Daler Mehndi

• Genre: Bhangra
• Hometown: Patiala

About

He's made turbans hip, he's brought Sikhs a whole new palette of colors, and he claims to have revolutionized Indipop -- and he's probably right. Daler Mehndi may be one of Indian pop's most controversial characters, thanks to his flashy lifestyle and recent allegations of human trafficking (providing false visas for bribes), but no one can deny that the man has a voice that could scale the Himalayas and a band that could break an 80-year-old out of cardiac arrest. "Bolo Ta Ra Ra" was his breakout hit in 1995, and he's been parked on the charts ever since. Trained in the Patiala gharana, Mehndi learned classical Hindustani music and is trained on the harmonium, among other things. But it was the bhangra of his native Punjab that was to grip the nation and make him a star. Recently he's made waves in the west as online aficionados trade links to his "Tunak Tun Tun" video, and there's even reportedly a church that has sprung up in his honor.

- Sarah Bardeen