About
Barmer Boys are an Indian folk and Sufi trio from Barmer, Rajasthan, produced by Amarrass Records, drawn from the hereditary Manganiyar musician community. Formed in 2011 at the Amarrass Desert Music Festival, they are hailed as torchbearers of the centuries-old Manganiyar tradition and as global ambassadors of Rajasthani folk and Sufi music.
Barmer Boys formed in 2011 at the Amarrass Desert Music Festival and made their international debut in 2014 with a US tour. Over the following decade they performed hundreds of concerts across some 25 countries, at festivals including Roskilde, WOMAD, the Winnipeg Folk Festival and the Ziro Festival, and featured on MTV Coke Studio, the BBC and NPR, releasing acclaimed albums including At Home (2012), Kesariya Balm (2017, a Transglobal World Music Charts entry) and Live in Berlin (2020). After the death of founding lead vocalist Mangey Khan in 2024, the group continued, introducing Bhura Khan as lead vocalist in 2025, sustaining their role as torchbearers of an evolving Rajasthani tradition.
The artistry
The Barmer Boys move between soulful Sufi kalaams, devotional Krishna bhajans and buoyant wedding and celebratory songs, anchored by a powerful lead voice and the dholak, and coloured by Sawai Khan's percussive virtuosity on morchang, bhapang and khartaal, to which he adds beatboxing. It is, in their own spirit, 21st-century folk with attitude: ancient Manganiyar technique meeting contemporary energy on the world stage.
[Atlas Perspective] Barmer Boys are a rare combination of deep hereditary authenticity and contemporary global appeal. For festivals, cultural-diplomacy initiatives and premium events wanting genuine Rajasthani folk and Sufi with international stature, they are a top-tier booking.
Barmer Boys carry forward the hereditary Manganiyar tradition of Rajasthan, one of India's great desert musical lineages, while innovating it for contemporary global audiences. They are among the most successful ambassadors of Rajasthani folk and Sufi music internationally, helping keep the tradition living and economically viable for a new generation.