Sonu Nigam is a famous Indian playback singer and music director. His style is considered similar to that of the great singer Mohammad Rafi, which is why he is often considered the “modern Rafi”.
Contents
Wiki/Biography
Sonu Nigam in childhood
Sonu Nigam was born on 30 July 1973 (age 50 years; as in 2023) in Faridabad city of Haryana, India. His zodiac sign is Leo. He did his schooling from J.D. Taylor’s School in Delhi and graduated from Delhi University. He started singing at the age of 3, where he would accompany his father at wedding ceremonies and parties. He later moved to Mumbai, where he trained under the famous Indian classical singer Ustad Ghulam Mustafa Khan.
Physical Appearance
Height (Approx): 5′ 7″
Eye colour: dark brown
Hair Color: Black
Family, Caste and Wife
His father’s name is Agam Kumar Nigam who is from Agra and is also a Bollywood singer. His mother’s name is Shobha Nigam who is from Garhwal. He has two younger sisters named Tisha Nigam (Nikita Nigam) and Meenal Nigam.
Sonu Nigam with his sisters
Tisha is also a professional singer. He married Madhurima Nigam on 15 February 2002 and they have a son named Nevan.
Sonu Nigam with his wife Madhurima and son Nevan
livelihood
His first song as a playback singer was for the film Janam (1990), which was never officially released. He began making radio commercials and acting in them. Her first released song is “O Aasman Wale” from the film Aaja Meri Jaan (1993).
He released his first album “Rafi Ki Yaadein” in 1992. Her first hit song was “Accha Sila Diya” from the film Bewafa Sanam (1995). He debuted as a music director in 2013 in “Singh Saab The Great”. Apart from this, he has also tried his hand in acting. His debut as an actor came at the age of 10 when he played the role of young Sunny Deol in the film Betaab (1983). His first film as a lead actor was the film “Love in Nepal” in 2004.
controversies
- Sonu Nigam had courted controversy in 2017 after he tweeted about feeling discomfort due to “Azaan” playing on loudspeakers and disturbing his sleep. He also called it ‘forced religiosity’. His tweet hurt the religious sentiments of the Muslim community. A fatwa was issued by a cleric that whoever shaved Sonu’s head and put a shoe garland around his neck would be given a reward of Rs 10 lakh. He got his head shaved while demanding money from the Maulvi.
- Spiritual guru Radhe Maa was accused of many matters including her attire. Sonu Nigam supported him and said, “Just my 2 pence.” Kali Maa is shown in less clothes than Radhe Maa. Interesting thing is that this country wants to sue a woman for her clothes. This comment was criticized across the country and FIRs were filed against Sonu for hurting the religious sentiments of the people.
- He announced his retirement from the music industry after ongoing issues with major music labels. He also expressed his displeasure over some contract related issues. Two years after the incident, there was a reconciliation between the company and Sonu Nigam.
- It was the time of release of the film Ae Dil Hai Mushkil (2016) where Anushka Sharma utters a dialogue “Mohammed Rafi?” He used to sing less and cry more, didn’t he? To which Rafi’s fans reacted sharply. One of them was Sonu Nigam who fiercely targeted film producer Karan Johar. Karan Johar responded with an equally sarcastic comment, leading to a rift between the two.
Karan Johar’s tweet on Sonu Nigam
- At the Agenda Aaj Tak summit, Sonu said, “I wish I was from Pakistan”, which angered Indians. Later, Sonu responded by saying that media persons try to make attractive headlines while they miss the real content. He said that Indian singers have to pay 40-50% of their concert remuneration to music companies, whereas in other countries i.e. Pakistan, they work with artistes but do not ask for it.
- After the demise of Sushant Singh Rajput on 14 June 2020, Sonu Nigam released a video on Instagram on 18 June 2020 in which he talked about the kind of pressure new actors are going through in the industry. He also claimed in the video that there were only two music companies in India, which controlled the entire music industry.
