92-470: Biddu Appaiah (born 8 February 1945) is a British-Indian singer-songwriter, composer, and music producer who composed and produced many worldwide hit records during a career spanning five decades. Considered one of the pioneers of disco , Euro disco , and Indian pop , he has sold millions of records worldwide, and has received an Ivor Novello award for his work. He has been ranked at number 34 on NME ' s "The 50 Greatest Producers Ever" list. Biddu
184-673: A tempo of 130 beats per minute . His backing tracks also had a strong influence on the British new wave band The Buggles , founded by two of Biddu's former session musicians, Trevor Horn and Geoff Downes , who are most famous for writing the hit song " Video Killed the Radio Star " in 1979. In 1977, he worked on the Life album for the veteran Jamaican-born soul singer Jimmy James , which put out two chart hits " I'll Go Where Your Music Takes Me " and "Disco Fever". In early 1978, Biddu's own "Journey to
276-607: A British drama film set in Mumbai starring British Indian actor Dev Patel in the lead role. The latter has won four Golden Globes , seven BAFTA Awards and eight Academy Awards . The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel , a British film set in India, was nominated for two Golden Globes and one BAFTA , grossing US$ 31 million at the end of the UK run. Besides British-produced Indian-based films, there are many Bollywood productions which have been filmed in
368-612: A bit of Bengali , Hindi and Tamil . Wolverhampton is home to the second largest Sikh community after Slough - 9.1 percent of the population are Sikhs. Hindu communities can be found; 3.0 percent are Hindus. The most spoken language among Indians in Wolverhampton is Punjabi, followed by Gujarati. The majority of the Indians in the city live in South Wolverhampton but are scattered almost everywhere. There are Indian communities in
460-650: A catchy song in his upcoming Hindi film , Qurbani , in which the main score of the film was by the Indian music duo, Kalyanji Anandji . Biddu initially was not interested in composing a Hindi film song, but later took it up as he would say years later, "I thought it would keep my mum happy (back home in India)". About the same time Khan happened to come across 15-year-old Nazia Hassan at a party in London. Khan later requested Hassan have an audition with Biddu. Biddu later signed her up for
552-609: A classical hit for Luke Kenny 's film, Rise of the Zombie . Biddu's family originally hailed from Kodagu in the Karnataka state of India , but he was born and grew up in the city of Bangalore , where he attended the Bishop Cotton Boys' School . He carries the clan name of Chendrimada. In the 1960s, as a youth, he developed a liking for the then new pop and rock music, as he said in a media interview, listening to pop hits played on
644-516: A dance album for the Hindi pop/film playback singer Alisha Chinai . The album became the best selling Hindi dance album and featured a handful of Western styled videos – a selling point for India's newly launched MTV channel. It topped the Indian chart, where it remained for over a year, and sold over five million copies in India. In 1996, Biddu made a brother-sister duo popular again with Shaan (Shantanu Mukherjee) and Sagarika Mukherjee (Saag), producing
736-461: A dancer, influenced by Michael Jackson . He was spotted and later recruited by Arshad Warsi 's dance crew. In 1991, he joined the rock band Greek as a vocalist. Between 1993 and 1995, he had a small stint as a DJ. In 1995, he joined the newly launched Channel V as their first male VJ. He became popular and had a long-term association with the channel. Kenny got his first acting break in the 1997 film Bombay Boys alongside Naveen Andrews , albeit in
828-557: A few months of his arrival, he had met The Beatles, but expressed disappointment that "Lennon was dressed so badly." In England, he supported himself doing odd jobs and also working as a chef in the American Embassy. His attempts at becoming a singer in England were unsuccessful and, according to Biddu, "as an Indian in those days they were happier to hire me as an accountant than as a singer". He eventually gave up on his ambition to become
920-462: A few years, and Jimmy James ; scored soundtracks for several British films such as The Stud (1978); and produced a hit song for the French singer Claude François . Biddu also experimented with electronic disco and Hi-NRG music from the mid-1970s, and influenced British new wave bands such as The Buggles , founded by two of his former session musicians Trevor Horn and Geoff Downes . Following
1012-676: A forerunner to disco. The Biddu sound incorporated "solid playing by a hard rhythm section and fast swirling Northern soul–style melodies" and resembled the disco sound that had appeared independently in New York at around the same time. In 1971, he wrote the title track for the Jack Wild album Everything's Coming Up Roses , which was released as a single backed with "Bring Yourself Back to Me", written by Don Gould and Lynsey De Paul . The single earned positive reviews, with Billboard awarding it Special Merit Spotlight status and it reached number 107 on
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#17330922355031104-508: A hired mercenary, in the first Netflix India original series, Sacred Games . Kenny was part of the cast in both seasons of the show. He next appeared as GDPA official Wolfgang Hummels (inspired by WADA ) in the second season of the Amazon Prime show Inside Edge . The same year, he also appeared in the film Tanhaji , portraying the Mughal emperor Aurangzeb . In 2022, Kenny appeared in
