Mai Dhai

Mai Dhai
Born	1920 (age 97) Tharparkar, Sindh, Pakistan
Genres	Marwari and Sindhi folk music
Years active	1960-present
Associated acts	The Sketches, Lahooti Live Sessions, Saif Samejo, Coke Studio, Strings, Atif Aslam, Karam Abbas Khan
Notable instruments
Dholak

Mai Dhai (Urdu: مای دهای‎) is a Pakistani classical folk singer hailing from Tharparkar, Sindh. She formed a folk-band called Mai Dhai Band composed of Jamal Shab, a harmonium player and dhol player, Muhammad Fakir. Mai and her band has performed in US at SXSW Music 2015, where her music style was met with extravagant positive response. She rose to prominence on national television after appearing as a featured artist in eight season of music series Coke Studio.

Mai belongs to the Muslim Langha tribe of Manganiar origin from Rajasthan, India. Her mother was a well known singer of her tribe from Jodhpur. After the independence of Pakistan in 1947, Mai settled in 'Haveli' Umerkot, Sindh Pakistan. At the age of ten, she started her music training from her mother. In 2013, She appeared in Lahooti Live Sessions a Live Music Sessions to promote Indigenous Music Sufi/Folk music, musicians, instruments among masses specially youth which is produced by the band The Sketches. She rose to fame after performing in Lahooti Live Sessions. In March 2015, as a part of DubMC collaboration with the US embassy in Pakistan and Foundation for Arts, Culture and Education (FACE) at SXSW Music 2015 Global program, Mai performed in New York City at Graduate Center of City University. In an interview with Broadway world, she said, "I have confidence in my voice and the culture I come from," she states. "Things around here are getting stricter, especially when it comes to a woman singing on stage. I am the only women from the Manganiyar Tribe who has performed on a big stage But I am hopeful that things will get better, maybe for the next generation. And as long as my voice is with me I will keep singing."

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