DJ Nihal
Encyclopedia
DJ Nihal is an English radio and TV presenter, as well as club night promoter and DJ, currently broadcasting on BBC Radio 1
, BBC Asian Network
and since August 6, 2010 BBC Radio 5 Live
. He currently resides within Notting Hill London where he lives with his wife and two young children, one son and one daughter.
, Harlow
.
After graduating university, he began an unsuccessful career as a recording artist. He was briefly a member of alternative hip-hop outfit Collapsed Lung
. Nihal attempted to find fame as a rapper and worked with Fun Da Mental and Punjabi MC (in 1995), Badmarsh & Shri
, Mentor
, Sona Family
, and DJ Sanj and has worked as a freelance music journalist, having written for Asiana, Eastern Eye, The Face
, Mixmag
, Hip Hop Connection, Attitude, Bear magazine, Cage And Aviary Birds and The Observer
. After failing badly as an artist, in the late 90s, he turned to music promotion working for artists as diverse as Nitin Sawhney
, Judge Jules
, Mos Def
, and Elton John
and it was while working for the groundbreaking Asian Beats record label Outcaste Records he promoted, amongst others Badmarsh & Shri
's seminal 'Signs' album.
coming under the specialist DJ category. The show went on to win a Sony Radio Award in 2003 - achieving Gold standard in the Specialist Music Category for their show: Bobby Friction & Nihal Present. At the end of 2004, they released a compilation album as a reflection of the music they play on the show. After an initial high profile start, the show was re-scheduled to the early morning 'graveyard' hours. Eventually Bobby Friction left the show, leaving the title as "Asian Beats with Nihal"
Nihal became the presenter of the Weekend Breakfast Show on Radio 1, in October 2007, currently the only one of two DJs to present both a mainstream and a specialist show on the channel, the other being Annie Mac
, and infrequently provides holiday cover for other Radio 1 colleagues. In September 2008 he was moved from weekend breakfast to weekend afternoons 1pm-4pm on Radio 1. On 21 September 2009, Nihal was moved from weekends to a brand-new review program, named BBC Radio 1's Review With Nihal. The weekly show reviews the latest music, films and games. He also became the sole presenter of the specialist Radio 1 Asian Beats show after Bobby Friction left. His former weekend slot has been filled by Jo Whiley
.
In May 2007, Nihal left Kicking Off... to become the host of the daily phone-in talk show from 9am-12pm on the Asian Network. In April 2009 his show moved to 1pm-3pm as part schedule changes.
In 2010
, he won "Best Radio Show" at the UK Asian Music Awards
(UK AMAs) for his show on Radio 1.
, Raghav
, Jay Sean, Belgian Ben, Skiddy McGee and The Mentor Kolektiv
, as well as giving a platform for unsigned artists such as Sunit, Raxtstar and Serese.
As well as DJing at a variety of events up and down the country, Nihal has DJed the Isle Of Wight Festival
, Glastonbury Festival
and Bestival
in the UK. Internationally, he has performed in Bangladesh
, Dubai
, Germany
, India
, Sri Lanka
, Switzerland
, Thailand
, and toured the U.S.
with Bobby Friction
and Raghav
.
on BBC2's Webwise. Since then he hosted his own rap show The Drop on MTV Base
, and three hours of live TV every Saturday for digital television channel CBBC
entitled The Saturday Show
: Extra.
Nihal has co-presented three series of BBC2's flagship Asian music
arts and culture show - Desi DNA
alongside Adil Ray
and Anita Rani
since 2004 and it is through this show that Nihal has interviewed Karsh Kale
, Padma Lakshmi
, Nerm
, Outlandish, and DJ Pathaan, as well as presenting special features on Jay Sean, Ms Scandalous and Freeform Five. In August 2005, he appeared on BBC2's Art School, alongside celebrities Ulrika Jonsson
, and Keith Allen, to spend two weeks at the Chelsea School of Art and learn about modern art.
