Panjabi folk/hip-hop producer Tru-Skool was a prominent figure behind the scenes of U.K. bhangra. Born in Derby, U.K. Sukhjit Singh Olk (aka Tru-Skool) was brought up listening to Punjabi folk. He started listening to hip-hop when he started school, which lead to an interest in music production; specifically, the combination of hip-hop-inspired beats alongside the traditional bhangra music he was raised with. In pursuit of his musical interests, Olk was classically trained on a number of traditional Panjabi instruments, including tabla, tumbi, harmonium (vaja), dholki, and naal; he additionally taught himself to play the keyboard. Eventually his skill and hard work was noticed by successful crossover act Panjabi MC, who would feature Olk on his 2000 LP Switchin'. In 2004, Olk released his first major album, Word Is Born, in collaboration with Specialist. The album was followed by a second release, 2006's Repazent. Gradually, Tru-Skool became the go-to producer in the U.K. bhangra scene, putting his production stamp on a number of Panjabi folk records. As well as working with established artists, Olk began tutoring aspiring bhangra musicians, including JK, whom he spent eight years teaching. He would go on to produce JK's debut album, Gabru Panjab Dha, in 2011. Olk broke into the U.K. mainstream in 2016 by producing Ashok Prince's One Time 4 Ya Mind, which entered the U.K. charts at number four. ~ Liam Martin