"THE STORY OF SIRGUN KAUR (aka Porter)"
or,"A long journey in a circle."

I grew up an ex-pat in Southern France, singing from birth. I always knew I wanted to be a musician, but when it came time to leave high school I thought I'd go to a nice Ivy League college, study something completely quirky and unrelated, and THEN I'd do music. I wasn't able to escape my love for long, and ended up majoring in what turned out to be the only thing that interested me at Brown University: music. I called myself "Porter" then. 

When I graduated in '05, I had a premature mid-life crisis and decided I needed to backpack through the Pacific Rim to find out what my next step should be. It was during this time that I discovered two things: I really missed my piano, and, while saying at a hostel in Fiji, a practice called "yoga". 

When I returned to my parent's new home in CT, I began the overwhelming endeavour of arranging, producing and writing my first album. Upon completion, I toured a great deal in the Northeast. At the beginning of 2009 I combined a move to Los Angeles, CA with a cross-country tour. My bestest friend drove (see insane videos here) us most of the way. Bless her. 

For the first few months that I lived in Los Angeles I played a lot. And then I stopped. This was a decision that baffled most of my family and friends. I just didn't want to sing what I was singing any more. I took a break to do some deep personal investigation, and what fell into my lap was Kundalini Yoga. After taking only one class, I signed up for a children's teacher training and have been joyfully teaching children 3-12 every since (click for info on children's yoga).

Something else happened from not singing: I was asked to sing. It took some patience, but the Universe finally asked me to sing. Actually, my boss announced to all his guests at his birthday party, which included two of my favorite devotional chant artists, that I had a chant to share. At the time, having nothing in fact to share, this was mortifying. However, the word got out that I sang... and sang well... and ever since, people have been asking me to sing kirtan with them.

Now, I sing with C.C. White, Joey Lugassy, Gurunam, my trio Treysha, Sat Darshan Singh, and solo. 

Of course, now it is clear to me why I stopped singing. I was listening. I have learned that there are times to sing (gavai) and times to listen (suni-ai). Both are equally important. When I listened I gained freedom. So when I started singing again, I had a whole new perseptive and appreciation for what I was and what I could be. 

Sirgun Kaur is a singer, composer, blogger, yoga teacher, and grateful earthling. Her newest musical release is "The Music Within", with Sat Darshan Singh, and is available for download and for purchase here. She lives in Phoenix, AZ with her amazingly supportive husband, surrounded by loving community.