Navin Kundra is a

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies. ** Britishness, the British identity and common culture * British English, ...

singer-songwriter, who writes, composes and performs songs in

Hindi Hindi (Devanāgarī: or , ), or more precisely Modern Standard Hindi (Devanagari: ), is an Indo-Aryan language spoken chiefly in the Hindi Belt region encompassing parts of northern, central, eastern, and western India. Hindi has been de ...

, Punjabi and English. Navin has achieved six number one singles in the Asian Charts, and won the 2013 'Entertainer of the Year' Award in the

Houses of Parliament The Palace of Westminster serves as the meeting place for both the House of Commons and the House of Lords, the two houses of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Informally known as the Houses of Parliament, the Palace lies on the north bank ...

. In 2011, he became an ambassador for the

British Asian Trust The British Asian Trust was founded in 2007 by King Charles III (then Prince of Wales) and a group of pre-eminent British Asian business leaders. The Trust works to tackle the widespread poverty and hardship in South Asia to which millions are cur ...

, and used his music to break a

Guinness World Record ''Guinness World Records'', known from its inception in 1955 until 1999 as ''The Guinness Book of Records'' and in previous United States editions as ''The Guinness Book of World Records'', is a reference book published annually, listing world ...

raising £10,000 for the Trust. In 2012, Navin was appointed ambassador of the diabetes charity,

Silver Star The Silver Star Medal (SSM) is the United States Armed Forces' third-highest military decoration for valor in combat. The Silver Star Medal is awarded primarily to members of the United States Armed Forces for gallantry in action against an e ...

. Since becoming one of their ambassadors, Navin has helped the charity raise in excess of £10,000 by performing at fundraising events across the UK. Navin has delivered talks at youth conferences across the UK. In October 2013, Navin became the first British Asian singer to be invited to

St James's Palace St James's Palace is the most senior royal palace in London, the capital of the United Kingdom. The palace gives its name to the Court of St James's, which is the monarch's royal court, and is located in the City of Westminster in London. Altho ...

to perform for TRH

Charles, Prince of Wales Charles III (Charles Philip Arthur George; born 14 November 1948) is King of the United Kingdom and the 14 other Commonwealth realms. He was the longest-serving heir apparent and Prince of Wales and, at age 73, became the oldest person to ...

and

Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall Camilla (born Camilla Rosemary Shand, later Parker Bowles, 17 July 1947) is Queen Consort of the United Kingdom and the 14 other Commonwealth realms as the wife of King Charles III. She became queen consort on 8 September 2022, upon the acc ...

along with other guests. In November 2015, Navin was a headline performer at

Wembley Stadium Wembley Stadium (branded as Wembley Stadium connected by EE for sponsorship reasons) is a football stadium in Wembley, London. It opened in 2007 on the site of the Wembley Stadium (1923), original Wembley Stadium, which was demolished from 200 ...

in London, for the visit of the PM of

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

Shri Narendra Modi Narendra Damodardas Modi (; born 17 September 1950) is an Indian politician serving as the List of Prime Ministers of India, 14th and current Prime Minister of India since 2014. Modi was the List of chief ministers of Gujarat, Chief Minist ...

Career

His first break came on his 19th birthday when he represented the UK in a World Series of

Zee TV Zee TV (stylised as ZEE TV) is a Hindi general entertainment pay television channel in India. It was launched on 2 October 1992, as the first privately owned TV channel in the country. It is owned by Zee Entertainment Enterprises. Zee TV also ...

Sa Re Ga Ma Pa ''Sa Re Ga Ma Pa'' is an Indian Hindi-language reality singing television show. It started airing on Zee TV in 1995 as ''Sa Re Ga Ma''. It is the oldest running game show in India as well as the oldest show on private television in India. The ...

filmed in

Dubai Dubai (, ; ar, دبي, translit=Dubayy, , ) is the most populous city in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and the capital of the Emirate of Dubai, the most populated of the 7 emirates of the United Arab Emirates.The Government and Politics of ...

. This gave him the opportunity to showcase his talent to figures in the Indian music industry, as well as presenting his singing to a worldwide television audience. He performed live at

Birmingham Symphony Hall Symphony Hall is a 2,262 seat concert venue in Birmingham, England. It was officially opened by Queen Elizabeth II on 12 June 1991, although it had been in use since 15 April 1991. It is home to the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra and hos ...

