Carnegie Hall

Brooklyn-based Sonny Singh has launched a solo project of boundary-defying Punjabi anthems to uplift and ignite. For the last decade, he has brought his fiery trumpet and vocals to audiences around the world as an original member of the bhangra brass band Red Baraat. His debut solo album, Chardi Kala, named after the Sikh concept of revolutionary eternal optimism, was released in May 2022.

Sonny Singh'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, he 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 five studio albums. He has also performed with notable artists including Michael Franti & Spearhead, Ozomatli, Toshi Reagon, Arooj Aftab, Ankur Tewari, The Ska Vengers, and DJ Rekha.

Sonny Singh’s debut solo album, produced by Wil-Dog Abers of Ozomatli and entitled Chardi Kala has been called “utterly irresistible” (Gothamist) and Singh has been praised for accomplishing “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” (Live Mint). Sonny’s new music has also been featured on GRAMMY.com, NPR Music, Rolling Stone India, HuffPost, Songlines, Brooklyn Vegan, and WNYC’s New Sounds.

Sonny Singh’s music is a reminder that hope, love, and devotion are crucial to our struggles and our collective survival. Chardi Kala returns to his Punjabi and Sikh roots, but with the lens developed over the course of his life as a touring musician, educator, and activist. Musically, the project embodies the many spiritual, political, and aesthetic elements that have shaped him: a bolero-mariachi Sikh shabad on one track, a qawwali song with a reggae bass line on another, a bombastic Ghadar Party tribute in Punjabi and Spanish on yet another. His live band, which includes harmonium, electric guitar, tabla, and dhol, provides listeners with an experience of both introspective reflection and fervent urgency.