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Nitin Sawhney ,
D.Mus (; born 1964) is a British musician, producer and composer. A recipient of the
Ivor Novello Lifetime Achievement award in 2017, among multiple international awards throughout his career. Sawhney's work combines
Asian and other worldwide influences with elements of
electronica and often explores themes such as multiculturalism, politics, and
spirituality.
Sawhney is also active in the promotion of arts and
cultural matters, is chair of the PRS Foundation, on the senate of the Ivor Novello Academy, on the board of trustees of theatre company
Complicité
Complicité is a American theatre company founded in 1898 by Simon McBurney, Annabel Arden, and Marcello Magni. Its original name was Théâtre de Complicité. The company is based in London and uses extreme movement to represent their work, wit ...
, and is a patron of numerous film festivals, venues, and educational institutions.
In 2021 he was an ambassador for the
Royal Albert Hall.
Sawhney has scored for and performed with orchestras, and collaborated with and written for
Paul McCartney
Sir James Paul McCartney (born 18 June 1942) is an English singer, songwriter and musician who gained worldwide fame with the Beatles, for whom he played bass guitar and shared primary songwriting and lead vocal duties with John Lennon. One ...
,
Sting, the
London Symphony Orchestra
The London Symphony Orchestra (LSO) is a British symphony orchestra based in London. Founded in 1904, the LSO is the oldest of London's symphony orchestras. The LSO was created by a group of players who left Henry Wood's Queen's Hall Orc ...
,
A. R. Rahman,
Brian Eno,
Sinéad O'Connor,
Jacob Golden
Jacob Golden is an American singer-songwriter and guitarist from Portland, Oregon. After the dissolution of his former band, Birthday, in 2000 he has worked as a solo artist and collaborated with different electronica musicians and producers ...
,
Anoushka Shankar
Anoushka Shankar (born 9 June 1981) is a British-American sitar player, producer, film composer and activist. She was the youngest and first woman to receive a British House of Commons Shield; she has had 7 Grammy Awards nominations and was the ...
,
Jeff Beck,
Shakira
Shakira Isabel Mebarak Ripoll ( , ; born 2 February 1977), professionally known by the mononym Shakira, is a Colombian singer and songwriter. Born and raised in Barranquilla, she has been referred to as the " Queen of Latin Music" and is n ...
,
Will Young
William Robert Young (born 20 January 1979) is a British singer-songwriter and actor who came to prominence after winning the 2002 inaugural series of the ITV talent contest '' Pop Idol'', making him the first winner of the worldwide '' Idol ...
,
Joss Stone,
Taio Cruz
Jacob Taio Cruz (; born Adetayo Ayowale Onile-Ere, 23 April 1980), better known professionally as Taio Cruz (stylized TΛIO CRUZ), is an English singer, songwriter and record producer from London, England, currently based in Los Angeles. In 200 ...
,
Ellie Goulding,
Horace Andy,
Cirque du Soleil
Cirque du Soleil (, ; "Circus of the Sun" or "Sun Circus") is a Canadian entertainment company and the largest contemporary circus producer in the world. Located in the inner-city area of Saint-Michel, it was founded in Baie-Saint-Paul on 16 Ju ...
,
Akram Khan,
Deepa Mehta,
Mira Nair
Mira Nair (born 15 October 1957) is an Indian-American filmmaker based in New York City. Her production company, Mirabai Films, specializes in films for international audiences on Indian society, whether in the economic, social or cultural spher ...
,
Nelson Mandela,
Ojos de Brujo
Ojos de Brujo was a nine-piece band from Barcelona who described their style as "jipjop flamenkillo" ( hip hop with a little flamenco). The band sold over 100,000 copies of their self-produced ''Barí'' album and received several awards, among t ...
,
Hélène Grimaud
Hélène Rose Paule Grimaud (born 7 November 1969) is a French classical pianist and the founder of the Wolf Conservation Center in South Salem, New York.
Early life and education
Grimaud was born in Aix-en-Provence, France. She described fami ...
,
Natacha Atlas
Natacha Atlas ( ar, نتاشا أطلس}; born 20 March 1964) is an Egyptian-Belgian singer known for her fusion of Arabic and Western music, particularly hip-hop. She once termed her music "'' cha'abi moderne''" (modern popular music). Her mu ...