1196-473: A household name across South Asia. Disco Deewane was followed by the production of three more heavy hitters with Nazia and Zoheb; Star/Boom Boom in 1982 (the number "Boom Boom" from the album and film Star was a hit), then the album Young Tarang 1984 two years later, before winding up again with the duo in 1987 with Hotline . The duo went on to sell 60 million records worldwide. Beyond Southern Asia, he also had some success in another part of Asia,
1288-468: A million in Greater London, which is the county's single largest non-white ethnic group. Indians have a significant impact on the culture of the British capital. Within London, Southall , Hounslow , Brent , Croydon , Ealing , Barnet , Tooting , Harrow and Wembley , the latter of which is one of the few places outside India where Indians make up the largest ethnic group (almost 4 times larger than
1380-534: A nation (along with Irish , Pakistani , Bangladeshi , Chinese , Vietnamese ). India is a diverse nation composed of many ethnic groups. This is reflected in the British Indian community although there are several ethnic groups that number considerably more than others. Gujaratis account for 45 percent of Indians living in the UK while the Indian Punjabi account for another 45 per cent of Indians living in
1472-498: A niche audience in British northern soul clubs during the early 1970s. His international breakthrough came in 1974 with " Kung Fu Fighting " performed by Carl Douglas ; the song became one of the best-selling singles of all time with eleven million records sold, helped popularise disco music, was the first worldwide disco hit from Britain and Europe, and established Biddu as one of the most prolific dance music producers from outside
1564-633: A number of worldwide disco hits such as " Kung Fu Fighting ", one of the best-selling singles of all time having sold eleven million records worldwide, and Apache Indian , who also had worldwide hits such as " Boom Shack-A-Lak ". Jay Sean, whose parents immigrated to the United Kingdom from the Punjab region, is the first solo British Asian artist to reach the #1 spot on the Billboard Hot 100 with his single " Down " selling more than four million copies in
1656-665: A proportion basis, the top ten local authorities were: Leicester (34.30%), Harrow (28.62%), Oadby and Wigston (21.11%), Hounslow (21.11%), Brent (19.47%), Slough (19.06%) Hillingdon (18.74%), Redbridge (16.50%), Wolverhampton (15.95%) and Blackburn with Darwen (15.76%). In Scotland, the highest proportion was in East Renfrewshire at 2.44%; in Wales, the highest concentration was in Cardiff at 2.44%; and in Northern Ireland,
1748-542: A publishing house called SueBiddu Music, which administers music for artists, wrote an autobiography called Made in India at the insistence of his wife, and has returned to live performances as a singer. In 2010, Biddu won an "Outstanding Achievement" award at the UK Asian Music Awards (UK AMAs), and he was also awarded the "Lifetime Achievement Award" at the JD Rock Awards in India that same year. The following
1840-450: A singer and instead decided to produce his own records rather than working for a record company. He saved a few pounds before he decided to rent studio time and record several singles, none of which received any airplay from UK radio stations. Biddu's first major success was in 1969, when he produced the song " Smile for Me ", performed by The Tigers , who were Japan's most famous band at the time, and written by Barry and Maurice Gibb of
1932-414: A singer who had had some success singing lead vocals for the group 5000 Volts . The first single they worked together, "You Set My Heart on Fire", clinched a recording deal with CBS. In 1976, the second single " I Love to Love (But My Baby Loves to Dance) " was a major hit worldwide. "I Love to Love" and the subsequent hit "Dance Little Lady Dance" sold millions of copies around the world, giving Tina Charles
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#17330922355032024-458: A small role. After this, he went back to Channel V and served as their head of music programming until 2008. In 2005, Kenny tried his hand at directing and producing, with the film 13th Floor , starring Purab Kohli and Sandhya Mridul . The production was India's first digitally-released film and received recognition at film festivals. Kenny returned to acting with his breakthrough role in the 2008 film Rock On!! Portraying keyboardist Rob Nancy,
2116-527: A thousand in Northern Ireland, and 1 on the Isle of Man. Their origins were recorded as: In 1932, the Indian National Congress survey of "all Indians outside India" (which included modern Pakistani and Bangladeshi territories) estimated that there were 7,128 Indians living in the United Kingdom, which included students, lascars, and professionals such as doctors. The resident Indian population of Birmingham
2208-715: A worldwide audience and fame, launching her solo career and firmly establishing Biddu. In 1976, Biddu produced his own Rain Forest LP, followed by Eastern Man in 1977, both credited to Biddu & His Orchestra. His album Rain Forest earned him four Ivor Novello Awards , including the "Songwriter of the Year" award. Around this same time, he began experimenting with electronic music in some of his disco songs, making use of electronic musical instruments such as keyboards and synthesizers. Some of his early examples of electronic disco include