In 2010, Nihal appeared on BBC2's Celebrity Masterchef, but was eliminated in the first round, after cooking a Thai chicken curry on rosti for the Invention Test, only identifying 3 ingredients on the Taste Test, having timing issues in the professional kitchen and having Gregg Wallace describe his own dish as "closest I’ve ever seen to a dessert in a savoury dish".
With inside knowledge of the music industry he is regularly asked provide talking head
commentary on various music and culture related topics from the BRIT Awards
, The Culture Show
and Five's The Wright Stuff
to MTV Base's
Hip Hop Candy and has appeared as a guest panellist on music comedy quiz Never Mind The Buzzcocks
twice and on BBC4's We Need Answers
.
London bid.
He is the voiceover for the Slumdog Millionaire
album. In 2010, he is undertaking a sponsored walk around the coast of Northern Ireland to raise money for the Battersea Dog's Home.
Nihal also appeared on the BBC Radio 5 Live show Fighting Talk
on the 1st of May 2010 alongside Tom Watt
, John Rawlings
and Kevin Bridges
. Here he showed his support for north London football club Tottenham Hotspur.
BBC Radio 1
BBC Radio 1 is a British national radio station operated by the British Broadcasting Corporation which also broadcasts internationally, specialising in current popular music and chart hits throughout the day. Radio 1 provides alternative genres after 7:00pm including electronic dance, hip hop, rock...
, BBC Asian Network
BBC Asian Network
BBC Asian Network is a British radio station serving those originating from and around the Indian subcontinent. The music and news comes out of the main urban areas where there are significant communities with these backgrounds. The station has production centres in Birmingham, Leicester and London...
and since August 6, 2010 BBC Radio 5 Live
BBC Radio 5 Live
BBC Radio 5 Live is the BBC's national radio service that specialises in live BBC News, phone-ins, and sports commentaries...
. He currently resides within Notting Hill London where he lives with his wife and two young children, one son and one daughter.
Before radio
Nihal, born 1 June 1971, to Buddhist Sri Lankan parents, began his involvement in the music industry as a promoter of rap shows in his native Essex while studying at Burnt Mill SchoolBurnt Mill School
Burnt Mill School is situated on First Avenue in the south-west Essex town of Harlow. Burnt Mill School is built near the site of a mill that had burnt down, hence the name of the school and the surrounding area...
, Harlow
Harlow
Harlow is a new town and local government district in Essex, England. It is located in the west of the county and on the border with Hertfordshire, on the Stort Valley, The town is near the M11 motorway and forms part of the London commuter belt.The district has a current population of 78,889...
.
After graduating university, he began an unsuccessful career as a recording artist. He was briefly a member of alternative hip-hop outfit Collapsed Lung
Collapsed Lung (band)
Collapsed Lung are a Harlow-based Brit-Pop group most famous for the song "Eat My Goal". They formed in February 1992.-History:Collapsed Lung was originally formed as a bedroom studio collaboration between Anthony Chapman and Steve Harcourt...
. Nihal attempted to find fame as a rapper and worked with Fun Da Mental and Punjabi MC (in 1995), Badmarsh & Shri
Badmarsh & Shri
Badmarsh & Shri are an electronic/trip hop duo from London, UK.- Formation :Prior to their formation, Badmarsh worked at the reggae studio Easy Street; which was hiring PA equipment to a nightclub called Labyrinth...
, Mentor
Mentor
In Greek mythology, Mentor was the son of Alcimus or Anchialus. In his old age Mentor was a friend of Odysseus who placed Mentor and Odysseus' foster-brother Eumaeus in charge of his son Telemachus, and of Odysseus' palace, when Odysseus left for the Trojan War.When Athena visited Telemachus she...
, Sona Family
Sona Family
Sona Family is a London-based musical quartet. They have been said to sound "like The Black Eyed Peas infused with traditional Indian bhangra music". They combine urban music, hip hop, R&B and dancehall with their own upbringing as UK Desis...
, and DJ Sanj and has worked as a freelance music journalist, having written for Asiana, Eastern Eye, The Face
The Face (magazine)
The Face was a British music, fashion and culture monthly magazine started in May 1980 by Nick Logan.-1980s:Logan had previously created the teen pop magazine Smash Hits, and had been an editor at the New Musical Express in the 1970s before launching The Face in 1980.The magazine was influential in...
