World Music Day: Popular Singers Who Are So Bad They’re Good

This International Music Day, listen to singers who are so bad that they’re entertaining. You’ve been warned!

Gurmeet Ram Rahim can sing and dance. But do we want to listen to him? 

(Photo: YouTube screengrab)

It’s International Music Day and everyone’s talking about popular music and singers. But, let’s talk about some awful singers, who are so bad that they are entertaining.

Think about it this way – just like you need to kiss a lot of frogs to find your Prince Charming, you need to listen to some terrible singers to learn to appreciate good music.

Dhinchak Pooja

Do I really need to tell you about Dhinchak Pooja or ‘Selfie Maine Le Li Aaj’? The song has crossed 15 million views online. Why? Because while some shared it as a bid to mock her, others simply couldn’t get it out of their heads. Go figure!

Amrit Bains

Surrey’s bus driver-turned-singer Amrit Bains’ songs will make you laugh and cry all at once. The hat, the dance moves, the three mirror images of himself are all to kill for in all his songs, be it Rararara Rocks, Free Like A Junglee and Absolute Unbreakable. Or as Bains puts it in his song “a new attitude, my whole world just changed / When my thoughts are rearranged (sic)”. Profound!

Vennu Mallesh

There good singers, and then there are singers like Vennu Mallesh, who became an internet sensation after his debut single “It’s My Life Whatever I Wanna Do. Mind you, “it’s not a song, it’s about his life”. The singer-songwriter has included lyrics that you can sing along to... or maybe not. After all, it has lyrics like, “a friend of mine said I am a waste fellow / he don’t know the taste of this fellow (sic)”. Don’t say we didn’t warn you. But the Ice Bucket Challenge- Do It is a classic.

Taher Shah

You knew Taher Shah would be on this list, didn’t you? What can we say about Taher Shah’s Eye To Eye song that you haven’t already heard or read about? Even though the song makes no sense, as it just describes “sensual, colourful eyes” (among other adjectives), it successfully managed to grab eyeballs. And what can we say about the wonderful lyrics, “your love is faithful forever and ever without you I’m like a butterfly without flying (sic)”.

Danish Ghaffar

Goodbye Danish Ghaffar, aka D4NNY, and please don’t ever sing again in that awful monotonous tone. The UK-based, singer-rapper-songwriter tries to rap, but doesn’t seem to comprehend the fact that a few hand gestures does not a rapper make. But these moves are what made him an internet sensation. So D4NNY, bro, just Slow Down with those terrible raps, will ya?

Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh

The self-proclaimed godman is also a self-proclaimed rockstar (and a hundred other things). Guruji’s songs are have it all, a bit of Snoop Dogg, some Yo Yo Honey Singh, and even a touch of Bappi Lahiri. The jhatak and the bling just ads to the beauty of his songs. Will we forget his songs? Never Ever.

(This story was first published on 21 June 2015 and has been reposted from The Quint's archives to mark/observe/celebrate World Music Day)