The hallmark of the "Great musician's" often lies
in their ability to hone to perfection a strong and easily assimilated iconic,
but singular image. It may evolve slowly and surely over the years but will
always be presumed to be a natural maturing. Daler Mehndi, as a musician,
performer and song - writer, defined this convention completely. He continually
re-invented himself and his art at breakneck speed and illogical
disjointedness. It seemed as though time was always at a premium. With complete
disregard for the then prevalent - regional- Punjabi- music style loyalty or so
called integrity, he combined the most unlikely forms of music with newfound
subject matter sprinkled with his fetish for "RabRab" (God) words,
rendered with versatile Power Pitched Vocals, performed with exquisite
choreography and character, ornamented further with the signature self designed
Maharaja Robes, Bejewelled Turban and Jewellery - a Style only befitting a
Maharaja presenting the then unknown and unborn Indian Pop Industry with its
first true Pop Icon. He deconstructs that which makes him singular, and then a
new element arises to confound and entice the masses who think they have just
figured out his latest incarnation. His USP was his Originality. Mehndi
exemplifies the new aesthetic from his humble folkie yet celebrated beginnings
from Bolo Ta Ra Ra to the glitter and glam of the rocking Balle Balle & Jalwa,
to the pied piper rage of Tunak Tunak , to the elegance of Ru -Ba -Ru &
Shaam Say Maine Puchha, at each twist and turn of his career, creating more
than one myth to harken back to his creative visions.
In the beginning... Daler Singh was born in Patna, Bihar on
August 18th, 1967. He was born into a family of musicians who had been singing
for seven generations. His early influences on music are his parents, who
taught him the ragas and Shabad's from the Guru Granth Sahib Ji. At age 11
inspired by the Patiala Gharana style of Indian Classical Music, he ran away
from home in search of the Late Ustad Raahat Ali Khan Sahib of Gorakhpur for
lessons. Gave his first stage performance in front of an audience of 20,000 at
the age of 13 in Jaunpur where his parents found him standing center-stage, his
shoulders overflowing with garlands of flowers, sandalwood and money. Classical
music of the great Indian Maestros heard on radio, concerts and cassettes of
the legendary Bade Ghulam Ali Khan, Nazakat Ali- Salamat Ali, Mehdi Hasan,
Parvaiz Mehdi, Chote Ghulam Ali Khan and the Illahi Kirtan Durbars attended all
over India provided him with an introduction into the world of gurmat sangeet,
thumri, khayal, ghazal.
By 1991, he formed his own group comprising of his brother's,
cousins and musician friends. Daler performed at the Who's Who and within a
year was a must have at each socialite's do. By 1995 he was Daler Mehndi, with long flowing robes, bejeweled turban and
aspirations of stardom rustling about his head. Mr. Shashi Gopal of Magnasound
signed him immediately for a 3 Album Contract for 3 years.
Success followed Daler without doubt and Indian Pop was never
the same since his advent into it. He was majorly responsible for the elevation
of the Indian Pop Music through the Super Success of all his albums. His
innovative, inimitable and imaginative style of music was responsible for the
elevation of Pop Music to a degree of respectability that it commands today.
The inspiring and refreshing mix of the classically seeming traditional music
fused with the funky beats of the new age proved to be a potent mixture.
1998 was an eventful year of his career. He was signed by Coca Cola to counter
Pepsi's Bollywood Brigade for a whooping record deal, which made History. Daler
Mehndi was Coca Cola's Brand Ambassador and the Jingle sung buy Daler for Coke
with the signature Daler Mehndi choreography became a rage. Daler was taken for
a 30 city Tour of India with each city having more than 50 thousand to a Lakh
of Audience creating hysteria. The same year Daler dropped another bombastic
track "KUDIYAN SHEHR DIYAN" for the film titled "ARJUN
PANDIT" featuring the chirpy Juhi Chawla. The song is still a must play at
all weddings, and clubs and the chart busters were enough to help the producers
have their cash registers running. Daler's musical journey was creating waves
through his Tour's abroad. USA tasted the Mehndi Mania during the Blast 98
Tour.
In 1999 he released "TUNAK TUNAK". It became famous as
the pied piper track and its music video which was conceptualized by Mehndi in
retaliation to the media's comment that the success of his videos depend only
on the glam models featured in the videos. Daler Mehndi's exquisite
choreography done by himself the song and the video became an instant HIT, such
was the craze of the song that people across the globe are being enchanted by
him to this day. For India it was the first ever music video using the Blue
Screen technology. Tunak Tunak won the prestigious RAPA Award, the Channel V
Award, The Videocon Award, The Screen Award. Such was the craze of Daler that
almost every movie, T.V serial or commercial started emulating him as a person
or his style or his songs and tunes to copy the success he was relishing. Right
from dressing like Daler, singing in Punjabi and greeting with Balle Balle
became a trend. Even during the election campaign, various political parties
ran their campaigns on tunes of his hits to capture the attention of common
man.
The Press was dizzy with his energetic performances. One
journalist mesmerized with the Bhangra King's performance went to the extent of
writing on record "HE IS ALL THAT… HE IS BIGGER THAN THE BEATLES"
(Home News Tribune). Post the Singapore concert; one journalist went onto
write, "If Daler's legs found a lawyer they would sue his pants off them.
That's the way Daler jigs around so frantically that it is almost infectious,
like a ballerina on steroids." Daler Mehndi Concert Tours in USA, Canada,
Australia, New Zealand, UK, Europe, UAE, South Africa, East Africa, Oman,
Bahrain, Malaysia, Pakistan, Hong Kong, Singapore, West Indies, Belgium,
Holland to name a few have had crowds swooning to his music and dancing away to
glory as one fan fondly describes his music "the stairway to Heaven".
Such is the persona of the man that when he is performing live before a
cheering mob, none can resist exercising their sweat glands with him. On stage
he is electricity personified. The press quoted his Malaysian concert as
"Bigger than that of Michael Jackson's" Daler apart from weaving his
musical magic had set another rage that of his costumes. From Bollywood Actors,
to kids, grown ups, to foreigners all were aping his signature long flowing
robes, he was also responsible for adding glamour to the Sikh
"Turban", he made 'colorful turbans, a trend.
In 1999, he received the Elle Style Award for the Most
Stylish Music Artiste. The Millennium had Daler Mehndi jiving with his young
fans dressed like him in the Delirious "EK DANA" album. The Album outsold its predecessors and is to this date his highest selling album on the net. In 2005 Daler released "Destiny" to the world stage.
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