,
Jools Holland,
Jorja Smith
Jorja Alice Smith (born 11 June 1997) is an English singer-songwriter. Born and raised in Walsall, West Midlands, she has been writing songs since the age of 11. In 2012, Smith's friend uploaded her cover of Labrinth's "Earthquake" to YouTube, ...
,
John Hurt
Sir John Vincent Hurt (22 January 1940 – 25 January 2017) was an English actor whose career spanned over five decades. Hurt was regarded as one of Britain's finest actors. Director David Lynch described him as "simply the greatest actor in t ...
and
Pink Floyd. Performing extensively around the world, he has achieved an international reputation across multiple artistic mediums.
Often appearing as Artist in Residence, Curator or Musical Director at international festivals, Sawhney contributes to musical education, having acted as patron of the British Government's Access-to-music programme, the East London Film festival and, currently, Artis as well as acting as a judge for The
Ivor Novello Awards
The Ivor Novello Awards, named after the entertainer Ivor Novello, are awards for songwriting and composing. They have been presented annually in London by the Ivors Academy (formerly the BASCA) since 1956, and over 1,000 statuettes have been a ...
,
BAFTA,
BIFA and the
PRS foundation. He is a recipient of 7 honorary doctorates from British universities, is a fellow of
LIPA and the
Southbank University, an Associate of
Sadler's Wells
Sadler's Wells Theatre is a performing arts venue in Clerkenwell, London, England located on Rosebery Avenue next to New River Head. The present-day theatre is the sixth on the site since 1683. It consists of two performance spaces: a 1,500-seat ...
, sits on the board for British theatre company
Complicite. In 2017, Sawhney received the
Ivor Novello Lifetime Achievement award.
Having turned down an
OBE in 2007, stating it was associated with "a colonial past", Sawhney accepted a higher-grade
CBE
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations,
and public service outside the civil service. It was established o ...
in the
2019 New Year Honours. He accepted it for his father, who he said had died regretting that Sawhney had rejected the OBE.
Since 2014, the publishing interest of Nitin Sawhney's catalogue has been represented by Reservoir Media Management.
Early years
Nitin Sawhney was raised in
Rochester, Kent, England, by first-generation
British Indian parents.
As a child he studied piano, classical and flamenco guitar,
sitar
The sitar ( or ; ) is a plucked stringed instrument, originating from the Indian subcontinent, used in Hindustani classical music. The instrument was invented in medieval India, flourished in the 18th century, and arrived at its present form ...
and
tabla
A tabla, bn, তবলা, prs, طبلا, gu, તબલા, hi, तबला, kn, ತಬಲಾ, ml, തബല, mr, तबला, ne, तबला, or, ତବଲା, ps, طبله, pa, ਤਬਲਾ, ta, தபலா, te, తబల� ...
.
He has been quoted speaking about his early life as one of three brothers and his musical influences: "My mum and dad both listened to Indian classical music, but also flamenco, Cuban music, a lot of crooners and a lot of pop. My brothers listened to a lot of rock music. So, I was listening to everything from the Doors to Led Zeppelin and a lot of jazz."
He attended
Sir Joseph Williamson's Mathematical School.
Subsequently, he studied law at
Liverpool University
, mottoeng = These days of peace foster learning
, established = 1881 – University College Liverpool1884 – affiliated to the federal Victoria Universityhttp://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukla/2004/4 University of Manchester Act 200 ...
for a short time.
Sawhney moved to London, where he met up with old university friend
Sanjeev Bhaskar
Sanjeev Bhaskar (born 31 October 1963) is a British actor, comedian and television presenter. He is best known for his work in the BBC Two sketch comedy series '' Goodness Gracious Me'' and as the star of the sitcom ''The Kumars at No. 42''. H ...
; together they created the comedy team The Secret Asians. The pair were given a show on
BBC Radio
BBC Radio is an operational business division and service of the British Broadcasting Corporation (which has operated in the United Kingdom under the terms of a royal charter since 1927). The service provides national radio stations covering ...
