Sonu Nigam
Encyclopedia
Sonu Nigam is an India
n playback singer
whose songs have been featured in numerous Hindi movies, as well as films in Assamese
, Punjabi
, Bengali
, Marathi
and Kannada
language. He has also released numerous Indi-pop
albums and acted in a few Hindi feature films. He had changed the spelling of his last name from 'Nigam' to 'Niigaam' in accordance with numerology
, but could not get desired results; he returned to the old spelling 'Nigam'.
's "Kya Hua Tera Vaada, Wo Kasam Wo Irada." From then on Sonu accompanied his father on his singing appearances at weddings and parties. In his teenage years he successfully participated in several music competitions. He moved to Mumbai
with his father to begin his Bollywood
singing career at the age of 19.
His initial years in Mumbai
proved to be a struggle, beginning by singing covers of Mohammad Rafi songs, mainly for a number of Rafi Ki Yaadein albums released by T-Series. T-Series promoter Gulshan Kumar played a key role in identifying Nigam's talent by giving him a chance to reach a larger audience. These albums contributed to T-Series for some years although Nigam's singing style was regarded by some to be like that of a "Rafi clone". Nigam's first movie song as a playback singer was Janam
(1990), which was never officially released. He also got a break in radio commercials until he appeared on the popular TV show Sa Re Ga Ma, after which there was no turning back. He was trained by classical singer Ustad Ghulam Mustafa Khan
.
Nigam started hosting Sa Re Ga Ma
in 1995 with the first episode airing on 1 May 1995. The television singing talent competition soon became one of the most popular shows on Indian television. Soon after, he sang "Accha Sila Diya" on the album Bewafa Sanam (1995), which was very successful. Singing offers started pouring in thereafter, albeit slowly at first. He rose to fame with the Anu Malik
-composed song "Sandese Aate Hain," in Border
in 1997. Sonu's Album "Deewana
" with T series released in 1999, identified his talent of singing romantic songs and remains one of the most successful album ever, Sonu's image as a 'Rafi clone' changed after his rendition of the Nadeem-Shravan
-composed song "Yeh Dil Deewana" in Pardes in the same year. Since then, he has created a unique style and has become a role model for emerging vocal talent in India.
Over the years, Nigam has become a major force in the India
n music industry. He has provided playback singing for a large number of Hindi movies and won many awards. His rendition of the title song of the film Kal Ho Naa Ho
has been highly popular. He is recognized for his singing of romantic, rock, sad, and patriotic songs. Nigam has sung songs in many languages besides Hindi, including Kannada
, Bengali
, Oriya
, Punjabi
, Tamil
, Telugu
, English
, Bhojpuri
, Urdu, Nepali
, Chhattisgarhi
, Malayalam
and Marathi
.
His Kannada album Neene Bari Neene
released in 2009.
, Punjabi
and Kannada. The most recent addition to his Hindi releases is Classically Mild, a semi-classical album. He has also released Hindu and Islamic devotional albums, as well as albums of Mohammed Rafi's songs. These are from the Rafi Ki Yaadein collection in his early years, which have been re-released in September 2007 as a six-disc collection of 100 songs, titled Kal Aaj Aur Kal, in Mohammed Rafi
's memory. In 2008, soon after releasing Classically Mild, he released a single Punjabi track called "Punjabi Please" and Rafi Resurrected, a two-disc collection of Mohammed Rafi
songs with music by the Birmingham Symphony Orchestra
. He has contributed to the lyrics of several of his album songs and directed the music for his album Chanda Ki Doli
. His last album was Neene Bari Neene
in Kannada.
After the death of Michael Jackson
, of whom Sonu Nigam is a huge fan and who has considerably influenced his singing (as is evident in his rendition of "Dil Deewana" in Pardes), Nigam released a tribute song to Jackson in collaboration with his fans on Facebook. The song made it to an 18-song global compilation of tribute songs CD The Beat of Our Hearts.
Over the years, Nigam has given concert performances in many countries, including United States
, Canada
, UK
, France
, Germany
, Belgium
, Holland, Spain
, Australia
, New Zealand
, Pakistan
, Nepal
, Bangladesh
, Russia
, Afghanistan
, UAE
, Kuwait
, Saudi Arabia
, Thailand
, Indonesia
, Singapore
, Malaysia, West Indies
, Suriname
, Mauritius
, Nigeria
and South Africa
. In May/June 2007, he participated in a star-studded show in North America called "The Incredibles," in which Asha Bhosle
, Kunal Ganjawala
and Kailash Kher participated. In September and October of the same year, he gave solo concerts titled "Simply Sonu" in Canada
and Germany
(becoming the first Indian singer to perform in the latter country). In April 2008, he did a marathon of concerts in cities in India
, promoting his Punjabi single "Punjabi Please".
In November 2007, at the inauguration of Harvard
University's 28th president, Dr. Drew Gilpin Faust
, Nigam sang Mahatma Gandhi's favorite bhajan
, "Vaishnav Jan To Tene Kahiye", with the Harvard College Sangeet.
In July 2008, he participated in a three-city tour of the United Kingdom
, singing Mohammed Rafi
songs with the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra
. This followed the release of these songs by the CBSO and the Indian music company Sa Re Ga Ma
in the album Rafi Resurrected.
Amongst several other concerts, he notably participated in a US tour with Sunidhi Chauhan
in 2009 called "The Explosion 2009" tour and in a UK tour titled "All Izz Well" in November 2010.
on the last aired episode.
Nigam's acting career started as a child artist in a number of films including 1983's Betaab
. As an adult, he has acted in a few more films, namely Jaani Dushman: Ek Anokhi Kahani
alongside Sunny Deol
, Manisha Koirala
and Akshay Kumar
as well as other actors; Kash Aap Hamare Hote, where he plays the male lead opposite Juhi Babbar
, daughter of Raj Babbar
; and most recently, Love in Nepal
with Flora Saini and Sweta Keswani, where he again plays a leading role. None of the films have done well at the box office, although his acting was much better appreciated in his last venture. He has not taken up acting since Love in Nepal
, but has recently been said to be involved in another film as a lead actor. The film, called Ankhon Ankhon Mein, is about a blind singer.
from 1 May 1995 to 1999. He was the first host. He returned on Sa Re Ga Ma Pa L'il Champs International
as a judge with Suresh Wadkar
in October 2007. Nigam was a celebrity judge on the Sa Re Ga Ma Pa Mega Challenge
grand finale on 12 December 2009 which marked the 1000th episode.
He hosted the TV show Kisme Kitna Hai Dum on Star Plus
in 2002.
Nigam appeared as the judge for Indian Idol
in season 1 (October 2004–March 2005) and season 2 (November 2005–April 2006). He was a celebrity judge in season 3 (17 August 2007) and season 4 (16 January 2009 and 6 February 2009).
He also appeared as a celebrity judge on Amul STAR Voice of India
in August 2007 (Season 1) and in December 2008 (Season 2) and on the grand finale of music reality show Jo Jeeta Wohi Super Star
on 12 July 12, 2008.
Nigam was a judge/mentor on Chhote Ustaad
- Do Deshon Ki Ek Awaaz (July 2010–October 2010) with Rahat Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan
.
Nigam lend his voice for the lead character, Aladdin
in the Hindi translated version of Aladdin animated movie.
He was a judge/mentor on the first season of X Factor (India)
(May 29, 2011 – September 2, 2011) along with Sanjay Leela Bhansali
and Shreya Ghoshal.
album called Spirit Unfolding.
He is working on a project called Time Travel, wherein his voice will be aligned with recordings of other singers in Hindi
songs.
due to his Kannada songs.
After Hindi
he sung more Kannada songs.
, Haryana
, India
, he attended the J.D. Tytler School. He has two sisters, Meenal and Neekita. In the last few years his father has released several hit albums including "Bewafaai" and "Phir Bewafaai" and, more recently, "Bewafaai ka Aalam". Neekita is also an upcoming singer and has several songs and awards to her name, both in Hindi
and Kannada. Sonu married Madhurima on 15 February 2002. They have a son, Nevaan, born in 2007. Nevaan is also very interested in music and has recently recorded a song with Lata Mangeshkar
.
Sonu Nigam practices fitness and yoga exercises, and has trained in Taekwondo
. He claims to be spiritual rather than religious.
Nigam has done work for various charities in India as well as abroad for Dignity Foundation, various cancer organizations, leprosy organizations, blindness organizations, women's welfare organizations, kargil war affected families, earthquake affected families. He also sponsors a child from the organization “Crayon”. He has made various appearances in the cause of HIV / AIDS and also has a song titled "Papa I'm sorry" relating to this. He has also released several songs and made several contributions to the cause of peace between India and Pakistan.
