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

Host: Kandy Nights
Type: Party – Club Party
Network: Global
Start Time: Saturday, August 8, 2009 at 10:00pm
End Time: Sunday, August 9, 2009 at 2:00am
Location: Piya Piya Bar & Restaurant
Street: City Road, EC1Y 1HQ
City/Town: London, United Kingdom
Phone: 07961904274
Email: kandynights@live.co.uk
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Newly appointed Bollywood singer for Akshay Kumar in Kambakkht Ishq Navin performed for the very first time in live, unplugged, acoustic sets on BritAsia TV on Saturday, February 14, 2009. There were three songs and an interview that were taped on this special night. All videos are the courtesy of BritAsia TV
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Navin's Saavy New Look

Due to his whirlwind lifestyle, it has been some time since we have been able to catch up with Navin. Busy promoting his new chart-busting club song ‘Love Thing’ is only one of the many projects he has on his plate at present.  His loving and supportive fans recently nominated Navin as a contender for the prized UK Asian Music Awards in the Best Newcomer category (held on Thursday, March 5, 2009).

If that were not enough to set his world on fire, the news of filmmaker Sajid Nadiadwala choosing him to be the playback singer for Bollywood superstar Akshay Kumar in his new film ‘Kambakkht Ishq’ (Incredible Love), in which Kareena Kapoor plays opposite Kumar, sealed the deal. It is a romantic comedy. An Indian stuntman takes Hollywood by storm but he cannot find true love.

Definitely a dream come true for Navin, as in the very first interview I conducted with him almost 2 years ago, he said, “I have grown up listening to playback singers all my life and that is how I developed my singing and love for music. If the opportunity for playback singing came my way, I would definitely consider it.” Well now, he is having his cake and eating it too, as they say.

ICB – Please tell us how ‘Love Thing’ was created.

NAVIN – I remember being introduced to producer Mushtaq by my manager earlier last year and one of the first pieces of music he played for me was an instrumental draft of the track which we developed into ‘Love Thing’.  We created a fusion using the famous Bollywood sample ‘Bindiya Chamkegi’ with a heavy urban beat and I started writing to the track straight away.  It was summertime here in the UK so I was in a feel good mood and wanted the track to reflect the same.

I knew that after ‘Tukde Tukde’ and ‘Zinda Hoon’, which were well appreciated, I had to come back with something different. Working with a different producer helped me achieve that new sound.  Lyrically I wanted to mix Punjabi and English while riding the famous Hindi sample.  It was important that both the Punjabi and English parts were performed authentically on the track. That is perhaps why everyone keeps asking me ‘who is singing the English part?’ Laughs!  It’s an interesting mix of influences blended into one track and I am really pleased with the way it turned out.

ICB – Response toward this song?

NAVIN – So far the response has been fantastic!  I was nervous before exposing the song because I thought that the people who heard ‘Tukde Tukde’ really would not expect me to switch it up and come out with a track like this … and I was right!  Nevertheless, I have gained more exposure to new audiences with ‘Love Thing’, particularly younger music lovers, and that has broadened my fan base.  I have also been performing the track nationwide and the response has been brilliant.  There are some new remixes for the single coming out too, so keep a lookout for them!

ICB – How does it feel to be chosen as the playback singer for Akshay Kumar and how did this come about?

NAVIN – It feels awesome!  I have grown up listening to Bollywood music and I am a big fan of Akshay Kumar, so to be given the opportunity to sing for him still feels somewhat unreal.  This came about through producer Rishi Rich. Rishi was working with Bollywood music director Anu Malik and he played a song that I had recorded for my new album.  Anu Malik liked my voice, so Rishi rang me up and casually said, “Come down to the studio. Anu Malik is here and wants you to record for Akshay Kumar on his next Bollywood movie.”  I was like … what???” I thought he was playing a prank on me but it was for real and it was an awesome experience recording with them!  I hope that you will hear the soundtrack soon.

ICB – What other future hits can we look forward to in the near future – Club? Classic?

NAVIN – A mixture – I could never just do one type of music because it would get boring after a while for both the listeners and myself.  I love experimenting with new sounds and using different influences to keep my music fresh, innovative and contemporary.  I believe that people love listening to all kinds of songs, but they only get to hear what is accessible to them.  I want to give them access to a broader range of music, while challenging myself as a singer to stretch my voice further and write quality songs.

ICB – How do you decide which genre of songs to do? Any specific method?

NAVIN – There is no real method. It all depends on time. My mood and the inspiration at that moment also play a huge role.  I do not really sit down and think “now I’m going to compose a track for the clubs.” To be honest, I quite often end up forgetting that the tracks I am working on are going to be released to the public. I just enjoy the creative process.  My manager Nyrone Persaud has also been a key factor in guiding the shape of my new music.

ICB – Is your album coming out anytime soon so that all your fans can start lining up at the various music stores around the globe?

NAVIN – It is coming out this year but I do not have a release date yet. As soon as I do, I will let you all know!

ICB – International worldwide tour in the near future?

NAVIN – Absolutely! We are already in talks with companies about an international tour – so all in good time!  I love performing live and meeting the people who I make the music for!

ICB – Over 100,000 hits on your myspace musician’s page (http://www.myspace.com/NavinKundra), with ‘Love Thing’ being played almost 6,000 times! What do you say to that?

NAVIN – It is brilliant and I am really pleased with the support from my fans.  I am always updating my website with new material so they come across something new every time.

ICB – Your debut song ‘Tukde, Tukde’ has been played over 20,000 times and your second hit ‘Main Ha Tere Naal’ over 13,000 just on your site, not to mention the hits generated on You Tube, Facebook, and several desi music sites. Amazing! Besides this, you have been nominated for Best Newcomer on the UK Asian Music Awards 2009 (http://www.theukama.com/). Way To Go!

ICB – How can your fans help with this?

NAVIN – It is all about representing, supporting and votes!  They all need to log onto www.theukama.com, select voting, register and submit their vote for me under the Best Newcomer category.  The more friends and family they can get to vote for me, the more chance we have of winning. It is quick, free, and every vote counts, so please make your voice heard and while you are there, vote for your favorites in the other categories too.

ICB – Speaking of your fans … Do you have a personal message that you would like to share with them?

NAVIN – I just want to say that you are awesome! The reason I am here doing what I do is because of YOU!  Thank you so much for all your love and support and I hope 2009 brings you all much happiness, love and success!

ICB – Anything else you what to add?

NAVIN – Just a reminder to please vote for me on the UK AMA website. It is because of my fans that I am up for this award so I really feel that we are in this together.  If we win, it will be something for us all to be proud of … it is all in your hands now.

ICB – Thank you so much Navin for taking the time to be with us. We wish you all the best and much success from all of us here at I Crave Bollywood!

NAVIN – Thank you Simran.

Download Love Thing now on iTunes.

Check Out Navin’s New Music Video ‘Love Thing’ – Right Here!