Amar (born Amar Dhanjan) is a British Indian singer signed to the independent label Sunset Entertainment Group. She is also the daughter of Mangal Singh (a well-known singer in the UK and globally known for his "Rail Gaddi" song). She is a singer and songwriter who writes her own material. She has a unique style of combining her Hindi vocals, lyrics, and melodies with western urban producers.[1]
Amar | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Amar Dhanjan |
| Origin | Indian |
| Genres | Hip hop, filmi |
| Occupation(s) | Singer, songwriter |
| Instrument | Vocals |
| Years active | 1997–present |
| Labels | Sunset Entertainment |
Biography
editAmar grew up in Walsall, West Midlands, United Kingdom. She is the daughter of singer Mangal Singh who is famous for the song "Jaandi". Amar herself catapulted to fame as a young girl with her hit single "Tu Hai Mera Sanam", a Hindi cover of Dolly Parton's "I Will Always Love You", which has also been covered by Whitney Houston. In her teens, she moved to London and discovered the Asian underground scene. She collaborated with Talvin Singh and features on the song "Jaan" from his 1997 album Anokha - Soundz of the Asian Underground.[2] She appeared on the album I'm Too Sexy (1997), a compilation album of electronic music mixed with Hindi-Pakistani sounds. Later, she featured on the song "I'm So Sexy" by Talvin Singh. Amar also recorded a solo song called "Why Am I So Sexy".[3][4] In 1999, she was featured in a duet with Cheb Khaled on the song "El Harba Wine" from Khaled's album Kenza; Amar also appeared in the music video as herself. In 2000, she scored a UK chart hit with her cover of the Prince song "Sometimes It Snows in April", which was popular in a garage remix by Dreem House. Mixmag included the remix in their list of "40 of the best UK garage tracks released from 1995 to 2005".[5] 1994 song "Sitam - Mohabbat Ka Rang", a Hindi cover of "Jennifer Rush's The Power Of Love" was featured in 2002 film Bend It Like Beckham.
Awards
editIn 2010, Amar won "Best Female Act" at the UK Asian Music Awards (UK AMAs).[6]
Discography
editAlbums
edit- 1994: Mein Aur Tu
- 2000: Outside
- 2010: Show It Off
Singles
edit- 2000: "Sometimes It Snows in April" - UK No. 48[7]
Appearances
edit- "El Harba Wine" (2000) by Khaled featuring Amar on his album Kenza (1999)
- Hindi-language cover of "I Will Always Love You" originally by Dolly Parton
- "Sitam", Hindi-language cover of "The Power of Love" originally by Jennifer Rush, featured in the 2002 film Bend It Like Beckham
- "Bombay" by Timbaland featuring Amar and Jim Beanz from the album Timbaland Presents Shock Value (2007)
- Remixes of "Promiscuous" and "Maneater", singles released by Nelly Furtado's from her album Loose (2007)
- "The Source of Secrets" by Mike Oldfield featuring Amar on his album Tubular Bells III (1998)
- Additional sounds on Chris Cornell's "Take Me Alive" (2009)
- Background vocals on Timbaland's "If We Ever Meet Again" (2009)
References
edit- ^ "Timberland's new muse, Amar on her latest album to hit stores". dnaindia.com. Retrieved 3 September 2009.
- ^ "Meet the British Indian singer who's floored Timbaland with her voice". expressindia.com. Archived from the original on 13 July 2011. Retrieved 15 March 2009.
- ^ "Pardesi Girl". expressindia.com. Retrieved 15 March 2009.
- ^ "Rap & Roll". expressindia.com. Retrieved 14 March 2009.
- ^ "40 of the best UK garage tracks released from 1995 to 2005". Mixmag.
- ^ "BBC – Asian Network – BBC Asian Network AMA 2010 – Winners". bbc.co.uk. Archived from the original on 7 August 2010. Retrieved 24 August 2010.
- ^ "AMAR". The Official Charts Company. Retrieved 20 April 2013.