Raghav
Encyclopedia
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. His singles "So Confused", "Can't Get Enough" and "It Can't Be Right" reached the UK top ten in 2004 making him the only artist that year to have three top ten hits in the UK chart.
, Ontario
, Canada
to Hindu
parents from India
. His parents soon moved to Calgary
and Fort McMurray, Alberta
, where he grew up. At the age of 15, music became a heavy feature in his life and alongside the Indian influences at home, became heavily influenced by R&B
. By the time he was 16, he wrote a song that was awarded the National Songwriters Association of America. At 17 he moved to Los Angeles
, California
, United States
to develop his vocal
skills by Seth Riggs
who has trained, amongst others, Madonna
, Michael Jackson
and Stevie Wonder
. A year later he moved to Liverpool
, England
where he studied at the Liverpool Institute of Performing Arts. During his time in college he joined R&B band 11/7 which was nominated for a Mobo Award for best unsigned artist.
Raghav signed for A&R/V2 Records in 2003 and started working with the DJ
and producer
, 2Play. This led to the production of his breakthrough single
: "So Confused". The song was released in 2004, and reached number 4 in the UK Singles Chart
. The next release, "Can't Get Enough", entered the same chart
at number 10. In August 2004, another collaboration with 2Play followed, releasing "It Can't Be Right" which reached number 8. Raghav released one more track under his name; "Let's Work It Out" (UK number 15) before his debut album
Storyteller
was released in September 2004. His final release off the album was "Angel Eyes", inspired by a melody from Murder She Wrote, by Chaka Demus & Pliers
, and featured Jucxi and Frankey Maxx. The track reached number 7 in the UK
chart. The album also included Kardinal Offishall
for the song "Sooner or Later", where he introduced the song and had his own verse in it.. Raghav's worldwide tour of 2005 saw him perform in venues such as Karachi
, New York
amongst other parts of the world such as Africa
, Australia
, Canada
, and many other countries with crowds reaching up to as high as 35,000. Raghav's Storyteller
has sold 1.6 million copies worldwide.
In 2009 Raghav announced that he had signed a recording contract with Universal Music India and subsequently released his second album Identity
. The album was exclusively released in India. The lead single, "My Kinda Girl" was released as a downloadable track from his website raghav.com for overseas fans and featured hip hop
musician
, Redman. The album also featured a tribute song called "Quincy Jones" which was dedicated to the late Ameriecan record producer Quincy Jones
.
In 2010, Raghav signed his first North American record deal with Canadian label Cordova Bay and is scheduled to release his upcoming and third album; The Phoenix
. The first single was the Labrinth-produced "So Much"
, which was commercially released in Canada and features Kardinal Offishall
. The song was nominated for R&B/Soul Recording of the Year at the 2011 Canadian Juno Awards. The song was released in conjunction with a Hindi song entitled 'Kya Se Kya Ho Gaya' which featured a sample from the song 'Hold Yuh' by Gyptian. The second single off the album, "Fire", was commercially released in Canada and peaked at number 38 on the Canadian Billboard Hot 100 and #14** CHR (Mediabase) making it Raghav's most successful single in North America to date. Although the song was given substantial airplay by Canadian radio stations, an official video for the song is yet to be released. A viral video of the song was released on YouTube on 23 August 2011.
|rowspan="1"| 2011
|align="left"|Top Of The World
Nominations
Singing
Singing is the act of producing musical sounds with the voice, and augments regular speech by the use of both tonality and rhythm. One who sings is called a singer or vocalist. Singers perform music known as songs that can be sung either with or without accompaniment by musical instruments...
currently signed to Cordova Bay Records
Cordova Bay Records
Cordova Bay Records is an independent Canadian record label founded by Michael Burke in 1998. The label currently has distribution through Fontana North / Universal Music Canada .-Artists:* Acres Of Lions* Bill Bourne* Bob Lanois* David Gogo* Krome...
. He is best known for his single "Angel Eyes" which peaked at number 7 in the UK in 2005. His singles "So Confused", "Can't Get Enough" and "It Can't Be Right" reached the UK top ten in 2004 making him the only artist that year to have three top ten hits in the UK chart.
History
Raghav was born in TorontoToronto
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...
, Ontario
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
to Hindu
Hindu
Hindu refers to an identity associated with the philosophical, religious and cultural systems that are indigenous to the Indian subcontinent. As used in the Constitution of India, the word "Hindu" is also attributed to all persons professing any Indian religion...
parents from 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...
. His parents soon moved to Calgary
Calgary
Calgary is a city in the Province of Alberta, Canada. It is located in the south of the province, in an area of foothills and prairie, approximately east of the front ranges of the Canadian Rockies...
and Fort McMurray, Alberta
Alberta
Alberta is a province of Canada. It had an estimated population of 3.7 million in 2010 making it the most populous of Canada's three prairie provinces...