2300-571: Is a selected discography of albums, singles and soundtracks he has produced or composed. Biddu has also given music for Junaid Jamshed . Released on the Epic label (EPC3318) Composer: M. Legrand Produced by Biddu for Subiddu Music and Productions Ltd. "B" side: "Northern Dancer" Composer: Biddu- Gerry Shury -McDonald-Rae Released on the Epic label (EPC4084) Composer: Biddu Produced by Biddu for Subiddu Music Ltd. "B" side: "Exodus" Composer: E. Gold British Indians British Indians are citizens of
2392-471: Is the editor of the 2016 collection of essays The Good Immigrant , which explores the experience of immigrant and ethnic minority life in the United Kingdom from their perspective, including contributions from other British Indians Nish Kumar and Himesh Patel . The Harry Potter series , by British author JK Rowling , also features two notable characters who are presumed to be of Indian Marathi descent - Padma and Parvati Patil. British Artist F. N. Souza
2484-547: Is the most spoken Indian language in Birmingham with some Urdu and Bengali speakers. Slough has the largest Sikh community in the UK as a borough, with about 11 percent of the people in Slough being Sikhs. There is also has a large Hindu population, (7 percent) and a significant Muslim population from India. The most common non-English languages in Slough are Punjabi and Polish (with both at 6 percent), followed by Urdu with
2576-547: Is the oldest surviving Indian restaurant in the UK, having opened in 1926. Veeraswamy is believed to be the origin of combining a curry and a pint of beer. Seven Indian restaurants have a Michelin Star - six of which are located in London including Veeraswamey, with the only Michelin rated restaurant outside of London based in Birmingham - Opheem . Notable British Indian films include Bend It Like Beckham , whose story revolves around British Indian life, and Slumdog Millionaire ,
2668-662: The Billboard Hot 100 . Another single, "Jump for Joy", also topped the Dance Music/Club Play Singles chart in the US while reaching No. 72 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1976. In the Billboard Year-End chart, "Jump For Joy" was ranked No. 21 on the list. Also in 1975, he produced the album Can You Hear Me Ok? and single "I Got My Lady" for John Howard . Around the same time, a friend introduced Biddu to Tina Charles ,
2760-785: The Bee Gees . Since the band did not speak English, Biddu had to show them how to sing the English lyrics phonetically . Following its release that year, the song topped the chart in Japan. His success abroad in Japan would later pave the way for his later success back in Britain. During the early 1970s, Biddu produced several early disco songs that, despite receiving no airplay on radio, began gaining some underground success in UK northern soul clubs, in places like Wigan and Blackpool , which were more receptive to Biddu's early disco sounds due to northern soul being
2852-526: The Billboard Bubbling Under Chart. In 1972, Biddu scored music for the UK spy thriller Embassy . Around this time, he also started working with UK-based Jamaican-born musician Carl Douglas on a 45 (rpm record) single "I Want to Give You My Everything". While this song was intended for the A side , they cut a song for the B side, " Kung Fu Fighting ", in only 10 minutes. Later, at the insistence of A&R at Pye Records , "Kung Fu Fighting"
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2944-877: The Indo-Portuguese or Luso-Asian communities of the subcontinent, including men from Bombay , Goa , Cochin , Madras and the Hugli River in Bengal . Later men from Ratnagiri were hired. Some of them were then unable to obtain passage back due to the price and had no alternative than to settle in London . There were also some ayahs , domestic servants and nannies of wealthy British families, who accompanied their employers back to Britain when their stay in South Asia came to an end. British soldiers would also sometimes marry Indian women and send their children back to Britain, although
3036-473: The Naujawan album. Biddu spent the rest of the 1990s working with a variety of musicians, including the Indian girl-group The Models, South Indian Singer K.S. Chithra , and Sonu Nigam , as well as continuing his collaboration with Alisha Chinai on her Dil Ki Rani album. Into the new millennium, he produced two hit albums with Sansara, Yeh Dil Sun Raha Hai and Habibi . His own 1999 album, Eastern Journey ,
3128-623: The United Kingdom (UK) whose ancestral roots are from India . Currently, the British Indian population exceeds 1.9 million people in the UK, making them the single largest visible ethnic minority population in the country . They make up the largest subgroup of British Asians and are one of the largest Indian communities in the Indian diaspora , mainly due to the Indian–British relations (including historical links such as India having been part of
3220-616: The White British population). There are more Indians in the British capital than in the Netherlands, Germany, France, Italy and Portugal combined. The Indian Overseas Congress UK is an organisation of the Indian diaspora in the UK, affiliated to the Indian National Congress (Congress (I)), and formed in 1969. As of 2021, Leicester is now one of the UK's ethnic and religious minority-majority cities and Indians make up by far
