Sonu Nigam is a famous Indian playback singer and music director. His style is considered similar to legendary singer Mohamed Rafi, which is why he is often considered a “modern Rafi”.
Wiki/Biography
Sonu Nigam as a child
Sonu Nigam was born on 30 July 1973 in Faridabad, Haryana, India (50 years old as of 2023). His zodiac sign is Leo. He attended JDTyler School in Delhi and graduated from Delhi University. He began singing at the age of three, accompanying his father to weddings and parties. He later moved to Mumbai where he was trained by the legendary Indian classical singer Ustad Ghulam Mustafa Khan.
appearance
Height (approximately): 5′7″
Eye color: 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 and she is from Garhwal. He has two sisters named Neekita Nigam and Minal Nigam.
Sonu Nigam and his sisters
Teesha is also a professional singer. He married Madhurima Nigam on February 15, 2002, and they have a son named Nevaan.
Sonu Nigam with wife Madhurima and son Nevaan
Profession
His first song as a playback singer was for the film Janam (1990), which was never officially released. He began making radio commercials and began acting in them. His first released song was “O Aasman Wale” from the film Aaja Meri Jaan (1993).
He released his first album “Rafi Ki Yaadein” in 1992. His first hit song was “Accha Sila Diya” from the movie “Bewafa Sanam” (1995). In 2013, he made his debut as the music director in “Singh Saab the Great”. Apart from this, he also tried his hand at acting. He made his acting debut at the age of 10, playing young Sunny Deol in the film Betaab (1983). In 2004, his first movie “Love in Nepal” starring him was released.
dispute
- In 2017, Sonu Nigam sparked a controversy when he tweeted that “Azaan” playing on loudspeakers made him feel uneasy and disrupted his sleep. He even called it “forced religious belief.” His tweets hurt the religious sentiments of the Muslim community. A cleric issued a fatwa stipulating that whoever shaves off Sonu’s head and wears a garland of shoes around his neck will be rewarded with Rs 10 lakh. He responded by shaving his head and demanding money from the clergy.
- Spiritual guru Radhe Maa has been accused in several cases as well as the clothes she wore. Sonu Nigam supported her saying, “Just my 2p. Kaali Maa’s clothes are less than Radhe Maa’s. Funny thing is, the country wants to prosecute a Women’s clothes.” The remarks drew criticism across the country and a case was filed against Sonu for hurting people’s religious sentiments.
- He announced his retirement from the music industry following ongoing issues with leading music labels. He also expressed dissatisfaction with some contract issues. Two years after the incident, the company settled with Sonu Nigam.
- At that time, the movie “Ae Dil Hai Mushkil” (2016) was released in which Anushka Sharma uttered a dialogue: “Mohammed Rafi? Woh gaate kam rote zyada the na?” This caused a stir in the film. Strong opposition from Filipino fans. Sonu Nigam was one of them and he also slammed filmmaker Karan Johar. Karan Johar responded in an equally sarcastic tone, leaving the two at odds.
Karan Johar tweets about Sonu Nigam
- At the Aaj Tak Agenda Summit, Sonu sparked outrage among Indians by saying “I wish I were from Pakistan”. Sonu later responded that media people tried to create attractive headlines but missed the actual content. He added that Indian singers have to pay 40-50% of their concert remuneration to music companies, while in other countries like Pakistan, they collaborate with artists but do not ask for the same.
- After Sushant Singh Rajput’s death on June 14, 2020, Sonu Nigam posted a video on Instagram on June 18, 2020, in which he talked about the pressure that new artists go through in the industry. He also claimed in the video that there are only two music companies in India that control the entire music industry.
On June 22, 2020, he posted another video on Instagram accusing Bhushan Kumar of ruining 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 June 24, 2020, in which she refuted all the allegations made by Sonu Nigam against Bhushan Kumar. She also called Sonu Nigam thankless.
Awards
- Haryana Gaurav Samman 2017 awarded by Haryana Government
Sonu Nigam receives Gaurav Samman
- In 2003, he won the National Film Award for Best Male Singer for the song “Kal Ho Na Ho”
Filmfare Award
- In 2003, he won the Best Male Singer Award for the song Kal Ho Naa Ho from the movie “Kal Ho Naa Ho”
- The song Saathiya in the 2002 movie “Saathiya” won the Best Male Dubbing Award
Padma Shri (Art) 2022
Favorites
- Food: Paneer Makhanwala, Paneer Kofta, Gulab Jamun, Butter Chicken, Tandoori Chicken
- Movies: Amar Prem, Kunwara Baap, Half Ticket, Sholay, The Sixth Sense
- Musicians: Mohammad Rafi, Lata Mangeshkar, Hossein Bakshi, Michael Jackson, Whitney Houston, George Michael, Michael Bolton, Cliff Richard, Maria ·Kelly
- Song: Duniya Rang Rangilee Baba by KL Saigal
- Book: Don’t Sweat the Small Things, It’s All Little Things: Simple Ways to Prevent the Little Things from Taking Over Your Life by Richard Carlson
- Travel destinations: Greece, Egypt, New Zealand
net worth
His net worth is approximately $8 million (approximately Rs. 55.5 crore). He earns Rs 6-7 lakh per song.
assets/property
The singer owns two commercial offices in Mumbai’s Andheri suburb; the property has a total area of 5,547 sq ft. He reportedly purchased the property in March 2023 for Rs 1,137 crore.
fact
- His first stage performance was in Mohammed Rafi’s “Kya Huaa Tera Vaada” when he was only 3 years old.
- As a teenager, he performed at various events and sang many hit songs. In one such performance, he sang the title song of the popular Indian epic television show Mahabharata.
- He was trained in Taekwondo.
- He is afraid of cockroaches.
- He is also known as the Elvis Presley of India.
- He likes to imitate other singers and actors.
- Sonu sported a hairstyle similar to that of the late Abdul Kalam while accepting the National Award.
Sonu Nigam receives honor from APJ Abdul Kalam
- He has done Hindi dubbing for Hollywood films such as “Aladdin” and “Rio”.
- He sings in multiple languages including Hindi, English, Bengali, Manipur, Gujarati, Tamil, Telugu, Marathi, Tulu, Assamese , Odia, Nepali, Maithili, Malayalam and Kannada.
- He has served as a judge on singing reality shows like Sa Re Ga Ma Pa, Kisme Kitna Hai Dum and Indian Idol.
- He disguised himself as a beggar and performed a performance called “Roadside Ustad” on the streets of Juhu.
- He had skin allergies caused by eating seafood.
- He owns three dogs, namely Goggles Nigam, Shifu Nigam and Zen Nigam.
Sonu Nigam and his two dogs Goggles Nigam and Shifu Nigam
- He once performed an unplanned performance on a flight. Jet Airways suspended all crew members of the flight for corrective action and disciplinary action.
- In February 2023, an MLA’s son and his goons allegedly manhandled Sonu Nigam and his aides for taking selfies at a music event in Mumbai. According to reports, they threw one of Sonu Nigam’s assistants from the stage, after which he sustained minor injuries. Subsequently, Sonu Nigam filed a case against the accused, Swapnil Phaterpekar, son of MLA Prakash Phaterpekar, for wrongful restraint and intentionally causing hurt. Sonu Nigam said in an interview with reporters,
I was pushed down on the steps. Rabbani (Khan) came to my rescue and was pushed from behind. He may be dead. I’m complaining because people have to think about it when forcing others to take selfies. ”
Categories: Biography
Source: HIS Education