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Afghan American rabab virtuoso Qais Essar has joined forces with Sikh American trumpet player and singer Sonny Singh in a new project that obliterates musical, political, and religious boundaries. Weaving together the ancient sound and haunting melodies of the rabab, a 2,500 year-old instrument from Afghanistan, with bold trumpet lines and anthemic Punjabi vocals, Qais and Sonny ground their music in ancestral wisdom and usher us into the future with their uplifting new sound. Drawing inspiration from hundreds of years old mystical poetry from the Sikh, Sufi, and radical bhakti traditions, their music centers oneness and connection in times of increasing division and hierarchy.
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Jagdish
October 2nd 2024
It was a great new way of spreading Guru Nanak Devji's messages followed by the nine gurus.
Please carry on.
San Jose, CA@Sikh Gurdwara San Jose
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Sonny Singh Biography
Simultaneously spiritual and rebellious, Sonny Singh’s music is a reminder that hope, love, and devotion are crucial to our struggles and our collective survival. Sonny’s debut solo album, produced by Wil-Dog Abers of Ozomatli, is entitled Chardi Kala, the Sikh concept of revolutionary eternal optimism. Gothamist calls it “utterly irresistible.” JazzTimes calls Sonny’s music, “vibrant, ebullient, and energized...a prayer for our ailing world.” Live Mint says, “Singh has done that rarest of rare things as a musician—he has actually charted new ground, pushing the idea of South Asian fusion music down a new, previously unexplored side path.”
Sonny's first musical outlet as a child of immigrant parents in North Carolina was singing Sikh devotional music in gurdwaras (Sikh houses of worship). His energy shifted to other types of music as he became a more serious musician: ska, reggae, funk, punk rock, bhangra, and more. In 2003, Sonny co-founded the political rock band Outernational and recorded an album produced by Tom Morello. As a singer and trumpet player, he has been central to the sound and raw energy of Red Baraat since the band's inception in 2008, touring globally and recording 5 studio albums. Sonny released his debut solo album, Chardi Kala, in May 2022.
Sonny’s new music has been featured on GRAMMY.com, NPR Music, Rolling Stone India, HuffPost, Songlines Magazine, Brooklyn Vegan, and WNYC’s New Sounds. Sonny’s band has performed at the Brooklyn Museum, Carnegie Hall Citywide, MASSMoCA, O+ Festival, Brooklyn Academy of Music (BAM), and The White House for President Joe Biden’s 2023 celebration of Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage. Weaving in story-telling and political/spiritual education, the live show, which includes harmonium, electric guitar, tabla, and dhol, provides audiences with an uplifting space for reflection and action
Sonny’s second album, Sage Warrior, is set to release on September 6, 2024, alongside a book by the same name by activist and writer Valarie Kaur. They will tour nationally together September-October 2024.
Read MoreSonny's first musical outlet as a child of immigrant parents in North Carolina was singing Sikh devotional music in gurdwaras (Sikh houses of worship). His energy shifted to other types of music as he became a more serious musician: ska, reggae, funk, punk rock, bhangra, and more. In 2003, Sonny co-founded the political rock band Outernational and recorded an album produced by Tom Morello. As a singer and trumpet player, he has been central to the sound and raw energy of Red Baraat since the band's inception in 2008, touring globally and recording 5 studio albums. Sonny released his debut solo album, Chardi Kala, in May 2022.
Sonny’s new music has been featured on GRAMMY.com, NPR Music, Rolling Stone India, HuffPost, Songlines Magazine, Brooklyn Vegan, and WNYC’s New Sounds. Sonny’s band has performed at the Brooklyn Museum, Carnegie Hall Citywide, MASSMoCA, O+ Festival, Brooklyn Academy of Music (BAM), and The White House for President Joe Biden’s 2023 celebration of Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage. Weaving in story-telling and political/spiritual education, the live show, which includes harmonium, electric guitar, tabla, and dhol, provides audiences with an uplifting space for reflection and action
Sonny’s second album, Sage Warrior, is set to release on September 6, 2024, alongside a book by the same name by activist and writer Valarie Kaur. They will tour nationally together September-October 2024.
World Fusion
Indian Rock
Kirtan
Qawwali
South Asian
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