Which Punjabi songs does a wedding band need?
Three kinds, from three sources. Folk songs, older than any record, for the ladies sangeet and the jago. Bhangra pop, from Punjab and from the British Punjabi scene, for the dance floor. Film songs and singles for the couple. The guests at a Punjabi wedding may have flown in from Birmingham, Toronto, Melbourne and Ludhiana, so the 29 titles below draw on each of those scenes, and each note names the source.
For the folk songs, the artist and the year belong to one well-known recording that we could verify. They are not the age of the song, and your singer's family may know a different version.
The notes under "Where it fits" are our suggestions for where a song can sit in a set. They are not facts about the song, and the list is not a ranking or a measure of popularity. Titles, artists and years were checked against MusicBrainz or Wikipedia when this page was written. We list no keys or tempos, because bands change both.
Folk songs for the ladies sangeet
| Song | Artist | Year | Where it fits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mera Laung Gawacha | Musarrat Nazir | 1983 | Folk; gets the aunts dancing |
| Lathe Di Chadar | Musarrat Nazir | 1983 | Folk; steady dholki groove |
| Chitta Kukkar | Musarrat Nazir | 1988 | Folk; opens the seated singing |
| Madhaniyan | Neha Bhasin | 2020 | Folk; slow and quiet |
Jago
| Song | Artist | Year | Where it fits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Boliyan | Malkit Singh | 1988 | Folk form; call and answer |
| Jind Mahi | Malkit Singh | 1990 | Folk; keeps the circle moving |
| Jago Aaya | Malkit Singh | 2005 | Bhangra; as the procession comes in |
Bhangra floor
| Song | Artist | Year | Where it fits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bolo Ta Ra Ra | Daler Mehndi | 1995 | Bhangra pop; opens the floor |
| Mundian To Bach Ke | Panjabi MC | 1998 | British bhangra; mid-set lift |
| Dil Le Gayee | Jasbir Jassi | 1998 | Bhangra pop; parents stay up |
| Sauda Khara Khara | Sukhbir | 1998 | Bhangra pop; easy to stretch |
| Kangna | Dr Zeus, Master Rakesh | 2003 | British bhangra; for UK guests |
| Angreji Beat | Gippy Grewal, Yo Yo Honey Singh | 2011 | Single; starts the younger block |
| Lak 28 Kudi Da (film: The Lion of Punjab) | Diljit Dosanjh, Yo Yo Honey Singh | 2011 | Film; runs on from the last |
| Proper Patola | Diljit Dosanjh, Badshah | 2013 | Single; mid-set |
| Patiala Peg | Diljit Dosanjh | 2014 | Single; heavier groove, late |
| Lamberghini | The Doorbeen, Ragini Tandan | 2018 | Single; a breather that still moves |
| Morni Banke (film: Badhaai Ho) | Guru Randhawa, Neha Kakkar | 2018 | Film; brings the floor back |
| Brown Munde | AP Dhillon, Gurinder Gill, Shinda Kahlon | 2020 | Single; for the cousins |
Couple songs
| Song | Artist | Year | Where it fits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tere Bin | Rabbi Shergill | 2004 | Indie pop; slow couple dance |
| Heer (film: Jab Tak Hai Jaan) | Harshdeep Kaur | 2012 | Film; bride walks in |
| Sakhiyaan | Maninder Buttar | 2018 | Single; light couple dance |
| Kya Baat Ay | Harrdy Sandhu | 2018 | Single; upbeat couple entry |
| Lover | Diljit Dosanjh | 2021 | Single; couple joins the floor |
| Pasoori | Ali Sethi, Shae Gill | 2022 | Single; both families sway |
Closers
| Song | Artist | Year | Where it fits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dil Da Mamla Hai | Gurdas Maan | 1980 | Punjabi pop; older guests, late |
| Challa (film: Long Da Lishkara) | Gurdas Maan | 1983 | Film folk; one slow moment |
| Tunak Tunak Tun | Daler Mehndi | 1998 | Bhangra pop; last big dance number |
| Jee Karda (film: Singh Is Kinng) | Labh Janjua, Suzanne D'Mello | 2008 | Film; encore with the dhol |
Start a setlist with these 29 songs
Opens StageFloww with the titles typed in. Free plan, no card. Search can miss a song, and you can add it by hand.
What does one bhangra dance set look like?
One set that climbs and does not come back down until the end. It starts with the 1990s songs the parents danced to, moves to the British bhangra records, then to the singles of the last fifteen years. Number 9 lets the floor breathe without emptying it. The last two are played with the dhol out in front.
This running order is one suggestion built from the list above. Change it to suit your band and the room.
- Bolo Ta Ra Ra
- Dil Le Gayee
- Sauda Khara Khara
- Mundian To Bach Ke
- Kangna
- Angreji Beat
- Lak 28 Kudi Da
- Proper Patola
- Lamberghini
- Morni Banke
- Brown Munde
- Tunak Tunak Tun
- Jee Karda
Bhangra songs stretch on stage, so thirteen titles can run well past an hour. Check the total against the booking with the set length calculator.
How does a band work with a dhol player?
A dhol changes who is in charge of the rhythm, and it is better to settle that in the soundcheck than in the second song.
- Decide who sets the pace. On the bhangra songs the dhol leads and the kit follows. On the couple songs the kit leads, or the dhol sits out.
- Thin out the low end. A dhol and a busy kick drum blur into each other. The drummer plays less, and the bass keeps to simple figures.
- Agree one ending signal. Dhol players are used to extending a song for as long as people dance. A raised hand from the band leader means the last round.
- Give the dhol a break of its own. A minute of dhol alone in the middle of the set rests the singers and lifts the floor.
- Move him forward at the end. For the last songs the dhol belongs at the front of the stage or down among the dancers, where it needs little or no microphone.
The ladies sangeet is a different job. It wants a dholki, a harmonium or keys and voices, with the family singing as loudly as the band. Bring the smallest line-up you have, and let the aunts lead.
What does StageFloww do for a Punjabi wedding set, and what is left to you?
Put the folk songs, the jago and the dance set into the setlist builder as separate runs, and drag the dance set into a new order when the dhol player has a better idea. All 29 titles fit the Free plan's 40 songs per setlist. Find them through song search at home: it needs a connection, and it can miss a song, most often a folk song with several spellings.
Most of these songs are sung in Punjabi, and the lyrics are normally written in Gurmukhi. StageFloww can show these lyrics in English letters. This is transliteration: the sound of the words respelled, not a translation of their meaning. Paste the lyrics yourself, or let StageFloww fetch them where available. Not every song has lyrics available.
If you already hold the words as Gurmukhi text, the free lyrics in English letters tool converts them in the browser. StageFloww does not supply the dhol pattern, a backing track or a list of what guests want; those stay with you. More for acts like yours is on the page for Bollywood bands.