Shahin Badar

Shahin Badar is an award-winning singer songwriter who is probably most famous in Europe and North America for her vocals on British electronica/rave/rock band The Prodigy's Smack My Bitch Up ("The Fat of the Land" album). It earned her a Double Platinum award. [http://www.shahinbadar.com/]

History

Born in Colchester, England to parents from India, Shahin Badar spent her formative years growing up in Kuwait. From a tender age, she showed a natural vocal talent for music. Inspired by her mother and encouraged by her teachers, she developed a powerful blend of Arabic and Indian vocals. This genre is reflected in her music today.

With a sound that has now become her trademark Shahin sings several in Anglo­-Indo-­Arabic languages. Her profile has risen from popular status to an award winning singer songwriter.

Shahin has, without a doubt emerged as one of the most accomplished crossover commercial female Asian vocalists in the UK mainstream and Asian music scene. In recent years, her work has been synchronised, featured and heard in the mainstream and cultural-specialist market fields.

Accomplishments

Her vocal contributions feature in over 50 international film and TV soundtracks including Hollywood and Bollywood movies with several winning major awards nominations.

To add to this she has worked with respected mainstream and Asian musician's and producers such as A. R. Rahman, Liam Howlett (The Prodigy), Tim Deluxe, Fraser T. Smith et al on tracks such as Dol Dol, Pyar, Smack My Bitch Up, 66 Meters, Mundaya and Jind Meriyeh.

This has resulted in successful charting projects in the UK top ten singles, Independent, Dance, Radio and Bhangra charts with inclusions on 3 Prodigy UK National No.1 albums: Fat of The Land, Always Outnumbered Never Outgunned, and Their Law: The Singles 1990-2005.

Film/TV: Her vocal/written work has featured in adverts such as the Lloyd's TSB's Scottish Widows on various mainstream channels, Asian Images's Tongue's on Fire and ZEE Cine Awards, the last two featuring on ZEE TV.

In addition to vocal features in showings such as the UK Music Hall of Fame, Second Generation (Channel 4), Yuva, Zubeidaa (Bollywood films), (Theatrical trailer), Charlie's Angels, Nikita, Sky News summary on Iraq war 2 and many more.

Shahin has made performance and documentary appearances on series such as CNN WorldBeat Sub Continent special, CNN WorldBeat Dance (Leftfield), Jools Hollands Later with Jools (BBC 2), Top Ten Series (Channel 4) Zane Lowe's Radio 1 Legends Week Special, Pete Tong Radio 1 live from Ibiza and Brighton and to name but a few.

Performances: Aside from being a professional recording artiste, Shahin has headlined various UK festivals, in addition to performing at many sell-out club nights and international shows. She has graced the stage in countries such as Switzerland, Singapore, Sweden, France, Belgium, Norway, Russia, Ireland, India, and at events such as Radio One Live [http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio1/events/] , Creamfields, Oxegen [http://www.oxegen.ie/home/] , Glastonbury Festival, Ibiza [http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio1/events/] , Global Gathering, Womad [http://womad.org/] , , Essentials Festival, Mysterylands in Holland, etc.

She was the face of Europe's biggest mela, the Bradford International Festival 2002 and headlined the UK's biggest one day carnival, the Luton International Carnival 2000.

Charity/Endorsements: She has launched special events and endorsed charitable causes such as London's first Children's Hospice Week for the Richard House Trust in Canary Wharf. She was one of the Asian celebrity faces for the NSPCC's Asian Child Helpline in addition to being the Asian celebrity support for the RNID Don't Stop The Music campaign (for the deaf and hard of hearing).

Awards (see Awards and Nominations, below): She has received recognition for her work through various awarding bodies via short-listings and nominations. Asian Pop Awards Best Female Vocalist (Winner), Ethnic Multicultural Media Award Best Newcomer (Nominated Finalist), Asian Women Of Achievement Awards Arts & Culture (Short-listed Finalist-twice), Muslim News Alhamra Award for Excellence (Short-listed Finalist), Double Platinum Disc (The Prodigy), Asian Achievers Award (short-list finalist), Essential Tune Of The Week (Pete Tong-Radio 1), Tune Of The Week (Adil Ray-BBC Asian Network)

Radio-Music Channel: Her work has been play-listed and air-played on several UK mainstream and specialist shows such as BBC Radio One (Essential Tune Of The Week-Pete Tong), BBC Asian Network (Tune Of The Week-Adil Ray), MTV and various more.

Press: In addition Shahin has appeared in various mainstream and specialist newspapers and magazines including Sunday Telegraph, New Musical Express (NME), Music Week, Galaxy International, Smash Hits, Daily Star, Jockey Slut, The Stage, "Daily Record", Hot Tickets (in the Evening Standard and now called "Metro"), Eastern Eye, Desi Xpress, Asian Post, Asiana etc.

As a singer-songwriter, Shahin Badar continues to challenge stereotypes of the female Indian subcontinent vocalist whilst pursuing her various projects and dreams.