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
n playback singer
Playback singer
A playback singer is a singer whose singing is prerecorded for use in movies. Playback singers record songs for soundtracks, and actors or actresses lip-sync the songs for cameras, while the actual singer does not appear on screen.-South Asia:...
whose songs have been featured in numerous Hindi movies, as well as films in Assamese
Assamese language
Assamese is the easternmost Indo-Aryan language. It is used mainly in the state of Assam in North-East India. It is also the official language of Assam. It is also spoken in parts of Arunachal Pradesh and other northeast Indian states. Nagamese, an Assamese-based Creole language is widely used in...
, Punjabi
Punjabi language
Punjabi is an Indo-Aryan language spoken by inhabitants of the historical Punjab region . For Sikhs, the Punjabi language stands as the official language in which all ceremonies take place. In Pakistan, Punjabi is the most widely spoken language...
, Bengali
Bengali language
Bengali or Bangla is an eastern Indo-Aryan language. It is native to the region of eastern South Asia known as Bengal, which comprises present day Bangladesh, the Indian state of West Bengal, and parts of the Indian states of Tripura and Assam. It is written with the Bengali script...
, Marathi
Marathi language
Marathi is an Indo-Aryan language spoken by the Marathi people of western and central India. It is the official language of the state of Maharashtra. There are over 68 million fluent speakers worldwide. Marathi has the fourth largest number of native speakers in India and is the fifteenth most...
and Kannada
Kannada language
Kannada or , is a language spoken in India predominantly in the state of Karnataka. Kannada, whose native speakers are called Kannadigas and number roughly 50 million, is one of the 30 most spoken languages in the world...
language. He has also released numerous Indi-pop
Indian pop
Indian pop music , often known as Indian-Pop, Hindi Pop, Indipop or Indi-pop, refers to pop music in India. Pop music really started in the South Asian region with the famous playback singer Ahmed Rushdi's song ‘Ko-Ko-Korina’ in 1966...
albums and acted in a few Hindi feature films. He had changed the spelling of his last name from 'Nigam' to 'Niigaam' in accordance with numerology
Numerology
Numerology is any study of the purported mystical relationship between a count or measurement and life. It has many systems and traditions and beliefs...
, but could not get desired results; he returned to the old spelling 'Nigam'.
Career
Early years and playback singing
Sonu Nigam began his singing career at the age of three, when he joined his father on stage to sing Mohammed RafiMohammed Rafi
Mohammad Rafi , was an Indian playback singer whose career spanned four decades. He was awarded National Award and 6 Filmfare Awards. In 1967, he was honoured with the Padma Shri awarded by the Government of India....
's "Kya Hua Tera Vaada, Wo Kasam Wo Irada." From then on Sonu accompanied his father on his singing appearances at weddings and parties. In his teenage years he successfully participated in several music competitions. He moved to Mumbai
Mumbai
Mumbai , formerly known as Bombay in English, is the capital of the Indian state of Maharashtra. It is the most populous city in India, and the fourth most populous city in the world, with a total metropolitan area population of approximately 20.5 million...
with his father to begin his Bollywood
Bollywood
Bollywood is the informal term popularly used for the Hindi-language film industry based in Mumbai , Maharashtra, India. The term is often incorrectly used to refer to the whole of Indian cinema; it is only a part of the total Indian film industry, which includes other production centers producing...
singing career at the age of 19.
His initial years in Mumbai
Mumbai
Mumbai , formerly known as Bombay in English, is the capital of the Indian state of Maharashtra. It is the most populous city in India, and the fourth most populous city in the world, with a total metropolitan area population of approximately 20.5 million...
proved to be a struggle, beginning by singing covers of Mohammad Rafi songs, mainly for a number of Rafi Ki Yaadein albums released by T-Series. T-Series promoter Gulshan Kumar played a key role in identifying Nigam's talent by giving him a chance to reach a larger audience. These albums contributed to T-Series for some years although Nigam's singing style was regarded by some to be like that of a "Rafi clone". Nigam's first movie song as a playback singer was Janam
Janam
Janam is a 1985 Hindi film directed and written by Mahesh Bhatt. It is one of the autobiographical films Bhatt created in the early part of his career.-Overview:...
(1990), which was never officially released. He also got a break in radio commercials until he appeared on the popular TV show Sa Re Ga Ma, after which there was no turning back. He was trained by classical singer Ustad Ghulam Mustafa Khan
Ghulam Mustafa Khan
Prof. Dr. Ghulam Mustafa Khan, PhD, D.Litt, SI, was a researcher, critic, linguist, author, scholar of Urdu literature and linguistics, educationist and religious and spiritual leader belonging to Naqshbandi order of Sufism...
.
Nigam started hosting Sa Re Ga Ma
Sa Re Ga Ma
Saregama India Limited, formerly The Gramophone Company of India is an Indian music company. Saregama also works in the home video business...
in 1995 with the first episode airing on 1 May 1995. The television singing talent competition soon became one of the most popular shows on Indian television. Soon after, he sang "Accha Sila Diya" on the album Bewafa Sanam (1995), which was very successful. Singing offers started pouring in thereafter, albeit slowly at first. He rose to fame with the Anu Malik
Anu Malik
Anu Malik , born Anwar Sardaar Malik, is a famous music director in the Hindi film industry. Son of veteran music director Sardar Malek, Anu Malik made his debut as a music composer in the year 1977. After a considerable period of struggle, the 90's welcomed Anu with hits like 'Phir Teri Kahani...
-composed song "Sandese Aate Hain," in Border
Border
Borders define geographic boundaries of political entities or legal jurisdictions, such as governments, sovereign states, federated states and other subnational entities. Some borders—such as a state's internal administrative borders, or inter-state borders within the Schengen Area—are open and...
in 1997. Sonu's Album "Deewana
Deewana
Deewana is a 1992 Bollywood film by director Raj Kanwar, produced by Guddu Dhanoa and Lalit Kapoor....
" with T series released in 1999, identified his talent of singing romantic songs and remains one of the most successful album ever, Sonu's image as a 'Rafi clone' changed after his rendition of the Nadeem-Shravan
Nadeem-Shravan
Nadeem-Shravan was a music director duo in the Bollywood film industry of India. The duo derives its name from the first names of its two principals, Nadeem Saifi and Shravan Rathod....
-composed song "Yeh Dil Deewana" in Pardes in the same year. Since then, he has created a unique style and has become a role model for emerging vocal talent in India.
Over the years, Nigam has become a major force in the India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
n music industry. He has provided playback singing for a large number of Hindi movies and won many awards. His rendition of the title song of the film Kal Ho Naa Ho
Kal Ho Naa Ho
Kal Ho Naa Ho is a 2003 Hindi film set in New York City. It stars Shahrukh Khan, Preity Zinta, Saif Ali Khan and Jaya Bachchan. The film was directed by first-timer Nikhil Advani, it was produced by Yash Johar and co-written by Karan Johar, better known as the director of the hit films Kuch Kuch...
has been highly popular. He is recognized for his singing of romantic, rock, sad, and patriotic songs. Nigam has sung songs in many languages besides Hindi, including Kannada
Kannada language
Kannada or , is a language spoken in India predominantly in the state of Karnataka. Kannada, whose native speakers are called Kannadigas and number roughly 50 million, is one of the 30 most spoken languages in the world...
, Bengali
Bengali language
Bengali or Bangla is an eastern Indo-Aryan language. It is native to the region of eastern South Asia known as Bengal, which comprises present day Bangladesh, the Indian state of West Bengal, and parts of the Indian states of Tripura and Assam. It is written with the Bengali script...
, Oriya
Oriya language
Oriya , officially Odia from November, 2011, is an Indian language, belonging to the Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European language family. It is mainly spoken in the Indian states of Orissa and West Bengal...
, Punjabi
Punjabi language
Punjabi is an Indo-Aryan language spoken by inhabitants of the historical Punjab region . For Sikhs, the Punjabi language stands as the official language in which all ceremonies take place. In Pakistan, Punjabi is the most widely spoken language...
, Tamil
Tamil language
Tamil is a Dravidian language spoken predominantly by Tamil people of the Indian subcontinent. It has official status in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu and in the Indian union territory of Pondicherry. Tamil is also an official language of Sri Lanka and Singapore...
, Telugu
Telugu language
Telugu is a Central Dravidian language primarily spoken in the state of Andhra Pradesh, India, where it is an official language. It is also spoken in the neighbouring states of Chattisgarh, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Orissa and Tamil Nadu...
