A Biography Of Sonu Nigam
Tribute to great artistes are not counted in the awards or achievements they get through various forums or the accolades they win by getting cash rich contracts. A legend is timeless and so are the great singers as their voice mesmerizes millions, cutting across generations, and their fulfilment of life lies in the soft humming of tunes by people who forget their worries after the magic of songs soothes their hearts. A singer who started his career as a clone of legendary Mohammad Rafi steadily rose to become the finest playback singers of our time and has created an identity of his own. Any one who listens to a love song or an adrenaline thumping track instantly recognizes the voice of playback singer Sonu Nigam. It is a name which needs no introduction as his voice rings the melody almost everywhere.
Be it the bhajans in the temples or the buses or the small shops and the discos, even the marriages are not complete till one has danced to the tunes of his songs. Such is his popularity that even the Indians living abroad root for him and foreign singers come for collaboration of their albums. For the craft of playback singing which is often criticised for its commercial value by the classical exponents of music, Sonu Nigam has certainly created a niche for himself by bringing more technique (called 'harkat') into his 'gayaki' or singing.
Professional Life
He was born to a family of singers with his father Agam Kumar Nigam accompanying him to several parties and functions to sing the songs of Mohammed Rafi. Born on 30th July, 1973 in Faridabad, Haryana he came to Mumbai to realise his destiny by becoming a playback singer. Trained by classical singer Ustad Ghulam Mustafa Khan he entered the arena of playback singing and has only added glory by singing in different languages like Odia, telgu, Tamil, Kannada, Malayalam etc. Termed by music directors to possess a 'Hero's Voice' he has sung for many on screen superstars and was became the voice of superstar Shahrukh Khan. He has struggled for his success as he began his singing career by singing songs of Rafi for TSeries. He was doing radio commercials and hosting Sa Re Ga Ma succesfully when Gulshan Kumar gave him a chance to sing for the movie 'Bewafa sanam' in 1995. The song "Acha Sila Diya" was both melodiousand heart-breaking and this gave a kick start to his singing career.
His songs with music director Anu Malik worked wonders as he kept on delivering hits after hits. He brought out his solo album "Deewana" which had romantic songs with a sensous appeal. With songs like "Dewana Dil" from Pardes his image changed drastically and he came into the league of his own. He has also acted in various movies but they have failed to make any impression on the box-office. He has a knack of entertaining audiences by his gimmicks like mimicking or even through his hair styles which change frequently. Sonu Nigam is not just a playback singer but an instituion in himself. He composes music for his own albums and even penned several songs. His collaboration with foreign singers and interest in world music has transformed him into a global artist. He has the distinction of being the first Indian to perform in Germany and also the first Indian singer to perform in Royal Albert Hall in London. This musical genius is loved world over and even the people in Kerela recognise Sonu Nigam after the great Mohammed Rafi as a remarkable hindi playback singer.
Personal Life
As a kid Sonu's mother wanted him to be a cricketer but destiny had other plans as he was drawn towards singing by performing with his father on stage. His sister Neekita is also into singing and has won many laurels for her work in films like Magadheera. He married to Madhurima on 15 Feb, 2002 and they have a son Nevaan who has already made progress as a budding child singer by singing the kid's version of the chartbuster "Kolaveri Di" in 2011. Sonu has made a style statement with his good sense of dressing and brought a heroic look to the image of playback singer by making the image nothing short of that of a rockstar. He has participated actively in various charity foundations and lend his voice to numerous programs including the awareness of HIV/AIDS and for peace between India and Pakistan.
Legacy of Sonu Nigam
In a singing reality show, the contestants were asked to sing any song of their choice and all songs belonged to Sonu Nigam. This speaks volume of his contribution towards singing and being a role model for aspiring singers. Even noted lyricist Javed Akhtar also recognised his achievements by including rise of Sonu Nigam as a defining change of last decade. With his upcoming international projects the anticipation of his fans is rocketing and his singing days to come will only ascertain the greatness of this humble and gifted singer.
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