Raghav

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Raghav Mathur

Background information
Birth name Raghav Mathur
Also known as Raghav
Born April 2, 1981 (1981-04-02) (age 27)
Origin Calgary, Alberta
Canada Flag of Canada
Genre(s) Pop, R&B
Years active 2004
Website [1]

Raghav Mathur (born April 2, 1981), is an Indian-Canadian singer.

Contents

[edit] Biography

Raghav Mathur, born in Toronto and raised in Calgary, Alberta, Canada from Kayastha Uttar Pradeshi Indian parents, started singing at the age of five when an old Hindi tape got stuck in the cassette player of the family car. Continuous repetition of the same song allowed Raghav to memorize the track. When his aunt asked his mother what Raghav did, his mother inevitably replied 'nothing'. Raghav decided to show he could do something by singing the very song that kept repeating in the car. Since then, Raghav's parents supported his dreams to be a musician. The tri-lingual (English, Hindi, French) Canadian started to sing Indian classical music at his local temple and in school performed at local choirs. Brian Farrell was his music teacher, and at the age of 15, music became a heavy feature in his life and alongside the Indian influences at home, became heavily influenced by R&B. By the time he was 16, he wrote a song that was deemed good enough to be awarded the National Songwriters Association of America.[citation needed] At this point Raghav started to receive scholarships from music schools across the breadth of the United States[citation needed], before finally deciding at 17 to move to Los Angeles to develop his vocal skills by Seth Riggs who has trained, amongst others, Madonna, Michael Jackson and Stevie Wonder[citation needed]. A year later he moved to Liverpool, England where he studied at the Institute of Performing Arts and working with diverse musicians, DJs and producers.[citation needed] During his time in college he joined R&B band 11/7 which was nominated for a Mobo for best unsigned artist.[citation needed] 11/7 did not win, but the nomination was enough to bring Raghav a communal heads up from the watching music types and led to a solo management deal and an introduction to the highly influential Sly & Robbie and British R&B producer Mushtaq.[citation needed]

[edit] Musical career

After signing for A&R Records, he was still working with influential DJ and Producer 2Play. This led to the production of two records: 'This can't be right' and 'So Confused'. After spending weeks in the studio, 'So Confused' was finally released in 2004, although only reaching number 4 in the British charts, its mass popularity exists even today.[citation needed] The record is still known to be played on the club scene.[citation needed] After the success of 'So Confused' Raghav followed with a track released under his own name called 'Can't Get Enough', once again entering the top ten.[citation needed] In August 2004, another collaboration with 2Play followed. This time releasing the 'It Can't Be Right' song which turned out to be another top ten hit.[citation needed] Raghav released one more track under his name; 'Let's Work It Out', before the album was released in September 2004. Raghav's 'Storyteller' has officially sold approximately 1.5 million copies worldwide.[citation needed] His final release off the album was 'Angel Eyes', inspired by a well known melody called 'Murder She Wrote', a track which ensured his popularity and status as a recognised vocalist.[citation needed] His popularity globally has gone beyond imagination for a brand new artist. His worldwide tour of 2005 saw him perform in venues such as Karachi, New York amongst other parts of the world such as Africa, Australia, Canada, and many other countries with crowds reaching up to as high as 35000.[citation needed] Raghav has noted that he wishes to collaborate with Missy Elliot or Timbaland in the future.[citation needed] Raghav is no longer with his former label with A&R/V2 records as the licensing agreement between the two companies was not renewed after it had expired some time after March 2005. Raghav is now under new management with Palestar Entertainment and plans are underway to release his new album 'Identity' in Summer 2008.

[edit] Discography

Singles

  • "So Confused" (2003) #6 UK (A&R/V2 Records)
  • "It Can't Be Right" (2004) #8 UK (A&R/V2 Records)
  • "Can't Get Enough" (2004) #10 UK (A&R/V2 Records)
  • "Let's Work It Out" (2004) #15 UK (A&R/V2 Records)
  • "Angel Eyes" (2005) #7 UK (A&R/V2 Records)

Albums

Raghav is currently working on his new album 'Identity' which is scheduled for release in 2008.

[edit] Awards

[edit] External links