, English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
, Bhojpuri
Bhojpuri language
Bhojpuri is a language spoken in parts of north-central and eastern India. It is spoken in the western part of state of Bihar, the northwestern part of Jharkhand, and the Purvanchal region of Uttar Pradesh , as well as adjoining parts of the Nepal Terai. Bhojpuri is also spoken in Guyana,...
, Urdu, Nepali
Nepali language
Nepali or Nepalese is a language in the Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European language family.It is the official language and de facto lingua franca of Nepal and is also spoken in Bhutan, parts of India and parts of Myanmar...
, Chhattisgarhi
Chhattisgarhi language
Chhattisgarhi is the official language in the Indian state of Chhattisgarh and has approximately 17.5 million speakers. It is an East Central Indo-Iranian language with heavy presence of vocabulary and linguistic features from Munda and Dravidian languages...
, Malayalam
Malayalam language
Malayalam , is one of the four major Dravidian languages of southern India. It is one of the 22 scheduled languages of India with official language status in the state of Kerala and the union territories of Lakshadweep and Pondicherry. It is spoken by 35.9 million people...
and Marathi
Marathi language
Marathi is an Indo-Aryan language spoken by the Marathi people of western and central India. It is the official language of the state of Maharashtra. There are over 68 million fluent speakers worldwide. Marathi has the fourth largest number of native speakers in India and is the fifteenth most...
.
His Kannada album Neene Bari Neene
Neene Bari Neene
Neene Bari Neene is a solo album of singer Sonu Nigam in Kannada that released in 2009. It is produced by Ashok Kheny and music is by Mano Murthy. Its lyrics is written by ace lyricist and writer in Kannada, Jayanth Kaikini. He is also a great singer...
released in 2009.
Pop albums and concerts
Sonu has released a number of pop albums, in HindiHindi
Standard Hindi, or more precisely Modern Standard Hindi, also known as Manak Hindi , High Hindi, Nagari Hindi, and Literary Hindi, is a standardized and sanskritized register of the Hindustani language derived from the Khariboli dialect of Delhi...
, Punjabi
Punjabi language
Punjabi is an Indo-Aryan language spoken by inhabitants of the historical Punjab region . For Sikhs, the Punjabi language stands as the official language in which all ceremonies take place. In Pakistan, Punjabi is the most widely spoken language...
and Kannada. The most recent addition to his Hindi releases is Classically Mild, a semi-classical album. He has also released Hindu and Islamic devotional albums, as well as albums of Mohammed Rafi's songs. These are from the Rafi Ki Yaadein collection in his early years, which have been re-released in September 2007 as a six-disc collection of 100 songs, titled Kal Aaj Aur Kal, in Mohammed Rafi
Mohammed Rafi
Mohammad Rafi , was an Indian playback singer whose career spanned four decades. He was awarded National Award and 6 Filmfare Awards. In 1967, he was honoured with the Padma Shri awarded by the Government of India....
's memory. In 2008, soon after releasing Classically Mild, he released a single Punjabi track called "Punjabi Please" and Rafi Resurrected, a two-disc collection of Mohammed Rafi
Mohammed Rafi
Mohammad Rafi , was an Indian playback singer whose career spanned four decades. He was awarded National Award and 6 Filmfare Awards. In 1967, he was honoured with the Padma Shri awarded by the Government of India....
songs with music by the Birmingham Symphony Orchestra
City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra
The City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra is a British orchestra based in Birmingham, England. The Orchestra's current chief executive, appointed in 1999, is Stephen Maddock...
. He has contributed to the lyrics of several of his album songs and directed the music for his album Chanda Ki Doli
Chanda Ki Doli
Chanda Ki Doli is an Indian pop album sung and directed by Sonu Niigaam, credited on this album simply as "Sonu". The album released on 3 May 2005 after a long gap since his previous album Yaad in 2001. It was released in a launch concert at the Ravindra Natya Mandir in Mumbai that was televised by...
. His last album was Neene Bari Neene
Neene Bari Neene
Neene Bari Neene is a solo album of singer Sonu Nigam in Kannada that released in 2009. It is produced by Ashok Kheny and music is by Mano Murthy. Its lyrics is written by ace lyricist and writer in Kannada, Jayanth Kaikini. He is also a great singer...
in Kannada.
After the death of Michael Jackson
Michael Jackson
Michael Joseph Jackson was an American recording artist, entertainer, and businessman. Referred to as the King of Pop, or by his initials MJ, Jackson is recognized as the most successful entertainer of all time by Guinness World Records...
, of whom Sonu Nigam is a huge fan and who has considerably influenced his singing (as is evident in his rendition of "Dil Deewana" in Pardes), Nigam released a tribute song to Jackson in collaboration with his fans on Facebook. The song made it to an 18-song global compilation of tribute songs CD The Beat of Our Hearts.
Over the years, Nigam has given concert performances in many countries, including United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, UK
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, Belgium
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
, Holland, Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
, New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
, Pakistan
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
, Nepal
Nepal
Nepal , officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal, is a landlocked sovereign state located in South Asia. It is located in the Himalayas and bordered to the north by the People's Republic of China, and to the south, east, and west by the Republic of India...
, Bangladesh
Bangladesh
Bangladesh , officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh is a sovereign state located in South Asia. It is bordered by India on all sides except for a small border with Burma to the far southeast and by the Bay of Bengal to the south...
, Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
, Afghanistan
Afghanistan
Afghanistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located in the centre of Asia, forming South Asia, Central Asia and the Middle East. With a population of about 29 million, it has an area of , making it the 42nd most populous and 41st largest nation in the world...
, UAE
United Arab Emirates
The United Arab Emirates, abbreviated as the UAE, or shortened to "the Emirates", is a state situated in the southeast of the Arabian Peninsula in Western Asia on the Persian Gulf, bordering Oman, and Saudi Arabia, and sharing sea borders with Iraq, Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, and Iran.The UAE is a...
, Kuwait
Kuwait
The State of Kuwait is a sovereign Arab state situated in the north-east of the Arabian Peninsula in Western Asia. It is bordered by Saudi Arabia to the south at Khafji, and Iraq to the north at Basra. It lies on the north-western shore of the Persian Gulf. The name Kuwait is derived from the...
, Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia , commonly known in British English as Saudi Arabia and in Arabic as as-Sa‘ūdiyyah , is the largest state in Western Asia by land area, constituting the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula, and the second-largest in the Arab World...
, Thailand
Thailand
Thailand , officially the Kingdom of Thailand , formerly known as Siam , is a country located at the centre of the Indochina peninsula and Southeast Asia. It is bordered to the north by Burma and Laos, to the east by Laos and Cambodia, to the south by the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia, and to the...
, Indonesia
Indonesia
Indonesia , officially the Republic of Indonesia , is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania. Indonesia is an archipelago comprising approximately 13,000 islands. It has 33 provinces with over 238 million people, and is the world's fourth most populous country. Indonesia is a republic, with an...
, Singapore
Singapore
Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...
, Malaysia, West Indies
Caribbean
The Caribbean is a crescent-shaped group of islands more than 2,000 miles long separating the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea, to the west and south, from the Atlantic Ocean, to the east and north...
, Suriname
Suriname
Suriname , officially the Republic of Suriname , is a country in northern South America. It borders French Guiana to the east, Guyana to the west, Brazil to the south, and on the north by the Atlantic Ocean. Suriname was a former colony of the British and of the Dutch, and was previously known as...
, Mauritius
Mauritius
Mauritius , officially the Republic of Mauritius is an island nation off the southeast coast of the African continent in the southwest Indian Ocean, about east of Madagascar...
, Nigeria
Nigeria
Nigeria , officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a federal constitutional republic comprising 36 states and its Federal Capital Territory, Abuja. The country is located in West Africa and shares land borders with the Republic of Benin in the west, Chad and Cameroon in the east, and Niger in...
and South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
. In May/June 2007, he participated in a star-studded show in North America called "The Incredibles," in which Asha Bhosle
Asha Bhosle
Asha Bhosle is an Indian singer. She is one of the best-known and most highly-regarded Hindi playback singers in India, although she has a wider repertoire. Bhosle's career started in 1943 and has spanned over six decades. She has done playback singing for over a thousand Bollywood movies...
, Kunal Ganjawala
Kunal Ganjawala
Kunal Ganjawala is popularly known as Bollywood playback singer. But he also did a very well contribution to Kanada film industry as well. Kunal began his career by singing jingles. He came to limelight with the song 'Bheege Honth Tere' form film Murder in 2004. It was his first biggest hit...
and Kailash Kher participated. In September and October of the same year, he gave solo concerts titled "Simply Sonu" in Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
and Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
(becoming the first Indian singer to perform in the latter country). In April 2008, he did a marathon of concerts in cities in India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
, promoting his Punjabi single "Punjabi Please".
