Bhangra flavour at the AMA
Asian beats have finally conquered Britannia. No wonder that the unofficial King of Bhangra, Malkit Singh, is getting honoured by the Queen, while Dr Rajinder Dudrah, head of drama at the University of Manchester, has come up with a book on Bhangra: Birmingham and Beyond. It traces the journey of Bhangra music from the obscurity of 1960s to the internationally recognised art-form it has become today.
But there is another individual whose efforts are no less challenging. It was UK-based Abs Shaid's dream to identify and recognise the best Asian talents in music and entertainment. Thus, he organised for the Asian DJ and Music Awards (ADMA) at the London Aquarium in 2002. The event was aired by BBC2 and Zee TV and proved to be a huge success at both street and commercial levels. The following year, the call for a bigger event was answered at the Hammersmith's Palais. Thereafter, the ADMA came to the known as the UK Asian Music Awards (UK AMA) and the celebrations have become an annual affair.
Artistes like Malkit Singh, Apache Indian, Raghav have put in their million-dollar performances at the UK AMA events and enthralled the audience to no end. This year too the air is getting charged with much anticipation. North American hip hop artistes Blitzkrieg, Roachkilla and Kidd Skily will be teaming up with Surinder Rattan, D-Boy featuring Swiss and V Dubl E, Dutch singer Imran Khan, RnB sensation Jay Sean, singer-songwriter Karen David, Punjabi singer Lehmber Hussainpuri, Punjabi Hit Squad featuring Alyssia, girl group Serese and the Shaanti Collective will grace the stage along with The Kalyan, Sona Family and Bollywood producers Trickbaby. Rishi Rich will then close the show with Veronica, Mumzy and H Dhami.
Asian music fans have already nominated the UK AMA finalists in 12 different categories by casting votes via the official website www.theukama.com. The organisers of the show -- UK AMA and Nashi Media Group – are now receiving votes for the final list of winners in each category. They will be felicitated at the much-awaited awards ceremony to be held on March 6 at the Royal Festival Hall in London.
While we wait for the countdown, let's acquaint ourselves with the nominees. In the Best Act category, there are names like DCS, H Dhami, M.I.A, Silinder Pardesi and Sukshinder Shinda. The Best Female Act consists of a separate category and includes names like Alyssia, Gunjan, Hard Kaur, Karen David, M.I.A and Rouge.
Jags Klimax (The Album), DCS (Desi Culture Shock), Sukshinder Shinda (Living The Dream), Surinder Rattan (The Lick 2) and Swami (Equalize) are said to have come up with the Best Album. Cameo, Kayper, Jags Klimax, Hanif and Vix have been chosen the Best Club DJs, while the Best Urban Acts are said to have been enacted by Blitz Krieg, Hard Kaur, Jay Sean, M.I.A and Sona Family.
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