3312-688: The hookah-bardar (hookah servant/preparer) of James Achilles Kirkpatrick was said to have robbed and cheated Kirkpatrick, making his way to England and stylising himself as the Prince of Sylhet . The man was waited upon by the prime minister of Great Britain William Pitt the Younger , and then dined with the Duke of York before presenting himself in front of the King. One of the most famous early Indian immigrants to Britain
3404-494: The 1970s, working with a variety of British soul and disco artists, including Tina Charles , The Outriders, and Jimmy James . In 1975, Biddu recorded and released the instrumental LP, Blue Eyed Soul , and the album's first single, "Summer of '42", climbed to No. 14 on the UK Singles Chart , spending two months there and then had similar success in the US, topping the Dance Music/Club Play Singles chart and reached No. 57 on
3496-566: The 1980s and later went onto win the Turner Prize in 2002. Neelam Gill is the first British Indian model to feature as a high fashion model. Supriya Lele is a British Indian fashion designer who blends her heritage into her work. Priya Ahluwalia is a British designer of Nigerian and Indian descent and the founder of menswear brand Ahluwalia and was given the Queen Elizabeth II Award for British Design. In March 2020, Ahluwalia
3588-511: The 1987 songs "The Look That Kills" and " BLONDE ", which became chart-topping hits in Japan. "BLONDE" in particular sold over 300,000 copies in Japan that year. He also worked in Hong Kong, where he produced and composed the song "傷心戲院" ("Sad Theater") for C-pop singer Samantha Lam in 1988. In the Philippines , the song "Chic-Chica-Chic-Chica-Chic" from his hit 1976 album Rainforest was used as
3680-542: The 1990s, he popularised Indian pop with the hit album Made in India (1995), which became the best-selling pop album in India and launched the career of Alisha Chinai , after which he would launch the careers of several more Indian pop acts such as Shaan and his sister Sagarika as well as Sonu Nigam and K.S. Chithra . In the 2000s, Biddu has been active in the Western and Indian music scenes producing albums which are more spiritual and Eastern-oriented . He rearranged
3772-567: The 2008 rock musical drama Rock On!! In 2018, Kenny came back into prominence for his role as the hired mercenary Malcolm Murad in the Netflix series Sacred Games . Kenny was born in Kolkata and is of Anglo-Indian descent. His Irish grandfather was originally from Burma but moved to India after WWII and married Kenny's British grandmother. The actor's father, Robert Kenny, was born in Delhi and
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3864-402: The 2011 census, the cities with the most Indian-born residents are London (262,247), Leicester (37,224), Birmingham (27,206) and Wolverhampton (14,955). Year of arrival (2021 census, England and Wales) In the 2001 UK Census, Indians in the UK were most likely to have responded to code 41 - Indian or Indian British. Indian was one of only five sub categories in the UK census which represents
3956-1090: The 2011 census. 42.9% of people from the Indian ethnic group were born in the UK. 41.9% were born in Southern Asia and 11.1% were born in South and Eastern Africa (for example, Uganda, Kenya and Tanzania). Indian people born in South and Eastern Africa were more clustered than those born in the UK or Southern Asia, with 11.0% living in Harrow and 10.6% living in Leicester. Hillingdon - 18.7% Redbridge - 16.5% Ealing - 14.9% Newham - 11.0% Solihull - 5.2% Warwickshire - 4.9% Windsor and Maidenhead - 6.4% Reading - 6.2% Milton Keynes - 3.2% Buckinghamshire - 4.4% Derby - 4.8% Nottingham - 3.6% West Northamptonshire - 2.3% North Northamptonshire - 2.0% Lancashire - 2.0% South Gloucestershire - 1.7% Middlesbrough - 1.9% Darlington - 1.0% Newport - 1.3% Swansea - 0.9% Indians number over half
4048-716: The British Empire and still being part of the Commonwealth of Nations ). The British Indian community is the sixth largest in the Indian diaspora , behind the Indian communities in the United States , Saudi Arabia , the United Arab Emirates , Malaysia and Nepal . The majority of British Indians are of Punjabi and Gujarati origin with various other smaller communities from different parts of India including Kerala , West Bengal , Bihar and Uttar Pradesh . Among
4140-535: The Far East. After having previously had a chart-topping hit in Japan with The Tigers in 1969, he returned there to work with the popular Japanese idol and J-pop singer Akina Nakamori , for whom he produced "Don't Tell Me This is Love" in 1985. It was included in her 1985 album My Best Thanks , which topped the Japanese chart and sold around 300,000 copies. He produced several more hit songs for Akina Nakamori, including
4232-569: The Middle East, earning money by singing catchy numbers and playing the guitar. Biddu arrived in England at the age of 23, a few months after leaving India. About his arrival in England, he said in an interview to the BBC : "I didn't really know too much about England or anything – I'd just come here on the chance of meeting the Beatles and doing some music. Everything that I did had this danceable flavour". Within
4324-556: The Moon" was a hit, peaking at No. 41 in the UK. That same year, he scored the music for the English film The Stud , starring Joan Collins ; the film's soundtrack was successful on the UK Albums Chart , where it reached No. 2. He also produced the soundtrack for its sequel, The Bitch , in 1979. During the late 1970s, Biddu also had a hit in France with Claude François , for whom he produced
