Biddu
Encyclopedia
Biddu or Biddu Appaiah (born 1944 in Bangalore
, Karnataka
, India
) is an Indian-British
music producer, composer, song-writer and singer who produced and composed many hit records worldwide during a career spanning five decades. Considered one of the pioneers of disco
, Euro disco
, and Indi-pop, he has sold millions of records worldwide, and has received Grammy
and Ivor Novello awards for his work. He began his music career in the 1960s, 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 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 popularize 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 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 a few years, and Jimmy James
; scored soundtracks for several British films such as The Stud (1978); and produced a hit song for late 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 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 Zohaib
; 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. In the 1990s, he popularized Indi-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 Indi-pop acts such as Shaan
and his sister Sagarika
as well as Sonu Nigam
. In the 2000s, Biddu has been active in the Western
and Indian music
scenes producing albums which are more spiritual and Eastern-oriented.
in the Karnataka
state of India
, but he was born and brought up in the city of Bangalore
, also in Karnataka, India. 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 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 belting out cover versions of The Beatles
, The Rolling Stones
, Trini Lopez
and hits of other Western stars of the day, in the clubs of Bangalore
and also other Indian cities, such as Calcutta and Bombay. The band, however, split after a while, with Ken Gnanakan deciding to study, leaving Biddu alone in the business, playing under the name 'Lone Trojan'. As the 'Lone Trojan' he played to enthusiastic crowds in a fancy night club called "Venice" in Bombay located opp. the Eros movie theater.
Biddu had a penchant for even bigger things in popular music, and in 1967 decamped for England
, with less money and a journey through the Middle East
, which he mostly made on doles handed out for singing catchy numbers and playing guitar everywhere he could. A few months after leaving India, at the age of 23, Biddu arrived in England, the country where he had dreamt of making it big; as he said in an interview to the BBC
, years later: "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 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 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 ever 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 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 charts in Japan. His success abroad in Japan would later pave the way for his later success back in Britain.
clubs, in places like Wigan
and Blackpool
, which were more receptive to Biddu's early disco sounds due to northern soul being 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 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 just 10 minutes. Later, at the insistence of A & R at Pye Records, "Kung Fu Fighting" was put on the A-side. Soon after release in 1974, "Kung Fu Fighting" became a worldwide hit, topping charts around the world, ultimately selling eleven million copies worldwide. In 1974, it received a Gold certification
from the RIAA
, and won the Grammy Award
for Best Selling Single. Shortly after, Biddu also produced Carl Douglas' debut LP (album) Kung Fu Fighter, which produced another major hit, "Dance The Kung Fu". He soon begame established him as one of the key figures in Britain's soul
and disco scenes during 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 watched his own star rise even further as the album's first single, "Summer of '42", climbed to #14 on the UK chart spending a full two months there and then had similar success in the US, topping the Dance Music/Club Play Singles chart and reaching #57 on the Billboard Hot 100
. Another single from the album, "Jump for Joy", also topped the Dance Music/Club Play Singles chart in the US while reaching #72 on the Billboard Hot 100 there in 1976. In the Billboard Year-End
chart, "Jump For Joy" was ranked #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, 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 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 instrument
s such as keyboards and synthesizer
s. Some of his early examples of electronic disco
include the early boogie
song "Bionic Boogie" from his 1976 album Rain Forest; 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 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 LP of veteran Jamaican-born soul singer Jimmy James
, which churned out two smash disco hits I'll Go Where your Music Takes Me and Disco Fever. In early 1978, Biddu's own Journey to the Moon was a hit, peaking at #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 #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 the late Claude François
, for whom he produced the song "Laisse Une Chance A Notre Amour".
Biddu worked with various musicians including some players from Manchester and Liverpool who had worked on sessions with Tina Charles till 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 the Western music scene, despite his early attempts at producing electronic synthpop
music, such as his 1980 song "Small Talk" for Amy. Nevertheless, he soon found himself spinning out hits working in another part of the world, Asia
.
and particularly in India
, where there was not yet any home-bred musician who could belt out a disco tune or two with ease and authority. It was this reason that led established Indian filmmaker
and actor Feroz Khan
to England
and to Biddu, in 1979. Khan wanted to introduce a catchy song in his upcoming Hindi film
, Qurbani
, in which the main score of the film was to be legendary Indian music duo, Kalyanji Anandji
. Biddu initially wasn't 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 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 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 massive hit across the Indian subcontinent.
