| Joi Barua | |
|---|---|
Joi Barua, 2010 |
|
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Jayanta Barua |
| Genres | Rock, soul, worldbeat |
| Occupations | Vocalist, musician |
| Instruments | Vocals, guitar, violin, keyboards |
| Labels | Various |
| Associated acts | Joi |
| Website | Facebook profile, iTunes, Amazon |
Joi Barua (Assamese: জয় বৰুৱা) is a singer, musician, and lead vocalist of the band Joi.[1] He was born in Assam and is currently based in Mumbai, India. He has lent his voice to many Indian movies including 2010's Filmfare Award Winner (OST) Udaan and National Film Award Winner Dev D. He was invited as a Fellow at the first INK Conference, a TED- affiliated multidisciplinary conference.[2] He has a mixed musical style incorporating elements of rock, soul, jazz, folk and world music.[3]
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Joi was born in Digboi, Assam, the younger of the two children to Ranjana Barua and Rohini Dhar Barua. His father gifted him a violin when he was four years old and that triggered his lifelong passion for music.[2] His family moved to Jorhat when he was in junior school. When he was seven years old, his sister pushed him to join a singing competition and taught him the popular Cliff Richard song 'Bachelor Boy'. Even though ignorant about singing at that age, he won the competition. It was a defining moment. His school principal, Sister Mabilia, understood his passion for music and since then she never missed an opportunity to encourage him into singing and taking part in stage acts. Her favourite was the Boney M song 'El Lute' -about a man wrongly imprisoned for a crime he didn’t commit- which he would often sing to her. He considers her as his first guru in life and a constant source of inspiration. At home, he and his cousin Piku would sing songs of The Beatles, The Eagles, Simon and Garfunkel, U2, etc. He passed out his high school from St. Anthony's College, Shillong, and later attended Gauhati Commerce College for graduation.
He is married to Nayana Borthakur (since 2002), whom he met in college.
Joi has worked in a number of Indian films as a playback singer, vocal arranger and background singer. Those films include Mujhse Fraaandship Karoge, Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara, Luv Ka The End, Udaan, No One Killed Jessica, Dev D, Help, Azab Prem Ki Ghazab Kahani, Jumbo, Kalavar King (Telegu),[4] Gangster, Jab We Met, Bhool Bhulaiyaa, Bhagam Bhaag, Munna Bhai M.B.B.S., Lage Raho Munna Bhai, Waqt: The Race Against Time, Kya Kool Hain Hum, Zindaggi Rocks, Ek Ajnabee, Golmaal, Golmaal Returns, Tashan, Neal ‘n’ Nikki, etc. He has worked with music directors like Amit Trivedi, Pritam, Anu Malik, Ashutosh Pathak, Ram Sampath, Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy, Salim-Sulaiman, Amar Mohile, Viju Shah, Vishal-Shekhar, Lalit Pandit, etc.
He had sung the song "Khiriki" for Hengool Theatre for the year 2011.
His personal inspirations include his father, who always encouraged him to take music out of classrooms into the hearts of people, and his ex-principal Sister Mabilia who guided his passion for music. His musical influences have been varied. It includes Sting, The Beatles, The Eagles, Iron Maiden, The Police, Ozzy Osbourne, Joe Satriani, Eric Clapton, U2, etc. Classical Composers like Beethoven, Rossini, Vivaldi and Mozart, and Indians musicians like L. Subramaniam, A.R. Rahman, Salil Chowdhury, Ilaiyaraaja, Bhupen Hazarika and Jayanta Hazarika also influenced him a lot.
Joi was awarded the Best Debut Award (2010) for his album Joi- Looking Out of the Window at the Big Asomiya Music Awards organised by Big 92.7 FM, Guwahati.
Joi has been a part of some of the biggest advertising campaigns in the last few years and has sung ad jingles for Fiat Linea, Vodafone, Reliance, LG, Hero Honda, Nescafe, Club Mahindra, Yatra.com, Raymonds, Tata Tea, Coca Cola Minute Maid, San Frisco Jeans, Kurl-On, Barclays Bank, Horlicks, Alfa One, etc.[5]
Joi came out with an album called Joi- Looking out of the Window, which was officially launched on 21 December 2010. The songs are a blend of rock, soul, folk and worldbeat. Their first music video Aikon Baaikon has been released and is being aired on television and also available on YouTube.[6] Current band members include Joi Barua (vocals), Pawan Rasaily (lead guitar), Ibson Lal Baruah (rhythm guitar), Manas Chowdhary (bass guitar) and Partho Goswami (drums).
| Song Name | Time | |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | Kot | 4:55 |
| 2. | Aikon Baaikon | 4:33 |
| 3. | Tumi Bhaabisa Ki | 5:13 |
| 4. | Uri Jaai | 4:08 |
| 5. | Tejimolaa (feat. lyton on piano) | 5:11 |
| 6. | Dusoku Melute | 4:49 |
| 7. | Tumi | 4:24 |
| 8. | Doba Kobaai | 4:24 |