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SONU NIGAM AT EVENTS

SONU NIGAM AT EVENTS
Sonu Nigam At Ajmer Sharif 12-04-13

Friday 21 August 2009

Sonu Niigaam Records R&B, Soul, Pop & Funk Tracks In USA !!


LOS ANGELES, Calif. — Sonu Niigaam is taking the leap into American popular music. Bollywood’s versatile playback singer gave a glimpse of his ease in singing Western pop when he crooned Michael Jackson’s “Billie Jean” at his Explosion 2009 concerts. Audiences gave him standing ovations.

Niigaam told India-West this week that he has recorded six English songs with American music-industry heavyweights in the three months he spent in Los Angeles prior to the 12-show U.S. tour that concluded last week.

Niigaam has composed and sung two songs with R&B/ funk chanteuse Chaka Khan produced by Terry Lewis and Jimmy Jam of Flyte Tyme, the label behind hit albums of Janet Jackson and Mariah Carey; two songs with Emmy-winning arranger and composer Chris Boardman; one with songwriter-producer Jud Friedman, producer for Whitney Houston, Barbra Streisand and Rod Stewart; and another with triple-Grammy nominee composer Steve Dorff.

The genres of the songs, he said, span pop, soul, R & B, and funk.

Niigaam has also collaborated with another well-known artist on an R&B Michael Jackson tribute number that he has composed.

Release dates of these songs has not been determined yet. However, Niigaam said, “I am trying to understand the business here, explore and spread my wings.” He has made Los Angeles his second base after Mumbai.

Several American celebrities attended Niigaam’s concert in Los Angeles Aug. 16, including producer Lewis, Michael Jackson’s brother Jermaine, and fashion designer Christian Audigier. The Los Angeles show was promoted by Super Entertainment Inc., which has brought several star-studded concerts to the region for two decades.

Niigaam’s entry into mainstream American music could be a groundbreaking achievement, making him perhaps the first Indian artist to sing strictly in American music genres. Asha Bhonsle has collaborated with western musicians but, even on those tracks, she sang mostly in Hindi.

A meeting in 2007 with singer Khan in Los Angeles launched Niigaam’s foray into American music. “When Chaka heard my album ‘Classically Mild,’ she started crying,” Niigaam recalled. The two met again in Mumbai earlier this year when Khan was in the city for a show. She offered to introduce Niigaam to her producers, Lewis and Jam.

Niigaam said his range and pitch-perfect vocals, especially in the “soona soona” number from “Classically Mild” that combines jazz, funk and Indian classical, amazed music producers. Once he recorded songs with Khan, word spread in the Los Angeles music circles bringing other offers, he said.

“Lately” and “Without My Heart,” songs he recently recorded in England with international artists as part of the Global One project, a campaign to bridge cultural differences through music, also serve as his demos to pitch himself in the U.S. music industry.

Niigaam has initiated a Michael Jackson tribute forum on his Facebook page. In response, the Facebook community collectively wrote lyrics and sent in their composed songs. Niigaam chose the best one, he said, will add his vocals and release it on i-Tunes around Jackson’s birthday, Aug. 29.

Jackson’s brother, Jermaine, stepped onto the stage at Sonu Niigaam’s invitation during the Los Angeles show Aug. 16. Jackson thanked the audience for their support to his family following the death of his pop-star brother in June. “I am a big fan of Indian music; I love the energy and the dancing,” added Germaine.

Niigaam, who is trained in classical Hindustani vocal music, said singing Western music comes easily to him but considers the ability a gift. “It’s happening smoothly (because) God does it for me,” he said.

Studying different music genres is natural and mandatory for a singer’s growth, he said. Niigaam is keenly interested in American music and stays connected with it.

He called the experience of making music in America artistically gratifying because the separation of the music world from cinema allows a singer the freedom to sing, write and compose the music he believes in, he said.

Hindi film music, on the other hand, is restricting for a singer, he told India-West, because it is bound by story requirements and the director’s and composer’s vision. “I believe in some of the Bollywood songs I have done. All of it is not necessarily the kind of music that I want to be identified with,” he added.

Niigaam showcased his fluency in a range of musical styles at the Los Angeles concert Aug. 16. He, playback singer Sunidhi Chauhan and rapper Hard Kaur presented an energy-packed, pulsating and hugely entertaining show.


By PREETI CHANDAN
August 20, 2009 06:10:00 PM
Source: indiawest.com

1 comment:

  1. Love the pic of both legends together!!! Eagerly waiting for the songs to be released :-)

    ReplyDelete