In November 2007, at the inauguration of Harvard
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
University's 28th president, Dr. Drew Gilpin Faust
Drew Gilpin Faust
Catherine Drew Gilpin Faust is an American historian, college administrator, and the president of Harvard University. Faust is the first woman to serve as Harvard's president and the university's 28th president overall. Faust is the fifth woman to serve as president of an Ivy League university, and...
, Nigam sang Mahatma Gandhi's favorite bhajan
Bhajan
A Bhajan is any type of Indian devotional song. It has no fixed form: it may be as simple as a mantra or kirtan or as sophisticated as the dhrupad or kriti with music based on classical ragas and talas. It is normally lyrical, expressing love for the Divine...
, "Vaishnav Jan To Tene Kahiye", with the Harvard College Sangeet.
In July 2008, he participated in a three-city tour of the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, singing Mohammed Rafi
Mohammed Rafi
Mohammad Rafi , was an Indian playback singer whose career spanned four decades. He was awarded National Award and 6 Filmfare Awards. In 1967, he was honoured with the Padma Shri awarded by the Government of India....
songs with the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra
City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra
The City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra is a British orchestra based in Birmingham, England. The Orchestra's current chief executive, appointed in 1999, is Stephen Maddock...
. This followed the release of these songs by the CBSO and the Indian music company Sa Re Ga Ma
Sa Re Ga Ma
Saregama India Limited, formerly The Gramophone Company of India is an Indian music company. Saregama also works in the home video business...
in the album Rafi Resurrected.
Amongst several other concerts, he notably participated in a US tour with Sunidhi Chauhan
Sunidhi Chauhan
Sunidhi Chauhan is an Indian playback singer, best known for her Hindi film songs in Bollywood. She has also recorded songs for Marathi, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Bengali, Assamese and Gujarati films and is credited with over 2000 songs....
in 2009 called "The Explosion 2009" tour and in a UK tour titled "All Izz Well" in November 2010.
Radio and acting
In 2006, Sonu Nigam hosted his own radio show called Life Ki Dhun with Sonu Niigaam on Radiocity 91.1 FM, where he had the opportunity to interview music industry greats, including Lata MangeshkarLata Mangeshkar
Lata Mangeshkar is a singer from India. She is one of the best-known and most respected playback singers in India. Mangeshkar's career started in 1942 and has spanned over six and a half decades. She has recorded songs for over a thousand Hindi films and has sung songs in over thirty-six regional...
on the last aired episode.
Nigam's acting career started as a child artist in a number of films including 1983's Betaab
Betaab (1983 film)
Betaab is an Indian Hindi movie released on 5 August 1983, directed by Rahul Rawail and produced by Bikram Sing Dahal. The film stars Sunny Deol and Amrita Singh in their debut roles. The film went on to be one of the biggest hits of the year.-Synopsis:...
. As an adult, he has acted in a few more films, namely Jaani Dushman: Ek Anokhi Kahani
Jaani Dushman: Ek Anokhi Kahani
Jaani Dushman: Ek Anokhi Kahani is a Hindi supernatural horror film directed and produced by Rajkumar Kohli, featuring Sunny Deol, Akshay Kumar, Sunil Shetty, Manisha Koirala, Sonu Nigam, Aftab Shivdasani, Arshad Warsi. The storyline was a mixture of the two classic films, Nagin and Jaani Dushman...
alongside Sunny Deol
Sunny Deol
Sunny Deol often credited as "Action King of Bollywood" is an Indian film actor, producer and director. Deol was born to Bollywood actor Dharmendra. He has won two National Film Awards and two Filmfare Awards. He went to England to study acting...
, Manisha Koirala
Manisha Koirala
Manisha B. Koirala is a Nepali-Indian actress who works in Indian films, as well as a UNFPA Goodwill Ambassador and social activist. Koirala has primarily worked in Hindi cinema, though she has appeared in several Tamil, Telugu and Malayalam films as well...
and Akshay Kumar
Akshay Kumar
Akshay Kumar is an Indian film actor, producer and martial artist who has appeared in over a hundred Hindi films. When he began his acting career in the 1990s, he primarily starred in action films and was particularly known for his appearances in feature films commonly called the "Khiladi series",...
as well as other actors; Kash Aap Hamare Hote, where he plays the male lead opposite Juhi Babbar
Juhi Babbar
Juhi Babbar is an Indian film actress and the daughter of actor Raj Babbar. Her brother Arya Babbar is also an actor. She was married to Bejoy Nambiar in 2007 after a two year courtship; the couple divorced in early 2009. She also has a half-brother, Prateik Babbar, who is also an actor.She made...
, daughter of Raj Babbar
Raj Babbar
Raj Babbar is a Hindi & Punjabi film actor since 1977 and the current Member of Parliament from Firozabad which he won by defeating Dimple Yadav, wife of Akhilesh Yadav & daughter-in-law of Mulayam Singh Yadav. This is his fourth term as MP, in previous terms he was the part of Samajwadi...
; and most recently, Love in Nepal
Love in Nepal
Love in Nepal is a 2004 Hindi romantic comedy and thriller film directed by Rajat Mukherjee, who had earlier directed Road_ for Ram Gopal Verma. Unlike Sonu Nigam in the male lead, who is otherwise a well known Bollywood playback singer, the film has a virtually unknown star cast which includes...
with Flora Saini and Sweta Keswani, where he again plays a leading role. None of the films have done well at the box office, although his acting was much better appreciated in his last venture. He has not taken up acting since Love in Nepal
Love in Nepal
Love in Nepal is a 2004 Hindi romantic comedy and thriller film directed by Rajat Mukherjee, who had earlier directed Road_ for Ram Gopal Verma. Unlike Sonu Nigam in the male lead, who is otherwise a well known Bollywood playback singer, the film has a virtually unknown star cast which includes...
, but has recently been said to be involved in another film as a lead actor. The film, called Ankhon Ankhon Mein, is about a blind singer.
Television
Sonu Nigam was the host of Sa Re Ga MaSa Re Ga Ma
Saregama India Limited, formerly The Gramophone Company of India is an Indian music company. Saregama also works in the home video business...
from 1 May 1995 to 1999. He was the first host. He returned on Sa Re Ga Ma Pa L'il Champs International
Sa Re Ga Ma Pa L'il Champs International
Sa Re Ga Ma Pa L'il Champs International is an Indian televised children's singing competition announced by Sa Re Ga Ma Pa Challenge 2007 host, Aditya Narayan, on 28 July 2007. The season began on 19 October 2007 and will feature 28 contestants. The show was broadcast on Fridays and Saturdays, and...
as a judge with Suresh Wadkar
Suresh Wadkar
Suresh Ishwar Wadkar is an Indian playback singer. He performs in both Hindi and Marathi films.He has sung songs in some Bhojpuri films and in Konkani.- Early life :...
in October 2007. Nigam was a celebrity judge on the Sa Re Ga Ma Pa Mega Challenge
Sa Re Ga Ma Pa Mega Challenge
Sa Re Ga Ma Pa Mega Challenge was a special installment of the popular Indian Sa Re Ga Ma Pa vocal contest shown on Zee TV. This show was a seven-week long competition among eight teams representing eight different states and consisting of total 24 talented contestants from past seasons of Sa Re...
grand finale on 12 December 2009 which marked the 1000th episode.
He hosted the TV show Kisme Kitna Hai Dum on Star Plus
STAR Plus
STAR Plus is a Hindi language general entertainment television channel based in India. The channel is part of the STAR TV network's bouquet of channels...
in 2002.
Nigam appeared as the judge for Indian Idol
Indian Idol
Indian Idol is an adaptation of the Pop Idol format. It started airing in India with the first season in 2004-2005 and followed that with second , third and fourth seasons...
in season 1 (October 2004–March 2005) and season 2 (November 2005–April 2006). He was a celebrity judge in season 3 (17 August 2007) and season 4 (16 January 2009 and 6 February 2009).
