Hans Raj Hans is a popular singer of Bhangra and qawalli and sings mostly in Panjabi. Hans first name means peacock in Panjabi/Hindi and is pronounced with a short a, unlike the common German first name.
Hans Raj Hans has broken into the mainstream Indian music industry with superficially Panjabi tunes like Chorni, which was a hit across India in 2001.. However, his most enduring work will remain the albums like Jindowa, Pairan wich, Patta Patta Singhan da bairi, which are a blend of his uncompromising political view (one Punjab spanning Pakistan and India, undivided by the inconvenient, artificial border) and empathy with the life of rural Panjabi peasants.
Hans was born in Shafipur, close to Jalandhar in Indian Punjab. He was coached by Ustad Puran Shah Koti, in the Sufi tradition. Hans is as adept as a qawal as he is at pure bhangra. He sang Ishq Dee Gali Vichon Koi Koi Langhda with Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, the foremost qawal of his generation.
Hans Raj has the most heart-breaking, husky voice amongst all bhangra singers, he sings lilting romantic tunes, sufi devotional songs, and teeny-bop melodies with equal felicity. Along with Surjit Bindrakhia, AS Kang and Malkit Singh, Hans is heir to the legacy of male Panjabi singers like Asa Singh Mastana and Yamla Jatt.