Riding on the massive popularity of the song and the film, Biddu decided to sign Hassan and her brother Zoheb up for a Hindi pop album, something hitherto not tried in India. Biddu modelled them on 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 massive hit across Asia, South Africa
, and some countries in South America
(particularly Brazil
where it topped the charts), 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 a household name across the South Asia
n subcontinent as a result and Biddu saw his stars rise across the region. Disco Deewane was followed by the production of three more heavy hitters with Nazia and Zohaib; Star/Boom Boom
in 1982 (the number "Boom Boom" from the album and film Star
was a big 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 as many as 60 million records worldwide.
Beyond Southern Asia, he also had some success in another part of Asia, 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 charts and sold around 300,000 copies. He produced several more hit songs for Akina Nakamori, including 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.
, both writing and producing the Johnny Joker album in 1993. Then in 1995, came another sensational pop album, composed and produced by Biddu. Made in India - a remarkable dance album for Hindi pop/film playback singer Alisha Chinai
. The album became the best selling Hindi dance album ever and featured a slick handful of Western styled videos - a sure selling point for India's newly-launched MTV set. It topped the Indian charts, where it remained for over a year, and sold over 5 million copies in India.
In 1996, Biddu made a brother-sister duo again with Shaan
(Shantanu Mukherjee) and Sagarika Mukherjee
, producing the Naujawan album. Biddu spent the rest of the 1990s working with a variety of musicians, including the Indian girl-group "The Models", 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 was an ambitious 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 outstanding album under the composition and lyrics of non other than Shoib Mansoor Sahab. Album name "Junaid of vital signs " Later the album name was changed to "NAAM" OR "TUMHARA AUR MERA NAAM" .This album includes the hits like Pehli Dharkan,Tumhara Mera Nam, Ab Jiya Na Jaye,Barish.
Biddu now lives in Spain with his English wife of 39 years, Sue, and two grown-up children. He started 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 doing 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.
of albums, singles and soundtracks he has produced or composed.
Bangalore
Bengaluru , formerly called Bengaluru is the capital of the Indian state of Karnataka. Bangalore is nicknamed the Garden City and was once called a pensioner's paradise. Located on the Deccan Plateau in the south-eastern part of Karnataka, Bangalore is India's third most populous city and...
, Karnataka
Karnataka
Karnataka , the land of the Kannadigas, is a state in South West India. It was created on 1 November 1956, with the passing of the States Reorganisation Act and this day is annually celebrated as Karnataka Rajyotsava...
, India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
) is an Indian-British
British Indian
The term British Indian refers to citizens of the United Kingdom whose ancestral roots lie in India. This includes people born in the UK who are of Indian descent, and Indian-born people who have migrated to the UK...
music producer, composer, song-writer and singer who produced and composed many hit records worldwide during a career spanning five decades. Considered one of the pioneers of disco
Disco
Disco is a genre of dance music. Disco acts charted high during the mid-1970s, and the genre's popularity peaked during the late 1970s. It had its roots in clubs that catered to African American, gay, psychedelic, and other communities in New York City and Philadelphia during the late 1960s and...
, Euro disco
Euro disco
Euro disco is an all encompassing colloquial term used to describe a variety of European electronic dance music that first originated from disco in the 1970s; incorporating elements of pop, New Wave and rock into disco-like continuous dance atmosphere...
, and Indi-pop, he has sold millions of records worldwide, and has received Grammy
Grammy Award
A Grammy Award — or Grammy — is an accolade by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States to recognize outstanding achievement in the music industry...
and Ivor Novello awards for his work. He began his music career in the 1960s, 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
Embassy (film)
Embassy is a 1972 film based on a spy thriller novel by Stephen Coulter. It was a British film directed by Gordon Hessler, written by John Bird and William Fairchild, and with music scored by Biddu....
, and producing several early disco songs that would find a niche audience in British
British soul
British soul, Brit soul or the British soul invasion is soul music performed by British artists. Soul has been a major influence on British popular music since the 1960s, and American soul was extremely popular among some youth subcultures, such as mods, skinheads and the northern soul movement...
northern soul
Northern soul
Northern soul is a music and dance movement that emerged from the British mod scene, initially in northern England in the late 1960s. Northern soul mainly consists of a particular style of black American soul music based on the heavy beat and fast tempo of the mid-1960s Tamla Motown sound...
clubs during the early 1970s.
