MUMBAI: Diving straight out of the success garnered by her songs in ‘Raees’ and ‘Befikre’, sensational vocalist Harshdeep Kaur is gearing up to storm international shores with her soulful renditions.

The extraordinary Sufi singer who was hailed as the “Queen Of Sufi” by industry veteran Amitabh Bachchan will be seen collaborating with Pakistan’s trailblazing Sufi Qawal Sanam Marvi for the very first time for the sixth edition of the renowned Manchester International Festival on 1 July 2017 at the Lowry.

As part of the opening night, MIF 2017 will be hosting an eclectic evening of Sufi music titled Sangam 2017 featuring Sanam Marvi from Pakistan and Harshdeep Kaur from India. The evening will be hosted by Noreen Khan of the BBC Asian Network. The performance will set the tone for the opening of Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy’s extraordinary new work, HOME1947, and is a fitting celebration of the remarkable creativity and rich culture of South Asia, on the 70th anniversary of Indian independence.

Speaking on the occasion Harshdeep Kaur says, “I'm very excited to perform at the prestigious 'Manchester International Festival'. It's a proud feeling to be the first Indian artist performing at the MIF. I aim to spread the message love and peace through my music. I believe Music is beyond any religion/cast/colour and has the power to connect people belonging to different faiths. My set will include Sufi songs with a blend of modern yet soulful arrangements. Sanam Marvi from Pakistan will be joining me on stage and we both will be doing a jugalabandi on some popular Sufi songs. "

Speaking about the performance Sanam Marvi adds on, “It’s about connecting people beyond all borders and boundaries. It’s a message for all human beings to share.”

Manchester International Festival (MIF) is the world’s first festival of original, new work and special events. The Festival is staged every two years in Manchester, UK. MIF was established in 2005 and hosted their first festival in 2007. Since then, this artist-led festival is staged every two years in Manchester, UK and has exhibited various art forms from different parts of the world ranging from music to theatre to photography to interior design. MIF has hosted world premieres by artists as diverse as Björk, Steve McQueen, Robert Wilson, Wayne McGregor, Maxine Peake, Abida Parveen and Marina Abramovi? to name a few.