/ Amar Returns To Show It Off All Over Again

by Anokhi Admin

Amar Returns To Show It Off All Over Again

Jul 23, 2013

This Brit sensation is setting her own tune in Bollywood and beyond

Amar is bringing sexy back to the South Asian scene with the February release of her much-anticipated second album, Show It Off. Despite the pressure placed upon her as the daughter of the legendary Mangal Singh, who pioneered the Bhangra movement in the U.K, during the ‘80s, Amar has come a long way to carve out an identity for herself in the emulous entertainment industry. Now a U.K. sensation and a frequent muse of U.S. musical mogul Timbaland, the sexy songstress says she owes a lot to her father for recognizing the musical talent she possessed at a young age.

“He was the first to take me, quivering, into a recording studio, and some of my earliest memories are of me sitting next to him, crosslegged, next to the harmonium, with him making me sing really difficult old Bollywood songs. I owe a lot to him,” says Amar.

After her Hindi cover of Dolly Parton’s “I Will Always Love You” catapulted to smash hit status, Amar partnered up with Warner Bros. U.K. and made headlines as the first British Asian girl to be signed by a major record label. Since then, the Walsall native’s career has skyrocketed. Her 2000 debut English album Outside featured a cover of Prince’s song, “Sometimes It Snows In April”—a dance tune that electrified club scenes everywhere.

But it was her chart-topping collaborations with Timbaland on “Bombay” and Nelly Furtado on “Maneater” that earned her worldwide critical acclaim for “bringing Indian music back into the mainstream spotlight.” Recently, she was also featured on both Jamie Foxx’s and Chris Cornell’s albums. She calls her experience working with these mega superstars “a real lesson.”

“You simply cannot do things by halves,” explains the artist. “Every single studio session, every chance you get to get on the mic, you give everything.”

Taking a hiatus from the music scene shortly after, Amar travelled to India with her team to record her latest album. Along the way, Amar met and recorded two songs with Bollywood musical trio Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy and Hindi heartthrob Sonu Nigam, which are both featured on the album (“Sajana” and “Bombay Billionaire”). Essentially an album of collaborations, with performances alongside her father, Apache Indian, and Jim Beanz, Show It Off doesn’t limit itself to one genre but rather offers an euphonious and eclectic array of music which BBC recently declared “extremely refreshing.” Amar took home the award for Best Female Act at the 2010 U.K Asian Music Awards AMA.

Amar has always wanted to do a complete album in Hindi, “(with) no distractions or diversions,” and she realized that goal on this album, crediting her language versatility as her anokhi asset: “I'm not afraid to sing in Hindi OR in English, they are both equally as deep within me. I am incredibly proud of my roots so I intend to show them off!”

Certain about where she’s from and confident about where she’s headed, this sultry songstress is a firm believer that passion and perseverance always ultimately pay off. “If you spend your life doing something that you love and it fails, at the very least you have spent your life enjoying yourself.” Wise beyond her young years, Amar says that if she can also inspire people along the way then “that’s a bonus.” Already a pop culture icon for many South Asian youth around the world, Amar says she is extremely grateful for her “flippin’ cool fans who simply rock!”

If you’re looking to get in touch with this Desi diva, then be sure to hit up her official website (www.amarmusiconline.com), Facebook, MySpace, or Twitter pages for the latest updates. Amar’s amplifying album is available for purchase on ITunes and Amazon. Make sure to buy it, share it, and show it off!

_{BY: RANGA THANGARAJAH / PUBLISHED: MAY 2010 ISSUE

(PHOTO COURTESY OF KOMPOSIT ENTERTAINMENT)}