, Mixmag
Mixmag
Mixmag is a British dance music and clubbing magazine. It styles itself as "the world's biggest selling dance music magazine", with an Audit Bureau of Circulations audited circulation of approximately 21,250...
, Hip Hop Connection, Attitude, Bear magazine, Cage And Aviary Birds and The Observer
The Observer
The Observer is a British newspaper, published on Sundays. In the same place on the political spectrum as its daily sister paper The Guardian, which acquired it in 1993, it takes a liberal or social democratic line on most issues. It is the world's oldest Sunday newspaper.-Origins:The first issue,...
. After failing badly as an artist, in the late 90s, he turned to music promotion working for artists as diverse as Nitin Sawhney
Nitin Sawhney
Nitin Sawhney is an Indian-British musician, producer and composer. His critically acclaimed work combines Asian and other worldwide influences with elements of jazz and electronica and often explores themes such as multiculturalism, politics and spirituality...
, Judge Jules
Judge Jules
Judge Jules is a British dance music DJ and producer, known for his DJ activities and popular radio show which achieved global success.-Education:...
, Mos Def
Mos Def
Dante Terrell Smith is an American actor and Emcee known by the stage names Mos Def and Yasiin Bey. He started his hip hop career in a group called Urban Thermo Dynamics, after which he appeared on albums by Da Bush Babees and De La Soul. With Talib Kweli, he formed the duo Black Star, which...
, and Elton John
Elton John
Sir Elton Hercules John, CBE, Hon DMus is an English rock singer-songwriter, composer, pianist and occasional actor...
and it was while working for the groundbreaking Asian Beats record label Outcaste Records he promoted, amongst others Badmarsh & Shri
Badmarsh & Shri
Badmarsh & Shri are an electronic/trip hop duo from London, UK.- Formation :Prior to their formation, Badmarsh worked at the reggae studio Easy Street; which was hiring PA equipment to a nightclub called Labyrinth...
's seminal 'Signs' album.
Radio career
Nihal joined BBC Radio 1 in 2002, to become co-host of a night time Asian Beats show with DJ Bobby FrictionBobby Friction
Paramdeep Singh Sehdev , better known as Bobby Friction, is a DJ, television presenter and radio presenter from west London.He studied Contemporary Arts at The Nottingham Trent University....
coming under the specialist DJ category. The show went on to win a Sony Radio Award in 2003 - achieving Gold standard in the Specialist Music Category for their show: Bobby Friction & Nihal Present. At the end of 2004, they released a compilation album as a reflection of the music they play on the show. After an initial high profile start, the show was re-scheduled to the early morning 'graveyard' hours. Eventually Bobby Friction left the show, leaving the title as "Asian Beats with Nihal"
Nihal became the presenter of the Weekend Breakfast Show on Radio 1, in October 2007, currently the only one of two DJs to present both a mainstream and a specialist show on the channel, the other being Annie Mac
Annie Mac
Annie Mac is an Irish DJ and television presenter who hosts an eponymous electronic dance music show on BBC Radio 1 in the United Kingdom which airs at 7:00 pm on Friday evenings as well as a Sunday evening show alongside co-presenter Nick Grimshaw.-Personal life:Annie Mac was born in Dublin,...
, and infrequently provides holiday cover for other Radio 1 colleagues. In September 2008 he was moved from weekend breakfast to weekend afternoons 1pm-4pm on Radio 1. On 21 September 2009, Nihal was moved from weekends to a brand-new review program, named BBC Radio 1's Review With Nihal. The weekly show reviews the latest music, films and games. He also became the sole presenter of the specialist Radio 1 Asian Beats show after Bobby Friction left. His former weekend slot has been filled by Jo Whiley
Jo Whiley
Johanne "Jo" Whiley is a British radio disc jockey and television presenter. She was the host of the long running weekday Jo Whiley Show on Radio 1.-Early life and education:...
.
In May 2007, Nihal left Kicking Off... to become the host of the daily phone-in talk show from 9am-12pm on the Asian Network. In April 2009 his show moved to 1pm-3pm as part schedule changes.
