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Entertainment

A Fresh Take on South Asian Music

When I sat to write this piece, honestly, it was agonizing; I was given a task – pick eight stand-out artists from the South Asian music scene and at the same time, not seem bias – trust me, it was a very difficult task! From the USA, into Canada, to the UK, and dipping into India, I narrowed my list down to eight contenders, who have proved they are “the best of the best.” We have singers, rappers, and producers – all who allow their forte to shine the brightest in today’s South Asian music scene.

We start our journey in Orlando, Florida, where rapper Ajaxxx is on a mission to release four CDs in one year – a feat which many artists have tried, but failed at. He’s is one of the most intense MCs we have in today’s Desi music scene and definitely has ‘something to prove’ to all his listeners! Ajaxxx has three internationally-released CDs: “It’s About Time,” “Something to Prove Promo,” and “The Set-Up.” With three more CDs in the works, Ajaxxx is determined to make his music known to the rest of the world. However, CDs and TV commercials aren’t the only thing which is bringing Ajaxxx to the top. He’s also been featured in internationally published magazines, and I don’t mean Canada – international meaning Hong Kong and India! It’s also important to note that Ajaxxx was one of ten finalists, in a recent “Rap Against Violence” contest – and the only South Asian winner. His song, “Walk With You” was featured on a non-profit CD and played on the top hip-hop radio stations across the state of Florida. Keeping that in mind, how many artists can you name who’ve had a TV commercial air on MTV, Court TV, BET, Sci-Fi Channel, Sun Sports, TNT, TV Land, VH1, ESPN, Speed Channel, Comedy Central, ESPN2, FX, and Spike TV – yeah…keep thinking!

Heading north a bit more, to a quiet town in Maryland, we find a not-so-quiet producer, Sureet Sandhu, founder of Digital Desi Productions. As a producer, Sureet is credited for initiating Digital Desi Productions – the first outlet for underground South Asian artists to share their lyrical creativity with the rest of the world. He is also attributed for his numerous mixtapes under the title “Renegades,” in which he has brought talented artists such as Sir Aah, Raja Wilco, and Kaly, to crossing borders internationally with names such as Raxstar and Kerfew, into the ears of listeners on a global level. As a key figure in the creation and popularization of urban South Asian music, a style of Rap & Hip-Hop music characterized with South Asian sounds such as the dhol and tumbi, Sureet was the first South Asian producer from the US to make waves on the BBC Asian Network and his relationship with the Network has flourished ever since. Carrying a professional career lifestyle, the family-man vision, and the passion to create music, Sureet makes him life seem so easy to outsiders. He’s committed to solely putting out the best music out there and with each new project he releases, he surpasses himself more than before. Balancing a professional career, a beautiful baby daughter and having the time to sit-down and produce music requires immense skill – which Sureet has!

Before crossing over into Canada, we take one last stop in Boston, where we can find Sheena Melwani, aka, sangeet ki rani. Not only is she the sangeet ki rani, but she’s also the Queen of Internet Music! Because of Sheena’s angelic voice, she’s has over 1.5 million views in her first 100 days on YouTube and crossed 4.5 million views in early July. Not only that, but Sheena is able to captivate her fans by with her voice in English, Hindi, French, or Japanese, you’ll quickly understand what the entire buzz is about. What truly makes Sheena a stand-out artist in our scene is the fact that she’s been the first South Asian singer of her kind to be contacted by Yahoo! and they asked her to take be a featured artist in the launch of their newest product, Yahoo! Live – a platform for individuals to broadcast live via webcam over the internet. SheenaTV is live every Wednesday, Friday, and Sunday at 5:30pm PST (8:30pm EST), where Sheena takes requests from those watching and sings to them in real-time. The popularity of her “human-jukebox” show is attributable equally to her beautiful voice, and to her charming and quirky personality.

Crossing into Canada, we find R&B singer, Raghav, who over the past few years has made quite the name for himself. The first and most impressive thing about Raghav is that he is a tri-lingual singer, having the capabilities to sing in English, Hindi, and French. At the age of 17, Raghav moved to Los Angeles, where he developed his vocal skills more with Seth Riggs, who has worked with acclaimed artists such as Madonna, Michael Jackson, and Stevie Wonder. When he was signed to A&R Records, Raghav worked with DJ and Producer 2Play, creating two smash-hits, “This Can’t Be Right” and “So Confused.” Before releasing his debut album “Storyteller” in September of 2004 – which sold over 1.5 million copies worldwide – Raghav released one more track, “Let’s Work It Out.” The final song off his album was “Angel Eye” – an inspiration from the well-known song, “Murder She Wrote.” Raghav has become a household name to music enthusiastics across the world. His charm, personality, and amazing ability to captivate his listeners with his intoxicating voice, makes him one of the best singers to come forth from the South Asian scene. Ladies hold on, because the heat will be rising this summer as Raghav plans to release his second album “Identity.”