His international breakthrough came in 1974 with "Kung Fu Fighting
Kung Fu Fighting
"Kung Fu Fighting" is a disco song written by Jim Brusatto and Vivian Hawke performed by Carl Douglas, and composed and produced by Biddu. It was released as a single in 1974, at the cusp of a chopsocky film craze, and eventually rose to the top of the British and American charts, in addition to...
" performed by Carl Douglas
Carl Douglas
Carl Douglas is a former Jamaican-born, UK-based, singer, best known for his song "Kung Fu Fighting", which hit number one in both the UK Singles Chart and the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 in 1974. The R.I.A.A. awarded gold disc status on 27 November, and it won a Grammy Award for Best Selling Single...
; the song became one of the best-selling singles of all time with eleven million records sold, helped popularize disco music, was the first worldwide disco hit from Britain and Europe, and established Biddu as one of the most prolific dance music
Dance music
Dance music is music composed specifically to facilitate or accompany dancing. It can be either a whole musical piece or part of a larger musical arrangement...
producers from outside the United States at the time. He soon began producing his own instrumental albums under the name Biddu Orchestra, which started an orchestral disco
Disco orchestration
Disco orchestration is the arranging, orchestration, and musical production and recording techniques that went into the production of mid- to late-1970s disco music.-Role of disco orchestration:...
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 a few years, and Jimmy James
Jimmy James (Singer)
Jimmy James is a soul music singer, known for songs like Come To Me Softly, Now Is the Time and I'll Go Where the Music Takes Me.-The Vagabonds:...
; scored soundtracks for several British films such as The Stud (1978); and produced a hit song for late French singer Claude François
Claude François
Claude François was a French pop singer, songwriter and dancer. He wrote "Comme d'habitude," the original version of "My Way."-Early life:...
. Biddu also experimented with electronic disco
Electronic dance music
Electronic dance music is electronic music produced primarily for the purposes of use within a nightclub setting, or in an environment that is centered upon dance-based entertainment...
and Hi-NRG
Hi-NRG
Hi-NRG describes a form of high-tempo disco music as well as a genre of electronic dance music originating in the United States during the late 1970s...
music from the mid-1970s, and influenced British New Wave
New Wave music
New Wave is a subgenre of :rock music that emerged in the mid to late 1970s alongside punk rock. The term at first generally was synonymous with punk rock before being considered a genre in its own right that incorporated aspects of electronic and experimental music, mod subculture, disco and 1960s...
bands such as The Buggles
The Buggles
The Buggles were an English New Wave band consisting of Trevor Horn and Geoff Downes . They are remembered chiefly for their 1979 debut single "Video Killed the Radio Star" that was #1 on the singles chart in 16 countries. Its music video was the first to be shown on MTV in the U.S...
, founded by two of his former session musicians Trevor Horn
Trevor Horn
Trevor Charles Horn CBE is an English pop music record producer, songwriter, musician and singer. He was born in Houghton-le-Spring in north-east England....
and Geoff Downes
Geoff Downes
Geoffrey "Geoff" Downes is an English rock keyboard player, songwriter, best known as the keyboardist for the bands The Buggles, Yes and Asia, of which he is the only consistent member. When he was a keyboardist for The Buggles, he played multiple keyboards to achieve a New Wave technopop sound...
.
Following the decline of disco in the Western world
Western world
The Western world, also known as the West and the Occident , is a term referring to the countries of Western Europe , the countries of the Americas, as well all countries of Northern and Central Europe, Australia and New Zealand...
, he later found success in Asia during the 1980s, where he launched the careers of the late Pakistani pop singer Nazia Hassan
Nazia Hassan
Nazia Hassan was an iconic Pakistani pop singer. Her song "Aap Jaisa Koi" from the Indian film Qurbani made her a legend and pop icon in Pakistan and all of South Asia in the 1980s, where she is admired and loved even today, years after her death...
and her brother Zohaib
Zohaib Hassan
Zoheb Hassan is a self retired Pakistani pop icon, who left the music industry after the sad demise of his sister and sub-continental pop legend, Nazia Hassan.-Career:Zoheb Hassan was born on November 18, 1966....
; he produced their debut album Disco Deewane
Disco Deewane
Disco Deewane is a Pakistani pop album, performed by Pakistani singer Nazia Hassan and produced by the famous Indian producer Biddu, that was released in 1981. It charted in fourteen countries worldwide and became the best-selling Asian pop record up until that time...