In 2010
2010 in music
2010 in music may refer to:*2010 in American music*2010 in Australian music*2010 in British music*2010 in Canadian music*2010 in European music *2010 in Irish music*2010 in Japanese music*2010 in New Zealand music...
, he won "Best Radio Show" at the UK Asian Music Awards
UK Asian Music Awards
The UK Asian Music Awards, also known by the abbreviation UK AMA, is an award show that is held annually in the United Kingdom since 2002. It is presented by B4U Music since 2008...
(UK AMAs) for his show on Radio 1.
Club promotion
Following on from the success of the Radio 1 show, he launched his own club night called Bombay Bronx in May 2004 as an opportunity to showcase his love of rap music - but with a distinctly Asian perspective. Since its creation, Bombay Bronx has seen some of the biggest artists on the 'Asian Beats' scene perform live, such as SwamiSwami (band)
Swami are a critically acclaimed British Indian pop/alt/bhangra band from Birmingham, England. It is also the pseudonym of the band's lead performer, producer, DJ and guitarist Diamond Duggal , who founded the band with his brother Simon Duggal...
, Raghav
Raghav
Raghav Mathur , known professionally as Raghav, is a Canadian singer currently signed to Cordova Bay Records. He is best known for his single "Angel Eyes" which peaked at number 7 in the UK in 2005...
, Jay Sean, Belgian Ben, Skiddy McGee and The Mentor Kolektiv
Mentor Kolektiv
Mentor Kolektiv are a British Asian, Bhangra group. The Mentor Kolektiv, headed by Mentor consists of Punjabi vocalist Des-C, rapper MC A.C.,and DJ Mr Mak....
, as well as giving a platform for unsigned artists such as Sunit, Raxtstar and Serese.
As well as DJing at a variety of events up and down the country, Nihal has DJed the Isle Of Wight Festival
Isle of Wight Festival
The Isle of Wight Festival is a music festival which takes place every year on the Isle of Wight in England. It was originally held from 1968 to 1970. These original events were promoted and organised by the Foulk brothers under the banner of their company Fiery Creations Limited...
, Glastonbury Festival
Glastonbury Festival
The Glastonbury Festival of Contemporary Performing Arts, commonly abbreviated to Glastonbury or even Glasto, is a performing arts festival that takes place near Pilton, Somerset, England, best known for its contemporary music, but also for dance, comedy, theatre, circus, cabaret and other arts.The...
and Bestival
Bestival
Bestival is a four-day music festival held at the Robin Hill country park on the Isle of Wight, England. It has been held annually in late summer since 2004. The event is organized by DJ and record producer Rob da Bank and is an off-shoot of his Sunday Best record label and club nights. The initial...
in the UK. Internationally, he has performed in Bangladesh
Bangladesh
Bangladesh , officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh is a sovereign state located in South Asia. It is bordered by India on all sides except for a small border with Burma to the far southeast and by the Bay of Bengal to the south...
, Dubai
Dubai
Dubai is a city and emirate in the United Arab Emirates . The emirate is located south of the Persian Gulf on the Arabian Peninsula and has the largest population with the second-largest land territory by area of all the emirates, after Abu Dhabi...
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
, Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka is a country off the southern coast of the Indian subcontinent. Known until 1972 as Ceylon , Sri Lanka is an island surrounded by the Indian Ocean, the Gulf of Mannar and the Palk Strait, and lies in the vicinity of India and the...
, Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
, Thailand
Thailand
Thailand , officially the Kingdom of Thailand , formerly known as Siam , is a country located at the centre of the Indochina peninsula and Southeast Asia. It is bordered to the north by Burma and Laos, to the east by Laos and Cambodia, to the south by the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia, and to the...
, and toured the U.S.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
with Bobby Friction
Bobby Friction
Paramdeep Singh Sehdev , better known as Bobby Friction, is a DJ, television presenter and radio presenter from west London.He studied Contemporary Arts at The Nottingham Trent University....
and Raghav
Raghav
Raghav Mathur , known professionally as Raghav, is a Canadian singer currently signed to Cordova Bay Records. He is best known for his single "Angel Eyes" which peaked at number 7 in the UK in 2005...
