Nominations are being cast for the UK Asian Music Awards 2010. Who will be in the running – you choose. As for I Crave Bollywood, we are standing behind Navin Kundra.
You’ve read about him, heard and seen his videos here on ICB. Now it’s time to show some support for him.
He has smashed the charts with his debut single Tukde Tukde and his amazing Tere Liye, which has taken on a life of its own from personal dedications for loved ones to engraved engagement and wedding bands with its lyrics.
Navin is a twenty-four year old Asian R&B artist from the UK who is currently taking the world by storm.
As a singer/songwriter/composer/producer, Navin has blown away his audiences with his songs, which are in Hindi, Punjabi and English. Amazingly enough, his fans, who are scattered worldwide, include not just desi listeners but many non-Indian fans who do not even understand Hindi or Punjabi. They say they can still enjoy his music because it transcends the language barrier.
His inspiration for his songs comes from life in general, he says. Musically, he looks to Mohd. Rafi, Kishore Kumar, Lata Mangeshkar, R.D. Burman, Sonu Nigam, Michael Jackson, A R Rahman, Whitney Houston, Lionel Ritchie and others.
One song in particular, which has been #1 for six weeks in the ClubAsia music charts, is his new single Tere Liye (For You). This love song is hitting the airwaves across the globe in places such as USA, Dubai (where Navin performed live at the top of the Burj-Al-Arab hotel), Holland (where he has performed thrice) and Suriname, South America (where he has never even been, yet his track made it to a local desi radio station and to the #1 spot within just 2 weeks)!
You may wonder where it all began for this rising star. Obsessed with music from an early age, and without any formal training, Navin has been singing since he was 14. And yet, just five years later at 19 he became the youngest winner of Zee TV’s Sa Re Ga Ma World Series (held in Dubai), where he represented the UK. The following year, he gave a mind-blowing performance with his rendition of Robbie William’s song ‘Feel’ in the BBC Asian Network’s Unsung competition, which not only rendered him the winner but also graced him with the ‘Audience Favourite’ Award. Afterward, he performed live at the prestigious Birmingham Symphony Hall along with some of the biggest artists in Asian music including Gurdaas Maan, Jazzy B, Stereo Nation and the Rishi Rich Project.
Since then he has worked with the likes of legendary percussionist Pandit Dinesh, and virtuoso piano player Kishon Khan, Mona Singh, Adil Ray and Shin. He is now under the management of Nyrone Persaud from N1 Management, who also managed Raghav. Along with producer Mushtaq, Navin co-wrote two of his songs, namely ‘Tere Liye’ and ‘Love Thing’.
Navin is diligently working on his yet untitled debut album, which he wants to get just right before offering it to his fans. He welcomes suggestions from his fans on naming it, so they too can become part of his journey.
It will include his already released songs – ‘Tere Liye’, ‘Main Ha Tere Naal’ (I am with you) (co-written with friend M Johal), ‘Zinda Hoon’ (I am Alive) (also a music video with dancers from the Eastern Illusion Dance Troupe), the upbeat club song ‘Love Thing’ (his second music video which incorporates the famous Bindya Chamkegi song by the timeless Lata Mangeshkar in the Bollywood film ‘Do Raaste’), ‘Tukde Tukde’ (Pieces) (co-written with M Johal), ‘Khaali Dil’ (Empty Heart) (co-written with M Johal) and ‘Aaja’ (Come On), his exhilarating dance track ‘Mehbooba’ and his beautiful tribute to Michael Jackson – ‘Fade Away’.
In his words: “I don’t want to limit myself to any one particular genre. I like to try different things, as I feel that my biggest strength as an artist is my versatility. My debut album features songs in Hindi, Punjabi and English with a mixture of different flavours so there’s something for everyone.”
With the release of ‘Tere Liye’ on February 14, 2009, Navin did something very different. Along with the purchase of this amazingly beautiful love song, one could have Navin record a personal dedication to their loved one. The results were phenomenal and moved him to continue the offer for any occasion.
Navin is very much in touch with his supporters, so I asked them to describe his music. Here is what they expressed.
“Always brightens my darkest moments, adds color to my world.”
“Peaceful, calming.”
“Magnetic. It takes me into the depth of my heart, to a place where I have always imagined how I want someone to feel about me, especially Tere Liye. Thoughtful, romantic.”
“Evokes all kinds of emotions that shows how truly talented he is.”
“The essence of love. It makes you want to fall in love.”
“I could just sit in a dark room and chill while listening to his music.”
“Words can’t describe such a beautiful voice, such peace and such love. When you close your eyes, it feels as though he is in front of you, giving a performance just ‘Tere Liye’. His songs give us a reason for every moment. He tells you ‘Main Hain Tere Naal’. His passion and desire is locked into each word.”
For Navin, his “Dare to Begin” motto served him well. Now that he has begun, there is no stopping him. His hard work and dedication have certainly been paying off. Besides working on his album, Navin is also touring both nationally and internationally.
A regularly updated schedule of performances is located on his Facebook page – http://www.facebook.com/navinkundra and Twitter – http://twitter.com/NavinKundra, where he interacts on a regular basis with his fans. This includes the time he takes to personally answer his fan mail. His official website, where you can listen to and purchase his music is www.navin-online.com and www.iTunes.com. His videos are on his YouTube channel www.youtube.com/navinonline.
Now you can see why ICB supports Navin – Come join us and support him too for the UK AMAs. http://www.theukama.com/
Please nominate in the following categories – Best Male Artist, Best Desi Act & Best Alternative Act
UPDATE The nominations have been finished and Navin has been nominated for Best Male Artist and Best Alternative Act – voting has begun so vote, vote, vote!
Thank you in advance!
Download Tere Liye now from iTunes.
Mobile’s Uk Asian Music Awards
MARCH 2010 @ Southbank Centre’s Royal Festival Hall