4416-467: The New York Times. The Indian Painters Collective (IPC) was formed in London in 1963. They created the first artistic body of its kind outside of India and achieve the first group showing of Indian artists in the UK. In 1978 IPC was renamed Indian Artists UK (IAUK) with the desire to establish an Indian Academy of Visual Arts in Britain. Sir Anish Kapoor is a British sculptor who came to prominence in
4508-403: The UK was mainly made by South Indians, Bangladeshi, and Punjabi restaurateurs, where 85 percent of Indian restaurants in the UK are in fact owned by Bangladeshi Sylheti Bengalis . Over 2 million Britons eat at Indian restaurants in the UK every week, with a further 3 million cooking at least one Indian based meal at home during the week. Veeraswamy , located on Regent Street in London ,
4600-485: The UK which was established in 1992. Indian cuisine is extremely popular in the United Kingdom. The first exclusively Indian restaurant was the Hindoostanee Coffee House which opened in 1810. Curry gained popularity in the UK in the 1940s and 1950s. There are around 9,000 Indian restaurants located across the UK, which equates to approximately one per 7,000 people. The popularity of the Indian curry in
4692-771: The UK's overseas territories , such as the communities in Gibraltar , the Cayman Islands , Virgin Islands , Anguilla and Montserrat . The majority of the community in Gibraltar originated in Hyderabad in Sindh, and came as merchants after the opening of the Suez Canal in 1870; many others migrated as workers after the closure of the frontier with Spain in 1969 to replace Spanish ones. Although
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#17330922355034784-447: The UK, based on data for England and Wales . There is a large community of Goans in Swindon , with smaller communities in Hayes , Romford and Cranford . There are significant numbers of British Indians originating from Karnataka , Kerala , Andhra Pradesh and Odisha . The table below shows the distribution of British Indians people in the United Kingdom. The figures for all countries, regions, cities and boroughs are based on
4876-833: The UK, including Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge , Yaadein , Kabhi Khushi Kabhi Gham and Jab Tak Hai Jaan . The following is a partial list of films based on British Indian life, British films shot in India or with an Indian theme or has British Indian actors: Indian influence on British popular music dates back to the development of raga rock by British rock bands such as The Beatles and The Rolling Stones ; several Beatles songs (such as " Within You Without You ") also featured London-based Indian musicians. Today, British Indian musicians exist in almost every field and genre. Notable British Indian Bhangra acts include Panjabi MC , Rishi Rich , Juggy D , Jay Sean , DCS , Bally Sagoo and Sukshinder Shinda . World-famous award-winning singer-songwriter Freddie Mercury (a former member of
4968-415: The United States at the time. He soon began producing his own instrumental albums under the name Biddu Orchestra, which started an orchestral disco trend in Britain and Europe with 1975 hits "Summer of '42" and "Blue Eyed Soul"; his solo albums eventually sold 40 million copies worldwide. He also launched the careers of other British disco stars such as Tina Charles , helping her sell 36 million records within
5060-428: The United States, making him "the most successful male UK urban artist in US chart history." Other contemporary British Indian singers include S-Endz and BRIT Award -nominated Nerina Pallot . British Indians have also contributed to British literature. Well known examples include author Salman Rushdie who won the Booker Prize in 1981. More contemporary contributions come from authors including Nikesh Shukla who
5152-422: The Western music scene, despite his early attempts at producing electronic synthpop music, such as his 1980 song "Small Talk" for Amy. In the late 1970s, Western disco was getting popular in Asia and particularly in India , where there were not yet any home-bred disco stars. It was this reason that led established Indian filmmaker and actor Feroz Khan to England and to Biddu, in 1979. Khan wanted to introduce
5244-532: The aristocratic Ducarel family and moved to the United Kingdom in 1784 where she lived until 1822 when she died in Newland, Gloucestershire . In July 1841, David Ochterlony Dyce Sombre , an Anglo-Indian born in India , became the first person of Indian descent to be elected to British Parliament . He was the member of Parliament for Sudbury but was later removed in April 1842 due to allegations of bribery. Between 1600 and 1857, some 20-40,000 Indian men and women of all social classes had travelled to Britain,
5336-438: The boy was baptised on 22 December 1616 and given the name of "Peter" which was given by King James I . A few months after his baptism, he returned to India with Copland to "convert some of his own nation". People from India have been travelling to Great Britain since the East India Company (EIC) recruited lascars to replace vacancies in their crews on East Indiamen whilst on voyages in India. Initially, these were men from
