Manika Kaur
Manika Kaur is an Australian religious singer, songwriter and philanthropist from Melbourne.
Early life
Kaur was born and raised in Melbourne, Australia, to parents who were active members of the Sikh community. In 2006 she married and moved to Dubai. She currently resides in London with her three children.Career
In 2012, Kaur released a music video for her song “Guru Ram Das Rakho Sarnaee”, telling the life story of Guru Ram Das through shadow puppets and hand shadowgraph by Amar Sen.''Bandhanaa'' (re-released as ''Satnam Waheguru'')
Kaur's debut album, Bandhanaa, was released in 2008 by Shemaroo Entertainment. The album was produced by Sukhbir Singh. In 2014, the album was re-mixed and re-released as Satanam Waheguru by Invincible Recordings.''I Bow To You Waheguru''
In 2015, Kaur's second album was released by United Sound Recordings through Proper Music Distribution. Its title track, "I Bow to You Waheguru", was produced by Talvin Singh.The album features collaborations with Rakesh Chaurasia, Jyotsna Srikanth, Soumik Datta, Bernhard Schimpelsberger, and Reiner Erlings. She performed material from the album on the Sikh Channel, BBC London, and ABC Australia TV.
''Sacred Words''
Kaur's third album, Sacred Words, was released in 2018 on Martin ‘Youth’ Glover's label Suriya Recordings and was released in the US on imprint label partner Six Degrees Records. It features collaborations with Scottish folk musician James Yorkston, Jyotsna Srikanth, and Tunde Jegede.''EK''
Manika Kaur’s fourth album, EK, was released in 2021. It was produced by Oskar Vizan and Vinod Gadher and incorporates themes influenced by Sikh teachings. The album combines traditional Sikh kirtan with elements of world music. Contributing artists include Jyotsna Srikanth, Jesse Bannister, Soumik Datta, Kirpal Panesar, Suhail Yusuf Khan, and Sanjeev Shankar.''Yoga Ambient (remixes)''
Released in 2020, Yoga Ambient features reinterpretations of Kaur’s previous works by producer Martin "Youth" Glover. The album blends kirtan vocals with ambient and downtempo electronic styles and is intended to complement activities such as yoga and meditation.''Journey (The Ambient Remixes)''
Also released in 2020, Journey includes remixed versions of Manika Kaur’s devotional music, produced by Martin "Youth" Glover. The album integrates ambient and electronic sounds while maintaining the spiritual nature of the original compositions.Philanthropy
Through her foundation Kirtan for Causes, Kaur raises awareness for issues such as equality, global access to feminine hygiene products, and education of females of all ages around the world.Her foundation currently supports the education of 100 programme participants and supports the education of over 200 children. Kaur raised over one million dirhams through her first album, which she donated to finance a new Gurdwara in Dubai. All of the revenue from Kaur's work go to support her charity.