. Navin has released eleven music videos – 'Bandagi', 'Tear It Up', 'Dangerous', 'Jind', 'Pa Na Na', 'Zinda Hoon' (I am Alive) with dancers from the Eastern Illusion Dance Troupe, the following were co-written and produced by Mushtaq – 'Love Thing', 'Mehbooba', 'Jee Le', 'Shudaayi' and 'Hamesha'. Navin has also collaborated with Rishi Rich and

Jay Sean Kamaljit Singh Jhooti (born 26 March 1981), better known by the stage name Jay Sean, is a British singer and songwriter. He debuted in the UK's Asian Underground scene as a member of the Rishi Rich Project with "Dance with You", which reached ...

on a track called "Fade Away" which he has chosen to use it as a tribute to

Michael Jackson Michael Joseph Jackson (August 29, 1958 – June 25, 2009) was an American singer, songwriter, dancer, and philanthropist. Dubbed the "King of Pop", he is regarded as one of the most significant cultural figures of the 20th century. Over a ...

. He became an ambassador for the

on 7 July 2011. In 2012, Navin was appointed ambassador of diabetes charity, Silver Star. Navin was awarded as an ambassador for

Sewa Day Self-Employed Women's Association (SEWA), meaning "service" in several Indian languages, is a trade union based in Ahmedabad, India, that promotes the rights of low-income, independently employed female workers. With over 1.6 million particip ...

at the

House of Commons of the United Kingdom The House of Commons is the lower house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Like the upper house, the House of Lords, it meets in the Palace of Westminster in London, England. The House of Commons is an elected body consisting of 650 me ...

Palace of Westminster The Palace of Westminster serves as the meeting place for both the House of Commons of the United Kingdom, House of Commons and the House of Lords, the two houses of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Informally known as the Houses of Parli ...

, London, 26 March 2014.

Performances

Performed with percussionist and producer

Pandit Dinesh Pandit Dinesh (born 29 May 1955) is a music composer and percussionist specializing in Indian rhythms. He uses the tabla, conga drums, and more. Dinesh is known for his collaborations with West India Company, Dizrhythmia, The Pax Trio, and Blancm ...

, and virtuoso piano player

Kishon Khan Kishon Khan ( bn, কীশোন খান; born 1 August 1970) is a Bangladesh Bangladesh (}, ), officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh, is a country in South Asia. It is the eighth-most populous country in the world, with a ...

. Food For Life Charity Event – London – 10 October 2009 Star Act at British Asian Sports Awards - London, 2010 Performance at a Silver Star event – 22 February 2010 Worked with Canadian director Jazz Virk and artist Prita Chhabra on Virk's project ''Dance'' on 28 May 2011. Star Act and Guest Judge on the Asian dance show, 'Boogie Woogie', New York, 2011

Guinness World Records ''Guinness World Records'', known from its inception in 1955 until 1999 as ''The Guinness Book of Records'' and in previous United States editions as ''The Guinness Book of World Records'', is a reference book published annually, listing world ...

for largest

Bollywood Hindi cinema, popularly known as Bollywood and formerly as Bombay cinema, refers to the film industry based in Mumbai, engaged in production of motion pictures in Hindi language. The popular term Bollywood, is a portmanteau of "Bombay" (fo ...

Dance at

Manchester Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The t ...

Mega Mela at

Platt Fields Park Platt Fields Park is a large public park in Fallowfield, Manchester, England which is home to Platt Hall. Fallowfield lies to the south and Wilmslow Road runs along its eastern edge. Description The centrepiece of the park is a large pleasure ...

Fallowfield Fallowfield is a suburb of Manchester, England, with a population at the 2011 census of 15,211. Historically in Lancashire, it lies south of Manchester city centre and is bisected east–west by Wilmslow Road and north–south by Wil ...

(1,406 people breaking the previous record of 1,336 people in

Bandra Bandra (Indian English, æːɳɖɾa also known as Vandre (Help:IPA/Marathi, �aːn̪d̪ɾe is an upscale coastal suburb located in Mumbai (Bombay) area of the Konkan division, Maharashtra, India. The suburb is located to the immediate nor ...

Mumbai Mumbai (, ; also known as Bombay — the official name until 1995) is the capital city of the Indian state of Maharashtra and the ''de facto'' financial centre of India. According to the United Nations, as of 2018, Mumbai is the second- ...

