Who is Mai Dhai?
Mai Dhai is a South Asian classical music artist known for No Gharana, Folk, Vocal. Stream 1 recording on Saarey Music.
Mai Dhai is one of the great folk voices of Pakistan — a Manganiar singer from Tharparkar, Sindh, whose unhurried Marwari and Sindhi songs carry the desert tradition of her community onto the world’s stages. Born in 1943 or 1944 in the Barmer region, she has sung since the early 1960s at weddings and gatherings, and she has described herself as the only woman of the Manganiar tribe to have performed on a big stage.
The Mai Dhai Band — Jamal Shab on harmonium and Muhammad Fakir on dhol — brought her to national television and then abroad: in March 2015 she performed in New York and at SXSW Music in Austin, Texas. Later that year Coke Studio Pakistan (Season 8) introduced her to a new generation with “Aankharli Pharookai”, sung with Karam Abbas Khan, and “Kadi Ao Ni” with Atif Aslam. Her voice also carries “Sarak Sarak” in the film Ho Mann Jahaan, and she recorded “Doro” and “Moriya” with The Sketches for the Lahooti sessions.
Her honours include the Latif Award for Best Singer (2016), the Nigar Award for Best Playback Singer (2017) and Pakistan’s Pride of Performance (2024). On Saarey Music you can hear her “Dohre Mahiye”, a rare 2006 recording.