, 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
Filmi
Filmi is Indian popular music as written and performed for Indian cinema. Music directors make up the main body of composers; the songs are performed by playback singers and it makes up 72% of the music sales in India....
for films such as Qurbani
Qurbani (1980 film)
Qurbani is a 1980 Indian Bollywood movie. The word "qurbani" means "sacrifice" in English. Produced and directed by Feroz Khan . The film stars Feroz Khan, Vinod Khanna, Zeenat Aman, Amjad Khan, Shakti Kapoor, Aruna Irani, Amrish Puri and Kadar Khan...
(1980) as well as several hit songs for Japanese pop
J-pop
, an abbreviation for Japanese pop, is a musical genre that entered the musical mainstream of Japan in the 1990s. Modern J-pop has its roots in 1960s music, such as The Beatles, and replaced kayōkyoku in the Japanese music scene...
idol Akina Nakamori
Akina Nakamori
is a Japanese pop singer and actress. She was one of the most popular singers of the 1980s in Japan. She is known for her deep, power-house voice....
and Chinese pop
C-pop
C-pop is an abbreviation for Chinese popular music , a loosely defined musical genre by artists originating from mainland China, Hong Kong, and Taiwan. Others come from countries where the Chinese language is used by a large number of the population, such as Singapore and Malaysia...
singer Samantha Lam. In the 1990s, he popularized Indi-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
Alisha Chinai
Alisha Chinai in Gujarati family and an Indian pop singer known for her several albums as well as playback singing in Hindi cinema.-Career:...
, after which he would launch the careers of several more Indi-pop acts such as Shaan
Shaan (singer)
Shaan , is an Indian playback singer, and television host. He hosted the shows Sa Re Ga Ma Pa, Sa Re Ga Ma Pa L'il Champs, Star Voice of India and "Star Voice of India 2"...
and his sister Sagarika
Sagarika
K-15 Sagarika is a nuclear-capable submarine launched ballistic missile with a range of .-Development:...
as well as Sonu Nigam
Sonu Nigam
Sonu Nigam is an Indian playback singer whose songs have been featured in numerous Hindi movies, as well as films in Assamese, Punjabi, Bengali, Marathi and Kannada language. He has also released numerous Indi-pop albums and acted in a few Hindi feature films...
. In the 2000s, Biddu has been active in the Western
Western culture
Western culture, sometimes equated with Western civilization or European civilization, refers to cultures of European origin and is used very broadly to refer to a heritage of social norms, ethical values, traditional customs, religious beliefs, political systems, and specific artifacts and...
and Indian music
Music of India
The music of India includes multiple varieties of folk, popular, pop, classical music and R&B. India's classical music tradition, including Carnatic and Hindustani music, has a history spanning millennia and developed over several eras. It remains fundamental to the lives of Indians today as...
scenes producing albums which are more spiritual and Eastern-oriented.
Early career (1960s)
Biddu's family originally hailed from KodaguKodagu
Kodagu , also known by its anglicised former name of Coorg, is an administrative district in Karnataka, India. It occupies an area of in the Western Ghats of southwestern Karnataka. As of 2001, the population was 548,561, 13.74% of which resided in the district's urban centres, making it the least...
in the Karnataka
Karnataka
Karnataka , the land of the Kannadigas, is a state in South West India. It was created on 1 November 1956, with the passing of the States Reorganisation Act and this day is annually celebrated as Karnataka Rajyotsava...
state of India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
, but he was born and brought up in the city of Bangalore
Bangalore
Bengaluru , formerly called Bengaluru is the capital of the Indian state of Karnataka. Bangalore is nicknamed the Garden City and was once called a pensioner's paradise. Located on the Deccan Plateau in the south-eastern part of Karnataka, Bangalore is India's third most populous city and...
, also in Karnataka, India. He carries the clan name of Chendrimada. In the 1960s, as a youth, he developed a liking for the then new pop
Pop music
Pop music is usually understood to be commercially recorded music, often oriented toward a youth market, usually consisting of relatively short, simple songs utilizing technological innovations to produce new variations on existing themes.- Definitions :David Hatch and Stephen Millward define pop...
and rock
Rock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
music, as he said in a media interview, listening to pop hits played on the shortwave radio band of Radio Ceylon
Radio Ceylon
Radio Ceylon is the oldest radio station in Asia. Broadcasting was started on an experimental basis in Ceylon by the Telegraph Department in 1923, just three years after the inauguration of broadcasting in Europe.- Edward Harper :...