5428-463: The cause of Indian Independence. This group went on to found the India League in England in 1928, under the leadership of V. K. Krishna Menon . The 1931 Census of India estimated that there were at least 2,000 Indian students in English and Scottish Universities at the time, from an estimated, and overwhelmingly male population of 9,243 South Asians on the British mainland, of which 7,128 resided in England and Wales , two thousand in Scotland , with
5520-486: The cult film made the actor a household name. Kenny has also been a contributor to various news columns. He used to write "If I May Say So" for the Hindustan Times and "LukeBox" for Rolling Stone India . In 2011 he became the channel head of 9XO, a 24/7 international music channel owned by 9X Media . In 2013, he produced and starred in India's first zombie film, Rise of the Zombie . Kenny recently regained public attention with his acclaimed portrayal of Malcolm Murad,
5612-451: The day, in the clubs of Bangalore and also other Indian cities, such as Calcutta and Bombay . The band, however, split since Ken Gnanakan wanted to pursue higher studies, leaving Biddu alone as the sole member of the band. He played under the name 'Lone Trojan' and was popular as an act at a night club called "Venice" in Bombay . Biddu held an interest for bigger things in popular music, and in 1967 left for England. He traveled through
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#17330922355035704-640: The decline of disco in the Western world, he later found success in Asia during the 1980s, where he launched the careers of the late Pakistani pop singer Nazia Hassan and her brother Zoheb ; he produced their debut album Disco Deewane , which charted in fourteen countries and became the best-selling Asian pop album up until that time, and helped the duo eventually sell 60 million records worldwide. During that decade, he also produced several hit Bollywood soundtracks for films such as Qurbani (1980) as well as several hit songs for Japanese pop idol Akina Nakamori and Chinese pop singer Samantha Lam (林志美). In
5796-462: The early boogie 1976 single "Bionic Boogie" ; the 1977 "Soul Coaxing" single; the Eastern Man and Futuristic Journey albums, which were recorded from 1976 to 1977; and the 1979 "Phantasm" single. He also began experimenting with high-tempo Hi-NRG disco music, with early examples including some of the songs in his 1976 Tina Charles albums I Love to Love and Dance Little Lady , as well as his disco singles such as "Voodoo Man" (1979) which had
5888-430: The employment of non-English sailors to a quarter of the crew on returning East India Company ships. Baptism records in East Greenwich suggest that a small number of young Indians from the Malabar Coast were being recruited as house servants at the end of the 17th century, and records of the EIC also suggest that Indo-Portuguese cooks from Goa were retained by captains from voyage to voyage. In 1797, 13 were buried in
5980-405: The first Indians to travel to the United Kingdom was a young boy called Peter Pope . The boy was given by a commander of a Dutch ship on its way to Myanmar to the British sailor, Thomas Best in 1612. The boy was brought to England in 1614 where he was placed under the care of Patrick Copland who was a chaplain and who subsequently taught him to read and write in English. His education in England
6072-471: The highest concentration was in Belfast at 1.26%. The 2011 United Kingdom census recorded 1,451,862 residents of Indian ethnicity, accounting for 2.3 per cent of the total UK population (not including those of mixed ethnic backgrounds). The equivalent figure from the 2001 Census was 1,053,411 (1.8 per cent of the total UK population). People born in India are the UK's largest foreign-born population, totalling an estimated 880,000 in 2020. According to
6164-551: The largest Christian British Indian community is that of Catholic Goans, mainly from East Africa, but also directly from Goa , and from Aden , Pakistan and the countries of the Persian Gulf. The UK is also home to one of the largest Ravidassia communities outside India; this was first recognised by 2011 Census. According to the 2021 census of England and Wales, there were close to 800,000 Indians who identified as Hindus and just over 385,000 who identified as Sikh. The British Council, Indian High Commission and UK government named 2017
6256-593: The largest ethnic group besides the White British, others include Birmingham and Luton . At 18.7% of the local population in 2009, Leicester has one of the highest percentages of Indians per head of the population of any local authority in the UK. According to the 2001 UK Census, 14.74% of Leicester's population were Hindu and 4.21% Sikh. Gujarati is the primary language of 16% of the city's residents, 3% Punjabi and 2% Urdu . Other smaller but common language groups include Hindi and Bengali . Most Indians live in west Birmingham in areas such as Handsworth . Punjabi
6348-441: The main theme of the popular 1980s sitcom Chicks to Chicks . In the late 1980s, he returned to the UK music scene with house music records such as "Humanity" (1989). Having spent nearly a decade with the Nazia-Zoheb pair, Biddu next turned his attention to Hindi vocalist Shweta Shetty , both writing and producing the Johnny Joker album in 1993. Then in 1995, came another album, composed and produced by Biddu. Made in India –
