How can anyone forget the charming, charismatic, talented…and yes, super-cute, contestant, Anoop Desai from Season 8 of American Idol?

I will bluntly say that he was my favorite contestant on the show. Not because he was of South Asian origin, but because he had the passion for music. You could see it on his eyes and hear it in his voice when he stood on that stage.

It was the loss of his close friend, Eve Carson, which pushed him to audition for Idol. On March 5^th, 2009, during the broadcast of the Wild Card round, Desai gave a shout out to his alma mater and mentioned Eve, as it was the first anniversary of her death.

Because of Anoop, Idol has their first-time ever, Top 13 contestants. From there he went onto being in the Top 6, singing his way into the hearts of millions across the nation, and countless fans across the world.

Desai was accepted at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. During his senior year of high school, he auditioned for and was accepted into the UNC Clef Hangers, the male a’capella group, which was founded in 1977. During his junior year at UNC he was the group’s Music Director and the group’s President during his senior year. Today he is the President Emeritus of the Clef Hangers.

It goes without a doubt to say that singing is in Anoop’s blood. This year I had the pleasure of being introduced to Anoop through a family friend and it was awesome. I picked up the phone and he was like, “Hey, this is Anoop!” Never had I met someone so humble, down-to-Earth, and sweet! With some time in between promoting his debut album, All Is Fair, I had the chance to…

Sonu Kakkar is a voice behind many hit songs. She started singing at the age of 4 & ½ and since then, music has become her drive, passion, determination & career. From working with acclaimed producers such as AR Rahman to an independent album in the works, she is a multi-talented woman! I recently had the chance to sit down with Sonu and talk about music, movies and much more!

Sonu, I’d like to say it’s a pleasure to sit down & chat with you. I read that you started singing at the age of five; tell us a little bit about how you got involved in singing.
It’s my pleasure dear :-)  Well I started singing at the age of 4 & ½; I used to sing Mata’s Bhajans in bhajan sandhyas. Music has been something I can’t live without and since childhood I had a dream to become a playback singer.

It was after you moved to Delhi that Bollywood music director Sandeep Chowta saw your singing talented in a contest and the final result was the hit track Babuji Zara Dheere Chalo. Tell us about your experience recording your song and how you felt when it became so popular!
Well it was an amazing experience recording a song for Mr. Sandeep Chowta whom I’ll be thankful forever, and that too for a film it was like a dream come true for me because it was my dream to become a playback singer. I was on cloud nine when I was recording Babuji and can’t tell u how happy I was when it became so popular. It feels really great to see people dancing to my song all over the world.

Since then you’ve become a regular playback singer in Bollywood, with such songs as “Bareilly Ke…

Serese is a combination of three personalities – Mandee, Anita & Anu, attitudes and vocal styles. They are three fiercely independent young women who together, form the femme fatale group Serese. The talented trio was discovered by Entertainment Executive Richard Pascoe from RP Management and they have been busy making a name for themselves ever since.

Last year alone, Serese were awarded with an Asian Music Award nomination and they stole the show with their opening performance at the 2009 MTV Music Awards in Asia.

With their recent success, the girls are back with their latest track Feelin’ Myself, where they are truly “…in the zone.” The song is going to be a summer smash and DJs at the clubs will be making the girls dance all night long with this track.

I got an E-mail from Mandee this morning and she wrote, “I know it’s been a long time since we’ve been in touch hope all is well with you. The album is almost done and we are looking to release by the end of this year!”

In regards to the album Mandee said, “I’m so happy with it and can’t wait to come over to your side and let everyone get a look into the world of SERESE! It’s about time rite…”

And yes, she’s right! It’s about time that the world heard from SERESE! In the meantime check out some old favorites from the girls! We’ll be sure to let you know when the new track is out so you can take a listen!

The British cutie aka Jay Sean, has been traveling quite a bit lately! He recently did a new photo shoot with his amazing photographers [Anoop & Naroop], followed by a recent also paid a trip down South with his buddy Sean Paul!

The due were spotted in Australia where they had an amazing show, alongside the beautiful Eve! And of course, his team was there to get the entire thing on video!

Jay Sean has been making a lot of headlines since the release of his US album through Cash Money Records. All the TV shows want him to come and perform and every time I turn on the radio, I always hear Down or Do You Remember. And for those who love to follow the singing sensation on Twitter, his latest update was “RT feels good. Now get out of my VIP lounge lol @djbikramkeith Ahh back on the tour bus with @jaysean and @NidPoppa..home sweet home” — my guesses are he’s either headed to Miami, London or New York City!

