Photo: Shruti Parekh

Musician, educator and activist Sonny Singh, also known as the trumpet player and singer of Brooklyn Bhangra outfit Red Baraat for a couple of decades now, is back with his second solo full-length, Sage Warrior. This follows 2022’s Chardi Kala, a record of uplifting Punjabi anthems and Sikh kirtan. The upcoming album explores the Sikh spirit of the sant sipahi, the sage warrior, and was created as a companion to the book with the same name by Singh’s longtime friend and visionary civil rights leader Valarie Kaur. Delving deeper into the world of Sikh music and wisdom, the upcoming album and book came to life together, with each track on the album accompanying a chapter in the book. Singh comments:

“As Valarie would send me first drafts of each chapter of the book, the music flowed out of me with so much ease. Her writing puts our community’s history and struggles into language that I needed to hear—that our generation needs to hear. I hope my music helps the ancient wisdom Valarie unearths in her book land in the hearts of listeners.”

Kaur had also this to say about it:

“Sonny’s music captures the spirit of the sage warrior–a full-throated embrace of Oneness, and courageous call to action. He is a profoundly gifted artist, activist, and thinker who embodies revolutionary love in being and breath. It was an electrifying experience to listen to his music as I wrote, and for my writing in turn to shape the music. The book and album were birthed together.”

Sage Warrior is out on September 6th and Singh is already enticing us with the first single, ‘Pavan Guru’, a joyous, inspiring and heartwarming offering.  Produced by Grammy-nominated bass player and musician Kaveh Rastegar, the track is an original rendition of a well-known and recited poem about the mystical Oneness found in nature, written by Guru Nanak, founder of the Sikh faith. “I have been reciting and singing the words in this shabad [devotional song] my whole life,” Singh explains. “It is humbling to bring my own musical voice and sensibility to these verses that are so special for millions of Sikhs around the world – and to be able to share them with new audiences outside our community.”

Listen to ‘Pavan Guru’ now.