6440-456: The majority of them being seamen working on ships. Lascars lodged in British ports in between voyages. Most Indians during this period would visit or reside in Britain temporarily, returning to India after months or several years, bringing back knowledge about Britain in the process. In the early twentieth century, some Indian nationalists, such as Sukhsagar Datta came to Britain because they feared arrest in India itself and hoped to propagate
6532-563: The parish of St Nicholas at Deptford . During the 19th century, the East India Company brought thousands of Indian lascars , scholars and workers to Britain largely to work on ships and in ports. It is estimated 8,000 Indians (a proportion being lascar sailors) lived in Britain permanently prior to the 1950s. Due to the majority of early Asian immigrants being lascar seamen, the earliest Indian communities were found in port towns. Naval cooks also accompanied them. The first Western-educated Indian to travel to Europe and live in Britain
6624-702: The plurality of British Indians are Hindu, the UK is home to the second largest Sikh community outside India. Notable Hindu temples include BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir London , Bhaktivedanta Manor , Shree Jalaram Prarthana Mandal , Skanda Vale , Sree Ganapathy Temple, Wimbledon and Tividale Tirupathy Balaji Temple . Notable Gurdwaras in the country include: Gurdwara Sri Guru Singh Sabha , Guru Nanak Gurdwara Smethwick and Guru Nanak Nishkam Sevak Jatha . There are also significant numbers of Muslim and Christian British Indians as well as Ravidassia community with their main temple (Bhawan) in Handsworth, Birmingham. One of
6716-545: The rock band Queen ) was born on the island of Zanzibar to Parsi parents, originally from the Gujarat area of India. Mercury (born Farrokh Bulsara) and his family fled when he was 17 years old due to the Zanzibar Revolution ; he remains not only one of the most famous British Indian musicians of all time, but one of the most famous British musicians. Other world-famous British Indian musicians include Biddu , who produced
6808-546: The shortwave radio band of Radio Ceylon of Ceylon (Sri Lanka), which was then popular throughout Asia. He learnt to play the guitar and in his late teens and early twenties he frequented the clubs and bars of Bangalore , and soon started a music band called 'Trojans' with a few friends, including Ken Gnanakan , who later went on to start an NGO called "ACTS". The band was India's first English-speaking band, and found success playing cover versions of The Beatles , The Rolling Stones , Trini Lopez and hits of other Western stars of
6900-545: The song "Laisse Une Chance A Notre Amour", a re-working of Jimmy James' UK hit song, " Now Is the Time ". Biddu worked with various musicians including some players from Manchester and Liverpool who had worked on sessions with Tina Charles until the late 1970s, after which disco music slowly began to wane as funk , new wave and electronic music began taking centre-stage in Western popular music, taking with it Biddu's established place in
6992-407: The song he was composing for Qurbani . It did not take a long time for Biddu to compose " Aap Jaisa Koi " for Qurbani . The tune and composition he used for "Aap Jaisa Koi" was similar to several of his earlier songs, particularly the 1976 Tina Charles hit "Dance Little Lady Dance". As the girl, Nazia Hassan , had a nasal voice , Biddu decided to backtrack it for an echo effect. The song which
7084-404: The subsequent growth in the British Indian community has come from the births of second- and third-generation Indian Britons. Although post-war immigration was continuous, several distinct phases can be identified: In the 2021 Census , 1,864,318 people in England and Wales were recorded as having Indian ethnicity, accounting for 3.1% of the population. In Northern Ireland, the equivalent figure
7176-510: The then-popular American brother-sister duo, The Carpenters . Biddu composed a few catchy numbers for Nazia and Zoheb for the album Disco Deewane . In 1981, the album was a hit across Asia, South Africa, and some countries in South America (particularly Brazil where it topped the chart), charting in 14 countries. The album became the best-selling Asian pop album up until that time. The 15-year-old teenage Pakistani singer Nazia Hassan became
7268-624: The wife often did not accompany them. Indian wives of British soldiers would sometimes ask for passage home after being divorced or widowed if they did accompany their children. In 1835, the husband (a British soldier serving in His Majesty's 1st Foot Regiment) of Bridget Peter, a native of Madras , died. She petitioned the Directors from Chelsea Hospital 'in a state of destitution' to pay for her return to India. They agreed to pay to return her and her three children. The Navigation Act 1660 restricted
7360-570: The ‘UK India Year of Culture’, which was launched by the Queen. The year it was held was significant as it marked 70 years of Indian Independence from the British Raj. Its aim was to celebrate the relationship between the two nations through cultural events, exhibitions and activities organised in both countries throughout the year. The Nehru Centre is the cultural wing of the High Commission of India in
7452-464: Was I'tisam-ud-Din , a Bengali Muslim cleric, munshi and diplomat to the Mughal Empire who arrived in 1765 with his servant Muhammad Muqim during the reign of King George III . He wrote of his experiences and travels in his Persian book, Shigurf-nama-i-Wilayat (or 'Wonder Book of Europe'). This is also the earliest record of literature by a British Indian. Also during the reign of George III,