, which eventually grew into the award-winning BBC TV sketch show ''
Goodness Gracious Me''.
Refocusing on music, Sawhney's solo career began in 1993, when he released his debut album, ''Spirit Dance'' on his own label.
Solo career
Sawhney has released over 20 studio albums. He has received 17 major national awards for his album work and is a recipient of the Ivor Novello Lifetime Achievement award.
In 1999 Sawhney released his fourth Gold-selling album, ''
Beyond Skin
''Beyond Skin'' is an album by English musician Nitin Sawhney. It was released on the Outcaste label in 1999. The album focuses largely on the theme of nuclear weapons; Sawhney states in the booklet that the album "has a timespan that runs backwa ...
'', on London's Outcaste Records, which took a prestigious
Mercury Music Prize
The Mercury Prize, formerly called the Mercury Music Prize, is an annual music prize awarded for the best album released in the United Kingdom by a British or Irish act. It was created by Jon Webster and Robert Chandler in association with the B ...
nomination and won Sawhney the coveted
South Bank Show Award
The South Bank Sky Arts Awards (originally The South Bank Show Awards) are an accolade recognizing British achievements in the arts. The awards have been given annually since 1997.
They originated with the long-running British arts programme ' ...
.
After a subsequent signing to
Richard Branson's
V2 Records
V2 Records (or V2 Music; V2 being an abbreviation for Virgin 2) is a record label that was purchased by Universal Music Group in 2007 and sold to IASin 2013. In the Benelux, V2 operates separately from PIAS, as the label bought itself out from ...
, Sawhney released the Silver-certified ''Prophesy'' in 2001, winning a
MOBO Award
The MOBO Awards (Music of Black Origin, also known as the MOBOs) are an annual British music award presentation honouring achievements in " music of black origin", including hip hop, grime, UK Drill, R&B, soul, reggae, jazz, gospel, and ...
as well as a BBC Radio 3 Music Award. Sawhney's seventh album, ''Philtre'', was released in May 2005, taking yet another BBC Radio 3 Award and in 2008, his eighth album, ''
London Undersound'', released on
Cooking Vinyl, featured artwork by
Antony Gormley and performances from
Paul McCartney
Sir James Paul McCartney (born 18 June 1942) is an English singer, songwriter and musician who gained worldwide fame with the Beatles, for whom he played bass guitar and shared primary songwriting and lead vocal duties with John Lennon. One ...
,
Anoushka Shankar
Anoushka Shankar (born 9 June 1981) is a British-American sitar player, producer, film composer and activist. She was the youngest and first woman to receive a British House of Commons Shield; she has had 7 Grammy Awards nominations and was the ...
,
Imogen Heap
Imogen Jennifer Heap (born 9 December 1977) is a British musician, singer, songwriter and record producer. Her work has been considered pioneering in pop and electropop music.
Heap classically trained in piano, cello and clarinet starting at a ...
and
Natty, amongst many others.
Sawhney's 2011 studio work, ''Last Days of Meaning'', previewed at the
Royal Albert Hall in May 2011, centres on a character from actor,
John Hurt
Sir John Vincent Hurt (22 January 1940 – 25 January 2017) was an English actor whose career spanned over five decades. Hurt was regarded as one of Britain's finest actors. Director David Lynch described him as "simply the greatest actor in t ...
, and follows the metaphorical,
Dickens
Charles John Huffam Dickens (; 7 February 1812 – 9 June 1870) was an English writer and social critic. He created some of the world's best-known fictional characters and is regarded by many as the greatest novelist of the Victorian er ...
ian journey of a lonely and intransigent man. His 2013 box-set release ''One Zero'' was recorded live-to-vinyl as a celebration of ten albums releases. Nitin's tenth studio album, ''Dystopian Dream'', was released in November 2015, and his eleventh ''Immigrants'' came out in March 2021.
He produced Anoushka Shankar's 2013 Grammy nominated album ''Traces of You'', featuring
Norah Jones
Norah Jones (born Geethali Norah Jones Shankar; March 30, 1979) is an American singer, songwriter, and pianist. She has won several awards for her music and as of 2012, has sold more than 50 million records worldwide. ''Billboard'' named her the ...
