Biography
Mohinder Kaur Bhamra is one of the most respected female singers in the Asian community in Britain. A Southall resident since 1968, Mohinder has been dedicated to presenting Punjabi music to audiences in Britain through exposure to the purest forms of Punjabi culture – weddings and religious festivals.
Her music has resounded for decades in homes, on the radio, and at family and public functions as Southall has become a hub of the UK South Asian community and South Asian cultural production globally.
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Throughout the early years, Mohinder encouraged the female guests at weddings to join in at reception parties and enjoy the celebrations – traditionally attended by men only. The wedding dance floor was born and it wasn’t long before Punjabi men and women were dancing together in the same space – an assumed feature at wedding celebrations nowadays.
In the 70s and 80s, Mohinder, together with her well known musical family, introduced the use of western instruments and recording techniques to create a new style of Punjabi song which combined catchy melodies with muscular Punjabi beats. This new sound led to the burgeoning bhangra scene of the 1980s and the formation of a plethora of new Asian pop bands.
Over 40 years later, Mohinder and her Ladies Sangeet troupe is still very much in demand and performs regularly at Punjabi hen-night parties and giddha nights. Her song 'Giddha Pao Haan Deo' has become a dance floor anthem and is played regularly at Punjabi weddings.
Biography text from Last.fm, available under CC BY-SA.