Daler Mehndi facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Daler Mehndi
Mehndi performing live in 2015
Background information
Birth name	Daler Singh
Born	(1967-08-18) 18 August 1967 (age 57) Patna, Bihar, India
Genres	Bhangra Indi-pop
Occupation(s)	Singer songwriter record producer
Years active	1991–present
Labels	D Records
Associated acts	Mika Singh, Himesh Reshammiya, Hans Raj Hans, Alka Yagnik, Asha Bhosle, Sudesh Bhosle, A R Rahman, Navraj Hans
Family	Mika Singh (brother)

Daler Singh (born 18 August 1967), known as Daler Mehndi, is a famous Indian singer, songwriter, and music producer. He is well-known for making Bhangra music popular around the world. He also helped Indian pop music become big on its own, separate from Bollywood music. People recognize him for his energetic dance songs, his turban, and his long, flowing clothes.

Daler Mehndi's Early Life

Daler Mehndi was born in Patna, Bihar, India. He grew up in a Sikh family. In 1991, he started his own music group. His group included his brothers, cousins, and friends. In 1994, he won an award called the Voice of Asia International Ethnic and Pop Music Contest. This competition was held in Almaty, Kazakhstan.

Daler Mehndi's Music Journey

Daler Mehndi recording a song for the 2012 Bollywood film Chaalis Chauraasi.

A music company called Magnasound signed Daler Mehndi. They agreed to release three of his albums over three years. His first album, Bolo Ta Ra Ra, was a huge success. It sold more than 20 million copies! This album made Daler Mehndi a big pop star. He also won the Channel V's Best Indian Male Pop Artist Award for it.

A year later, his second album, Dardi Rab Rab, came out. This album sold even more copies than Bolo Ta Ra Ra. He was nominated for three awards at the Channel V Music Awards. He won the Channel V Best Indian Male Artist Award again.

In 1997, Daler Mehndi released his third album, Balle Balle. This album won him six Channel V Awards. Just like his earlier albums, Balle Balle sold millions of copies. In the same year, he created and sang the popular song "Na Na Na Re". This song was for the Bollywood film Mrityudata. He even appeared in the movie with famous actor Amitabh Bachchan. The film's music album sold 1.5 million copies in India.

In 1998, he released "Tunak Tunak Tun". The music video for this song cost a lot of money to make. It was one of the most expensive music videos at that time. The song and video became very popular in India. It made Daler Mehndi the biggest pop star in India. Later, the song became famous all over the world. The album won the Best Indian Pop Album award in 1998.

In 2000, Daler Mehndi released his album Ek Dana. This album had different types of music, like folk, rock, and pop. One popular song from the album was Sajan Mere Satrangiya. Indian actress Priyanka Chopra was in the music video for this song. The video came out in the year Chopra won the Miss World title.

Later, in 2001, Mehndi signed with Universal Music. He released a new song called "Kala Kauwa Kaat Khayega". In 2003, Daler Mehndi started singing for films. He sang the song "Ru-Ba-Ru" for the movie Maqbool. In the same year, Daler Mehndi and A.R Rahman worked together. They made the song "Nach Le" for the movie Lakeer – Forbidden Lines. He also mixed Rock music with Bhangra in his album Mojaan Laen Do. In 2004, he produced his own album called Shaa Ra Ra.

In March 2014, the electronic music artist Deadmau5 and Daler Mehndi made a new version of "Tunak Tunak Tun". On Navratri in 2014, Daler Mehndi created and recorded his own version of the 'Hanuman Chalisa'. He did this overnight in his studio in Delhi. In September 2014, Mehndi released a song called 'Aaja Mere Twitter Te'. This song encouraged people to visit his Twitter and Facebook pages. On 6 November 2014, he released his album 'Best of Gurbani'. This was for the special occasion of Guru Nanak Jayanti.

Traveling the World with Music

In 1998, Coca-Cola hired Daler Mehndi to promote their products. He performed in 30 concerts across India. He has performed all over the world. This includes countries like the United States, Canada, Australia, the United Kingdom, and many more.

On 29 September 2013, Daler Mehndi performed at the YouFest festival in Spain. He also met Canadian electronic dance music artist Deadmau5. They even rode in a fancy car together! Daler Mehndi joined Deadmau5 on his tour in India. Together, they created an electronic dance music (EDM) remix of "Tunak Tunak Tun".