On June 22, 2020, he posted another video on Instagram in which he accused Bhushan Kumar of tarnishing his image in the industry. Sonu also warned Bhushan Kumar that he had messed with the wrong person.
In response, Bhushan Kumar’s wife Divya Khosla Kumar posted a video on Instagram on 24 June 2020 in which she denied all the allegations made by Sonu Nigam against Bhushan Kumar. He also called Sonu Nigam thankless.
award
- Haryana Gaurav Samman by Haryana Government in 2017
Sonu Nigam receiving Gaurav Samman
- National Film Award for Best Playback Singer for the song Kal Ho Na Ho in 2003
filmfare awards
- Best Male Playback Singer Award for the song Kal Ho Na Ho from the film “Kal Ho Na Ho” in 2003
- Best Male Playback Singer Award for the song Saathiya from the film “Saathiya” in 2002
Padma Shri (Arts) 2022
Favorite
- Food: Paneer Makhanwala, Paneer Kofta, Gulab Jamun, Butter Chicken, Tandoori Chicken
- Movies: Amar Prem, Kunwara Baap, Half Ticket, Sholay, The Sixth Sense
- Musicians: Mohammed Rafi, Lata Mangeshkar, Hussain Baksh, Michael Jackson, Whitney Houston, George Michael, Michael Bolton, Cliff Richard, Mariah Carey
- Song: Duniya Rang Rangele Baba by KL Sehgal
- Book: Don’t Sweat the Small Things and It’s All the Little Things: Simple Ways to Stop the Little Things from Dominating Your Life, by Richard Carlson
- Travel Destination: Greece, Egypt, New Zealand
net worth
His net worth is around $8 million (approximately ₹55.5 crore). He earns Rs 6-7 lakh per song.
property/property
The singer has two business offices in the Andheri suburb of Mumbai; The total area of the property is 5,547 square feet. Reportedly, he purchased the property in March 2023 for Rs 11.37 crore.
fact
- His first stage performance was “Kya Hua Tera Vaada” written by Mohammed Rafi when he was just 3 years old.
- In his teenage years, he used to perform in various programs, where he sang many hit songs. In one such performance, he sang the title track of the popular Indian epic television show Mahabharata.
- He is trained in Taekwondo.
- He is afraid of cockroaches.
- He is also known as the Elvis Presley of India.
- He enjoys imitating fellow singers and actors.
- While receiving the National Award, Sonu’s hairstyle was like that of late APJ Abdul Kalam.
Sonu Nigam taking honor from APJ Abdul Kalam
- He has done Hindi voice-overs for Hollywood films like Aladdin and Rio.
- He has sung songs in various languages including Hindi, English, Bengali, Manipuri, Gujarati, Tamil, Telugu, Marathi, Tulu, Assamese, Oriya, Nepali, Maithili, Malayalam and Kannada.
- He has judged singing reality shows like Saregamapa, Kisme Kitna Hai Dum and Indian Idol.
- He disguised himself as a beggar and performed a play called “The Roadside Ustad” on the streets of Juhu.
- He once suffered a skin allergy due to consumption of sea food.
- He has three dogs, Goggles Nigam, Shifu Nigam and Zen Nigam.
Sonu Nigam with his two dogs Nigam and Shifu Nigam
- He once performed unplanned in a flight. Jet Airways suspended all cabin crew of the flight to implement corrective measures and disciplinary action.
- In February 2023, an MLA’s son and his goons allegedly assaulted Sonu Nigam and his associates over a selfie at a concert in Mumbai. Reportedly, he threw an associate of Sonu Nigam down from the stage, following which his associate suffered minor injuries. Later, Sonu Nigam registered a case of wrongful restraint and intentionally causing hurt against the accused, identified as Swapnil Futterpekar, son of MLA Prakash Futterpekar. Talking to journalists about the incident, Sonu Nigam said,
After being pushed, I fell on the stairs. Rabbani (Khan) came to save me and was pushed from behind. He could have died. I filed the complaint because when people force someone to take a selfie, they should definitely think about it.
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Categories: Biography
Source: vcmp.edu.vn