Karam, who is half-Indian and half-English, grew up in Derby’s rough and multicultural neighbourhood of Normanton. (Instagram/KaramSingh)It took three generations of sheer competitive cussedness in a sport-mad family for Karam Singh to become a British national champion last year. As Breaking – a sport where B-Boy dance-athletes duel against each other and are judged on skills – heads into the 2024 Paris Olympics, rising global star B-Boy Kid Karam, tracing his roots to Punjab, has put himself in contention after representing UK at 2020’s biggest Breaking event, the Red Bull BC One held recently in Salzburg where the world’s best eight competed.
Karam, who is half-Indian and half-English, grew up in Derby’s rough and multicultural neighbourhood of Normanton, and recently received a star plaque in the county’s city centre. “There being very minimal success stories from my part of neighbourhood, my achievements led to the award on Derby’s Walk of Fame. I am the youngest to receive it,” he said in an e-mail interview. The recognition comes two generations after his grandfather, a wrestler of note from Phagwara, had to quit his beloved sport while refusing to compromise on principles.
“My grandfather back in India was a famous wrestler in our town. When moving to England, he gave it up because he didn’t want to conform to the rules of losing and winning when told to do so over here. I guess this is where my competitiveness comes from!” Karam says of his paternal family that moved to Derby in the 1960s looking for work and a new life. It was his father, though, who injected the dancing bug into Karam.
“In the 80’s, my father participated heavily in the dance of shuffling. He would perform in clubs and go all around UK competing and challenging other dancers with his friends. Similar to how Breakers used to do it back in the day,” he says with evident pride. His uncle trained children in martial arts after a 4th Dan.
Karam, runs, works out in a gym and swims to improve stamina, agility, speed and power. “My big dope move which is what I’m known for at times is a crazy ‘Head Spin Drill’,” he says, adding that he continues his 5-a-side football once a week, and also played plenty of cricket when younger, and hockey too which he claims he was good at.
“My favourite player in history is Sachin Tendulkar, but currently it’s Virat Kohli of course,” says the Manchester United devout.
Smitten by his breaking dance crew Trinity Warriors, whom he first saw perform head spins at a fun fair in a park at age 7, Karam would predict to his sister that “one day I’ll do those spins.” While the crew would allow the underage “Kid” to roll around on stage, his first teacher and mentor B-Boy Foggy would gently tell him he was underaged for any of the b-boying wizardry yet. “B-Boy Foggy explained that the classes were for 8-year-olds and up. I waited until my 8th birthday and was at the next class!”
In 2008, Trinity Warriors would battle Korean crew T.I.P in the World finals. “In this battle, I came out of a bag on stage and at the time I was the youngest person to ever compete in it,” Karam recalls.
As he shot up in uneven growth spurts, Kid Karam had his sights set on UK’s ultimate solo title. “To be crowned the British Champ meant everything to me,” he says of the 2019 triumph, two years after finishing second to B-Boy Sunni.
Carlos Cruz, a breakdancer, practices at a kiosk in Alameda park, in Mexico City. (AP Photo: Fernando Llano, File)
Sunni belonged to Britain’s other top crew, Soul Mavericks. “He was one of the best young kids around. I tried to secretly throw burns while cyphering (standing in a circle and challenging opponents) because I didn’t want another young guy to be better than me! As a competitive b-boy, Sunni could have opposed me, but instead he pushed the idea of us two doing it together and taking over the world. It’s why I class him as my family,” Karam says.
His Indian roots, though, peek through every now and then. “Some of my top rock moves are influenced from Bhangra steps from family weddings. I really like bhangra artistes Sidhu Moose Wala and Panjabi MC and carry their energy with me in all of my sets and make videos to their music also! One of my favourite happy songs to dance on is Punjabi MC’s Morni,” Karam says.
It was the trip to India in 2019 though that offered him a different transition than what b-boying in Europe invoked. Flown out to New Delhi to judge and deliver a workshop for the Bharat Jam Competition, Karam experienced a different culture. “For the first time, I was overwhelmed. It was the ‘most pure’ place and I will cherish the memories forever. I cried on the plane back because I didn’t want to come back to the world I live in over in England,” he recalls.
Breaking in the Olympics is music to his ears. “As a competitive b-boy, Olympics provides definition. I love Breaking, so wherever it goes, I will go too. With Breaking being an Olympic sport and me potentially getting to be a part of it, it’s a dream come true. I can’t wait for it!” he says.
France has been a second home with most of his wins coming there besides in UK. It puts Kid Karam alongside Breaking’s biggest names – B-Boys Shigekix of Japan, Bumblebee of Russia and Zeku of the USA – as a formidable contender challenging established champs Alkolil of Russia and Kazakhstan’s elastic limbs of Killa Kolya.