Well Jay, wherever home is to you, hope you stay there for some time, relax, and just chill! You’ve been working hard and deserve it!!

In the meantime, here’s a a pretty cool video of Jay Sean, Eve and some other familiar faces that you’ll enjoy!

Rider University – a small homely college campus situated in Lawrenceville, New Jersey; home of the Broncs, and my home away from home. The student population is a pretty even mix of people; but the population of people that are of South Asian descent is not one of the top races here at Rider. However, there is a club based for Asian students – ASAR –Asian Students at Rider.

Every year ASAR puts together a charity show and raise money for a specific charity. This year, the student of ASAR decided to do something a little bit different. And by different, boy do I mean different! For the first time since the creation of the club, Asian Students at Rider, decided to expand their horizons and host not only a charity event, but also a concert of sorts for everyone. The executive board members of ASAR put their heads together and decided to invite the Culture Shock Trio – Baba Kahn, Sunny Brown, and Lomaticc – to come perform at their show.

So you all must be asking where I come into the mix of all of this, right? Well guys, I had the pleasure of being the President of ASAR this past school year. So not only did I help plan out the entire show and oversee that it went well, but I also spent the entire with the trio as well! That’s right; BAM was there the entire time, getting the latest scoop for all of you!

What a show it was folks!

Even before the sound-check, I knew this was going to be one incredible, unforgettable show!

I, alongside another member of the executive board, were in charge of taking care of the trio. The car ride when we went to go pick them up was…

Xplicit Desi Vibes has grown to become one of the most known underground production groups in the US. Founders Vimal Patel (DJ Desiplaya) and Prerak Patel (DJ P) have worked very hard to bring XDV to the status it’s at now.

Their music can be heard around the world by thousands of fans, mixing the latest of Urban tracks along with the hottest South Asian tracks. These young DJs are, without a doubt, tomorrows music elite. They have created an impressive remix of tracks and now are moving forward to promoting and producing music along side with some of the biggest up and coming South Asian artists. From linking up with IshQ Bector to Baba Kahn, Xplicit Desi Vibes has done all that AND more!

2010 marks The Final Chapter for Xplicit Desi Vibes.

DJ Desiplaya stated, “XDV went from a hobby to a passion to an international name through the hard work of our team and the support from all our fans. Without them, we wouldn’t have reached the level of success that we’re at now. Our mixtapes have over 50K downloads and people are always waiting for the next release. It’s been a great ride. It’s sad to see XDV releasing The Final Chapter, but who knows, maybe a few years from now, we’ll make a big return with a huge bang!”

So the question at hand is: What will happen once The Final Chapter releases? Who knows, but in the meantime, you can check out the first single to release from their last mixtape. The track is called Desi Love [DJ Desiplaya featuring Snoop Dogg & Deevani].

The mixtape is set to release this summer, so be ready to have some new jams to bump in the car while you’re headed to the beach or taking that long road trip across…

Sureet Sandhu is a name quite familiar to music enthusiasts here in the US. And after a two year hiatus, he’s back with a bang as he releases his next mixtape, Renegades Volume 4: Forever.

We asked Sureet about the new release and he said it, “features some great established and up-and-coming South Asian Artists such as Sir Aah, Raja Wilco, Swami Baracus, Pacifik, Seminar, Kaly, Ko the Timeless, Ajaxxx, and many more!”

Well, that right there is a mouthful!

One of the tracks on there which I really enjoyed when I heard it for the first time was It Was Written, featuring Young Pharaoh, produced by Sureet Sandhu and P. Nox Productions. Sureet says that the beat is a mix of “hip-hop on a conscious tip.” Continuing that the beat is also quite, “melodic and emotional, which I think is portrayed by the acoustic guitar riff. The drums are mainly arranged using “can” sounds, which gives it that sense of rawness.” As powerful as the beat it’s self is, Young Pharaoh portrays and depicts true emotion just through the chorus of the song which is, “Sometimes the bad guy wins and the good die young, life is like a test, judgment day gonna come, it was written, whether pain or love, no excuse for the actions, only God can judge.”

Another song which I really enjoyed listening to was 2 The Top, by Ajaxxx. His energy is felt from the start of the track when he raps, “I’m back on the beat by Sureet, and it’s heat…I’m knee deep in the vibe, so put it on repeat.” He continues to rap, “Sureet hit me off, now I’m back to my business…I’m back to the rap, act two, don’t miss it.”