7544-621: Was Sake Dean Mahomet , a captain of the British East India Company and a native of Patna in the Indian state of Bihar . In 1810, he founded London's first Indian restaurant , the Hindoostanee Coffee House . He is also valued for introducing shampoo and therapeutic massage to the United Kingdom. Another early Indian to settle in the United Kingdom was the Mughal noblewoman of Purnea in Bihar , Elizabeth Sharaf un-Nisa , who married into
7636-774: Was 9,881, or 0.5% of the population. The census in Scotland was delayed for a year and took place in 2022, with a population of 52,951 representing 1.0% of the population. The city or district with the largest population by 'Indian' ethnicity outside the capital, according to the 2021 census in England and Wales, was Leicester (pop. 126,421), followed by Birmingham (66,519), Sandwell (44,378), Wolverhampton (42,052), Coventry (32,096), Slough (30,209), Bolton (26,238), Blackburn with Darwen (24,389), Buckinghamshire (24,181) and Kirklees (22,739). Many of these are however outnumbered by nine London boroughs, namely Harrow, Brent, Hounslow, Hillingdon, Ealing, Redbridge, Newham, Barnet and Croydon. On
7728-449: Was a musician. He later moved to Kolkata and married Kenny's mother, who was Italian. Kenny's parents divorced when he was very young and he grew up in Mumbai with his father and grandfather, both musicians, prompting his interest in music from a young age. He was a student at Elphinstone College in Mumbai but left the school early to pursue a career in music. Kenny began his career as
7820-453: Was an experiment which blended Indian pop with Western flair and strong, jazz elements. Biddu also worked with Junaid Jamshed . Both of them worked in London and produced an album under the composition and lyrics of Shoib Mansoor Sahab. In 2004, Biddu re-emerged with the album Diamond Sutra . Biddu now lives in Spain with his English wife of 39 years, Sue, and two grown-up children. He started
7912-505: Was born in Bangalore , Madras Presidency , British India (Now Karnataka , India ). He began his music career in the 1960s, by singing as part of a music band in India before moving to England where he would start his career as a producer. He eventually found some success producing a hit song for Japanese band The Tigers in 1969, scoring the soundtrack for 1972 British film Embassy , and producing several early disco songs that would find
8004-529: Was featured in the Forbes 30 under 30 European Arts and Culture list. Mandeep and Hardeep Chohan, twin sisters of Indian origin jointly own fashion label, Nom de Mode, which draws inspiration from their roots. Luke Kenny Luke Kenny is an Indian actor, film director, producer, music director, composer, and former VJ . He began his career as a DJ, followed by a successful stint as the first male VJ on Channel V. He gained widespread recognition for his role in
8096-514: Was one of the first Indian artists to work in Britain after the war. Together with Avinash Chandra they were the first British Indian artists to be included in the national collection at the Tate. In 1962, the ''Festival of India'' - a six-month celebration of Indian culture and art - was held across a number of prestigious galleries and museums in London and was called "most comprehensive collection of Indian painting and sculpture ever assembled anywhere" by
8188-589: Was paid for by the East India Company . As against above claims it can be noticed from the History of Portuguese invasions in India Vasco da Gama carried a few Nairs and sixteen fishermen ( mukkuva ) off with him by force and enrolled them in seminaries and later used as translators and missionaries for conversion of their own way back in 1498 in his first voyage to India Under Patrick Copland's recommendation,
8280-550: Was put on the A-side. Soon after release in 1974, "Kung Fu Fighting" became a worldwide hit, ultimately selling eleven million copies worldwide. In 1974, it received a Gold certification ,. Shortly after, Biddu also produced Carl Douglas' debut album Kung Fu Fighting and Other Great Love Songs , which produced another major hit, "Dance The Kung Fu". He soon established himself as one of the key figures in Britain's soul and disco scenes during
8372-873: Was recorded at 100 by 1939. By 1945 it was 1,000. Following the Second World War and the breakup of the British Empire , Indian migration to the UK increased through the 1950s and 1960s. This was partly due to the British Nationality Act 1948 , which enabled migration from the Commonwealth with very few limits. In 1950 there were probably fewer than 20,000 non-white residents in Britain, almost all born overseas. The Commonwealth Immigrants Act 1962 and Immigration Act 1971 largely restricted any further primary immigration , although family members of already-settled migrants were still allowed. In addition, much of
8464-507: Was recorded in London, was the first Hindi song to be recorded on 24 tracks. In 1980, Qurbani ran to packed houses in India, largely on the weight of "Aap Jaisa Koi" and another number "Laila O Laila". Nazia Hassan became a teenage sensation. "Aap Jaisa Koi" was a hit across the Indian subcontinent. Riding on the popularity of the song and the film, Biddu decided to sign Nazia Hassan and her brother Zoheb Hassan up for an Urdu pop album, something hitherto not tried in India. Biddu modeled them on
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