Punjabi by Nature

{{About|the Canadian bhangra band|the UK-based producer and artist known as PBN / Panjabi By Nature|PBN (producer)}}

{{Infobox musical artist

| name = Punjabi by Nature

| image =

| alt =

| caption =

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| landscape =

| background = group_or_band

| alias =

| origin = Toronto, Ontario, Canada

| genre = Bhangra

| years_active = {{start date|1993}}–{{end date|2000}}

| label = Westpark

| associated_acts =

| website =

| current_members =

| past_members = Raffa Dean
Paul Dhanjal
Chris Hess
Tony Singh
Tesfa Campbell
Jason Filiatrault
Shameema Soni
Ivana Santilli}}

Punjabi by Nature was a seven piece bhangra band founded in Toronto in 1993.Jennifer Ditchburn, "Punjabi By Nature performs with a rich style of its own". Kingston Whig-Standard, July 9, 1996. They were nominated for a Juno Award for Best Global Album at the Juno Awards of 1996, for their album Jmpn For Joy.Phil Jenkins, "Plenty of variety found among Juno nominees". Ottawa Citizen, March 2, 1996.

Punjabi by Nature were unique in the bhangra genre in that they were emphatic that their music was not targeted exclusively toward ethnic Indo-Canadians, but people of all nationalities and ethnic groups."Band thrives with mix of styles". Halifax Daily News, July 9, 1996. They blended traditional bhangra with hip hop, reggae and dance elements, featuring both Punjabi language lyrics sung by lead singer Tony Singh and English lyrics sung or rapped by the supporting musicians.

Singh recorded the demo cassette Goonda Gardi in 1993 before putting together a full band to record Jmpn for Joy.Roger Levesque, "Hoy, Hoy, Hoy! Punjabi By Nature a Jazz City treat". Edmonton Journal, July 4, 1996. Other band members included Raffa Dean, Paul Dhanjal, Chris Hess, Tesfa Campbell, Jason Filiatrault, Shameema Soni and Ivana Santilli, with Singh noting that he chose his collaborators based on what they could play rather than their race or skin colour.James Muretich, "Punjabi By Nature fights prejudice with music". Calgary Herald, July 4, 1996. They performed as a backing band for Lillian Allen at the 1994 Kumbaya Festival.Jennie Punter, "It's all in the mix at Kumbaya music fest". Toronto Star, September 1, 1994.

Jmpn for Joy received widespread airplay on Canadian radio and MuchMusic, particularly for their bhangrified cover of KC and the Sunshine Band's "That's the Way (I Like It)".Bruce Mowat, "East meets west in Punjabi By Nature Singh songs". Hamilton Spectator, August 8, 1996.

They followed up with the album Raise the Roof in 1999,Ben Rayner, "The hype is gone, Punjabi remains ; Band's bhangra beat keeps going". Toronto Star, August 12, 1999. although by this time they were perceived as having missed the wave of interest in Indian music sparked by Cornershop's 1997 hit "Brimful of Asha", and the album did not meet with the same success as Jmpn for Joy.

They subsequently broke up, although they briefly reunited in 2011 to perform at a special event celebrating the premiere of Breakaway, a comedy film about an Indo-Canadian hockey player."Hockey crosses the cultural divide; Writers, directors and actors of Breakaway to attend debut screening". The Province, September 23, 2011.