.
Television
Nihal's TV appearances began in 1999 alongside Emma BEmma B
Emma Boughton , grew up in Canada and as a teenager in Birmingham, England.Better known as Emma B, she is a radio presenter in the UK. She became known as Emma B when she worked for Creation Records...
on BBC2's Webwise. Since then he hosted his own rap show The Drop on MTV Base
MTV Base
MTV Base is a 24-hour music and general entertainment channel from MTV Networks International. The channel focuses primarily on music from the world of R'n'B, hiphop, reggae, soul and urban. The MTV Base brand first launched in the United Kingdom and in the Republic of Ireland on July 1, 1999,...
, and three hours of live TV every Saturday for digital television channel CBBC
CBBC
CBBC is one of two brand names used for the BBC's children's television strands. Between 1985 and 2002, CBBC was the name given to all the BBC's programmes on TV for children aged under 14...
entitled The Saturday Show
The Saturday Show
The Saturday Show can refer to:*The Saturday Show , an early-1980s ITV children's show*The Saturday Show , a BBC TV children's series broadcast from 2001–2005...
: Extra.
Nihal has co-presented three series of BBC2's flagship Asian music
Asian music
Asian music encompasses numerous different musical styles originating from a large number of Asian countries.Musical traditions in Asia* Music of Central Asia** Music of Afghanistan** Music of Kazakhstan** Music of Mongolia** Music of Uzbekistan...
arts and culture show - Desi DNA
Desi DNA
Desi DNA is a British television show on the BBC covering Desi art, culture and entertainment, currently broadcasting its fifth series in 2008....
alongside Adil Ray
Adil Ray
Adil Ray is a British radio and television presenter, and actor born 26 April 1974 in Birmingham, England.- Background :Adil Ray is of Pakistani and Kenyan origin. He began his career as a radio host on a pirate radio station in Huddersfield while studying at the University of Huddersfield and...
and Anita Rani
Anita Rani
Anita Rani is an English born ethnic Indian radio and television presenter and journalist.-Early life:Rani was born and raised in Bradford in Yorkshire, to a mother of Sikh origins, and Hindu father...
since 2004 and it is through this show that Nihal has interviewed Karsh Kale
Karsh Kale
Karsh Kale is an Indian American musician, producer and composer, and is considered one of the pioneering figures in defining the Asian Underground genre by mixing disparate genres of music such as Indian classical and folk with electronica, rock, pop and ambient music...
, Padma Lakshmi
Padma Lakshmi
Padma Parvati Lakshmi also Padma, Lady Rushdie is an American cookbook author, actress, model and television host. She has been the host of the US reality television program Top Chef since season two in 2006, for which she received a nomination for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Host for...
, Nerm
Nerm
-Early life:Nerm's passion for music and mixing started at the age of 10 years old whilst playing around with some D90 cassette tapes.-Early career:...
, Outlandish, and DJ Pathaan, as well as presenting special features on Jay Sean, Ms Scandalous and Freeform Five. In August 2005, he appeared on BBC2's Art School, alongside celebrities Ulrika Jonsson
Ulrika Jonsson
Eva Ulrika Jonsson is a Swedish television presenter in the UK, who became famous as a TV-am weather presenter and moved on to present Gladiators and became a team captain of the show Shooting Stars.-Early life:...
, and Keith Allen, to spend two weeks at the Chelsea School of Art and learn about modern art.
In 2010, Nihal appeared on BBC2's Celebrity Masterchef, but was eliminated in the first round, after cooking a Thai chicken curry on rosti for the Invention Test, only identifying 3 ingredients on the Taste Test, having timing issues in the professional kitchen and having Gregg Wallace describe his own dish as "closest I’ve ever seen to a dessert in a savoury dish".
