Showing posts with label Sonny Singh #Mitar Pyare Nu# Reimagines Sikh Kirtan # BROOKLYN. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Sonny Singh #Mitar Pyare Nu# Reimagines Sikh Kirtan # BROOKLYN. Show all posts

Sunday, August 30, 2020

Sonny Singh: Pyare Nu ~ Reimagines Sikh Kirtan as well as Sufi music




MITAR PYARE NU First Track on New Solo Album ‘Chardi Kala’

For over a decade, Sonny Singh has brought his fiery trumpet playing and lead vocals to audiences around the world in Red Baraat. An original member of the Brooklyn Bhangra outfit, he’s been able to globally connect with fans and share love and joy through his music.

Sonny Singh is taking the next step now, launching a solo project that re-imagines Sikh kirtan with boundary-defying Punjabi anthems to uplift and ignite. Named ‘Chardi Kala’ for the Sikh concept of revolutionary eternal optimism, the album is being produced by three- time Grammy winner WilDog Abers of Ozomatli, and represents a return to Sonny’s early Punjabi & Sikh roots, as seen now through the lens of his experiences over the course of his life as a touring musician, educator, and activist.

“Musically, this project embodies the many spiritual, political, and aesthetic elements that have shaped me,” Sonny explains. 

Sonny Singh’s live band, which includes harmonium, electric guitar, tabla, and drum set, provides listeners with an experience of both introspective reflection and fervent urgency.

Sonny Singh explains, “Every song has an original vibe to it, eclectic and unique, from a bolero-mariachi Sikh shabad on one track, to a qawwali song with a reggae bass line on another, then a bombastic Ghadar Party tribute in Punjabi and Spanish on yet another.”

It’s the first time anyone has ever done an album setting Sikh devotional songs to this style of music, a feat not lost on Sonny who recalls singing them in his childhood. Pioneering a fresh sound with a timeless message has made this solo project even more meaningful to the veteran musician, who considers his activism and work as a social justice educator part of his spiritual practice as well, upholding the Sikh values of tearing down oppression and fighting for justice.

https://www.sikhnet.com/news/mitar-pyare-nu-reimagines-sikh-kirtan-well-sufi-music

https://www.facebook.com/IAmSonnySingh

Dr. Gurdeep Kaur
Associate Professor
Sri Guru Nanak Dev Khalsa College
University of Delhi