Raghav
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| Raghav | ||
|---|---|---|
| Background information | ||
| Birth name | Raghav Mathur | |
| Also known as | Raghav | |
| Born | April 2, 1981 | |
| Origin | Calgary, Alberta Canada  |
|
| Genre(s) | Pop, R&B | |
| Years active | 2004 – present | |
| Website | [1] | |
Raghav Mathur (born April 2, 1981), is a Canadian born Indian singer.
Contents |
[edit] Biography
Raghav Mathur, born and raised in Calgary, Alberta, Canada from Uttarpradeshi Indian parents, started singing at the age of five when an old Hindi tape got stuck in the cassette player of the family car. Continuous repetition of the same song allowed Raghav to memorize the track. When his aunt asked his mother what Raghav did, his mother inevitably replied 'nothing'. Raghav decided to show he could do something by singing the very song that kept repeating in the car. Since then, Raghav's parents supported his dreams to be a musician. The tri-lingual (English, Hindi, French) Canadian started to sing Indian classical music at his local temple and in school performed at local choirs. At the age of 15, music became a heavy feature in his life and alongside the Indian influences at home, became heavily influenced by R&B. By the time he was 16, he wrote a song that was deemed good enough to be awarded the National Songwriters Association of America. At this point Raghav started to receive scholarships from music schools across the breadth of the United States, before finally deciding at 17 to move to Los Angeles to develop his vocal skills by Seth Riggs who has trained, amongst others, Madonna, Michael Jackson and Stevie Wonder. A year later he moved to Liverpool, England where he studied at the Institute of Performing Arts and working with diverse musicians, DJs and producers. During his time in college he joined R&B band 11/7 which was nominated for a Mobo for best unsigned artist. 11/7 did not win, but the nomination was enough to bring Raghav a communal heads up from the watching music types and led to a solo management deal and an introduction to the highly influential Sly & Robbie and British R&B producer Mushtaq.
[edit] Musical career
After signing for A&R Records, he was still working with influential DJ and Producer 2Play. This lead to the production of two records; 'This can't be right' and 'So Confused'. After spending weeks in the studio, 'So Confused' was finally released, although only reaching number 8 in the British charts, its mass popularity exists even today. The track is still big on the club scene. After the success of 'So Confused' Raghav followed with a track released under his own name called 'Can't Get Enough', once again entering the top ten. No time was wasted as soon enough, another collaboration with 2Play followed, this time releasing the 'It Can't Be Right' song. It turned out to be another top ten hit. Raghav released one more track under his name, 'Let's Work It Out', before the album dropped on the shelves. Raghav's 'Storyteller' album has officially sold approximately 1.5 million albums worldwide. His final release off the album was 'Angel Eyes', inspired by a well known tune called 'Murder She Wrote', a track which ensured his popularity and status as a recognised vocalist. His popularity globally has gone beyond imagination for a brand new artist. Arguably India's biggest star, his worldwide tour of 2005 saw him perform in places like Karachi, New York amongst other parts of the world such as Africa, Australia, Canada, and many other places with crowds reaching up to as high as 35000.
[edit] Discography
Albums
- Storyteller #36 UK (A&R/V2 Records)
Singles
- "Can't Get Enough" (2004) #10 UK (A&R/V2 Records)
- "Let's Work It Out" (2004) #12 UK (A&R/V2 Records)
- "Angel Eyes" (2005) #7 UK (A&R/V2 Records)
Guest appearances
- "So Confused" (2003) #4 UK (A&R/V2 Records)
- "It Can't Be Right" (2004) #8 UK (A&R/V2 Records)
[edit] Awards
- 1997 National Songwriters Association of America Award
- 2004 MOBO Award; Best Collaboration
- 2004 Asian Achievers Award
- 2005 Urban Music Award; Best Chart Act
- 2005 UK Asian Music Awards; Best Newcomer
- 2005 UK Asian Music Awards; Best Single
- 2005 Southern Asian Music Awards; Best Artist