In August 2014, Daler Mehndi was a special guest at the NASDAQ Stock Exchange in New York. He performed at the National Indian American Public Policy Institute (NIAPPI) celebrations. This was for India's 65th Independence Day.

Mehndi performed for the first time in Kuwait on 5 September. Many people came to see him at the Al Daiya Indoor Stadium. He set a new record for himself. He performed for four and a half hours without stopping! The concert was named 'Bolo Ta Ra Ra Ra'. This was to honor his famous song.

For Guru Nanak Jayanti, Daler Mehndi was invited to Ulhas Nagar. He performed at the world's largest Prabhat Pheri, which is a morning procession. In November 2014, Mehndi visited Mandsaur, Madhya Pradesh, for a performance. In the same month, he performed in Nigeria to celebrate Diwali. This was his second time performing in that country.

His Unique Music Style

Daler Mehndi is known for creating a music style called "Rabbabi." This style mixes Thumri (a type of Indian classical music), Sufi music, and rock music. He also helped create a new musical instrument called "Swar Mandir." This instrument combines parts from the Rabab, Swarmandal, and Tanpura. Sanjay Rikhi Ram from Delhi made the instrument. It was officially launched on 10 February 2012 by the famous Indian classical musician, Pandit Ravi Shankar.

Starting His Own Business

Daler Mehndi started his own music company called 'DRecords' in 2000. This record label has signed several artists, including Hussain Baksh and Safri Boys.

Daler Mehndi in Pop Culture

Daler Mehndi's song "Tunak Tunak Tun" became very popular on the internet. Its official YouTube video has been viewed over 200 million times! The video game company Blizzard Entertainment even added the "Tunak Tunak Tun" dance. It's a character animation in their game World of Warcraft. This dance is also a hidden feature in the video game Medal of Honor: Allied Assault: Spearhead.

About Daler Mehndi's Life

His Family

Daler Mehndi has two brothers who are also singers: Mika Singh and Shamsher Singh. Daler Mehndi is married to Taranpreet Kaur. They have four children: Gurdeep Mehndi, Ajit Kaur Mehndi, Prabhjot Kaur Mehndi, and Rabaab Kaur Mehndi. His daughter Ajit Kaur Mehndi is married to Navraj Hans. Navraj is the son of Punjabi singer Hans Raj Hans. Gurdeep Mehndi married Jessica Singh, a model, in 2016.

Helping Others: Philanthropy

The Green Drive Project

In 1998, Daler Mehndi started the "Daler Mehndi Green Drive." This project was part of the Delhi Government's Special Task Force. The drive has planted over 1.2 million young trees in and around Delhi.

Other Ways He Helps

Daler Mehndi has performed for many charity events. He helped raise $5 million for Imran Khan's Shaukat Khanum Memorial Trust in Pakistan. He supports causes like cancer, thalassemia, and AIDS. He has also helped homeless children in Kenya. He supported families affected by famine in Kalahandi, Orissa, India. He gave money to the Indian government's Kargil Victims' Relief Fund. This fund helped the families of soldiers who died in Kargil. Daler Mehndi was one of the first famous people to visit the soldiers at Kargil.

He built houses that can resist earthquakes for people affected by the 2001 Gujarat earthquake. He also gave money and performed to raise funds for victims of the Gujarat cyclone and earthquake. He helped police welfare funds too. He donated 10 million Indian Rupees in Vadodra for cyclone victims. He took on the task of rebuilding a village block that was destroyed in the Gujarat earthquake.

Daler Mehndi also set up the Daler Mehndi Food for Life Society in Delhi. This place has a kitchen that provides food 24 hours a day. It helps people who are poor and don't have enough to eat. He built a Gurudwara Dukh Bhanjani Sahib. Every morning, people from all backgrounds come together there to offer service. Daler Mehndi is the only Indian artist known to be invited as a state guest by the President of Pakistan. He gave his album Bismillah to President Zardari of Pakistan. The money from its sales went to the President's charity fund.

Mehndi spoke out against a rule by the International Basketball Federation (FIBA). This rule made it difficult for Sikh players to wear their turbans during games. The singer made a video to raise awareness and ask for the rule to be changed.

His Political Journey

He became involved in politics by joining the Bharatiya Janata Party on 26 April 2019.

His Music Albums and Songs

Songs in Movies

See also

In Spanish: Daler Mehndi para niños