Awards and nominations

Shahin has received recognition of her work from various awarding bodies through short-listings and nominations, in addition to this her performance and written work is also included in projects that have secured major awards(*).

2006

*Asian Achievers Award - Nomination

2005
* (*)Grammy Awards "Always Outnumbered Never Outgunned".Shortlisted nomination/Prodigy
* (*) [Academy Awards|(Oscars)- [Closer)-2 Nominations,
* (*) [British Academy of Film and Television Arts-Bafta [Closer) 2 awards and 2 nominations
* Desi Xpress Artiste of the Week
* Asian Achievers Award - Shortlist
* (*)Golden Globes Awards [Closer)
* (*)American Screenwrtiers Association: [Closer)-1 nomination
* (*)Broadcast Film Critics Association Awards [Closer)- 3 category nominations
* (*)Las Vegas Film Critics Society Awards [Closer)- 1 Award win.
* (*)Teen Choice Awards [Closer)- 1 Nomination
* (*)Golden Satellite Awards [Closer)- 4 Nominations
* (*)Online Film Critics Society Awards [Closer)- 3 Nominations

2004
* (*)National Board of Review (USA) [Closer)- 1 Award win
* (*)New York Film Critics Circle Awards [Closer)- 1 Award win
* (*)San Diego Film Critics Society Awards 1 [Closer)- Award win
* (*)Toronto Film Critics Association Awards [Closer)- 1 Award win
* BBC Radio 1 Pete Tong: Essential Selection Tune Of The Week - Mundaya
* BBC Asian Network: Tune of the Week - Queen of OPunjab
* BBC Asian Network: Tune of The Week - Yeh Rog

2003

* (*)Ivor Novello: Nomination for soundtrack: Second Generation (film) - her track Pyar appears in this film.

2002

* Alhamra Award for Excellence: Short-listed finalist (Muslim news)
* Asian Women Of Achievement Awards Arts & Culture: Short-listed finalist

2000

* Asian Pop Awards] : Best Female vocalist
* NetAsia: Shortlist nomination

1999

* Ethnic Multicultural Media Award - Best Newcomer - Nominated finalist
* Asian Women of Achievement Awards: Nominated finalist
* (*)Guinness Book of Records: UK's fastest selling dance album
* (*)Grammy Award nomination/Prodigy: The Fat of the Land

1998

* (*)MTV Video Music Awards:Best Breakthrough Video Award - Prodigy (Smack My Bitch Up)(Shahin vocals track.
* (*)Muzik Magazine Dance Awards: Best Video Award- Prodigy [Smack My Bitch Up] Shahin vocals track
* Asian Pop and Media Awards: Best Female nomination

1997

* Mercury Music Prize nomination 1997
* The Prodigy's album "The Fat of the Land" went to UK #1 and US #1 (#1 in 21 countries) and became a 1997 Double Platinum disc (over 600,000 sales)
* Smack My Bitch Up: U.K #8 (1998)
* Smack My Bitch Up: #1 in Norway, Sweden, Finland, Denmark, Iceland, Czechoslovakia
* Mundaya: Dance chart top 10 (2004)
* 4 The Muzik: UK Bhangra #3 Gal Lagja (vocal performance)-(2005)
* Jind Meriyeh: Uk Bhangra #4

; Dates unknown:

* 66 Meters: UK Independent singles charts top 20 (1999)

Discography

* "Jind Mariye"
* "Destiny" (1996) [http://www.salidaa.org.uk/salidaa/site/Collections?adlib_id=400001007]

Notable tracks

Smack My Bitch Up, Jouli Jouli, 66 Meters, Get Up Get Off, Pyar, Dol Dol and "Show Of Confidence" are tracks that have featured in TV, sitcom, documentary, advert and major film soundtrack mediums.

Mundaya, Smack My Bitch Up, Jind Meriyeh, 66 Meters have all successfully entered in their respective charts.
* [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TAerkrnATO4 "66 Meters"] -- Indian Ropeman. Written by Shahin Badar and Indian Ropeman (Sanj) [http://www.shahinbadar.com/lyrics.shtml]
* "Mundaya" -- Tim Deluxe [http://www.timdeluxe.com/] . Written by Shahin Badar / Tim Deluxe
* "Smack My Bitch Up" chant by Shahin Badar-- The Prodigy The Fat of the Land (1997) and Their Law: The Singles 1999 - 2005 (2005)
* "Get Up Get Off" -- The Prodigy Always Outnumbered, Never Outgunned (2004) with Twista and Juliette Lewis.

*Hayati written by Shahin Badar, Music written from Jah Wobble. It is dominatad by Shahins dynamic voice.

External links

* [http://www.shahinbadar.com/ Shahin Badar official homepage]
* [http://www.discogs.com/artist/Shahin+Badar discogs.com: Shahin Badar] -- Discography listing.
* [http://www.clickwalla.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=253&Itemid=36 Shahin Badar interview on clickwalla.com]