) to his song Mehbooba on 23 July 2011. In Concert with

Raghav Raghav Mathur (born April 2, 1981), known professionally as Raghav, is a Canadian singer. He has released three studio albums: the debut '' Storyteller'' in 2004, ''Identity'' in 2009, and '' The Phoenix'' in 2012. His most known commercial succe ...

at Nawaab in

, on 16 March 2012 Headline Act & Co-Presenter at Miss India UK Worldwide Beauty Pageant, London, 2012 In Concert with

Atif Aslam Atif Aslam is a Pakistani playback singer, songwriter, composer, and actor. He has recorded many songs in both Pakistan and India, and is known for his vocal belting technique. Aslam predominantly sings in Urdu, but has also sung in Hindi, ...

playback singer at LockDown 2012

Bridgewater Hall The Bridgewater Hall is a concert venue in Manchester city centre, England. It cost around £42 million to build in the 1990s, and hosts over 250 performances a year. It is home to the 165-year-old Hallé Orchestra as well as to the Hallé ...

, Manchester – 27 April 2012 An Exclusive Evening with

Shahrukh Khan Shah Rukh Khan (; born 2 November 1965), also known by the initialism SRK, is an Indian actor, film producer, and television personality who works in Hindi films. Referred to in the media as the " Baadshah of Bollywood", "King of Bollywood" ...

at the CSN International Exhibition & Conference Centre In

Birmingham Birmingham ( ) is a city and metropolitan borough in the metropolitan county of West Midlands in England. It is the second-largest city in the United Kingdom with a population of 1.145 million in the city proper, 2.92 million in the West ...

26 January 2013 Headline Act for 'Save Wild Tigers' Gala Event - London, 21 March 2013 Asian Express' 100 Years of Bollywood With Jackie Shroff in

Bradford Bradford is a city and the administrative centre of the City of Bradford district in West Yorkshire, England. The city is in the Pennines' eastern foothills on the banks of the Bradford Beck. Bradford had a population of 349,561 at the 2011 ...

, 3 May 2013 Reception for

Silver Star (charity) Silver Star is a charity based in the United Kingdom. It specialises in raising awareness of diabetes. In raising awareness the charity has contacted numerous celebrities including Bollywood actresses Shilpa Shetty and Kareena Kapoor. Controve ...

initiative for diabetes 6th anniversary – 12 September 2013 Performed for TRH

and

–

– 24 October 2013 Performance in The

, London – 20 March 2014 Acoustic version of Amazing Grace in the River Room within the

House of Lords The House of Lords, also known as the House of Peers, is the Bicameralism, upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Membership is by Life peer, appointment, Hereditary peer, heredity or Lords Spiritual, official function. Like the ...

, in support of the Lily Foundation; a charity which works to combat human trafficking and child abuse in India – 15 July 2014. Navin was a headline performer at

on 13 November 2015, on the occasion of Community Reception for

Prime Minister of India The prime minister of India (IAST: ) is the head of government of the Republic of India. Executive authority is vested in the prime minister and their chosen Council of Ministers, despite the president of India being the nominal head of the ...

Narendra Modi Narendra Damodardas Modi (; born 17 September 1950) is an Indian politician serving as the 14th and current Prime Minister of India since 2014. Modi was the Chief Minister of Gujarat from 2001 to 2014 and is the Member of Parliament from ...

. Navin performed for a second time for the Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi in Brussels to address the European Union (EU) on 30 March 2016.

Projects

Navin wrote the lyrics for Avina Shah's debut song "Tere Bina", released in October 2010. It is a charity song to raise awareness of domestic violence and is supported by the

Southall Black Sisters Southall Black Sisters (SBS) is a non-profit organisation based in Southall, West London, England. This women's group was established in August 1979 in the aftermath of the death of anti-fascist activist Blair Peach, who had taken part in a dem ...

. The song was inspired by the real-life story of

Kiranjit Ahluwalia Kiranjit Ahluwalia (born 1955) is an Indian woman who fatally burned her husband in 1989 in the UK. She claimed it was in response to ten years of physical, psychological, and sexual abuse. After initially being convicted of murder and senten ...

, played by

Aishwarya Rai Aishwarya Rai Bachchan ( Rai; born 1 November 1973) is an Indian actress who is primarily known for her work in Hindi and Tamil films. The winner of the Miss World 1994 pageant, she has established herself as one of the most popular celebritie ...

in the film '' Provoked''. Navin reworks his song 'Mehbooba', adding English lyrics, and performing it as a duet with Rekha Sawhney for a Bollywood proposal on

BBC One BBC One is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network owned and operated by the BBC. It is the corporation's flagship network and is known for broadcasting mainstream programming, which includes BBC News television bulletins, p ...