He also appeared as a celebrity judge on Amul STAR Voice of India
Amul STAR Voice of India
Star Voice of India was an Indian Television singing competition that premiered on 18 May 2007 and ended on 24 November 2007. It was the first Indian singing competition produced by STAR Plus. The show was directed by Gajendra Singh, creator of the famous Sa Re Ga Ma Pa series...
in August 2007 (Season 1) and in December 2008 (Season 2) and on the grand finale of music reality show Jo Jeeta Wohi Super Star
Jo Jeeta Wohi Super Star
Jo Jeeta Wohi Super Star was an Indian reality television series which aims to bring the winners of 'all' singing reality shows completed previously and the runners-up together competed for the 'Superstar' title under 'one roof'...
on 12 July 12, 2008.
Nigam was a judge/mentor on Chhote Ustaad
Chhote Ustaad
Chhote Ustaad - Do Deshon Ki Ek Awaaz was a singing show airing on STAR Plus in India and on Geo Entertainment Television in Pakistan.-Concept:...
- Do Deshon Ki Ek Awaaz (July 2010–October 2010) with Rahat Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan
Rahat Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan
Rahat Fateh Ali Khan is a Pakistani musician, and primarily a singer of Qawwali, a devotional music of the Sufis. He is the nephew of the late Ustad Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan. In addition to Qawwali, he also performs ghazals and other light music...
.
Nigam lend his voice for the lead character, Aladdin
Aladdin
Aladdin is a Middle Eastern folk tale. It is one of the tales in The Book of One Thousand and One Nights , and one of the most famous, although it was actually added to the collection by Antoine Galland ....
in the Hindi translated version of Aladdin animated movie.
He was a judge/mentor on the first season of X Factor (India)
X Factor (India)
X Factor India is the Indian version of The X Factor, a show originating from the United Kingdom. It is a television music talent show contested by aspiring singers of all genres drawn from public auditions from all across India. The show in its inaugural year was broadcasted on Sony Entertainment...
(May 29, 2011 – September 2, 2011) along with Sanjay Leela Bhansali
Sanjay Leela Bhansali
Sanjay Leela Bhansali is an Indian film director. He is an alumnus of the Film and Television Institute of India...
and Shreya Ghoshal.
Future projects
Nigam is working on an EnglishEnglish language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
album called Spirit Unfolding.
He is working on a project called Time Travel, wherein his voice will be aligned with recordings of other singers in Hindi
Hindi
Standard Hindi, or more precisely Modern Standard Hindi, also known as Manak Hindi , High Hindi, Nagari Hindi, and Literary Hindi, is a standardized and sanskritized register of the Hindustani language derived from the Khariboli dialect of Delhi...
songs.
Popularity in Karnataka
Sonu Nigam is popular in South India, particularly in KarnatakaKarnataka
Karnataka , the land of the Kannadigas, is a state in South West India. It was created on 1 November 1956, with the passing of the States Reorganisation Act and this day is annually celebrated as Karnataka Rajyotsava...
due to his Kannada songs.
After Hindi
Hindi
Standard Hindi, or more precisely Modern Standard Hindi, also known as Manak Hindi , High Hindi, Nagari Hindi, and Literary Hindi, is a standardized and sanskritized register of the Hindustani language derived from the Khariboli dialect of Delhi...
he sung more Kannada songs.
Personal life and voluntary work
Sonu Nigam comes from a singing family. Born to Agam Kumar Nigam and Shobha Nigam on 30 July 1973 in FaridabadFaridabad
Faridabad is a city in the south-east of Haryana state in northern India, in Faridabad district. It lies at 28º 25' 16" N Latitude and 77º 18' 28" E Longitude. The district shares its boundaries with the National Capital and Union Territory of Delhi to its north, Gurgaon district to the west and...
, Haryana
Haryana
Haryana is a state in India. Historically, it has been a part of the Kuru region in North India. The name Haryana is found mentioned in the 12th century AD by the apabhramsha writer Vibudh Shridhar . It is bordered by Punjab and Himachal Pradesh to the north, and by Rajasthan to the west and south...
, India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
, he attended the J.D. Tytler School. He has two sisters, Meenal and Neekita. In the last few years his father has released several hit albums including "Bewafaai" and "Phir Bewafaai" and, more recently, "Bewafaai ka Aalam". Neekita is also an upcoming singer and has several songs and awards to her name, both in Hindi
Hindi
Standard Hindi, or more precisely Modern Standard Hindi, also known as Manak Hindi , High Hindi, Nagari Hindi, and Literary Hindi, is a standardized and sanskritized register of the Hindustani language derived from the Khariboli dialect of Delhi...
and Kannada. Sonu married Madhurima on 15 February 2002. They have a son, Nevaan, born in 2007. Nevaan is also very interested in music and has recently recorded a song with Lata Mangeshkar
Lata Mangeshkar
Lata Mangeshkar is a singer from India. She is one of the best-known and most respected playback singers in India. Mangeshkar's career started in 1942 and has spanned over six and a half decades. She has recorded songs for over a thousand Hindi films and has sung songs in over thirty-six regional...
.
Sonu Nigam practices fitness and yoga exercises, and has trained in Taekwondo
Taekwondo
Taekwondo is a Korean martial art and the national sport of South Korea. In Korean, tae means "to strike or break with foot"; kwon means "to strike or break with fist"; and do means "way", "method", or "path"...
. He claims to be spiritual rather than religious.
Nigam has done work for various charities in India as well as abroad for Dignity Foundation, various cancer organizations, leprosy organizations, blindness organizations, women's welfare organizations, kargil war affected families, earthquake affected families. He also sponsors a child from the organization “Crayon”. He has made various appearances in the cause of HIV / AIDS and also has a song titled "Papa I'm sorry" relating to this. He has also released several songs and made several contributions to the cause of peace between India and Pakistan.
Awards and nominations
Following are the awards and nominations for Sonu Nigam- National Film AwardsNational Film AwardsThe National Film Awards is the most prominent film award ceremony in India. Established in 1954, it is administered, along with the International Film Festival of India and the Indian Panorama, by the Indian government's Directorate of Film Festivals since 1973.Every year, a national panel...
- 2004 - Won - National Film Award for Best Male Playback SingerNational Film Award for Best Male Playback SingerThe following is a list of winners of the National Film Award for Best Male Playback Singer. The singer with the most awards in this category is K. J. Yesudas with seven wins, whereas S. P. Balasubrahmanyam won six times for 4 different languages; Hindi, Kannada, Tamil and Telugu.-Superlatives:...
- "Kal Ho Naa Ho" - Kal Ho Naa HoKal Ho Naa HoKal Ho Naa Ho is a 2003 Hindi film set in New York City. It stars Shahrukh Khan, Preity Zinta, Saif Ali Khan and Jaya Bachchan. The film was directed by first-timer Nikhil Advani, it was produced by Yash Johar and co-written by Karan Johar, better known as the director of the hit films Kuch Kuch...
- 2004 - Won - National Film Award for Best Male Playback Singer
- Filmfare AwardsFilmfare AwardsThe Filmfare Awards are presented annually by The Times Group to honour both artistic and technical excellence of professionals in the Hindi language film industry of India. The Filmfare ceremony is one of the oldest and most prominent film events given for Hindi films in India. The awards were...
- 1997 - Nominated - Best Male Playback Singer - "Sandese Aate Hain" - Border (with Roop Kumar RathodRoop Kumar Rathod-Personal life:Roopkumar is the son of the late Pandit Chaturbhuj Rathod, the classical luminary – an exponent of the rare and arguably the oldest style of singing i.e. Dhrupad. He belonged to the “Aditya Gharana of Jamnagar”. Pandit Rathod has trained and groomed many well known names like...
) - 1999 - Nominated - Best Male Playback Singer - "Ishq Bina" - TaalTaal (film)Taal is a 1999 Hindi film directed by Subhash Ghai. Taal was an official selection by Roger Ebert for his 2005 Overlooked Film Festival. The film stars Anil Kapoor, Akshaye Khanna, Aishwarya Rai, Amrish Puri and Alok Nath. It was also dubbed in Tamil as Thaalam...
- 2000 - Nominated - Best Male Playback Singer - "Tu Fiza Hain" - FizaFizaFiza is a 2000 Indian film written and directed by Khalid Mohammed. The film stars Karisma Kapoor, Hrithik Roshan and Jaya Bachchan.- Synopsis :...
- 2000 - Nominated - Best Male Playback Singer - "Panchhi Nadiyaan" - RefugeeRefugee (film)Refugee is a Bollywood film directed by J. P. Dutta, released on 30 June 2000. The film marked the debut of Abhishek Bachchan, son of legendary actor Amitabh Bachchan, and Kareena Kapoor, the sister of actress Karisma Kapoor and part of the famous Kapoor family. Jackie Shroff, Sunil Shetty and...
- 2001 - Nominated - Best Male Playback Singer - "Suraj Hua Maddham" - Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham...