With inside knowledge of the music industry he is regularly asked provide talking head
Talking head
Talking head may refer to:Computers and internet*Computer facial animation, area of computer graphics that animates images of the human head and face*Interactive online charactersFilm and television*Talking Head , 1992 film by Mamoru Oshii...
commentary on various music and culture related topics from the BRIT Awards
Brit Awards
The Brit Awards are the British Phonographic Industry's annual pop music awards. The name was originally a shortened form of "British", "Britain" or "Britannia", but subsequently became a backronym for British Record Industry Trust...
, The Culture Show
The Culture Show
The Culture Show is a weekly BBC Two Arts magazine programme. It is broadcast in the UK on Thursday nights at 7pm, focusing on the best of the week's arts and culture news, covering books, art, film, architecture, music, visual fashion and the performing arts...
and Five's The Wright Stuff
The Wright Stuff
The Wright Stuff is a British television chat show, hosted by Matthew Wright, and currently airing on Channel 5 each weekday morning from 9:15 to 11:10am....
to MTV Base's
MTV Base
MTV Base is a 24-hour music and general entertainment channel from MTV Networks International. The channel focuses primarily on music from the world of R'n'B, hiphop, reggae, soul and urban. The MTV Base brand first launched in the United Kingdom and in the Republic of Ireland on July 1, 1999,...
Hip Hop Candy and has appeared as a guest panellist on music comedy quiz Never Mind The Buzzcocks
Never Mind the Buzzcocks
Never Mind the Buzzcocks is a comedy panel game television show with a pop music theme, currently without a permanent presenter. It stars Phill Jupitus and Noel Fielding as team captains. The show is produced by Talkback Thames for the BBC, and is usually aired on BBC Two...
twice and on BBC4's We Need Answers
We Need Answers
We Need Answers is a British television panel game presented by comedians Mark Watson, Tim Key and Alex Horne. The show features a pair of celebrities answering questions which have previously been texted in by the public, or the audience, to 63336, a text message service.-Format:In We Need...
.
Other projects
In 2005, Nihal and former colleague Bobby Friction represented London as members of a team of cultural ambassadors during the successful 2012 Summer Olympics2012 Summer Olympics
The 2012 Summer Olympic Games, officially known as the "London 2012 Olympic Games", are scheduled to take place in London, England, United Kingdom from 27 July to 12 August 2012...
London bid.
He is the voiceover for the Slumdog Millionaire
Slumdog Millionaire
Slumdog Millionaire is a 2008 British epic romantic drama adventure film directed by Danny Boyle, written by Simon Beaufoy, and co-directed in India by Loveleen Tandan. It is an adaptation of the novel Q & A by Indian author and diplomat Vikas Swarup...
album. In 2010, he is undertaking a sponsored walk around the coast of Northern Ireland to raise money for the Battersea Dog's Home.
Nihal also appeared on the BBC Radio 5 Live show Fighting Talk
Fighting Talk
Fighting Talk is a topical sports show broadcast on BBC Radio 5 Live during the English football season. Its first series aired in October 2003, and was presented by Johnny Vaughan. The second series featured Christian O'Connell. It is currently hosted by Colin Murray and is aired on Saturday...
on the 1st of May 2010 alongside Tom Watt
Tom Watt
Tom Watt is a pro scout for the Toronto Maple Leafs. Prior to joining the leafs, Tom worked with the Florida Panthers on August 16, 2005, as Pro Scout. He previously worked in Player Development for the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim. He originally joined the Mighty Ducks on January 5, 2001 as Special...
, John Rawlings
John Rawlings
John Rawlings was a Condé Nast Publications fashion photographer from the 1930s through the 1960s. Rawlings left a significant body of work, including 200 Vogue magazine and Glamour magazine covers to his credit and 30,000 photos in archive, maintained by curator Kohle Yohannan.Rawlings was in the...
and Kevin Bridges
Kevin Bridges
Kevin Bridges is a Scottish stand-up comedian.-Stand-up:Bridges began performing on the small stage when he left school shortly after his 17th birthday, doing stand-up comedy gigs at The Stand Comedy Club in Glasgow and then throughout the UK. At 18 he reached the final of Channel 5's So you think...
. Here he showed his support for north London football club Tottenham Hotspur.