Our next stop, Montreal, where we can find three of the hottest guys in the music scene – The Bilz (DJ Vicious & Master D) and Kashif! Whether they are two steppin’ their way into the hearts of millions of girls across the world or turning up the music on an international level, The Bilz & Kashif are making major moves. The Bilz stated that one of their most memorable musical moments was, “Jumping in car on your way to the hotel and you hear your song on the radio right after Rihanna and Sean Paul. Then you hop back in the ride for sound check and hear your song on the radio and when you head back after dinner, you hear it one more time! Three times in a day, now that’s memorable for us. I know there will be more to come!” But what makes them stand out even more is that their singles such as “2 Step Bhangra” and “O Meri Rani” are able to control radio waves, not just in Canada, but also internationally! These singles reached #4 on the Top 7@7 charts on Z103.5FM in Toronto for three weeks standing one notch above Beyoncé and Justin Timberlake. The Bilz and Kashif have also entered Bollywood! Their hit track, “2 Step Bhangra,” will be featured in the Hindi film, “EKEH Version 2.0.” And did I fail to mention that they will also be sharing the same stage with legendary Bollywood actors, Amitabh Bachchan, Abhishek Bachchan, and Aishwarya Rai Bachchan?! Montreal’s three hottest guys are immensely talented, and there’s no obstacle which can block their road to the top!

From Montreal, we go to Toronto to meet yet another amazing artist. To be quite honest, I’m not too sure how to describe him. He’s one of the most talked about, admired, and respected DJs in the South Asian scene. He is by far the most talented person I’ve come across. Not only does he have hot looks to go with his exuberant personality, but he’s also won various awards, and has spun at venues on an international level. Straight out of Toronto, I’m talking about Canada’s #1 DJ, Baba Kahn! His resume includes many television appearances, as well as, concerts, linking his name with some of the hottest urban acts in the world such as Sean Kingston, Kardinal Offishal, Jully Black, Timbaland, Nina Sky, Destiny’s Child, and many more! The extraordinary success of his CD series over the past decade has led to massive exposure not only in Canada, but on an international level too. This is evident in the vast amount of downloads, across various continents, that his mixed CDs have received. Currently Baba Kahn is signed to SPG and Universal Music Canada. In March of 2008 he released the highly anticipated album, “Culture Shock” – a compilation featuring popular recording artists such as Ne-Yo, Sean Paul, Fabulous, Eve, M.I.A., Bob Sinclair, Fedde La Grand, Enur, and others, helping to bring together an international mash-up compilation.

From Canada, we take a trip to the UK, where one names come to mind. British-Asian R&B singer Jay Sean is known for his hits such as, “Stolen”, “Eyes On You,” and “Ride It”. What many people don’t know is that Jay went to Queen Mary’s School of Medicine and Dentistry to train as a doctor. After two years Jay Sean attained a one million pounds record deal, leaving med school behind to chase his musical career. He released his first album, “Me Against Myself,” leading to a small world tour. From there on, he released five Top 20 hits in the UK singles chart! Over the past few years, Jay Sean was caught on international tours in over 100 major cities across four continents. And during all this, he was also setting up his own production company which he coined Jayded; a joint venture between himself and his management company/record label 2Point9. In May of 2008, Jay Sean released his second album, “My Own Way,” which he recorded in both New York and London. Jay considers performing on ‘Top of the Pops’ as one of his most memorable musical moments and stated, “I’ve performed there three times, so it’s one of the most memorable. Another would have to be in Japan, when I opened up for Ne-Yo with Thara!”

Finally we head on over to India, where Times Music and Bollywood Chick Records recording artist IshQ Bector is making moves. He’s an artist who raps in both Hindi and English. He’s created international waves with his smash-hit “Aye Hip-Hopper,” in which he collaborated with Bollywood playback singer Sunidhi Chauhan. He studied acting at the famous Roshan Taneja Film Studio in Mumbai, and then went on to VJ & host shows on MTV, B4U, and Channel V. He has written, produced and sang on films like Dhoom 2, Fight Club, and Pyar Ke Side Effects. He has also shared the stage with artists like mainstream artists such as Sean Paul, Mobb Deep, Chamillionaire, and Rishi Rich. IshQ’s other smash-hit “Dakku Daddy” features Bollywood actress Harshita Punjabi and actor Shakti Kapoor as well! Not to mention he’ll be featured on the soundtrack for Mallika Sherawat’s new movie ‘Ugli Aur Pagli.’ One track at a time, IshQ is spreading his ishq across the world!

Everyday there are new artist, MCs, producers, and DJs who are trying to make a name for them, but unless you have the determination, and passion for the art of music, it’s impossible to shine amongst the rest. Each artist has a massive fan base, leaving their listeners wanting more. Each artist uses their forte to its utmost, giving their fans an appreciated quality of music. Pay attention to these artists, because their names are the ones to help bring South Asian music to the forefront of today’s music scene.