Navin Kundra - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

Navin Kundra is a British Indian

British Indian

The term British Indian refers to citizens of the United Kingdom whose ancestral roots lie in India. This includes people born in the UK who are of Indian descent, and Indian-born people who have migrated to the UK...

singer-songwriter, who writes, composes and performs songs in Hindi, Punjabi

Punjabi language

Punjabi is an Indo-Aryan language spoken by inhabitants of the historical Punjab region . For Sikhs, the Punjabi language stands as the official language in which all ceremonies take place. In Pakistan, Punjabi is the most widely spoken language...

and English

English language

English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...

Career

His first break came on his 19th Birthday when he represented the UK in an exclusive World Series of Zee TV

Zee TV

Zee TV is an India-based satellite television channel owned by Zee Entertainment Enterprises based in Mumbai, Maharashtra, which broadcasts various programmes in Hindi and other regional languages of India. Broadcasting is also present in various nations of South Asia, Europe, the Middle East,...

's Sa Re Ga Ma Pa

Sa Re Ga Ma Pa

From 1999 till 2001, the show was hosted by the brothers Amaan Ali Khan and Ayaan Ali Khan.After that, Shaan started hosting the show. Later, the name "Sa Re Ga Ma Pa" became known as the "brand name" of the series and completely changed the concept of the show to include public interaction through...

filmed in 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...

. This gave him the opportunity to showcase his talent to stalwart figures in the Indian music industry, such as Ghulam Ali

Ghulam Ali

USTAAD Ghulam Ali is a Pakistani ghazal singer of the Patiala gharana. He is not to be confused with the Indian singer Bade Ghulam Ali Khan or Chhote Ghulam Ali, who is another Pakistani singer in the Qual Bachon Gharana....

, Zakir Hussain

Zakir Hussain (musician)

Zakir Hussain , , is an Indian tabla player, musical producer, film actor and composer.-Early life:Hussain was born in Mumbai, India to the legendary tabla player Alla Rakha. He attended St...

, Jagit Singh

Jagjit Singh (singer)

Jagjit Singh ; born Jagmohan Singh; was a prominent Indian Ghazal singer, composer, music director, activist and entrepreneur...

, O. P. Nayyar

O. P. Nayyar

Omkar Prasad Nayyar was an Indian film music director and composer born in Lahore, India, now in modern day Pakistan. He was particularly acclaimed for his peppy numbers.-Career:...

and Shaan

Shaan (singer)

Shaan , is an Indian playback singer, and television host. He hosted the shows Sa Re Ga Ma Pa, Sa Re Ga Ma Pa L'il Champs, Star Voice of India and "Star Voice of India 2"...

, as well as presenting his singing talents to a worldwide television audience.

Then he went on to win the 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...

's Unsung 2005 competition, which was one of his proudest moments. He performed live at the prestigious Birmingham Symphony Hall along with some of the biggest artists in Asian music including Gurdaas Maan, Jazzy B

Jazzy B

Jaswinder Singh Bains, more popularly known as Jazzy B, is a Punjabi language bhangra singer-songwriter. He was born on April 1, 1975 in Durgapur, Nawanshahr, Punjab, India. When he was 5 years old, his family moved to Vancouver, Canada. He has released 12 studio albums, including two religious ones...

, Stereo Nation and the Rishi Rich

Rishi Rich

Rishpal Singh Rekhi better known by his stage name Rishi Rich is a British Indian music producer born in Croydon, England and based in London...

Project.

After his performance of ‘Feel’ by Robbie Williams

Robbie Williams

Robert Peter "Robbie" Williams is an English singer-songwriter, vocal coach and occasional actor. He is a member of the pop group Take That. Williams rose to fame in the band's first run in the early- to mid-1990s. After many disagreements with the management and certain group members, Williams...

, the judges, who included Rishi Rich

Rishi Rich

Rishpal Singh Rekhi better known by his stage name Rishi Rich is a British Indian music producer born in Croydon, England and based in London...

, Nyrone Persaud, 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...

, Shin (DCS), and Mona Singh

Mona Singh

Mona Singh is an Indian model and television actress, known for playing the leading role in Jassi Jaissi Koi Nahin and winning many celebrity reality shows. She also appeared in a key role in 3 Idiots.-Early life:...

, declared Navin the winner of the competition. He also won the audiences' favorite award, as he was voted for by thousands of BBC Asian Network

BBC Asian Network

listeners.

