Rapper, singer, Bollywood playback singer and actress Taran Kaur Dhillon – born in Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh, India on July 29, 1979 – is better known by her stage name Hard Kaur. After the death of her father and the destruction of her family’s business during a political riot, the rest of her family moved to Hoshiarpur, Punjab, India before relocating to Birmingham, England. While attending school, she became interested in hip hop music and began rapping, singing, and dancing. She performed with several artists including Punjabi MC and Justin Timberlake before releasing the single “Ek Glassy” with the Sona Family, which became an international hit. Sher released her first EP, Voodoo Hill, in 1997. Hard Kaur came to prominence in 2007 when she released “Paisa Phek (Move Your Body)” (from the film Johnny Gaddaar), her first Bollywood hit as a playback singer. Recorded with music directors Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy, the song brought her to the attention of the Bollywood industry, and she was hired as a playback singer for films such as Ugly Aur Pagli, Sing Is Kinng, Kismat Konnection, Bachna Ae Haseeno, Ram Gopal Varma Ki Aag, Prince, and others. Later that year, Hard Kaur released her first solo album, Supawoman, which was nominated for two major awards at the UK Asian Music Awards. She continued her playback career with the movie Patiala House, which featured her performing the songs “Laung Da Lashkara” and “Rola Pae Gaya” as well as making her acting debut in the film. Her second album, Party Loud All Year: P.L.A.Y., was released in 2012. Hard Kaur released The Rising Mixtape, Vol. 1 in 2017, which was followed by The Private Album two years later.