But enough of me talking about all these tracks. I asked…

RDB & Nindy Kaur have taken over everything like there’s no tomorrow. It’s only a matter of time till little kids are taking lunch boxes to school that say ‘Aloo Chaat’ with a picture of RDB or their nominated for an MTV Music Award! Trust me, it’s RDB & Nindy Kaur – anything, and I mean anything, is possible. And they’ve shown just that; if you believe in what you’re most passionate about, you can achieve the impossible.

From touring across the world to four hit songs this year to performing at the biggest wedding in Bollywood, they’ve done that plus more! Now to me, their Kuly, Manj, Surj & Nindy; but to the rest of the world their idols, role models, and celebrities.

In between performing across India and preparing for the holidays, I had the pleasure (as always *wink wink*) to catch up with these amazing musicians for an exclusive interview. For your reading pleasure, I present, one final sit-down with RDB & Nindy Kaur before the New Year!

Wow, you guys have had one heck of a year. Tell us, what was your most memorable moment 2009?
Kuly: As always touring with my brothers and sister in-law…seeing the tracks we’ve been making really light up fans faces…you just cant beat that feeling.

Manj: It has to be touring with the whole family; this includes Anoop, my son. Every time we got onto stage he would just run on and take the show over…he’s absolute nutcase just like his parents…haha!

Surj: For me it has to be the tours in India. It was great fun, and met so many new people.

Nindy: Performances and video shoos are hand-in-hand for me. But I’m going with video shoots. We shot the video for my song Akhiyan…

The first time I met G-Deep was about four years ago. I’m good friends with his cousin and he told me he wanted to introduce me to someone who sang…first he played his songs for me in the car and the next time I met the real deal. From the first time I met G-Deep, I knew that he was going to do a lot of big things; but I never thought that he was going to do a collabo with Wu-Tang Clan member, Cappadonna and R&B sensation Senjh. But if you believe in something with the same amount of passion and determination as G-Deep anything is possible.

Recently G-Deep shot the video for his forthcoming track, ‘Nach Le,’ at Fire & Ice in Woodbridge, NJ. With a storm storm heading their way, they didn’t let anything get in their way of making this smash-hit.

Kiran Kaur, part of G-Deep’s management team asserts, “In the era of social networking, mergers and acquisitions, alliances and partnerships; it is through music collaborations that the world will first become one. Regardless of the genre, music is a universal language. A language that builds bridges, closes gaps, amalgamates cultures and unites us on the dance floor. The collaboration of Hip-Hop legend Cappadonna of Wu Tang Clan, with recording artist G-Deep, and the talented R&B producer/singer/song-Writer ‘Senjh’ does just that – “unites us on the dance floor.” Their combined musical talents fuse perfectly to form an unmistakable sound destined for chart topping success and platinum record sales.”

Right there, she pretty much summed it all up!

Internationally acclaimed group, RDB (Kuly, Manj, Surj & Nindy Kaur( have had nothing less than an epic year. When taking their first steps in Bollywood with tracks as Rafta Rafta and Singh is King, these artists have soared to unimaginable heights.

2009 started off with a bang as Nindy Kaur was introduced to Bollywood with two tracks, Aloo Chaat and Boliyaan. Both became instant favorites to fans across the world, especially in India, as these tracks were featured by a few performers on the show ‘Boogie Woogie.’ With the success of their music in ‘Aloo Chaat,’ it was understood that more was to come from this unmatched group. Following Aloo Chaat, their next major hit was Om Mangalam, from the film, ‘Kambaqtht Ishq.’ The track was featured in all the movie promos across the world and landed the #1 position on many Bollywood music charts as well. And if three songs wasn’t enough, RDB have ended the year with one last Bollywood project; they re-composed their worldwide hit, Paisa, for Akshay Kumar’s latest film, ‘De Dana Dan,’ featuring Manak-E. The track has become so successful that it’s held the #1 spot for the past five weeks.

Aside from their Bollywood projects, RDB and Nindy Kaur have been traveling the world, performing for thousands of fans in the US, Canada, UK, Dubai, and India, to say the least. They’ve even took over some of the largest theme parks in the US, over the summer, as RDB & Nindy Kaur were touring, giving away CDs, and meeting their fans.  When asked about this experience, Manj stated, “It was great performing in front of all the crowds at the theme parks; plus we got to go on the rides too, haha!”