Boyish good looks coupled with boy-next-next-door appeal are what make Sonu Nigam different from the others of the celebrity posse. He is among the few singers who have made it big both in the film music as well as the Indipop front.
Sonu Nigam was born on July 30 in Faridabad, Haryana. His family soon relocated to Delhi where the singer spent the large part of his childhood. Father' Agam Kumar's enthusiasm for music was passed on to Sonu and he soon began training under him.
Sonu Nigam set foot on the stage at the age of three when most other toddlers learn to form whole sentences. On accompanying his father for a show, Sonu gave made his debut public performance and sang the Mohammed Rafi song Kya Hua Tera Vaada from Hum Kisise Kum Nahin.
Despite being talented, Sonu's father never really pursued a career in music. However, not the one to be left behind, Sonu made his way to tinsel town Mumbai where he was barely 18 years old. Though he had begun to sing along with his father at private parties and marriage ceremonies in Delhi, he refrained from doing so in Mumbai as per his father's advise.
In Mumbai, alongside looking for work in the music industry, the young singer also enrolled for a distance learning graduation programme. Life was far from smooth for Sonu and he began to accept bit roles in movies to support himself. Incidentally, Sonu has acted as a child artiste in films such as Kaamchor, Ustadi Ustad Se, Hum Se Hai Zamana, Taqdeer and Betaab.
The first song that he recorded was for the film Aaja Meri Jaan. Composers Amar-Utpal had however told him that his song would be retained only if he found it good enough. Unfortunately for Sonu, S P Balasubramaniam dubbed the song. He recorded five songs for the film out of which the first four were rejected but the fifth one brought him some luck. Music bigwig Gulshan Kumar heard Sonu and summoned him. And then began his long association with music company T-Series. The song that catapulted him to fame was Achha sila diya tune mere pyaar ka from the film Bewafa Sanam.
Offers started flowing in and his days of struggle were soon history. Apart from film and pop album offers, he was invited to host the musical show TVS Sa Re Ga Ma, which made him something of an icon on the small screen. The show helped him interact with renowned music exponents and brought him closer to the audiences who would soon become his fans.
Meanwhile, Sonu Nigam also brought out his debut pop album titled Sapnon Ki Baat for T-Series. And followed it up with Deewana, both of which generated lukewarm response.
After differences cropped up between T-Series and Sonu, he decided to change audio companies and moved to Magnasound. Kismat, the album he recorded for Magnasound, was remarkably successful. Mausam was his other album, which again fared well. Sonu is now back with Yaad, promoted by T-Series, which promises to provide superior music to his fans.
The singer also made a splash on television, anchoring the immensely successful television show TVS Saregama for Zee TV. His superior vocals and endearing style found favour with the people. He achieved icon status on the small screen, and gave it up to seriously pursue his film career.
Sonu's playback singing also remains as active as his Indipop front. He has signed on a staggering number of films, and his velvety voice has helped him net all the big grossers. His hugely successful Sandese aate hain and Hume jabse mohabbat ho gayi hai in Border earned him acclaim. In 1999, he bagged Taal, A R Rahman's biggest musical success till date. The year 2000 saw him sing for Rahman again, with Pukar. Refugee saw him team up with Anu Malik and J P Dutta once again to recreate the music of Border. Sonu created history of sorts in 2001, when he teamed up with Lata Mangeshkar to sing the Khamoshiyan track for Rahman in One 2 Ka 4. Acting offers too are aplenty, but it seems like singing is where Sonu's heart lies.
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