Harcharanjit Singh Rupal known professionally as Channi Singh, is a British-Indian bhangra musician, known as the "godfather" of bhangra in the West.

Career

Channi is the co-founder, lead singer, producer, and director of

Alaap ''Alaap'' ( lit. Prelude) is a 1977 Indian musical drama film produced by Hrishikesh Mukerjee and N.C Sippy and directed by Hrishikesh Mukherjee. The film stars Amitabh Bachchan, Rekha, Asrani, Farida Jalal, Om Prakash and Manmohan. The music i ...

. He came from

Malerkotla Malerkotla is a city and district headquarters of Malerkotla district in the Indian state of Punjab. It was the seat of the eponymous princely state during the British Raj. The state acceded to the union of India in 1947 and was merged wit ...

Punjab Punjab (; Punjabi: پنجاب ; ਪੰਜਾਬ ; ; also romanised as ''Panjāb'' or ''Panj-Āb'') is a geopolitical, cultural, and historical region in South Asia, specifically in the northern part of the Indian subcontinent, comprising ...

to the UK in 1975 and gradually started the popularity of Punjabi music among the Punjabi youth in the UK, forming the Alaap group in 1977 with Harjeet Gandhi, Randhir Sahota and Inder Kalsi. By using both Western and Punjabi folk instruments, the group produced a new and more modern style in Punjabi music, later known as UK Bhangra. Alaap has performed with

UB40 UB40 are an English reggae and pop band, formed in December 1978 in Birmingham, England. The band has had more than 50 singles in the UK Singles Chart, and has also achieved considerable international success. They have been nominated for the ...

and performed at

Madison Square Garden Madison Square Garden, colloquially known as The Garden or by its initials MSG, is a multi-purpose indoor arena in New York City. It is located in Midtown Manhattan between Seventh and Eighth avenues from 31st to 33rd Street, above Pennsyl ...

in United States, Al Nasr Indoor Stadium in

Dubai Dubai (, ; ar, دبي, translit=Dubayy, , ) is the most populous city in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and the capital of the Emirate of Dubai, the most populated of the 7 emirates of the United Arab Emirates.The Government and Politics ...

, and

Royal Albert Hall The Royal Albert Hall is a concert hall on the northern edge of South Kensington, London. One of the UK's most treasured and distinctive buildings, it is held in trust for the nation and managed by a registered charity which receives no govern ...

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

. The band was described as ‘Simply the Best’ by the

Gurkhas The Gurkhas or Gorkhas (), with endonym Gorkhali ), are soldiers native to the Indian subcontinent, Indian Subcontinent, chiefly residing within Nepal and some parts of Northeast India. The Gurkha units are composed of Nepalis and Indian Go ...

Bosnia and Herzegovina Bosnia and Herzegovina ( sh, / , ), abbreviated BiH () or B&H, sometimes called Bosnia–Herzegovina and often known informally as Bosnia, is a country at the crossroads of south and southeast Europe, located in the Balkans. Bosnia and ...

. He has also performed in Canada, Australia and other countries. In 1992, Alaap became the first British Asian band to perform in

Pakistan Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 24 ...

Awards and recognition

Amongst the many awards Channi Singh has received is the Lifetime Achievement for Punjabi music from the Lord Mayor of Leicester, Mary Draycott, at the 13th anniversary celebrations of

BBC Radio BBC Radio is an operational business division and service of the British Broadcasting Corporation (which has operated in the United Kingdom under the terms of a royal charter since 1927). The service provides national radio stations covering ...

's Punjabi Programme. He was the first singer ever to be given the lifetime achievement award by BBC. Channi Singh was the first British Asian to be appointed as an honorary Senior Lecturer of Music at

Liverpool University , mottoeng = These days of peace foster learning , established = 1881 – University College Liverpool1884 – affiliated to the federal Victoria Universityhttp://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukla/2004/4 University of Manchester Act 200 ...

. He has composed music for Feroz Khan's films and

Bollywood Hindi cinema, popularly known as Bollywood and formerly as Bombay cinema, refers to the film industry based in Mumbai, engaged in production of motion pictures in Hindi language. The popular term Bollywood, is a portmanteau of "Bombay" (fo ...

films such as ''

Yalgaar ''Yalghaar'' ( en, "Assault" or "Attack"; previously known as ''Delta Echo Foxtrot'') is a 2017 Pakistani war-epic film directed by Hassan Rana. The film is produced by MindWorks Media and is based on the true story of Pakistan Army's Swat Op ...

'', ''

Shaktimaan Shaktimaan is an Indian Hindi-language superhero television show, created by Mukesh Khanna that aired on DD National from 13 September 1997 to 27 March 2005. Producer Mukesh Khanna played the role of Shaktimaan and his alter ego "Pandit G ...

'', ''

Janasheen ''Janasheen'' (transl. ''Heir'') is a 2003 Indian Hindi-language romantic action thriller film co-written, edited, produced and directed by Feroz Khan who stars along with his son, Fardeen Khan, and Celina Jaitly. It was partly shot in Afghanist ...

'' and ''Top less''. Singh was appointed

Officer of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established o ...

(OBE) in the 2012 Birthday Honours for services to bhangra music, charity and the community in

Hounslow Hounslow () is a large suburban district of West London, west-southwest of Charing Cross. It is the administrative centre of the London Borough of Hounslow, and is identified in the London Plan as one of the 12 metropolitan centres in ...

. In mid 2012 Channi signed a worldwide publishing deal with independent music publishers Fairwood Music. In 2017 he was awarded "Lifetime Achievement Award" at the

Brit Asia TV Music Awards The Brit Asia TV Music Awards, also known as Brit Asia TV World Music Awards or the abbreviation BAMA, is an awards show that is held annually in the United Kingdom since 2010 (except in 2016), usually in October. The awards show is produced by ...

Discography

Films

*''

'' (1992) *''

'' (1993) *''

'' (2003) *''Top Less'' *'' Mr. Bhatti on Chutti (2012)

Albums

*''Alaap - The Greatest Hits'' - A 4-CD Set by Moviebox

References