, where he grew up. At the age of 15, music became a heavy feature in his life and alongside the Indian influences at home, became heavily influenced by R&B
Contemporary R&B
Contemporary R&B is a music genre that combines elements of hip hop, soul, R&B and funk.Although the abbreviation “R&B” originates from traditional rhythm and blues music, today the term R&B is most often used to describe a style of African American music originating after the demise of disco in...
. By the time he was 16, he wrote a song that was awarded the National Songwriters Association of America. At 17 he moved to Los Angeles
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
to develop his vocal
Human voice
The human voice consists of sound made by a human being using the vocal folds for talking, singing, laughing, crying, screaming, etc. Its frequency ranges from about 60 to 7000 Hz. The human voice is specifically that part of human sound production in which the vocal folds are the primary...
skills by Seth Riggs
Seth Riggs
Seth Riggs is an American vocal coach and founder of a technique known as Speech Level Singing. Some of his students have included Whoopi Goldberg, Michael Jackson, Kalil Wilson, Ray Charles, Josh Groban and Philip Webb.- External links :...
who has trained, amongst others, Madonna
Madonna (entertainer)
Madonna is an American singer-songwriter, actress and entrepreneur. Born in Bay City, Michigan, she moved to New York City in 1977 to pursue a career in modern dance. After performing in the music groups Breakfast Club and Emmy, she released her debut album in 1983...
, 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...
and Stevie Wonder
Stevie Wonder
Stevland Hardaway Morris , better known by his stage name Stevie Wonder, is an American singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, record producer and activist...
. A year later he moved to Liverpool
Liverpool
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough of Merseyside, England, along the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary. It was founded as a borough in 1207 and was granted city status in 1880...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
where he studied at the Liverpool Institute of Performing Arts. During his time in college he joined R&B band 11/7 which was nominated for a Mobo Award for best unsigned artist.
Raghav signed for A&R/V2 Records in 2003 and started working with the DJ
Disc jockey
A disc jockey, also known as DJ, is a person who selects and plays recorded music for an audience. Originally, "disc" referred to phonograph records, not the later Compact Discs. Today, the term includes all forms of music playback, no matter the medium.There are several types of disc jockeys...
and producer
Record producer
A record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...
, 2Play. This led to the production of his breakthrough single
Single (music)
In music, a single or record single is a type of release, typically a recording of fewer tracks than an LP or a CD. This can be released for sale to the public in a variety of different formats. In most cases, the single is a song that is released separately from an album, but it can still appear...
: "So Confused". The song was released in 2004, and reached number 4 in the UK Singles Chart
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
. The next release, "Can't Get Enough", entered the same chart
Record chart
A record chart is a ranking of recorded music according to popularity during a given period of time. Examples of music charts are the Hit parade, Hot 100 or Top 40....
at number 10. In August 2004, another collaboration with 2Play followed, releasing "It Can't Be Right" which reached number 8. Raghav released one more track under his name; "Let's Work It Out" (UK number 15) before his debut album
Album
An album is a collection of recordings, released as a single package on gramophone record, cassette, compact disc, or via digital distribution. The word derives from the Latin word for list .Vinyl LP records have two sides, each comprising one half of the album...
Storyteller
Storyteller (Raghav album)
Storyteller is the debut album from Canadian R&B singer Raghav. Combining elements of his South-Asian background with reggae and US style R&B, Raghav has defined his own style as showcased on the UK top ten hits with "Can't Get Enough", "So Confused" and "Angel Eyes".-Track listing:...
was released in September 2004. His final release off the album was "Angel Eyes", inspired by a melody from Murder She Wrote, by Chaka Demus & Pliers
Chaka Demus & Pliers
Chaka Demus & Pliers are a Jamaican reggae duo made up of deejay Chaka Demus and singer Pliers, best known for their hit "Tease Me".They had more commercial success with mainstream pop fans after their collaboration in the early 1990s, that either ever had in their solo careers.-Career:Both artists...
, and featured Jucxi and Frankey Maxx. The track reached number 7 in the UK
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
chart. The album also included Kardinal Offishall
Kardinal Offishall
Jason D. Harrow , better known by his stage name Kardinal Offishall , is a Canadian rapper and record producer. He is often credited as Canada's "hip-hop ambassador", and is best known for his distinctive reggae and dancehall-influenced style of hip-hop.-Life and career:Harrow was born in...
for the song "Sooner or Later", where he introduced the song and had his own verse in it.. Raghav's worldwide tour of 2005 saw him perform in venues such as Karachi
Karachi
Karachi is the largest city, main seaport and the main financial centre of Pakistan, as well as the capital of the province of Sindh. The city has an estimated population of 13 to 15 million, while the total metropolitan area has a population of over 18 million...