- 2002 - Won - Best Male Playback Singer - "Saathiya" - Saathiya
- 2003 - Won - Best Male Playback Singer - "Kal Ho Naa Ho" - Kal Ho Naa HoKal Ho Naa HoKal Ho Naa Ho is a 2003 Hindi film set in New York City. It stars Shahrukh Khan, Preity Zinta, Saif Ali Khan and Jaya Bachchan. The film was directed by first-timer Nikhil Advani, it was produced by Yash Johar and co-written by Karan Johar, better known as the director of the hit films Kuch Kuch...
- 2004 - Nominated - Best Male Playback Singer - "Do PalDo Pal"Do Pal" is famous song from the Bollywood film Veer-Zaara, directed by Yash Chopra.-About the song:The music was composed by the Late Madan Mohan and recreated by his own son Sanjeev Kohli and is sung by Sonu Nigam and Lata Mangeshkar.The song is broken into two parts; each part comes during...
" - Veer-ZaaraVeer-ZaaraThe soundtrack was released on CD and specially on Audio DVD. The music is based on old and untouched compositions by the late Madan Mohan, as revised by his son Sanjeev Kohli.... - 2004 - Nominated - Best Male Playback Singer - "Main Hoon Na" - Main Hoon NaMain Hoon NaMain Hoon Na is a Bollywood masala film written and directed by Farah Khan. It was the first film of Khan production company Red Chillies Entertainment. It was released on 30 April 2004 and went on to become a box-office success...
- 2004 - Nominated - Best Male Playback Singer - "Tumse Milke Dil Ka" - Main Hoon NaMain Hoon NaMain Hoon Na is a Bollywood masala film written and directed by Farah Khan. It was the first film of Khan production company Red Chillies Entertainment. It was released on 30 April 2004 and went on to become a box-office success...
- 2005 - Nominated - Best Male Playback Singer - "Dheere Jalna" - PaheliPaheliPaheli is a Bollywood ghost movie, released in India on 24 June 2005, directed by Amol Palekar and produced by Gauri Khan, Sanjiv Chawla and Shahrukh Khan, who also plays the male lead...
- 2005 - Nominated - Best Male Playback Singer - "Piyu Bole" - ParineetaParineeta (2005 film)Parineeta is a Bollywood musical film adaptation of the 1914 Bengali novella, Parineeta by Sarat Chandra Chattopadhyay. Directed by debutant Pradeep Sarkar, the film was based upon a screenplay by the film's producer, Vidhu Vinod Chopra. The film featured Vidya Balan, Saif Ali Khan and Sanjay Dutt...
- 2006 - Nominated - Best Male Playback Singer - "Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna" - Kabhi Alvida Naa KehnaKabhi Alvida Naa KehnaKabhi Alvida Naa Kehna commonly known as KANK is a 2006 Bollywood film directed by Karan Johar and produced under the Dharma Productions banner...
- 2007 - Nominated - Best Male Playback Singer - "Main Agar Kahoon" - Om Shanti Om
- 2008 - Nominated - Best Male Playback Singer - "Inn Lamhon Ke" - Jodhaa Akbar
- 2009 - Nominated - Best Male Playback Singer - "Shukran Allah" - KurbaanKurbaan (2009 film)Kurbaan is a Bollywood film directed by Rensil D'Silva and produced by Karan Johar. The film, set against the backdrop of global terrorism, features Saif Ali Khan and Kareena Kapoor in pivotal roles along with Vivek Oberoi, Dia Mirza, Rupinder Nagra, Om Puri and Kirron Kher...
(with Salim MerchantSalim-SulaimanSalim Merchant And Sulaiman Merchant are a musical duo of brothers, born and brought up in Bhuj, Kutch, India. They belong to Ismaili Muslim family and are inspired by their father Sadruddin Merchant, who used to lead Ismaili Scouts Orchestra in India..Steeped in a family tradition of music as the...
)
- 1997 - Nominated - Best Male Playback Singer - "Sandese Aate Hain" - Border (with Roop Kumar Rathod
- Filmfare Awards SouthFilmfare Awards SouthFilmfare Awards South is the South Indian segment of the annual Filmfare Awards, presented by The Times Group to honour both artistic and technical excellence of professionals in the South Indian film industry. The awards are separately given for Kannada, Tamil, Telugu and Malayalam films...
- 2007 - Won - Best Male Playback Singer (Kannada)56th Filmfare Awards SouthThe 56th Filmfare Awards South ceremony honored its selection of the best South Indian films of 2008 and was held on Friday, July 31, 2009, in Hyderabad, India.-Nominations:...
- "Ninnindale Ninnindale" - MilanaMilanaMilana is a Kannada film Directed by Prakash and Produced by Dushyant. This movie was from the banners of Jai Matha Combines and Chowdeshwari Cine creations. Puneet Rajkumar played the male lead and Parvathi Menon played the female lead, who is making a debut in kannada movies with this film... - 2008 - Won - Best Male Playback Singer (Kannada) - "Eenagali Mundhe Saagu" - MussanjemaatuMussanjemaatuMussanjemaatu is an 2008 film starring Sudeep and Ramya. The film was directed by Mahesh. The movie is produced by Suresh Jain. The music of the film was launched on 4 April 2008. The movie was released on 16 May 2008...
- 2008 - Nominated - Best Male Playback Singer (Kannada) - "Mayavagide Manasu" - Haage SummaneHaage SummaneHaage Summane is a 2008 Kannada film directed by Preetham Gubbi. The newcomers Kiran and Suhasi played the lead roles. Music was composed by Mano Murthy. The film released nationwide on 26 December 2008...
- 2010 - Nominated - Best Male Playback Singer (Kannada) - "Hrudayave" - Krishnan Love StoryKrishnan Love StoryKrishnan Love Story is a 2010 Kannada film directed by Shashank and starring Ajay Rao, Radhika Pandit, Umashri, Achuth Kumar, Sharan, Pradeep, Harsha, Chandra. The music of this film is composed by Sridhar V Sambhram.-Plot:...
- 2007 - Won - Best Male Playback Singer (Kannada)
- Star Screen AwardsStar Screen AwardsThe Star Screen Awards is an annual awards ceremony in India honoring professional excellence in film. The nomination and award selection is done by a panel of distinguished professional from the industry itself.- History :...
- 1998 - Won - Best Male Pop Artist
- 2000 - Nominated - Best Male Playback Singer - "Panchhi Nadiyaan" - RefugeeRefugee (film)Refugee is a Bollywood film directed by J. P. Dutta, released on 30 June 2000. The film marked the debut of Abhishek Bachchan, son of legendary actor Amitabh Bachchan, and Kareena Kapoor, the sister of actress Karisma Kapoor and part of the famous Kapoor family. Jackie Shroff, Sunil Shetty and...
- 2001 - Won - Best Male Playback Singer - "Tanhayee" - Dil Chahta HaiDil Chahta HaiDil Chahta Hai is a 2001 Indian film starring Aamir Khan, Saif Ali Khan, Akshaye Khanna, Preity Zinta, Sonali Kulkarni, and Dimple Kapadia...
- 2001 - Nominated - Best Male Playback Singer - "Is Pyaar Ko Main Kya Naam Doon" - Mujhe Kucch Kehna HaiMujhe Kucch Kehna Hai-Reception:Mujhe Kucch Kehna Hai received mixed reviews from critics, though mostly positive. Whereas at the box office, the film opened to a weak start, but due to the word-of-mouth, surprisingly it grossed 13.50 crores on its opening weekend. Due to its good opening, it collected 22 crores...
- 2003 - Nominated - Best Male Playback Singer - "Kal Ho Naa Ho" - Kal Ho Naa HoKal Ho Naa HoKal Ho Naa Ho is a 2003 Hindi film set in New York City. It stars Shahrukh Khan, Preity Zinta, Saif Ali Khan and Jaya Bachchan. The film was directed by first-timer Nikhil Advani, it was produced by Yash Johar and co-written by Karan Johar, better known as the director of the hit films Kuch Kuch...
- 2004 - Won - Best Male Playback Singer - "Tumse Milke Dil Ka" - Main Hoon NaMain Hoon NaMain Hoon Na is a Bollywood masala film written and directed by Farah Khan. It was the first film of Khan production company Red Chillies Entertainment. It was released on 30 April 2004 and went on to become a box-office success...
- 2005 - Won - Best Male Playback Singer - "Dheere Jalna" - PaheliPaheliPaheli is a Bollywood ghost movie, released in India on 24 June 2005, directed by Amol Palekar and produced by Gauri Khan, Sanjiv Chawla and Shahrukh Khan, who also plays the male lead...