, and also produced
Jools Hollands' 2021 album ''Pianola. Piano & Friends''.
Music for film, television and video games
To date, Sawhney has scored over fifty films as well as many international TV programmes, ads and cinema trailers. Sawhney has written music for a wide variety of contexts, from dark, high-tension drama to light hearted animatronics.
Sawhney has been commissioned to write the scores for a number of different projects. His music for
Channel 4
Channel 4 is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network operated by the state-owned Channel Four Television Corporation. It began its transmission on 2 November 1982 and was established to provide a fourth television service ...
's ''Second Generation'' received a nomination for the
Ivor Novello Award
The Ivor Novello Awards, named after the entertainer Ivor Novello, are awards for songwriting and composing. They have been presented annually in London by the Ivors Academy (formerly the BASCA) since 1956, and over 1,000 statuettes have been ...
for Film and TV Composition.
He has also scored ads for
Nike
Nike often refers to:
* Nike (mythology), a Greek goddess who personifies victory
* Nike, Inc., a major American producer of athletic shoes, apparel, and sports equipment
Nike may also refer to:
People
* Nike (name), a surname and feminine give ...
and
Sephora.
In 2006, Sawhney composed a new symphony to accompany
Franz Osten's 1929 silent film, ''
A Throw of Dice
''A Throw of Dice'' (''Prapancha Pash'') is a 1929 silent film by German-born director Franz Osten, based on an episode from the Indian epic ''Mahabharata''.
Plot summary
The movie is about two kings vying for the love of a hermit's daughter, t ...
'', which premiered with the
London Symphony Orchestra
The London Symphony Orchestra (LSO) is a British symphony orchestra based in London. Founded in 1904, the LSO is the oldest of London's symphony orchestras. The LSO was created by a group of players who left Henry Wood's Queen's Hall Orc ...
at the
Barbican, London.
Other notable works include scores for Oscar-nominated director
Mira Nair
Mira Nair (born 15 October 1957) is an Indian-American filmmaker based in New York City. Her production company, Mirabai Films, specializes in films for international audiences on Indian society, whether in the economic, social or cultural spher ...
's adaptation of
Jhumpa Lahiri
Nilanjana Sudeshna "Jhumpa" LahiriMinzesheimer, Bob ''USA Today'', August 19, 2003. Retrieved on 2008-04-13. (born July 11, 1967) is an American author known for her short stories, novels and essays in English, and, more recently, in Italia ...
's, ''
The Namesake'',
as well as ''Natural Fantasia''
and ''
Human Planet
''Human Planet'' is an 8-part British television documentary series. It is produced by the BBC with co-production from Discovery and BBC Worldwide. It describes the human species and its relationship with the natural world by showing the remar ...
'' for the
BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC
Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board exam. ...
...
.
His work for film and television has led Sawhney to gain recognition within the world of classical music. In 2001, Sawhney composed "Neural Circuits" for the Britten Sinfonia
In 2002, he worked with
Akram Khan and
Anish Kapoor
Sir Anish Mikhail Kapoor (born 12 March 1954) is a British-Indian sculptor specializing in installation art and conceptual art. Born in Mumbai, Kapoor attended the elite all-boys Indian boarding school The Doon School, before moving to the UK t ...
, scoring the music to Khan's choreographed work ''
Kaash
''Kaash'' is an 1987 Bollywood film written and directed by Mahesh Bhatt. It is produced by the comedian Mehmood's brother Anwar Ali. Like several other 1980s films by Mahesh Bhatt, ''Kaash'', was described as a semi-art film and upon release, ...
'', which toured worldwide between 2002 and 2003.
In 2004, Sawhney was commissioned by the
City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra
The City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra (CBSO) is a British orchestra based in Birmingham, England. It is the resident orchestra at Symphony Hall: a B:Music Venue in Birmingham, which has been its principal performance venue since 1991. Its a ...
to compose a new piece for their Harmony Project.
His previous scores also include the new adaptation of ''
Mahabharata
The ''Mahābhārata'' ( ; sa, महाभारतम्, ', ) is one of the two major Sanskrit literature, Sanskrit Indian epic poetry, epics of ancient India in Hinduism, the other being the ''Ramayana, Rāmāyaṇa''. It narrates the s ...
