Raghav

Infobox Musical artist


Img_size = 150
Name = Raghav Mathur
Background = solo_singer
Birth_name = Raghav Mathur

Alias = Raghav
Born = Birth date and age|1981|4|2|mf=y
Origin = Calgary, Alberta
Canada flagicon|Canada
Genre = Pop, R&B
Occupation = Singer-songwriter
Years_active = 2003-Present
Label = A&R/V2 Records (2004-2006)
Home Page Records (2007-Present)
Associated_acts =
Influences =
URL = [http://www.raghav.com/ www.raghav.com]

Raghav Mathur (born April 2, 1981), is an Indian-Canadian singer.

Biography

Early years

Raghav Mathur, born in Toronto and raised in Calgary, Alberta, Canada from Kayastha Uttar Pradeshi 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. Brian Farrell was his music teacher, and 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.Fact|date=October 2007 At this point Raghav started to receive scholarships from music schools across the breadth of the United StatesFact|date=October 2007, 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 WonderFact|date=October 2007. 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.Fact|date=October 2007 During his time in college he joined R&B band 11/7 which was nominated for a Mobo for best unsigned artist.Fact|date=October 2007 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.Fact|date=October 2007

2003-2005: "Storyteller"

After signing for A&R Records, he was still working with influential DJ and Producer 2Play. This led 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 in 2004, although only reaching number 4 in the British charts, its mass popularity exists even today.Fact|date=October 2007 The record is still known to be played on the club scene.Fact|date=October 2007 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 at number 10.Fact|date=October 2007 In August 2004, another collaboration with 2Play followed. This time releasing the 'It Can't Be Right' song which turned out to be another top ten hit, reaching number 8.Fact|date=October 2007 Raghav released one more track under his name; 'Let's Work It Out' (UK number 15) before the album was released in September 2004. Raghav's 'Storyteller' has officially sold approximately 1.5 million copies worldwide.Fact|date=October 2007 His final release off the album was 'Angel Eyes', inspired by a well known melody called 'Murder She Wrote', a track which ensured his popularity, reaching number 7 in the British charts, and status as a recognised vocalist.Fact|date=October 2007 His popularity globally has gone beyond imagination for a brand new artist. His worldwide tour of 2005 saw him perform in venues such as Karachi, New York amongst other parts of the world such as Africa, Australia, Canada, and many other countries with crowds reaching up to as high as 35000.Fact|date=October 2007

2008: "Identity"

Raghav, no longer with his former label with A&R/V2 records, as the licensing agreement between the two companies was not renewed after it had expired some time after March 2005, is now under new management with Palestar Entertainment and now has a recording contract with Homepage Records. His new album 'Identity' is scheduled for release on 20 October 2008 and his new single, "My Kinda Girl" is set for release on October 13 2008.

Discography

Albums

ingles

Awards

*2005 Southern Asian Music Awards; Best ArtistFact|date=October 2007 [http://www.raghav.com/discography/]
*2005 UK Asian Music Awards; Best SingleFact|date=October 2007 [http://www.raghav.com/discography/]
*2005 UK Asian Music Awards; Best NewcomerFact|date=October 2007 [http://www.raghav.com/discography/]
*2005 Urban Music Award; Best Chart ActFact|date=October 2007 [http://www.raghav.com/discography/]
*2004 Asian Achievers Award Fact|date=October 2007 [http://www.raghav.com/discography/]
*2004 MOBO Award; Best Collaboration Fact|date=October 2007 [http://www.raghav.com/discography/]
*1997 National Songwriters Association of America AwardFact|date=October 2007 [http://www.raghav.com/discography/]

References

Official Raghav website - www.raghav.com

External links

* [http://www.raghav.com Official site]
* [http://www.ukrecordshop.com/item/raghav-identity.html Buy Raghav Identity]
* [http://www.majoogle.com/R&B/Raghav-30-272-0-0.html Official Booking Information]
* [http://www.desihits.com/artist/view/Raghav Official Artist Profile on Desi Hits!]