Sukhwinder Singh is an Indian playback singer associated primarily with Hindi cinema, though he has also recorded songs in Punjabi, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Marathi and other Indian languages. He is widely recognised for his powerful, high-pitched voice and energetic delivery, traits that have made him a frequent collaborator on dramatic and celebratory film numbers. He achieved international recognition for the song "Jai Ho" from the 2008 film Slumdog Millionaire, composed by A. R. Rahman, which won the Academy Award for Best Original Song.
| Full name | Sukhwinder Singh |
|---|---|
| Born | 18 July 1971, Amritsar, Punjab, India |
| Occupation | Playback singer, composer |
| Languages | Hindi, Punjabi, Tamil, Telugu, Marathi, Kannada and others |
| Notable collaborator | A. R. Rahman |
| Best known for | "Chaiyya Chaiyya" (1998), "Jai Ho" (2008) |
| Major awards | Filmfare Award for Best Male Playback Singer; Academy Award (shared, as performer of "Jai Ho"); Grammy Award (shared) |
Born in Amritsar, Punjab, Sukhwinder Singh was exposed to Indian classical and devotional music traditions from a young age. He trained in Hindustani classical music and was influenced by Punjabi folk and Sufi forms. He moved to Mumbai to pursue a career in film music, where he initially worked as a session vocalist and assistant before establishing himself as a soloist.
Sukhwinder Singh's early film appearances in the 1980s included contributions to soundtracks composed by senior music directors. He composed music for the 1988 film Khilaaf alongside an early phase of his career, although his identity as a composer remained limited compared to his later prominence as a singer.
His major breakthrough came with the song "Chaiyya Chaiyya" from Mani Ratnam's Dil Se.. (1998), composed by A. R. Rahman with lyrics by Gulzar. The track, picturised on Shah Rukh Khan and Malaika Arora atop a moving train, became a defining song of late-1990s Hindi cinema and earned Sukhwinder the Filmfare Award for Best Male Playback Singer.
In 2008, Sukhwinder Singh sang the lead vocals on "Jai Ho", composed by A. R. Rahman with lyrics by Gulzar, for Danny Boyle's film Slumdog Millionaire. The song won the Academy Award for Best Original Song in 2009 and the Grammy Award for Best Song Written for Visual Media in 2010, bringing him international attention.
Sukhwinder Singh's vocal style draws on Punjabi folk inflections, Sufi qawwali phrasing and a robust open-throated approach suited to large orchestral arrangements. He is regarded as one of the principal voices in A. R. Rahman's Hindi soundtracks of the late 1990s and 2000s, and is frequently called upon for songs that demand dramatic intensity, dance energy or anthemic scale. He has also performed live concerts internationally and has occasionally returned to composition.