Navin's debut song, which he co-wrote with his friend M. Johal was 'Tukde, Tukde' (Pieces). His first live radio interview about the song was on Sabras Radio

Sabras Radio

Sabras Radio is a commercial radio station in Leicester, England specialising in South Asian music and culture.The radio station itself is located within the Belgrave area of the city; broadcasting on 1260 kHz, DAB Radio and also via the net...

with Raj Baddhan who presented the Drive Time show - September 19, 2007. This song won several awards on the various radio stations. (see below)

'Main Ha Tere Naal' (I am with you) was his second release, sung in Punjabi

Punjabi language

. It entered the Official People's Chart on Sunrise Radio

Sunrise Radio

Sunrise Radio is the United Kingdom's first Independent Local Radio station to cater specifically for the Asian community. Dr Avtar Lit is the chairman and chief executive of this media group which also operates kismat radio,buzz asia,punjabi radio as well as sunrise tv-Transmission:It initially...

at number 9.

Navin has released four music videos - 'Zinda Hoon' (I am Alive) with dancers from the Eastern Illusion Dance Troupe, 'Love Thing', which was co-written and produced by Mushtaq, Mehbooba and Jee Le.

Khalli Dil (Empty Heart) is a soulful song written and composed by Navin..

'Tere Liye' (For You) his newest love song (co-written with Mushtaq, composed and sung by Navin) was released February 14, 2009. It debuted on the Unity Charts at #3 and two weeks later was at #1! It spent 12 weeks at #1 across UK charts.

Navin has also collaborated with Rishi Rich

Rishi Rich

Rishpal Singh Rekhi better known by his stage name Rishi Rich is a British Indian music producer born in Croydon, England and based in London...

and Jay Sean on a track called 'Fade Away' which was going to be a special feature for his new album. However, he has chosen to use it as a tribute to the King of Pop Michael Jackson

Michael Jackson

Michael Joseph Jackson was an American recording artist, entertainer, and businessman. Referred to as the King of Pop, or by his initials MJ, Jackson is recognized as the most successful entertainer of all time by Guinness World Records...

. (See info. and link under external links below).

His music video "Love Thing" was also screened at Deejay Ra's music video night in Toronto

Toronto

Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...

at the FILMI festival, North America's longest running South Asian film festival.

He is the first British Asian artist to perform at the seven star Burj-al-Arab Hotel, Dubai

Dubai

(2009).

He became an ambassador for the British Asian Trust

British Asian Trust

The British Asian Trust was founded in 2007 by a group of British Asian business leaders at the suggestion of HRH.. It is one of 20 Princes Charities...

on July 7, 2011.

Notable Performances

Guinness World Book of Records for largest Bollywood Dance at Manchester Mega Mela at Platt Fields Park in Fallowfield (1,406 people breaking the previous record of 1,336 people in Bhandra, Mumbai) to his song Mehbooba on July 23,2011.

Worked with award-winning Canadian director Jazz Virk and artist Prita Chhabra on Virk's project Dance on May 28, 2011.

Special performance for PM Gorden Brown, Bollywood actors Amitabh Bachchan

Amitabh Bachchan

Amitabh Bachchan is an Indian film actor. He first gained popularity in the early 1970s as the "angry young man" of Hindi cinema, and has since appeared in over 180 Indian films in a career spanning more than four decades...

, Shilpa Shetty

Shilpa Shetty

Shilpa Shetty is an Indian film actress and model. Since making her debut in the film Baazigar , she has appeared in nearly 40 Bollywood, Tamil, Telugu and Kannada films, her first leading role being in the 1994 Aag. Although she has been through years of decline during her career, Shetty has been...

& Jesse Jackson

Jesse Jackson

Jesse Louis Jackson, Sr. is an African-American civil rights activist and Baptist minister. He was a candidate for the Democratic presidential nomination in 1984 and 1988 and served as shadow senator for the District of Columbia from 1991 to 1997. He was the founder of both entities that merged to...

- February 22, 2010

Food For Life Charity Event with Vivek Oberoi

Vivek Oberoi

Vivek Oberoi is an Indian actor. He is the son of Bollywood actor Suresh Oberoi and Yashodhara Oberoi.- Early life :Vivek attended Mayo college in Ajmer. At an actors' workshop in London he was spotted by the director of New York University who took Vivek off to New York, where he completed his...

, Nitin Ganatra

Nitin Ganatra

Nitin Ganatra is a Kenyan born British actor. He is known internationally as Prince Pondicherry in the Tim Burton film Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. He also appears in the Gurinder Chada film Bride and Prejudice as Kholi Saab and The Mistress of Spices as Haroun...

& Niraj Chag

Niraj Chag

Niraj Chag is a London-based musical artist and composer. His musical style mixes Indian classical influences with contemporary stylings and layered, complex beats. Niraj's tracks were initially released on the Outcaste record label...

- London

London

London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...

- October 10, 2009

Performed with legendary percussionist and producer Pandit Dinesh, and virtuoso piano player Kishon Khan.

