Tell us a bit about your family, are they involved in music too?
We’re a Hindu Punjabi family. My parents speak Punjabi, but I never learnt it. I love Punjabi music and for this reason entered the Indian pop scene with songs such as Navion Dil Lagda and Nach Ley Ley to express my interest in the language my family speak.
This shows how much of an influence my parents were on me. My mother was a huge influence in my life as she had singing experience. She encouraged me to pursue a career in music and introduced to me the art of singing at a very young age. She put me through classical training, which I am ever grateful for, as it has helped me to get where I am today.
What attracted you most to music?
My name, Gunjan, means “musical echo”, so it was no surprise that at a very young age I took a liking to music. At the age of three I remember I would sing songs at nursery school to whoever would listen to me.
At four I made my debut stage performance at kindergarten, which led to me recording various nursery rhymes, religious songs, and radio and TV commercials all over Asia.
My interest in music cannot be depicted in one moment. I was influenced by my parents from birth, and from this moment on I was introduced to the music world. My childhood, upbringing and the people I was surrounded by were definitely huge influences in my life.
You’ve shared the stage with some of the biggest names in the industry. Did you ever dream you would one day have that opportunity and eventually find the acclaim you have?
I have an enormous desire to explore different genres of music, which has led me to collaborate with renowned artists such as Thievery Corporation, Diana King, Morgan Heritage, Raghav, Apache Indian, Tigerstyle, Eminem’s rapper Stat Quo, 50 Cent, Elephant Man, and chart-topping producers such as Handel Tucker (Maxi Priest, Bennie Man, Backstreet Boys, etc), Rishi Rich (Britney Spears, Craig David, Misteeq, etc) and Jim Beanz (Will Smith, Nelly Furtado, Justin Timberlake, etc).
By the time I was a teenager I had already shared the stage with some of the biggest names in the Indian music industry – a few being Lakshmikant Pyarelal, Ravindra Jain, Anuradha Paudwal, Sonu Nigam and Subha Mudgal.
I’d never have guessed that my classical training would have led up to this moment.
I have even received various awards – such as the All India National Award for Best Vocalist, for three consecutive years.
This to me is a great privilege and surprise. I am thankful to everyone in my life who has helped me reach this stature.
What is it like performing with Sonu Nigam?
Sonu is a wonderful performer and I’m privileged to be performing with him again. I’ve even had the privilege of performing with his father, Mr Agam Nigam. He, too, will be performing in SA this year.
Performing with Sonu through the years has been a great adventure as it has taken me all of the world.
What about Sonu – as a professional singer and performer – inspires you?
Sonu is a humble performer and has, through great effort and determination, built up his image to what it is today.
His upbringing, and influence from his humble father, have made him into the respectful and trusting friend and artist the audience loves.
He inspires me to be a better singer and performer, by interacting with the crowd, and being humble about one’s successes.
With his wisdom I understand the benefit of being humble and true to oneself, and not letting fame and fortune disturb one’s morals and life ambitions.
This also pertains to family. Sonu has such a great relationship with his father. Family is important and Sonu shows this, even through his career path.
What are your thoughts on SA?
I have travelled to SA many times, sometimes with Sonu and Agam. I am thrilled to be coming back to experience the culture and liveliness of the SA people.
The support of myself and Sonu from the SA audience has grown significantly over the years and has really made us feel welcome.
I have enjoyed all places I have visited, especially Joburg, Cape Town and Durban, and we will once again be performing in these places.
What can we expect to hear from you on the tour?
The audiences can expect to hear both old and new songs. I am very excited to be performing with Sonu as a supporting artist, as the SA public is always energetic and makes the performance and the tour an enjoyable experience for us.
The tour promises to be a beautiful expression of our talents and a musical experience everyone in the family can enjoy.
We look forward to seeing everyone at the concerts.
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• A perfectionist, Sonu Nigam is the epitome of a great live entertainer. He remains the only artist to sell out four tours in SA.
The Sonu Nigam Live 2012 tour takes place from Friday, March 23, to Sunday, March 25, starting in Cape Town at the Good Hope Centre on the 23rd, then moving to Emperors Palace in Joburg on the 24th and then wrapping up in Durban at the ICC on the 25th.
Tickets are priced between R100 and R1 500, depending on the province you live in.
We suggest you book now through Computicket to avoid disappointment because tickets are selling fast!
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