Peter Singh has gone beyond singing the songs of the King of Rock ‘n’ Roll: he sings his own songs in the legend’s style
ISLAMABAD: Peter Singh — the world’s only Sikh Elvis impersonator — is visiting Lahore these days to pay homage at the holy places of Sikhs and to explore the potential of sharing music projects with the Pakistani artistes.
Born in Rawalpindi in 1946, Peter is visiting Pakistan for the first time and for him the visit is like going back to his roots. The family of Narminder Singh alias Peter Singh, after going to India at the time of partition, had moved to Birmingham in 1955.
He relocated to Swansea and eventually opened a curry house but his desire to follow his hero The King remained. In 1980, he took to the road along with his troupe slowly building up a steady following. But he has gone beyond singing the songs of King of Rock ‘n’ Roll, coming up with his own songs in his style.
The rocking Sikh said on Sunday it was great to be in Pakistan, especially in Lahore.
“People here have showered me with respect and I am looking forward to do live concerts across the country. People are very friendly and it is amazing how well they treat the visitors.
“It had always been my desire to visit the place of my birth. I have visited Nankana Sahib, Panja Sahib, Dera Sahib and many other gurdwaras,” the singer said.
As the old saying goes, when in Rome do as the Romans do, and Narinder Singh adapted by adding ‘Peter’ to his name. Peter performs in full Elvis Presley gear wearing the white outfit with the big Elvis belt that few of his have.
He said he would now be going to Amritsar to visit the Golden Temple.
“After paying my tributes at the Golden Temple, I plan to hold some concerts in the Indian Punjab. From there I would go back to the UK. I would return to Pakistan to complete the projects I have planned with Jassi Singh [a Sikh singer]. Together, we plan to storm the Pakistan music industry with our upbeat and melodious numbers,” Singh maintained.
Jassi Singh popularly known as Jassi Lyallpuria has been on the Pakistan music for some time. He sings in concerts and functions across the city singing his own compositions steeped in pure bhangra tradition. Peter will team up with Jassi for his next song, C’mon it’s Christmas.
“I am going to record the song again in Lahore and make its video with local Christmas celebration scenes. I hope it will be much more appealing,” Peter said.
