became indispensable at Punjabi weddings and are still heard at celebrations across north India today. He married Preet Bains in April 1990; their son Gitaz Bindrakhia later followed him into Punjabi music and acting, and their daughter is Minaz Bindrakhia.

Death and mourning

Bindrakhia had been hospitalised several times in his final years. On the morning of 17 November 2003 he died of cardiac arrest at his home in Phase-7, Mohali — he was 41. His bhog and funeral at his native village Bindrakh drew thousands of fans and the biggest names in Punjabi music: Sardool Sikander, Hans Raj Hans, Gurpreet Ghuggi, Babbu Maan and Gurdas Maan came to pay their last respects, alongside his lyricist and close friend Shamsher Singh Sandhu and his guru Atul Sharma.

Legacy

Bindrakhia is credited with bridging traditional Punjabi folk music and modern Punjabi pop — his rustic, dhol-driven sound never strayed far from the village even as it conquered the diaspora charts. He received a special jury award at the 2004 Filmfare Awards for his contribution to Punjabi music, and in 2014 — more than a decade after his death — a posthumous Lifetime Achievement Award at the Brit Asia Music Awards. Tributes keep coming: Babbu Maan dedicated “Pind Diyan Juhaan” to him on the 2005 album Pyaas; DJ Harvey and Nirmal Sidhu's 2011 tribute “Bindrakhia Boliyan” hit number one on the BBC Asian Network chart in its first week; and DJ Frenzy's 2018 remix of “Mundri Nishani” introduced his voice to a new generation. For many fans and critics, his remains one of the greatest voices bhangra has ever produced.

What is Surjit Bindrakhia famous for?

He is famous for 1990s bhangra anthems like “Dupatta Tera Sat Rang Da”, “Tera Yaar Bolda” and “Lakk Tunoo Tunoo”, and for his signature hekh — holding a single note continuously in one breath.

What is the hekh that Bindrakhia was famous for?

The hekh is a vocal technique in which the singer sustains a single note in one breath; Bindrakhia could reportedly hold it for up to 42 seconds, and it became his trademark sound.