'' by the
Olivier Award
The Laurence Olivier Awards, or simply the Olivier Awards, are presented annually by the Society of London Theatre to recognise excellence in professional theatre in London at an annual ceremony in the capital. The awards were originally known a ...
- winning writer Stephen Clark,
Simon McBurney
Simon Montagu McBurney (born 25 August 1957) is an English actor, playwright, and theatrical director. He is the founder and artistic director of the Théâtre de Complicité, London. He has had roles in the films '' The Manchurian Candidate'' ...
's ''
A Disappearing Number'' for
Complicité
Complicité is a American theatre company founded in 1898 by Simon McBurney, Annabel Arden, and Marcello Magni. Its original name was Théâtre de Complicité. The company is based in London and uses extreme movement to represent their work, wit ...
,
and first-time theatrical director
Jonathan Holmes' ''Fallujah''.
Sawhney has continued to work with Akram Khan on Bahok, Vertical Road and iTMOi (in the mind of Igor).
Sawhney produced the music for the
Ninja Theory
Ninja Theory Limited is a first-party British video game development studio based in Cambridge, England. Notable games it has developed include '' Kung Fu Chaos'', ''Heavenly Sword'', '' Enslaved: Odyssey to the West'', '' DmC: Devil May Cry ...
video games ''
Heavenly Sword
''Heavenly Sword'' is a 2007 action-adventure hack and slash video game developed by Ninja Theory and published by Sony Computer Entertainment for the PlayStation 3.
Gameplay
The game is an action-adventure title with heavy hack and slash ...
'' and ''
Enslaved: Odyssey to the West'' (both starring
Andy Serkis
Andrew Clement Serkis (born 20 April 1964) is an English actor, director, and producer. He is best known for his performance capture roles comprising motion capture acting, animation, and voice work for computer-generated characters such as Go ...
).
Sawhney again worked with the
London Symphony Orchestra
The London Symphony Orchestra (LSO) is a British symphony orchestra based in London. Founded in 1904, the LSO is the oldest of London's symphony orchestras. The LSO was created by a group of players who left Henry Wood's Queen's Hall Orc ...
for the Network/BFI re-master of
Alfred Hitchcock's ''
The Lodger'', performed live at
The Barbican Centre
The Barbican Centre is a performing arts centre in the Barbican Estate of the City of London and the largest of its kind in Europe. The centre hosts classical and contemporary music concerts, theatre performances, film screenings and art exhib ...
on 21 July 2012.
Sawhney also scored Oscar-nominated director Deepa Mehta's adaptation of Salman Rushdie's book, ''
Midnight's Children
''Midnight's Children'' is a 1981 novel by Indian-British writer Salman Rushdie, published by Jonathan Cape with cover design by Bill Botten, about India's transition from British colonial rule to independence and partition. It is a postc ...
'',
released October 2012 (US) and ''
Vara: A Blessing'' and ''Japan in a Day''.
Sawhney scored a five episode series for the BBC's Natural History Department called ''
Wonders of the Monsoon
''Wonders of the Monsoon'' (also known as ''Lands of the Monsoon'') is a BBC documentary series which ran for five episodes between 5 October 2014 and 2 November 2014, and aired on BBC Two. The series focus for a variety of locations around the ...
'' which had its debut airing with the BBC in 2014. With other broadcasters and with its DVD release it has been re-titled ''Lands of the Monsoon''. The series earned Sawhney a Royal Television Society award for best composer in February 2015. He subsequently scored Andy Serkis' (whom he has previously worked with) directorial debut ''
Breathe'', (featuring
Andrew Garfield
Andrew Russell Garfield (born 20 August 1983) is an English and American actor. He has received various accolades, including a Tony Award, a BAFTA TV Award and a Golden Globe Award, in addition to nominations for two Academy Awards. ''Time' ...
and
Claire Foy
Claire Elizabeth Foy (born 16 April 1984) is a British actress. She is best known for her portrayal of the young Queen Elizabeth II in the first two seasons of the Netflix series ''The Crown'' (2016–2017) for which she won a Primetime Emmy Aw ...