, New York
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
amongst other parts of the world such as Africa
Africa
Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, and many other countries with crowds reaching up to as high as 35,000. Raghav's Storyteller
Storyteller (Raghav album)
Storyteller is the debut album from Canadian R&B singer Raghav. Combining elements of his South-Asian background with reggae and US style R&B, Raghav has defined his own style as showcased on the UK top ten hits with "Can't Get Enough", "So Confused" and "Angel Eyes".-Track listing:...
has sold 1.6 million copies worldwide.
In 2009 Raghav announced that he had signed a recording contract with Universal Music India and subsequently released his second album Identity
Identity (Raghav album)
Identity is the second album from the Canadian R&B singer Raghav. In 2009, on Michael Jackson's 51st birthday, the album was exclusively released in a concert in New Delhi, India on Universal Music which includes a worldwide release set for 2010....
. The album was exclusively released in India. The lead single, "My Kinda Girl" was released as a downloadable track from his website raghav.com for overseas fans and featured hip hop
Hip hop music
Hip hop music, also called hip-hop, rap music or hip-hop music, is a musical genre consisting of a stylized rhythmic music that commonly accompanies rapping, a rhythmic and rhyming speech that is chanted...
musician
Musician
A musician is an artist who plays a musical instrument. It may or may not be the person's profession. Musicians can be classified by their roles in performing music and writing music.Also....* A person who makes music a profession....
, Redman. The album also featured a tribute song called "Quincy Jones" which was dedicated to the late Ameriecan record producer Quincy Jones
Quincy Jones
Quincy Delightt Jones, Jr. is an American record producer and musician. A conductor, musical arranger, film composer, television producer, and trumpeter. His career spans five decades in the entertainment industry and a record 79 Grammy Award nominations, 27 Grammys, including a Grammy Legend...
.
In 2010, Raghav signed his first North American record deal with Canadian label Cordova Bay and is scheduled to release his upcoming and third album; The Phoenix
The Phoenix (Raghav album)
The Phoenix is the upcoming album from Canadian singer Raghav as a follow up to his first two albums Storyteller in 2004 and Identity in 2009...
. The first single was the Labrinth-produced "So Much"
So Much (song)
"So Much" is a 2010 single by Indo-Canadian singer Raghav featuring Canadian hip hop artist Kardinal Offishall and produced by Labrinth from Raghav's upcoming third album entitled The Phoenix. "So Much" was released on the record label Cordova Bay Records and is a Top 40 feature on many Canadian...
, which was commercially released in Canada and features Kardinal Offishall
Kardinal Offishall
Jason D. Harrow , better known by his stage name Kardinal Offishall , is a Canadian rapper and record producer. He is often credited as Canada's "hip-hop ambassador", and is best known for his distinctive reggae and dancehall-influenced style of hip-hop.-Life and career:Harrow was born in...
. The song was nominated for R&B/Soul Recording of the Year at the 2011 Canadian Juno Awards. The song was released in conjunction with a Hindi song entitled 'Kya Se Kya Ho Gaya' which featured a sample from the song 'Hold Yuh' by Gyptian. The second single off the album, "Fire", was commercially released in Canada and peaked at number 38 on the Canadian Billboard Hot 100 and #14** CHR (Mediabase) making it Raghav's most successful single in North America to date. Although the song was given substantial airplay by Canadian radio stations, an official video for the song is yet to be released. A viral video of the song was released on YouTube on 23 August 2011.
Albums
| Statistics | Singles |
|---|---|
| Storyteller Storyteller (Raghav album) Storyteller is the debut album from Canadian R&B singer Raghav. Combining elements of his South-Asian background with reggae and US style R&B, Raghav has defined his own style as showcased on the UK top ten hits with "Can't Get Enough", "So Confused" and "Angel Eyes".-Track listing:...
