Singer and actress Karen David released her debut single Magic Carpet Ride this week with an accompanying video.
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The critically acclaimed band Asian Dub Foundation have announced their first UK tour in year – with a particular focus on attacking the BNP. (dates & video below)
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British-Sri Lankan rapper M.I.A. has been named by Time Magazine as among the 100 most influential people in the world. She is joined by the Bollywood composer A.R. Rahman, underlining the big impact impact Slumdog Millionaire has made in the United States.
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Trafalgar Square is hosting its annual Vaisakhi In The Square this Sunday, 3rd May. The event will feature religious hymns (Shabad Kirtan) as well as Bhangra performances by Veronica, H-Dhami, Shekie ‘n’ Sham, Navin, 3Mix, D-Boy & Des-C.

Sunrise Radio is the main media partner. This year the event also commemorates 300 years of the consecration of Sri Guru Granth Sahib as the eternal Guru. The free event, organised by the GLA, will be held from 12pm to 5:30pm.

The BBC will showcase this year’s Proms 2009 Season with a first-ever Bollywood Prom performance.

The 2009 Season will be the biggest ever, according to the BBC, featuring a 100 concerts and 70 further Proms Plus events.
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Last Mango in Paris, aka spoken word artist Shane Solanki, releases his first single ‘Manbag!!’ on 20th April through Soundeasy Records. That will be followed up by his debut album ‘Broken English’, featuring Birmingham grime artist RT.
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Rapper Neil Patel says: “On the 26th of November 2008, my brother was taken hostage in the Mumbai terrorist attacks that shocked India and the world. He escaped and survived being shot dead. He was the lucky one. My reaction was to shoot too… but not a loaded AK-47 sub machine gun, but a music video loaded with spiritual ammunition. I aimed my lyrical revenge at decapitating the ignorance that dared mess with my family.”

He told AIM magazine: “I called the song and video ‘Same Skies’. It detailed my frustration at this event and others like it; whilst conveying a positive message for peace and for the future of my planet…yes, I said MY planet. I was born here and I don’t like what I see… I will take as much responsibility as I can carry for sorting this place out.”

Production Company: Chi Kri Beats

The annual UK Asian Music Awards (UKAMAs) will be held next week at the Royal Festival Hall in London.

The award ceremony aims to recognise and reward music talent from across the British Asian music industry.

It will take place on 5th March and is hosted by singer and actress Karen David alongside B4U’s Mumbai based presenter Salil.
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A&R man Aadil Rasheed has launched a new venture with global record company EMI to produce what he calls a Motown for Asian artists.

Rasheed recently took the industry by storm by launching the Canadian singer Raghav five years ago. He has had less success with pushing singer Sona Rele however, and is now working with a new Asian boy band: 3Mix.
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Singer Jay Sean releases his new single Tonight this week. It was available through iTunes and other online stories on 19th January and will be available in high street stores by 26th January.

Over the past year the singer has toured around the world, including Dubai, Japan, Beirut, USA, Poland, Russia, Germany, India and Romania.
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The deadline is approaching for talented performance artists to take part in the 2009 decibel Performing Arts Showcase, which will take place in Manchester from 15-18 September 2009.
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B4U Music has signed up pop singer Jay Sean for its annual Christmas charts. The Annual UK Top 20 of 2008 will broadcast on the channel on 25th December starting 9pm.

“Jay Sean was an obvious choice to present the annual countdown to the 20 biggest non Bollywood hits of the year gathering from his phenomenal success in the UK Asian Music scene,” said Kevin Rego, Head of Sales and Marketing at B4U.

Following on from their acclaimed album ‘Hanging Around’, music band Trickbaby are releasing their follow-up album ‘Chor Bazaar’ on Chachaman Records.

From the album comes the first single Nine Parts next month, inspired by a west end shopping trip when lead singer Saira Hussain became fascinated by the rolex watches and gold jewellery peering out from the Muslim ladies’ Yashmaks.

It stars Bollywood superstar Abhishek Bachchan as Saira’s love interest and Priyanka Chopra as her love rival. See the music video:
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by Nisha Sahdev
Freelance PR and journalist

Born in London and raised in the West Midlands Punam Verma began her career as a travel presenter for Trafficlink 6 years ago and then went on to becoming a Journalist with BBC WM. She also presented the radio show ‘Midlands Masala’ occasionally.

Today – Punam Verma is the first British Asian Presenter for Dubai One TV. She writes and presents her own entertainment show called ‘Out & About’, which is broadcast all over the Middle East.

How did you get a job in television?

After working as a radio presenter for many years I was looking to expand my skills. By complete fluke I received a junk email. I was about to delete it, but I decided to open it. At the bottom of the mail was an advert saying ‘Dubai TV looking for new Presenters’. The job wasn’t even advertised in the UK.

Anyway – I sent them a 2 minute showreel I had put together, via email. In the meantime they were casting 40 people in Dubai. About 5 days letter I received an email saying that I had been offered my own TV show. They hadn’t met me and I hadn’t met them. We both had to take a leap of faith.

2 weeks later I quit my job at the BBC and was on a plane to Dubai!
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The Juice are a London based Rock band who continually play at gigs across the country.

Featured last year in an episode of the BBC Asian arts programme Desi DNA, where they played as backup instrumentalists for the pop singer Deeyah, the band say they have done over a hundred gigs just in the capital city. (Video below)
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The multi-million pound East London arts and events venue, Rich Mix, will officially launch on 9th October with a party featuring singer Jazzie B OBE.