) which went on general release in October 2017, and Serkis' interpretation of ''
The Jungle Book
''The Jungle Book'' (1894) is a collection of stories by the English author Rudyard Kipling. Most of the characters are animals such as Shere Khan the tiger and Baloo the bear, though a principal character is the boy or "man-cub" Mowgli, w ...
'', titled ''
Mowgli: Legend of the Jungle'' for
Netflix
Netflix, Inc. is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service and production company based in Los Gatos, California. Founded in 1997 by Reed Hastings and Marc Randolph in Scotts Valley, California, it offers a fi ...
, released in November 2018.
Theatre and dance
Sawhney's album ''Dystopian Dream'' has been made into a full stage show with
Sadler's Wells
Sadler's Wells Theatre is a performing arts venue in Clerkenwell, London, England located on Rosebery Avenue next to New River Head. The present-day theatre is the sixth on the site since 1683. It consists of two performance spaces: a 1,500-seat ...
, co-devised with Honji Wang and Sébastien Ramirez, which premiered in Luxembourg on 29 September 2017. Sawhney's substantial theatre/dance credits include the scores for Complicite's Olivier Award-winning ''A Disappearing Number'' and
Akram Khan's also Olivier Award-winning ''Zero Degrees'', for which Nitin received a New York Performance and Dance Award for best score. After scoring ''Bahok'' for the Royal Ballet of China, Sawhney's composition for Khan's ''Vertical Road'' received a best new work award in Melbourne. Sawhney worked again with Belgian choreographer
Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui
Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui (born 1976) is a Belgian dancer and choreographer and director. He has made over 50 choreographic pieces and received two Laurence Olivier Award for Best New Dance Production, three Ballet Tanz awards for best choreographe ...
on a production based on the life of Manga creator, ''Tezuka'' and has worked with Akram Khan for ''iTMOi'' (in the mind of Igor) as part of the centenary ''Rites of Spring'' celebrations at Sadler's Wells. Sawhney directed and produced ''Indelible'' a multi-installation experience at Sadler's Wells as part of their "NoBody" programme.
Acting, writing, directing, commentating
Sawhney's acting credits include the award-winning radio and BBC TV series, ''Goodness Gracious Me'', for which he received a Sony Award as performer and writer, Meera Syal's Radio 4 mini-series, ''Masala FM'' and ''Confluence'' with Akram Khan. As a fledgling theatrical director, his work to date includes ''Confluence'' for Sadler's Wells and directing/writing workshops at London's National Theatre for his play, ''Trust''. He has also written articles for UK broadsheets and appeared as a commentator on the BBC's ''Newsnight Review'', ''Newsnight'' and ''HardTalk''. ''Nitin Sawhney Spins the Globe'' is Sawhney's
BBC Radio 2 show. Its fourth series was broadcast in March 2015.
Sawhney appeared as an industry expert in two series of the TV series ''
Guitar Star
''Guitar Star'' is a talent show that has aired on Sky Arts from 9 June 2015 to 2 August 2016 and is presented by Edith Bowman, with judges Huey Morgan, Nitin Sawhney and Helen Sanderson, as they scour across the UK to unearth a world-class guita ...
'' for
Sky Arts
Sky Arts (originally launched as Artsworld) is a British free-to-air television channel offering 24 hours a day of programmes dedicated to highbrow arts, including theatrical performances, movies, documentaries and music (such as opera perfor ...
, as well as appearing in and working as music director on the Sky Arts series ''Tony Visconti's Unsigned Heroes'', which aired in 2017.
Collaborations and remixes
Sawhney has remixed a wide variety of artists, including
Sting,
Natacha Atlas
Natacha Atlas ( ar, نتاشا أطلس}; born 20 March 1964) is an Egyptian-Belgian singer known for her fusion of Arabic and Western music, particularly hip-hop. She once termed her music "'' cha'abi moderne''" (modern popular music). Her mu ...
,
Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan
Ustad Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan ( pa, ; born Pervez Fateh Ali Khan; 13 October 1948 – 16 August 1997) was a Pakistani singer, songwriter, and music director. He was primarily a singer of qawwali — a form of Sufi devotional music. Sometimes ...
