Jazzy B

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Jazzy B
Romeo (2005)
Romeo (2005)
Background information
Birth name Jaswinder Singh Bains
Also known as The Crown Prince of Bhangra, The Original Folksta, The Canadian Sensation
Born April 1, 1975
Origin Nawanshahr, Punjab,
India
Genre(s) Bhangra, Indi-pop
Occupation(s) Singer, songwriter
Years active 1993-Present
Label(s) Moviebox Records
Website JazzyB.com

Jaswinder Singh Bains (born April 1, 1975), better known by his stage name Jazzy B, is an Indian Bhangra artist of Sikh [1] faith.

Jazzy B is easily recognized by fans of Bhangra with his spiky hair and the range and depth of his vocals. 'Ghugian Da Jorra', his successful debut album, was released in 1993 and instantly made him a star. Since then he has become the best-selling Bhangra artist in the world, helping bring the genre to the forefront of the South Asian music scene. He has worldwide appeal as he often tours Canada, England, India, the United States, and many other parts of the world where there is a large Desi population.


Contents

[edit] Early life

Jazzy B was born in Nawanshahr, Punjab, India and immigrated with his family to Vancouver, Canada at the age of five. During his teen years he worked at a construction site and became a star player for his high school ice hockey team. He was persuaded into becoming a professional Bhangra artist by friends who sang with him as a group at parties and Sikh wedding receptions. He credits a co-worker for believing in him and launching his career by lending $5,000 for recording studio costs. After turning professional at the age of 18 he moved to Birmingham, England where he currently resides.

[edit] Career

[edit] Music

Jazzy B has released thirteen albums all of which have been produced by Sukhshinder Shinda, a talented Bhangra record producer and artist known as 'The Music Man'. Together they have created some of the most popular Bhangra hits, including "Ghugian Da Jorra", "Londono Patola", "Naag", "Tera Roop", "Sardara", "Dil Luteya", and "Soorma".

The 2005 Balle - Romeo Tour, which promoted Jazzy B's album Romeo and Sukhshinder Shinda's album Balle, played at various venues around the world including Paramount Canada's Wonderland near Toronto, Canada which attracted a record crowd of over 65,000.

Jazzy B's popularity and success in Bhangra can be attributed to his style which is quite different from other artists in the genre. From his unique appearance to his mix of traditional and westernized songs and music videos, he has revolutionized the image of Bhangra. The music videos for his singles "Soorma" and "Romeo" were based on Hip hop music videos and featured Hummer H2s and the Rap group Takeova Ent.

Jazzy B has also said that the reason for his longevity as a successful Bhangra artist is that he works exclusively with Sukhshinder Shinda as he does not want to flood the Bhangra market with songs on different producers' albums like, for example, fellow artists Lehmber Hussainpuri and Manak-E. This often leads to only short-term popularity as the artist's own solo albums are not as eagerly anticipated by fans.

He has been compared to legendary Bhangra artist Kuldip Manak, whom he considers an idol and inspiration.

Jazzy B with dancers on the set of Teesri Aankh (2006)
Enlarge
Jazzy B with dancers on the set of Teesri Aankh (2006)

[edit] Film

Jazzy B made his acting debut in 2000 with a cameo appearance in the Bollywood film Shaheed Udham Singh[2] which starred fellow Punjabi singer and actor Gurdas Maan as the Indian freedom fighter Bhagat Singh. Their music was also featured on the film's album.

In 2006, Jazzy B made another cameo when he was featured in the movie Teesri Aankh[3] performing the Indi-pop song "Chug De Punjabi". He has expressed an interest in acting and has stated that he would consider bigger roles in the future.

[edit] Health issues

In 1997, Jazzy B had major problems with his throat which required surgery. Having lost his voice and not being able to sing for over a year, he says he turned to God for help and miraculously got his voice back. After going through this experience, he did something very uncommon at the time for a Bhangra superstar by releasing the Sikhi spiritual album 'Singha Di Kaum Bahdhur Hai' in 1999. Since then, other popular Punjabi artists have followed in his steps and released religious material.

[edit] Controversy

In 2005, there was controversy regarding the music video of Jazzy B's single "Soorma" in which the actors appearing in the video were known drug dealers who were later convicted of various drug related charges. The Hummer H2s featured in the video were also supplied by these actors and were later re-possessed by the federal government.



[edit] Discography

  • 1993: Ghugian Da Jorra
  • 1994: Hat Picheh: The Canadian Spice
  • 1995: Folk 'n Funky
  • 1997: Folkal Attraction
  • 1999: All Eyez on My small penis
  • 1999: Singhan Di Kaum Bahadhur Hai
  • 2000: Stayin' Real
  • 2000: Surma
  • 2001: Oh Kedhi
  • 2002: Tera Roop
  • 2003: Pyar Da Mukadma
  • 2003: Sikhi Khandiyon Tikhi
  • 2005: Romeo toto

[edit] See also

[edit] External links

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