The 62,000 sq ft venue was quietly launched in Spring 2006 and has hosted a series of events, shows and debates since. It was conceived as part of an attempt to rejuvenate the east of London and offer the area a major arts and media venue.
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Scottish music producers Tigerstyle are releasing the first single from their forthcoming album – Mystics, Martyrs & Maharajas next month.

Balle! Shava!, the new single, features Jamaican dancehall artists Vybz Kartel, X-Factor contestant Nikitta and Punjabi singer Mangi Mahal. The duo say their aim was to fuse the traditional bhangra beats with contemporary dancehall. A video is forthcoming.

The single is being released by Nachural Records on 3rd September.

Pop singer Jay Sean will be headlining BBC Asian Network’s show at the annual East Londons event Under The Stars, organised by Newham Council on Saturday 30th August.

Presenters Adil Ray and Noreen will be accompanied by DJ Kayper, with performances from H-Dhami, Alyssia, Reenie, Metz&Trixm Bee2 featuring Nitasha, and more.

Asian Network, Head of Music, Mark Strippel said, “BBC Asian Network is proud to be involved again with this important cultural event. Under the Stars offers a great opportunity to spotlight some of the best contemporary Asian music around and positioning new talents such as Zeekay and 3Mix alongside artists like Jay Sean is a really important part of this event.”

The concert starts at 6.45pm and ends at 10.30pm at Central Park, East Ham in East London.

British bhangra producers RDB (Rhythm Dhol Bass) pictured here with Bollywood actor Akshay Kumar and American rapper Snoop Dogg.

They were brought together for the music video to a track produced by RDB for the Bollywood film Singh is Kinng. The film, which releases next week, stars Kumar as the lead, with Snoop Dogg making a cameo appearance.

The London based musician and performer Nikesh Shukla releases his debut album today, after spending a year in Kenya creating an eclectic array of sounds that he calls a “stripped-down acoustic anti-folk series of short stories set against a background of acoustic guitar and poetical raps”.

Formerly part of the duo, the D’Archetypes, and earlier referred to as Yam Boy, Shukla says the album amalgamated his three main influences: Public Enemy, Jeffrey Lewis and Asha Bhosle, but “without a bhangra tune in sight.”

The 30 year old poet has also had his writing featured on BBC2, Radio 1 and 4, Resonance fm, Tell Tales and Transmission Magazine. As part of D’Archetypes, he has previously performed at the Royal Festival Hall, Soho Theatre, The Big Chill, Rise Festival, London Mela and Glastonbury.

On the subject of his new album, he says: “There’s a wide variety of themes here, from the loss of my culture to rap to the possibility of monkeys overruling the earth.”

Kidologies and Amazing Fantasies is out today through Friendly Neighbourhood Records on CD and MP3.
- www.myspace.com/nikeshshukla

The Heritage Lottery Fund has awarded a grant to an ambitious project that seeks to research, film and archive the history of India’s Manipuri and Tagore dance forms in the UK. It will be run by London based organisation The Rhythm.

“Besides researching and recording the oral history of these two dance forms in the UK, we are keen to disseminate the knowledge that we endeavour to gather during the project period by organising talent hunts, workshops and dance recitals at various venues,” said Mrs Raha who herself has specialised in Manipuri dance form. Lord Dholakia, deputy leader of the Libdems, is a patron of the company.

Manipuri dance is one of the oldest classical dances of India. The first Asian Nobel laureate, Rabindranath Tagore, became an ardent admirer of the Manipuri dance in the early 19th century.

Music producer Kuljit Bhamra is trying to pioneer a new genre of music – Bhangra Latina, by combining elements of the desi beat with Latin music.

A project, featuring a band led by Mr Bhamra and Latin pianist Alex Wilson, in collaboration with emerging British composers and multi-award winning singer Sangeeta, has explored how composers and musicians from different traditions can work together to create new music from these two musical forms.

A CD release is planned for September and the music will be showcased initially at the Henley Festival (11 July) and later at the Southbank Centre, London (21st Sept).

This year’s London Mela will be held on 10th August at west London’s Gunnersbury Park as with previous years.

BBC Asian Network announced this week it had signed up to be the event’s principal media partner for the third year running.

There were some fears among Asian artists that the new London Mayor Boris Johnson was planning to axe funding for the London Mela.
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Bollywood dance coach Honey Kalaria’s annual Bollywood Dance Championships will be held this year at the Hackney Empire in London on 8th July.

Event organisers say it is the UK’s biggest Bollywood dance competition and entrants from all over the country will be performing at the event, which is being covered by Club Asia Radio.

The winner will be flown to India and be awarded a modelling contract. They will also receive extensive training Honey’s Dance Academy to become a professional dancer.

The Indian music company Saregama is launching a music CD and series of tours around Britain to commemorate the Indian singer Mohammad Rafi.

At an event at the Nehru Centre in London on Tuesday 17th June, a CD album titled ‘Rafi Resurrected’ will be unveiled by the late Mohd Rafi’s eldest grandson Rizvan Rafi.

A national tour with Indian singer Sonu Nigam will follow in July: at the Symphony Hall in Birmingham(15th July); Manchester’s Apollo Theatre (17th July) and the London Coliseum (20th July). Sony Entertainment Television Asia will broadcast all concerts.