,
Jeff Beck,
Julian Lloyd Webber
Julian Lloyd Webber (born 14 April 1951) is a British solo cellist, conductor and broadcaster, a former principal of Royal Birmingham Conservatoire and the founder of the In Harmony music education programme.
Early years and education
Julian ...
, Tina Grace and
Paul McCartney
Sir James Paul McCartney (born 18 June 1942) is an English singer, songwriter and musician who gained worldwide fame with the Beatles, for whom he played bass guitar and shared primary songwriting and lead vocal duties with John Lennon. One ...
(for McCartney's
The Fireman project). He also collaborated with McCartney on a song called "My Soul", which appeared on Sawhney's ''
London Undersound'' album, and on various
Robert Miles
Roberto Concina (3 November 1969 – 9 May 2017), known professionally as Robert Miles, was an Italian record producer, composer, musician and DJ. His 1995 composition "Children" sold more than 5 million copies and topped the charts worldwide. ...
projects such as
Miles Gurtu and
Organik as well as with American singer-songwriter
Jacob Golden
Jacob Golden is an American singer-songwriter and guitarist from Portland, Oregon. After the dissolution of his former band, Birthday, in 2000 he has worked as a solo artist and collaborated with different electronica musicians and producers ...
. His own work has been remixed by
4hero
4hero are an electronic music group from Dollis Hill, London, comprising producers Mark "Marc Mac" Clair & Denis "Dego" McFarlane. While the band is often cited as ''4 Hero'' or ''4-Hero'', the name is stylised as ''4hero'' on their albums and ...
,
Talvin Singh
Talvin Singh OBE (born 1970) is an English musician, producer, and composer. A tabla player, he is known for creating an innovative fusion of Indian classical music and drum and bass. Singh is generally considered involved with an electronica s ...
,
MJ Cole
Matthew James Firth Coleman, better known by his stage name MJ Cole, is an English garage DJ, record producer and remixer.
Career
Born in London, England, in his youth, Cole was classically trained on the oboe and piano, and won scholarships ...
and
Quantic. He produced several songs on
Cheb Mami's album ''Dellali''. He co-produced the second album from songwriter
Get Cape. Wear Cape. Fly
Sam Duckworth (born 1986) is an English musician who performs as Get Cape. Wear Cape. Fly. He is also sometimes referred to as ''Get Cape'', ''Cape'', ''GCWCF'' and ''Slam Dunkworth'' (the latter title apparently first coined by Emmy the Great ...
entitled ''
Searching for the Hows and Whys
''Searching for the Hows and Whys'' is the second album by Get Cape. Wear Cape. Fly. It was released on 3 March 2008. The record was co-produced by Sam Duckworth and Nitin Sawhney. "Waiting for the Monster to Drown" was released as a free down ...
'' released through
Atlantic Records. During 2006–2007, he wrote the music for
Akram Khan and
Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui
Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui (born 1976) is a Belgian dancer and choreographer and director. He has made over 50 choreographic pieces and received two Laurence Olivier Award for Best New Dance Production, three Ballet Tanz awards for best choreographe ...
's dance piece ''Zero Degrees'';
Antony Gormley created the set. He played keyboards on the 2022
Pink Floyd single, "
Hey, Hey, Rise Up!
"Hey, Hey, Rise Up!" (also written "Hey Hey Rise Up") is a song by the English rock band Pink Floyd, released on digital platforms on . It is based on a 1914 Ukrainian anthem, " Oh, the Red Viburnum in the Meadow", and features vocals in Ukrain ...
".
Sawhney also had his own
BBC Radio 2 series: ''Nitin Sawhney Spins the Globe,'' which was commissioned for three series. The series has seen him collaborate with the likes of
Joss Stone, Bassekou Koyate,
One Eskimo,
Diana Yukawa
is a Japanese-born British solo violinist and composer. She has released four solo albums and one digital EP.
Personal life
Yukawa was born in Tokyo, Japan, to English ballet dancer Susanne Bayly and Japanese banker Akihisa Yukawa one month af ...
and
David Arnold
David Arnold (born 23 January 1962) is a British film composer whose credits include scoring five James Bond films, as well as ''Stargate'' (1994), '' Independence Day'' (1996), ''Godzilla'' (1998) and the television series ''Little Britain'' ...