|
|
| Identity Identity (Raghav album) Identity is the second album from the Canadian R&B singer Raghav. In 2009, on Michael Jackson's 51st birthday, the album was exclusively released in a concert in New Delhi, India on Universal Music which includes a worldwide release set for 2010.... |
"Humrahee" |
| The Phoenix The Phoenix (Raghav album) The Phoenix is the upcoming album from Canadian singer Raghav as a follow up to his first two albums Storyteller in 2004 and Identity in 2009... |
So Much (song) "So Much" is a 2010 single by Indo-Canadian singer Raghav featuring Canadian hip hop artist Kardinal Offishall and produced by Labrinth from Raghav's upcoming third album entitled The Phoenix. "So Much" was released on the record label Cordova Bay Records and is a Top 40 feature on many Canadian... |
Singles
| Year | Title | Peak chart positions | Album | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CAN Canadian Hot 100 The Canadian Hot 100 is a music singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine which ranks songs in Canada. The chart debuted in the Billboard issue dated June 16, 2007 and was made available for the first time via their online services on June 7, 2007... |
IND | UK UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ... |
|||
| 2003 | "So Confused" (2Play feat. Raghav and Jucxi) |
- | - | 6 | Storyteller Storyteller (Raghav album) Storyteller is the debut album from Canadian R&B singer Raghav. Combining elements of his South-Asian background with reggae and US style R&B, Raghav has defined his own style as showcased on the UK top ten hits with "Can't Get Enough", "So Confused" and "Angel Eyes".-Track listing:... |
| 2004 | "It Can't Be Right" (2Play feat. Raghav and Naila Boss Naila Boss Naila Boss is an underground rapper from Hackney, London.- Singles :* "It Can't Be Right" - UK #8 * "You Should Really Know" - UK #8 - External links :*... ) |
- | - | 8 | |
| "Can't Get Enough" | - | - | 10 | ||
| "Let's Work It Out" | - | - | 11 | ||
| 2005 | "Angel Eyes" feat. Jucxi & Frankey Maxx |
- | - | 7 | |
| 2009 | "My Kinda Girl" | - | 3 | - | Identity Identity (Raghav album) Identity is the second album from the Canadian R&B singer Raghav. In 2009, on Michael Jackson's 51st birthday, the album was exclusively released in a concert in New Delhi, India on Universal Music which includes a worldwide release set for 2010.... |
| "Humrahee" | - | 3 | - | ||
| 2010 | "So Much" So Much (song) "So Much" is a 2010 single by Indo-Canadian singer Raghav featuring Canadian hip hop artist Kardinal Offishall and produced by Labrinth from Raghav's upcoming third album entitled The Phoenix. "So Much" was released on the record label Cordova Bay Records and is a Top 40 feature on many Canadian... feat. Kardinal Offishall Kardinal Offishall Jason D. Harrow , better known by his stage name Kardinal Offishall , is a Canadian rapper and record producer. He is often credited as Canada's "hip-hop ambassador", and is best known for his distinctive reggae and dancehall-influenced style of hip-hop.-Life and career:Harrow was born in... |
33 | - | - | The Phoenix The Phoenix (Raghav album) The Phoenix is the upcoming album from Canadian singer Raghav as a follow up to his first two albums Storyteller in 2004 and Identity in 2009... |
| "Kya Se Kya Ho Gaya" | - | - | - | ||
| 2011 | "Fire" | 14 | - | - |
|rowspan="1"| 2011
|align="left"|Top Of The World
Awards
- 1997: National Songwriters Association of America Award
- 2004: MOBOMoboMobo can refer to:*Shorthand for the motherboard in computers and other electronic equipment*Shorthand for a mobile [network] operator or MNO *Shorthand for a mobile bohemian, a person who embraces mobile technology...
Award; Best Collaboration - 2004: Asian Achievers Award
- 2005: Urban Music AwardsUrban Music AwardsThe Urban Music Awards is a HipHop, R&B, Dance and soul music awards ceremony launched in 2003 and now held in six countries annually.The awards ceremony is held annually by Invincible Media Group. The UMA's is now held in 6 countries annually...
; Best Chart Act - 2005: UK Asian Music AwardsUK Asian Music AwardsThe 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...
; Best Newcomer - 2005: Southern Asian Music Awards; Best Artist
Nominations
- 2011: "R&B/Soul Recording of the Year" at the Juno Awards of 2011Juno Awards of 2011The Juno Awards of 2011, honours Canadian music industry achievements in the latter part of 2009 and in most of 2010. The awards presented in Toronto, Ontario, Canada during the weekend of 26 and 27 March 2011. A week of related events on 21 March 2011...
for his song "So MuchSo Much (song)"So Much" is a 2010 single by Indo-Canadian singer Raghav featuring Canadian hip hop artist Kardinal Offishall and produced by Labrinth from Raghav's upcoming third album entitled The Phoenix. "So Much" was released on the record label Cordova Bay Records and is a Top 40 feature on many Canadian...
" featuring Kardinal OffishallKardinal OffishallJason D. Harrow , better known by his stage name Kardinal Offishall , is a Canadian rapper and record producer. He is often credited as Canada's "hip-hop ambassador", and is best known for his distinctive reggae and dancehall-influenced style of hip-hop.-Life and career:Harrow was born in...