Doctors (2000 TV series) ''Doctors'' is a British medical soap opera, first broadcast on BBC One on 26 March 2000. Set in the fictional West Midlands town of Letherbridge, the soap follows the lives of the staff of both an NHS doctor's surgery and a university campus s ...

Navin in

Filmmaker

Sajid Nadiadwala Sajid Nadiadwala (born 18 February 1966) is an Indian film producer, writer, and director who works in Hindi cinema. He is the owner of Nadiadwala Grandson Entertainment. Grandson of filmmaker A.K. Nadiadwala, Sajid has written and produced fi ...

chose Navin to be the playback singer for

actor

Akshay Kumar Rajiv Hari Om Bhatia (born 9 September 1967), known professionally as Akshay Kumar (), is an Indian-born naturalised Canadian Quote: "(Former prime minister Stephen) Harper campaigned in 2011 alongside one of Modi's biggest celebrity backer ...

Kambakth Ishq ''Kambakkht Ishq'' () is a 2009 Indian Hindi-language romantic film, romantic comedy film directed by Sabbir Khan and produced by Sajid Nadiadwala. The film is based on the 2002 Cinema of Tamil Nadu, Tamil film ''Pammal K. Sambandam'' which i ...

(Damned Love), released on 29 May 2009. Navin in Hollywood Navin's sixth No. 1 Punjabi Track Shudaayi features in director Raghav Murali's film –

The Spectacular Jihad of Taz Rahim ''The Spectacular Jihad of Taz Rahim'' is a 2015 crime drama film directed by Raghav Murali and produced by Zaki Hossain. The film stars Rahsaan Noor, Monica Dogra, Kal Parekh, and Sorab Wadia in pivotal roles. The film is loosely inspired by tr ...

, released on 29 May 2015

Discography

*'Tukde, Tukde' (Pieces), which released on 19 September 2006, was Navin's debut song, sung in Punjabi. He co-wrote with M. Johal. *'Main Ha Tere Naal' (I am with You) released in July 2007 was his second release, sung in Punjabi. *'Zinda Hoon' (I am Alive) released 17 December 2007 *'Khalli Dil' (Empty Heart) written and composed by Navin. *'Love Thing' hits BBC Asian Network Charts at No. 16 – 23 February 2009. *'Tere Liye' (For You) a love song (co-written with Mushtaq, composed and sung by Navin) was released 14 February 2009. *'Fade Away' (A Hindi and English track) released in June 2009 as a tribute to

. *'Mehbooba' released – 26 July 2009. *'Jee Le' released – 29 July 2010 *'Aaja' released on

iTunes iTunes () is a software program that acts as a media player, media library, mobile device management utility, and the client app for the iTunes Store. Developed by Apple Inc., it is used to purchase, play, download, and organize digital mul ...

– 14 February 2011. *'Nach Le' released on iTunes – 30 September 2011 *'Shudaayi' released on iTunes – 20 August 2012. *'Hamesha' (Forever) released on 14 February 2013. It is the cover of the

Heatwave A heat wave, or heatwave, is a period of excessively hot weather, which may be accompanied by high humidity, especially in oceanic climate countries. While definitions vary, a heat wave is usually measured relative to the usual climate in the ...

R&B song Always and Forever. *'Pa Na Na' released on iTunes – 7 November 2013. *'Paint the Town' released on iTunes – 11 June 2014 as part of The Heights EP by Naamless a.k.a. Sahil Sabh. *'Dangerous' released on iTunes – 4 December 2014. *'Jind' (feat. Alison Gabrielle) released on iTunes – 12 February 2015 *'Tear It Up' released on iTunes 12 August 2016. *'Bandagi' was released on iTunes – 27 January 2017. *'No Games' was released on iTunes 8 May 2017. *'Burning Slow' released on iTunes 9 February 2018. * 'Ishq Humara' released on iTunes 11 May 2018. * 'Khush Rahi' released on iTunes 6 January 2021.

Albums

The Collection released on 19 September 2015. This eighteen track album includes Navin's six No. 1 hit tracks and three Hindi mix covers.

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Kundra, Navin 1985 births Living people British male singer-songwriters British multi-instrumentalists British people of Indian descent Desi musicians