Sakina - Shartaan

I'm always complaining about the number of female artists in the Desi music industry compared to the amount of male ones. So when Tigerstyle announced they were producing Sakina's debut single, I was was eager to hear the result.

Out tomorrow, Shartaan is big and bold. It's got enough tumbi in there to keep bhangra fans happy and has a summery feel to it. Sakina has some powerful vocals which work well with the signature Tigerstyle bass. It's catchy and perfect for the dancefloor.

In the press release Pops said "new female artists contributing to the UK bhangra scene is definitely what's needed." Couldn't agree more.

Another Listen of Bikram Singh's Kawan

Bikram Singh and Tigerstyle are getting ready to release Kawan 2. Featuring the vocals of Gunjan, it's a revamp of the song that first appeared on American Jugni in 2005.

It's been nine years since the original Kawan, or "Kaone" as I now think of it, which is almost a lifetime in the bhangra world. This was in the time of myspace, before twitter and youtube had taken off. There is a whole generation of music fans who were probably too young to remember the impact the song had. Bikram wrote the lyrics to Kawan himself and his career took off with it.

Why was the song such a huge hit? Bikram told me in an email: "It had to do with a lot of factors. The melody, the lyrics and Gunjan's voice all contributed to a great song that people continue to enjoy. The concept of two separated lovers thinking about each other and providing reassurance to each other is really universal. We can all relate to it one way or the other."