Singer, songwriter, and producer Daler Mehndi – born Daler Singh on August 18, 1967, in Patna, Bihar, India – is best known for bringing Bhangra and Indian pop music to a wider audience as well as for his work in Indian cinema (Bollywood). Because of genre-blending recordings, he is credited with creating a new genre dubbed Indipop. Born into a musical family – his siblings are singers Mika Singh and Shamsher Singh – Daler Mehndi formed his own group in 1991, which was made up of family members and friends. After winning several awards – including the Voice of Asia Ethnic and Pop Music Contest (1994) – he began a long and prolific recording career that included the 1995 album Bolo Ta Ra Ra, which went double-platinum. His next album, Dardi Rab Rab (1996), was an even bigger success and sold more copies than his debut. Daler Mehndi’s 1998 album Tunak Tunak Tun was a huge success and is the best-selling non-soundtrack album in India. He has remained a pop music icon in India ever since, providing dance anthems such as “Dardi Rab Rab,” “Balle Balle,” “Har Taraf Tera Jalwa,” and many others. Since his rise to fame, Daler Mehndi has also provided songs for many Bollywood films including “Na Na Na Na Na Re” (from 1997’s Mrityudatta), “Halla Bol” (from 2007’s Goal), “Musafir” (from 2010’s Lahore), “Sing Raja” (from 2012’s Joker), “Phat Gaya” (from 2013’s War Chhod Na Yaar), and “Vande Mataram” (from 2015’s ABCD 2 a.k.a. Anybody Can Dance Now 2). Daler Mehndi is also a popular live performer and has performed in many countries around the world including the US, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, South Africa, and all across Asia and Europe. Daler Mehndi’s song “Tunak Tuank Tun” became a viral hit and was later incorporated into the RPG video game World of Warcraft, introducing his music to a new generation of fans.