- 2006 - Nominated - Best Male Playback Singer - "Baawri Piya Ki" - BabulBabulBabul or is a 1950 Bollywood film directed by S.U. Sunny produced and with music direction by Naushad. The film stars Dilip Kumar, Munawar Sultana and Nargis. A box-office success, the film became the second highest earning film of 1950, earning an approximate gross of Rs. 1,25,00,000 and a nett...
- International Indian Film Academy AwardsInternational Indian Film Academy AwardsThe International Indian Film Academy Awards, also known as the IIFA Awards are presented annually by the International Indian Film Academy to honour both artistic and technical excellence of professionals in Bollywood, the Hindi language film industry. Instituted in 2000, the ceremony is held in...
- 2000 - Nominated - Best Male Playback Singer - "Panchhi Nadiyaan" - RefugeeRefugee (film)Refugee is a Bollywood film directed by J. P. Dutta, released on 30 June 2000. The film marked the debut of Abhishek Bachchan, son of legendary actor Amitabh Bachchan, and Kareena Kapoor, the sister of actress Karisma Kapoor and part of the famous Kapoor family. Jackie Shroff, Sunil Shetty and...
- 2001 - Won - Best Male Playback Singer - "Suraj Hua Maddham" - Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham...
- 2001 - Nominated - Best Male Playback Singer - "You Are My Soniya" - Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham...
- 2002 - Won - Best Male Playback Singer - "Saathiya" - Saathiya
- 2003 - Won - Best Male Playback Singer - "Kal Ho Naa Ho" - Kal Ho Naa HoKal Ho Naa HoKal Ho Naa Ho is a 2003 Hindi film set in New York City. It stars Shahrukh Khan, Preity Zinta, Saif Ali Khan and Jaya Bachchan. The film was directed by first-timer Nikhil Advani, it was produced by Yash Johar and co-written by Karan Johar, better known as the director of the hit films Kuch Kuch...
- 2004 - Nominated - Best Male Playback Singer - "Main Hoon Na" - Main Hoon NaMain Hoon NaMain Hoon Na is a Bollywood masala film written and directed by Farah Khan. It was the first film of Khan production company Red Chillies Entertainment. It was released on 30 April 2004 and went on to become a box-office success...
- 2005 - Nominated - Best Male Playback Singer - "Piyu Bole" - ParineetaParineeta (2005 film)Parineeta is a Bollywood musical film adaptation of the 1914 Bengali novella, Parineeta by Sarat Chandra Chattopadhyay. Directed by debutant Pradeep Sarkar, the film was based upon a screenplay by the film's producer, Vidhu Vinod Chopra. The film featured Vidya Balan, Saif Ali Khan and Sanjay Dutt...
- 2006 - Nominated - Best Male Playback Singer - "Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna" - Kabhi Alvida Naa KehnaKabhi Alvida Naa KehnaKabhi Alvida Naa Kehna commonly known as KANK is a 2006 Bollywood film directed by Karan Johar and produced under the Dharma Productions banner...
- 2009 - Nominated - Best Male Playback Singer - "All Izz Well" - 3 Idiots
- 2000 - Nominated - Best Male Playback Singer - "Panchhi Nadiyaan" - Refugee
- Zee Cine AwardsZee Cine AwardsThe Zee Cine Awards or "ZCA" for short is an awards ceremony for the Hindi film industry. It was first held in 1998 in Mumbai. Since then, it has gained substantial popularity as a notable awards ceremony to the Indian population as well as to the viewers of Zee Network.In 2004, the ZCA went...
- 1997 - Won - Best Male Playback Singer - "Sandese Aate Hain" - Border †
- 2001 - Won - Best Male Playback Singer – Male - "Suraj Hua Maddham" - Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham...
- 2001 - Nominated - Best Male Playback Singer - "Tanhayee" - Dil Chahta HaiDil Chahta HaiDil Chahta Hai is a 2001 Indian film starring Aamir Khan, Saif Ali Khan, Akshaye Khanna, Preity Zinta, Sonali Kulkarni, and Dimple Kapadia...
- 2002 - Won - Best Male Playback Singer - "Saathiya" - Saathiya
- 2003 - Nominated - Best Male Playback Singer - "Kal Ho Naa Ho" - Kal Ho Naa HoKal Ho Naa HoKal Ho Naa Ho is a 2003 Hindi film set in New York City. It stars Shahrukh Khan, Preity Zinta, Saif Ali Khan and Jaya Bachchan. The film was directed by first-timer Nikhil Advani, it was produced by Yash Johar and co-written by Karan Johar, better known as the director of the hit films Kuch Kuch...
- 2004 - Nominated - Best Male Playback Singer - "Main Hoon Na" - Main Hoon NaMain Hoon NaMain Hoon Na is a Bollywood masala film written and directed by Farah Khan. It was the first film of Khan production company Red Chillies Entertainment. It was released on 30 April 2004 and went on to become a box-office success...
- 2005 - Nominated - Best Male Playback Singer - "Piyu Bole" - ParineetaParineetaParineeta is a 1914 Bengali language novella written by Sharat Chandra Chattopadhyay and is set in Calcutta, India during the early part of the 20th century. It is a novel of social protest which explores issues of that time period related to class and religion.-Title:The word Parineeta is...
- 2005 - Nominated - Best Male Playback Singer - "Dheere Jalna" - PaheliPaheliPaheli is a Bollywood ghost movie, released in India on 24 June 2005, directed by Amol Palekar and produced by Gauri Khan, Sanjiv Chawla and Shahrukh Khan, who also plays the male lead...
- 2006 - Nominated - Best Male Playback Singer - "Kabhi Alvida Na Kehna" - Kabhi Alvida Naa KehnaKabhi Alvida Naa KehnaKabhi Alvida Naa Kehna commonly known as KANK is a 2006 Bollywood film directed by Karan Johar and produced under the Dharma Productions banner...
- 2007 - Nominated - Best Male Playback Singer - "Main Agar Kahoon" - Om Shanti Om
- Bollywood Movie AwardsBollywood Movie AwardsThe Bollywood Movie Awards was an annual film award ceremony held between 1999 and 2007 in Long Island, New York, United States, celebrating films and actors from the Bollywood film industry based in Mumbai, India.-History:...
- 2003 - Won - Best Male Playback Singer - "Kal Ho Naa Ho" - Kal Ho Naa HoKal Ho Naa HoKal Ho Naa Ho is a 2003 Hindi film set in New York City. It stars Shahrukh Khan, Preity Zinta, Saif Ali Khan and Jaya Bachchan. The film was directed by first-timer Nikhil Advani, it was produced by Yash Johar and co-written by Karan Johar, better known as the director of the hit films Kuch Kuch...
- 2001 - Won - Best Pop Singer for the album YaadYaadYaad is a hit Indian pop album by Sonu Niigaam, then credited as Sonu Nigam, released on 5 February 2001, almost a year after his previous album Jaan. It was produced by Gulshan Kumar's T-Series...
- 2002 - Won - Best Male Playback Singer - "Saathiya" - Saathiya
- 2006 - Won - Best Male Playback Singer - "Kabhi Alvida Na Kehna" - Kabhi Alvida Naa KehnaKabhi Alvida Naa KehnaKabhi Alvida Naa Kehna commonly known as KANK is a 2006 Bollywood film directed by Karan Johar and produced under the Dharma Productions banner...
- 2003 - Won - Best Male Playback Singer - "Kal Ho Naa Ho" - Kal Ho Naa Ho
- MTV ImmiesMTV ImmiesThe MTV Immies are held every year with an aim to award the best talents in the Indian music industry. In 2005 The Immies supported relief for the quake victims of India and Pakistan. Also, proceeds from donor passes were given to the Prime Minister's Relief Fund...
- 2002 - Won - Best Male Playback Singer - "Saathiya" - Saathiya
- 2003 - Won - Best Male Playback Singer - "Main Hoon Na" - Main Hoon NaMain Hoon NaMain Hoon Na is a Bollywood masala film written and directed by Farah Khan. It was the first film of Khan production company Red Chillies Entertainment. It was released on 30 April 2004 and went on to become a box-office success...
- 2004 - Won - Best Pop Album - Chanda Ki DoliChanda Ki DoliChanda Ki Doli is an Indian pop album sung and directed by Sonu Niigaam, credited on this album simply as "Sonu". The album released on 3 May 2005 after a long gap since his previous album Yaad in 2001. It was released in a launch concert at the Ravindra Natya Mandir in Mumbai that was televised by...
