Neeraj Sridhar is an Indian singer, songwriter, musician best known as the lead singer of the Indian pop and rock band ‘Bombay Vikings’. In the 2000s, Neeraj Sridhar came into limelight with remakes of old Bollywood hit songs like Kya Surat Hai, Woh Chali and Chhod Do Aanchal.
Contents
Wiki/Biography
Neeraj Sridhar was born on Friday, 23 June 1978 (age 45 years; as in 2023) in Jalandhar, Punjab. Since Neeraj came from a family with a musical background, he got inclined towards music at a very young age. In an interview he said,
There will be many gatherings at home. My mother used to sing and my father played the tabla. When I was just three or four years old, my parents recognized the musician in me.”
At the age of eleven he got a bongo and a guitar. After this, he isolated himself from the world, playing guitar for a long time. Later, in 1992, his parents decided to send him to Sweden, Europe. In an interview he said,
I started spending eight hours a day playing guitar. Gradually, I became cut off from the world…it was just music and me. I made a lot of noise at home and my parents decided to send me to Sweden.
Although he was very homesick in Sweden, he started spending his time playing guitar in the music band at school and later, he also collaborated with professional bands. By the age of nineteen, he had become an accomplished musician, earning his living in Sweden.
Physical Appearance
Height (Approx): 5′ 6″
Hair Color: Black
Eye colour: black
Family and ethnicity
Neeraj Sridhar was born in a Punjabi family.
parents and siblings
Neeraj Sridhar’s father was a producer in All India Radio.
Relationships, wife and children
On Sunday, 1 July 2012, Neeraj Sridhar married Nikila Sridhar. Neeraj Sridhar’s son’s name is Nevan Sridhar.
Neeraj Sridhar with his wife and son
livelihood
Neeraj Sridhar started his musical journey with the formation of the musical group Bombay Vikings in 1994. Neeraj, along with his fellow members and Swedish musicians Oscar Söderberg and Mats Nordenborg, founded Bombay Vikings in Stockholm, Sweden. Neeraj was the lead singer and back-up guitarist. Matt Nordenborg, being a jazz expert, played saxophone. Subsequently, Mats Folke and Johan Folke joined the group as keyboardists. Later, Morgan joined the group as a drummer, Paar as a bass controller, and Staffan as the lead guitarist. Soon, Bombay Vikings gained immense popularity, performing live shows in Sweden and Norway. After a few years, most of the band members broke up, but, Neeraj decided to retain the band name. Later, he formed another band with the remaining members and in 1999, he released his first music album, Kya Surat Hai.
Indian music companies were skeptical about the success of songs with such strong English and Western influences among the Indian population, therefore, they wanted to modify the songs accordingly. After postponing it for almost four years, Sony BMG Music Entertainment finally agreed to make the music album ‘Kya Surat Hai’ in India without any changes. The album consisted of eight tracks, all of which were remakes of old Indian songs. The album received immense recognition in India and introduced Western music to the country. In 2000, after the success of Kya Surat Hai, Neeraj released another music album, Woh Chali, which brought him massive stardom. In 2002, Bombay Vikings released another successful album, ‘Hawa Mein Udti Jaaye’, in which Neeraj worked with guest singers Linnea Sprouse and Falguni Pathak to create songs. In 2004, ‘Chhod Do Aanchal’ was another major music album released by Bombay Vikings.
In 2003, Neeraj started his career as a playback singer and made his Bollywood debut with the song ‘Pyaar Ke Naam Pe’ from the film ‘Rules: Pyaar Ka Superhit Formula’. Subsequently, Neeraj had a prosperous journey in Bollywood with his hit songs like Ticket to Hollywood (2007), Hey Baby (2007), Bhool Bhulaiyaa (2008), Race Sanso Ki (2008), Raghupathi Raghav (2013) etc.
Awards/Honors
- Nominated for Stardust Awards in 2008 in the category New Musical Sensation (Male) for the song Ticket to Hollywood.
- Nominated for Stardust Awards in the category New Musical Sensation (Male) in 2008 for the song Bhool Bhulaiyaa.
- Nominated for IIFA Award in the category Best Playback Singer (Male) in 2008 for the song Bhool Bhulaiyaa.
- Nominated for Screen Awards in the category Best Playback Singer (Male) in 2010 for the song Tum Mile.
Favourite Things
- Rock Bands: Led Zeppelin and Deep Purple
Facts/General Knowledge
- In 2000, Neeraj recorded another successful music album ‘Woh Chali’ which included the song ‘Main Chali’ by popular Indian singer Lata Mangeshkar. Lata Mangeshkar was so impressed with the remake of her song that she invited Neeraj to perform at her birthday party.
- He holds Swedish nationality.
Categories: Biography
Source: vcmp.edu.vn