Projects

Navin in Bollywood
Bollywood
Bollywood is the informal term popularly used for the Hindi-language film industry based in Mumbai , Maharashtra, India. The term is often incorrectly used to refer to the whole of Indian cinema; it is only a part of the total Indian film industry, which includes other production centers producing...

Filmmaker Sajid Nadiadwala

Sajid Nadiadwala

- Career :Nadiadwala started as an AC Technician and then later worked as spot boy and graduated to become production assistant in his uncle's production house before establishing his own production company called "Nadiadwala Grandson Entertainment"...

chose Navin to be the playback singer for Bollywood

Bollywood

Bollywood is the informal term popularly used for the Hindi-language film industry based in Mumbai , Maharashtra, India. The term is often incorrectly used to refer to the whole of Indian cinema; it is only a part of the total Indian film industry, which includes other production centers producing...

actor Akshay Kumar

Akshay Kumar

Akshay Kumar is an Indian film actor, producer and martial artist who has appeared in over a hundred Hindi films. When he began his acting career in the 1990s, he primarily starred in action films and was particularly known for his appearances in feature films commonly called the "Khiladi series",...

in Kambakth Ishq

Kambakth Ishq

Kambakkht Ishq is an Indian Bollywood film directed by Sabbir Khan and produced by Sajid Nadiadwala. The film is based on the 2002 Tamil film Pammal K. Sambandam, features Akshay Kumar and Kareena Kapoor in pivotal roles along with actors Aftab Shivdasani and Amrita Arora in supporting roles...

(Damned Love), releasing on May 29, 2009.

Discography

Nach Le released on iTunes

ITunes

iTunes is a media player computer program, used for playing, downloading, and organizing digital music and video files on desktop computers. It can also manage contents on iPod, iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad....

- September 30, 2011

Aaja released on iTunes

ITunes

- February 14, 2011. Debuted at #8 on their world chart February 15, 2011 and by that same evening had reached #1. A week before its official release, Aaja entered the Essential Top 20 Chart on Buzz Asia at #16 and was in the #1 spot the following week (Feb. 12, 2011), making it his 4th #1. Aaja also debuted on the BBC Asian Network

BBC Asian Network

Chart at #6. It also hit #1 on Sunrise Radio

Sunrise Radio

Chart in its first week.

Jee Le released - July 29, 2010

Jee Le spent 4 weeks at #1 in the Sunrise Radio Charts

Mehbooba released - July 26, 2009

Tere Liye debuted on the Unity Charts at #3 and within two weeks was in the #1 spot! It held the #1 spot on Unity 101 radio for a number of weeks and was #2 in their top 40 songs of the year.

Love Thing hits BBC Asian Network

BBC Asian Network

Charts at #16 - February 23, 2009

Zinda Hoon released - December 17, 2007

Main Ha Tere Naal released July 2007 and entered the Asian charts at #9.

Tukde Tukde released in 2006

Awards

Nominated for Best Alternative Act for the UK Asian Music Awards - February 1, 2011, Gatecrasher Birmingham

Birmingham

Birmingham is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands of England. It is the most populous British city outside the capital London, with a population of 1,036,900 , and lies at the heart of the West Midlands conurbation, the second most populous urban area in the United Kingdom with a...

Nominated for Best Male Artist and Best Alternative Act for the UK Asian Music Awards - February 2, 2010, Gatecrasher Birmingham

Birmingham

'Tere Liye' - 2009 - Spent weeks (6 at number 1) on the Club Asia Essential Chartshow

Nominated for Best Newcomer on the UK Asian Music Awards - March 5, 2009, Royal Festival Hall

'Love Thing' - Adil Ray

Adil Ray

's 'BIG ONE' on BBC Asian Network

BBC Asian Network

'Zinda Hoon' - Adil Ray

Adil Ray

's 'BIG ONE' on BBC Asian Network

BBC Asian Network

- December 2007

'Zinda Hoon' - 'Tastemakers' on Club Asia - December 2007

'Tukde Tukde' - Veena V

Veena V

Veena V is a British radio and TV presenter, born on the 1 May 1987 in Liverpool, United Kingdom to parents of Mauritian descent. -Radio career:Veena V started her radio career at the age of 15...

's Top Dog on Club Asia - 2006

'Tukde, Tukde' - People's Chart Award - Sunrise Radio

Sunrise Radio

- 2006
(spent 15 weeks on the charts with 3 weeks at number 1)

BBC Asian Network

BBC Asian Network

's Unsung - 2005

World Series of Zee TV

Zee TV

’s Sa Re Ga Ma
Sa Re Ga Ma
Saregama India Limited, formerly The Gramophone Company of India is an Indian music company. Saregama also works in the home video business...

- 2004

External links

Interviews - Articles

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