. Sawhney also produced and co-wrote
Anoushka Shankar
Anoushka Shankar (born 9 June 1981) is a British-American sitar player, producer, film composer and activist. She was the youngest and first woman to receive a British House of Commons Shield; she has had 7 Grammy Awards nominations and was the ...
's 2013 album – ''
Traces of You'' which featured
Norah Jones
Norah Jones (born Geethali Norah Jones Shankar; March 30, 1979) is an American singer, songwriter, and pianist. She has won several awards for her music and as of 2012, has sold more than 50 million records worldwide. ''Billboard'' named her the ...
. He also co-produced an album by the semi-classical all female string quartet
Bond
Bond or bonds may refer to:
Common meanings
* Bond (finance), a type of debt security
* Bail bond, a commercial third-party guarantor of surety bonds in the United States
* Chemical bond, the attraction of atoms, ions or molecules to form chemica ...
.
Live
Sawhney is an acclaimed
flamenco
Flamenco (), in its strictest sense, is an art form based on the various folkloric music traditions of southern Spain, developed within the gitano subculture of the region of Andalusia, and also having historical presence in Extremadura and ...
guitarist and classical/jazz pianist. His musical ability to transcend cultural barriers has gained him much recognition from the classical and pop communities, leading to his unique claim to broadcasting and selling out as artist in his own right for both the BBC
Traditional
A tradition is a belief or behavior (folk custom) passed down within a group or society with symbolic meaning or special significance with origins in the past. A component of cultural expressions and folklore, common examples include holidays or ...
and
Electric Proms at London's
Royal Albert Hall and
Roundhouse respectively. His band has toured the world for decades and Sawhney has performed and scored in recent years with international orchestras to silent films, most notably
Alfred Hitchcock's ''The Lodger'', Franz Osten's ''A Throw of Dice'' and Naruse's ''Yogoto No Yume'' all for the
London Symphony Orchestra
The London Symphony Orchestra (LSO) is a British symphony orchestra based in London. Founded in 1904, the LSO is the oldest of London's symphony orchestras. The LSO was created by a group of players who left Henry Wood's Queen's Hall Orc ...
.
Nitin has conducted both the London Symphony Orchestra and the Singapore Festival Orchestra and wrote his first choral piece for London Contemporary Voices Choir. He performed at London's Royal Albert Hall in September 2014 where he showcased tracks from his tenth studio album, ''Dystopian Dream''. Sawhney musically directed a tribute to the rock musician
Jack Bruce
John Symon Asher Bruce (14 May 1943 – 25 October 2014) was a Scottish bassist, singer-songwriter, musician and composer. He gained popularity as the primary lead vocalist and bassist of British rock band Cream. After the group disband ...
at London's Roundhouse in October 2015, and was also musical director for the show ''Tony Visconti: A Life in Music'' at London's
Union Chapel in 2017.
Sawhney, given his classical background, is an experienced and established DJ, mixing styles from Afro-beat and Dubstep to Asian breakbeat and drum 'n' bass. Performing at London's tastemaking
Fabric nightclub, Sawhney has DJed at
The Big Chill,
Womad
WOMAD ( ; World of Music, Arts and Dance) is an international arts festival. The central aim of WOMAD is to celebrate the world's many forms of music, arts and dance.
History
WOMAD was founded in 1980 by English rock musician Peter Gabriel, w ...
, Womadelaide and across the world at numerous major festivals. Clubland has seen three international DJ album releases by Sawhney; ''All Mixed Up – The Definitive Remix Collection''; ''
Fabriclive 15'' and ''In the Mind of... Nitin Sawhney''.
Awards
1998
*
EMMA Award for ''Displacing The Priest''
2000
*Asian Pop Award for Best Mainstream Fusion Act for ''Beyond Skin''
*Technics Mercury Music Prize Nomination for album of the year for ''Beyond Skin''
*South Bank Award for Popular Music for ''Beyond Skin''
2001
*
BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC
Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board exam. ...
...
Asia Award for Music for ''Prophesy''
*