Jaz Dhami

A British-Indian musician from Birmingham, England, Jaz Dhami began distinguishing himself as a Bhangra vocalist during the late 2000s, then worked as a playback singer for various Bollywood productions during the decade that followed. He was born in the UK on March 1, 1989, to a family that included his father, Bhangra musician Bikramjit Dhami. Trained in Indian classical music from the age of 9, he became a skilled singer and guitarist at a young age and ultimately made his studio debut in 2008, when he teamed up with fellow Punjabi artist Aman Hayer for the album Groundshaker 2. The solo effort JD followed in 2009. Boosted by a number of singles — including "Theke Wali," "Tera Mera," and "Bari Der" — that blurred the boundaries between musical cultures, Jaz Dhami won a number of awards during the early stages of his career, including "Best Newcomer" from the the UK Asian Music Awards in 2009, "Best Male Act" from the Brit Asia TV Music Awards in 2010, and "Best Desi Act" from the UK Asian Music Awards in 2011. He collaborated with Gurmeet Singh on 2012's Jakara, then began working in the Bollywood industry in 2016, singing "Humne Pee Rakhi Hai" and "High Heels" in the movies Snam Re and Ki & Ka, respectively, that same year. Those performances earned him the honor of "Best Bollywood Song" from the Punjabi Television Awards in 2016, and he returned his focus to his solo career with 2018's Pieces of Me.