Sukhwinder Singh (born 18 July 1971) is an Indian playback singer, music composer, lyricist and music producer who has worked primarily in Hindi films. He has also recorded songs for films and music albums in several other Indian languages, including Telugu, Tamil, Kannada, Punjabi, Marathi, Urdu and Bengali.
Singh was noticed by the composer duo Laxmikant–Pyarelal during his early years as a singer and subsequently worked as a musical arranger on several of their projects during the late 1980s and early 1990s. One of his earliest recorded vocal contributions was in the song "Chitti Aayi Hai" from the film Naam (1986), which was primarily performed by Pankaj Udhas. After recording songs through the late 1980s and 1990s, Singh gained wider recognition with the A. R. Rahman-composed song "Chaiyya Chaiyya" from the film Dil Se.. (1998). The song became one of the most widely recognized tracks of his career and contributed significantly to his prominence as a playback singer. Over the course of his career, he has collaborated with numerous composers and recorded songs across multiple Indian film industries.
Singh has received several national and international honours for his work as a playback singer. He won the National Film Award for Best Male Playback Singer for the song "Bismil" from Haider (2014) and has received Filmfare Award for Best Male Playback Singer twice for "Chaiyya Chaiyya" from Dil Se.. (1998) and "Haule Haule" from Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi (2008). He was among the credited performers of "Jai Ho" from Slumdog Millionaire (2008), a song that received the Academy Award for Best Original Song at the 81st Academy Awards. and the Best Song Written for a Motion Picture at the 52nd Grammy Awards, bringing international recognition to the artists associated with the recording. In addition to these honours, Singh has received awards and nominations from organizations including the IIFA Awards, Zee Cine Awards, Screen Awards, and other Indian music and film award bodies.
Sukhwinder Singh was born on 18 July 1971 in Amritsar, Punjab, into a Sikh family. During his youth, he participated in athletics and was involved in sprinting before developing a greater interest in music. He subsequently received formal musical training under Punjab-based musician B. S. Narang. At the age of 17, he began pursuing a career in music and later released the Punjabi album "Munda Southhall Da" in collaboration with T. Singh. His early musical career included work with the composer duo Laxmikant–Pyarelal, with whom he served as a music arranger and contributed vocals to chorus sections and minor portions of songs on various projects. One of his early solo playback opportunities came with the song "Aaja Sanam" in the film Khilaaf (1991). In 1997, he made his debut in Tamil cinema with the song "Lucky Lucky" from Ratchagan, composed by A. R. Rahman.
Singh's collaboration with A. R. Rahman continued in subsequent years, and he gained wider recognition with the song "Chaiyya Chaiyya" from Mani Ratnam's Dil Se.. (1998). The song earned him the Filmfare Award for Best Male Playback Singer and remains among the most widely recognized recordings of his career.
In June 2014, he participated in the seventh season of Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa. He sang the 2023 Men's FIH Hockey World Cup anthem, Jai Ho Hindustan Ki composed by Prem Anand.
Collaboration with musician and lyricist