- MTV Style Awards
- 2003 - Style Icon 2003
- 2005 - Style Icon 2005
- Anandalok AwardsAnandalok AwardsAnandalok Awards or Anandalok Puraskar ceremony is one of the most prominent film events given for Bengali Cinemas in India. The Anandalok, only film magazine in Bengali language, published from Ananda Publishers and Ananda Bazar Patrika presents this Award...
- 2004 - Best Male Playback Singer - BandhanBandhan (2004 film)Bandhan is a Bengali Drama movie released in 2004. It was directed by Rabi Kinagi, and featured Jeet, Koyel Mullick, Victor Banerjee and Locket Chatterjee.-Plot:...
- 2005 - Best Pop Album - Chanda Ki DoliChanda Ki DoliChanda Ki Doli is an Indian pop album sung and directed by Sonu Niigaam, credited on this album simply as "Sonu". The album released on 3 May 2005 after a long gap since his previous album Yaad in 2001. It was released in a launch concert at the Ravindra Natya Mandir in Mumbai that was televised by...
- 2004 - Best Male Playback Singer - Bandhan
- Annual Central European Bollywood Awards
- 2007 - Won - Best Male Playback Singer - "Main Agar Kahoon" - Om Shanti Om
- 2008 - Won - Best Male Playback Singer - "Inn Lamhon Ke Daaman Me" - Jodhaa Akbar
- 2009 - Won - Best Male Playback Singer - "Shukran Allah" - KurbaanKurbaan (2009 film)Kurbaan is a Bollywood film directed by Rensil D'Silva and produced by Karan Johar. The film, set against the backdrop of global terrorism, features Saif Ali Khan and Kareena Kapoor in pivotal roles along with Vivek Oberoi, Dia Mirza, Rupinder Nagra, Om Puri and Kirron Kher...
- Lions Gold Award
- 2005 - Won - Best Male Playback Singer - "Main Hoon Na" - Main Hoon NaMain Hoon NaMain Hoon Na is a Bollywood masala film written and directed by Farah Khan. It was the first film of Khan production company Red Chillies Entertainment. It was released on 30 April 2004 and went on to become a box-office success...
- 2008 - Won - Best Male Playback Singer - "Inn Lamhon Ke Daaman Me" - Jodhaa Akbar
- 2005 - Won - Best Male Playback Singer - "Main Hoon Na" - Main Hoon Na
- Indian Television Academy Award
- 2005 - Best Male Singer - Miliee
- 2008 - Best Male Singer - Amber DharaAmber DharaAmber Dhara is a Hindi language Indian television series that aired on Sony Entertainment Television from September 24, 2007 until April 24, 2008, based on the lives of two conjoined twins, Amber & Dhara.-Plot:...
- 2009 - Best Male Singer - Dill Mill Gayye
- Other Awards
- 1997 - Ashirwad Award for Best Male Playback Singer - "Sandese Aate Hain" - Border
- 1997 - Sansui Viewers' Choice Award for Best Male Singer - "Sandese Aate Hain" - Border
- 2003 - Apsara Film Producers' Guild Award for Best Male Playback Singer - "Kal Ho Naa Ho" - Kal Ho Naa HoKal Ho Naa HoKal Ho Naa Ho is a 2003 Hindi film set in New York City. It stars Shahrukh Khan, Preity Zinta, Saif Ali Khan and Jaya Bachchan. The film was directed by first-timer Nikhil Advani, it was produced by Yash Johar and co-written by Karan Johar, better known as the director of the hit films Kuch Kuch...
- 2005 - Swaralaya Yesudas AwardSwaralaya Yesudas AwardSwaralaya Yesudas award is a prestigious award for music artists in recognition to their outstanding performance. The award is instituted jointly by Swaralaya, an organization that promotes music and Kairali Channel, based at Trivandrum, India. Awards have been given annually since 2000. Dr. K. J...
, for his outstanding performance in Music - 2005 - Teachers' Achievement Award
- 2006 - Nominated - Global Indian Film AwardsGlobal Indian Film AwardsGlobal Indian Film Awards was an awards ceremony held between 2005 and 2007, conceptualized to acknowledge excellence in the Indian Film industry and honour artists in 23 categories across various genres, from acting to film making. It is held in a different country each year. 2005 in Dubai,...
- Best Male Playback Singer - "Kabhi Alvida Na Kehna" - Kabhi Alvida Naa KehnaKabhi Alvida Naa KehnaKabhi Alvida Naa Kehna commonly known as KANK is a 2006 Bollywood film directed by Karan Johar and produced under the Dharma Productions banner... - 2010 - GIMA (Global Indian Music Award) for Best Live Performer (Male)
Filmography
| Film Title | Character | Year |
|---|---|---|
| Pyaara Dushman Pyaara Dushman Pyaara Dushman is a 1980 Bollywood Hindi movie. Produced by Subhash Sagar it is directed by Anand Sagar. The film stars Vidya Sinha, Yogeeta Bali, Sarika, Amjad Khan, Vinod Mehra and Rakesh Roshan... |
Tika Singh (credited as Master Sonu) | 1980 |
| Kaamchor Kaamchor Kaamchor is a 1982 Hindi movie. Produced by Rakesh Roshan the film is directed by K. Viswanath, a remake of his Telugu film Subhodayam . The film stars Rakesh Roshan, Jaya Prada, Tanuja, Sujit Kumar, Suresh Oberoi, Shreeram Lagoo and Bhagwan Dada... |
Sonu (Rakesh Roshan Rakesh Roshan Rakesh Roshan Rakesh Roshan Rakesh Roshan (Hindi: राकेश रोशन (born Rakesh Roshan Lal Nagrath on 6 September 1949 in Mumbai, Maharashtra, India) is a producer, director and former actor in Bollywood films who was born in a Punjabi Hindu Kayastha family... 's nephew), (credited as Master Sonu) |
1982 |
| Ustaadi Ustaad Se | Raju (Young Mithun Chakraborty Mithun Chakraborty Mithun Chakraborty is an Indian film actor, social activist, and entrepreneur, who has won three National Film Awards. He made his acting debut with the arthouse drama Mrigaya , for which he won his first National Film Award for Best Actor.... ), (credited as Master Sonu) |
1982 |
| Betaab Betaab (1983 film) Betaab is an Indian Hindi movie released on 5 August 1983, directed by Rahul Rawail and produced by Bikram Sing Dahal. The film stars Sunny Deol and Amrita Singh in their debut roles. The film went on to be one of the biggest hits of the year.-Synopsis:... |
Sunny (Young Sunny Deol Sunny Deol Sunny Deol often credited as "Action King of Bollywood" is an Indian film actor, producer and director. Deol was born to Bollywood actor Dharmendra. He has won two National Film Awards and two Filmfare Awards. He went to England to study acting... ), (credited as Master Sonu) |
1983 |
| Hum se hai zamana | Shiva (Young Mithun Chakraborty Mithun Chakraborty Mithun Chakraborty is an Indian film actor, social activist, and entrepreneur, who has won three National Film Awards. He made his acting debut with the arthouse drama Mrigaya , for which he won his first National Film Award for Best Actor.... ), (credited as Master Sonu) |
1983 |
| Taqdeer | Shiva (Young Shatrughan Sinha Shatrughan Sinha Shatrughan Sinha is an Indian film actor and politician. Apart from being member of Rajya Sabha twice he was also Union Cabinet Minister of Health and Family Welfare and Shipping... ), (credited as Master Sonu) |
1983 |
| Krishna Krishna | Sudhama, (credited as Master Sonu) | 1986 |
| Jaani Dushman: Ek Anokhi Kahani Jaani Dushman: Ek Anokhi Kahani Jaani Dushman: Ek Anokhi Kahani is a Hindi supernatural horror film directed and produced by Rajkumar Kohli, featuring Sunny Deol, Akshay Kumar, Sunil Shetty, Manisha Koirala, Sonu Nigam, Aftab Shivdasani, Arshad Warsi. The storyline was a mixture of the two classic films, Nagin and Jaani Dushman... |
Vivek Saxena | 2002 |
| Kash Aap Hamare Hote | Jai Kumar | 2003 |
| Love in Nepal Love in Nepal Love in Nepal is a 2004 Hindi romantic comedy and thriller film directed by Rajat Mukherjee, who had earlier directed Road_ for Ram Gopal Verma. Unlike Sonu Nigam in the male lead, who is otherwise a well known Bollywood playback singer, the film has a virtually unknown star cast which includes... |
Abby | 2004 |
| Navra Maajha Navsacha (Marathi) | Guest appearance as himself in a song sequence | 2005 |