Bollywood has been blessed over the years with singers that have the voices of angels – Ashaji and Lataji of course dominating the scene. Just recently, however, people have sat up and noticed a young woman with a demon in her throat – the sexy Hard Kaur.
This Indo-Brit babe has rocked us superb tracks such as ‘Rock Your Body’ from Johnny Gaddaar and ‘Taali‘ from Ugly Aur Pagli. She also has a new album in Supawoman. She can also be heard on the movie albums Haal-e-dil, Kismat Konnection, and Singh is Kinng.
Known as a bit of a party animal, Hard Kaur recently attended five Bollywood premieres in 10 days! But the multifaceted Birmingham-born Sikh chick is not just a party padder, she has a much more serious side. She recently released a track in India aimed at increasing aids-awareness and has worked with Meera Syal (Bhaji on the Beach, Anita and Me) on the Newham Asian Women’s Project campaigning against domestic violence, harassment and abuse.
Some argue that she is also redefining club music in India with the freshness and honesty of her lyrics, an intricate weave of English, Hindi and Punjabi. “Nobody can bully me into singing what I hate. I eat, sleep, s*** hip hop and I want to keep it just that way” she says.
Life has not always been easy for Hard Kaur. When her father was killed during anti-Sikh rioting in 1984, her mother moved to the UK. Hard Kaur found herself bullied in school with second and third-generation British Asian children referring to her as a ‘freshie’. Her rap music became her outlet. “It’s the best way to express things close to one’s heart. Tell people what you have been through. I don’t accept anything lying down. Rap was my way out of the cage. It gave me a voice, power… an identity.”