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
Bangalore
Bengaluru , formerly called Bengaluru is the capital of the Indian state of Karnataka. Bangalore is nicknamed the Garden City and was once called a pensioner's paradise. Located on the Deccan Plateau in the south-eastern part of Karnataka, Bangalore is India's third most populous city and...
, 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 belting out cover versions of The Beatles
The Beatles
The Beatles were an English rock band, active throughout the 1960s and one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music. Formed in Liverpool, by 1962 the group consisted of John Lennon , Paul McCartney , George Harrison and Ringo Starr...
, The Rolling Stones
The Rolling Stones
The Rolling Stones are an English rock band, formed in London in April 1962 by Brian Jones , Ian Stewart , Mick Jagger , and Keith Richards . Bassist Bill Wyman and drummer Charlie Watts completed the early line-up...
, Trini Lopez
Trini Lopez
Trini Lopez is an American singer, guitarist and actor.-Career:Lopez was born in Dallas, Texas, on Ashland Street in the Little Mexico neighborhood. He began his entertainment career in Dallas playing at the Vegas Club, a nightclub owned by Jack Ruby...
and hits of other Western stars of the day, in the clubs of Bangalore
Bangalore
Bengaluru , formerly called Bengaluru is the capital of the Indian state of Karnataka. Bangalore is nicknamed the Garden City and was once called a pensioner's paradise. Located on the Deccan Plateau in the south-eastern part of Karnataka, Bangalore is India's third most populous city and...
and also other Indian cities, such as Calcutta and Bombay. The band, however, split after a while, with Ken Gnanakan deciding to study, leaving Biddu alone in the business, playing under the name 'Lone Trojan'. As the 'Lone Trojan' he played to enthusiastic crowds in a fancy night club called "Venice" in Bombay located opp. the Eros movie theater.
Biddu had a penchant for even bigger things in popular music, and in 1967 decamped for England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, with less money and a journey through the Middle East
Middle East
The Middle East is a region that encompasses Western Asia and Northern Africa. It is often used as a synonym for Near East, in opposition to Far East...
, which he mostly made on doles handed out for singing catchy numbers and playing guitar everywhere he could. A few months after leaving India, at the age of 23, Biddu arrived in England, the country where he had dreamt of making it big; as he said in an interview to the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
, years later: "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 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 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 ever 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
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
's most famous band at the time, and written by the Bee Gees
Bee Gees
The Bee Gees are a musical group that originally comprised three brothers: Barry, Robin, and Maurice Gibb. The trio was successful for most of their 40-plus years of recording music, but they had two distinct periods of exceptional success: as a pop act in the late 1960s and early 1970s, and as a...
. Since the band did not speak English, Biddu had to show them how to sing the English lyrics phonetically
Phonetics
Phonetics is a branch of linguistics that comprises the study of the sounds of human speech, or—in the case of sign languages—the equivalent aspects of sign. It is concerned with the physical properties of speech sounds or signs : their physiological production, acoustic properties, auditory...
. Following its release that year, the song topped the charts in Japan. His success abroad in Japan would later pave the way for his later success back in Britain.
Euro disco scene (1970s)
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 soulNorthern soul
Northern soul is a music and dance movement that emerged from the British mod scene, initially in northern England in the late 1960s. Northern soul mainly consists of a particular style of black American soul music based on the heavy beat and fast tempo of the mid-1960s Tamla Motown sound...
clubs, in places like Wigan
Wigan
Wigan is a town in Greater Manchester, England. It stands on the River Douglas, south-west of Bolton, north of Warrington and west-northwest of Manchester. Wigan is the largest settlement in the Metropolitan Borough of Wigan and is its administrative centre. The town of Wigan had a total...
and Blackpool
Blackpool
Blackpool is a borough, seaside town, and unitary authority area of Lancashire, in North West England. It is situated along England's west coast by the Irish Sea, between the Ribble and Wyre estuaries, northwest of Preston, north of Liverpool, and northwest of Manchester...
, which were more receptive to Biddu's early disco sounds due to northern soul being 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
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
at around the same time.
In 1972, Biddu scored music for the UK spy thriller Embassy
Embassy (film)
Embassy is a 1972 film based on a spy thriller novel by Stephen Coulter. It was a British film directed by Gordon Hessler, written by John Bird and William Fairchild, and with music scored by Biddu....
. Around this time, he also started working with UK-based Jamaican-born musician Carl Douglas
Carl Douglas
Carl Douglas is a former Jamaican-born, UK-based, singer, best known for his song "Kung Fu Fighting", which hit number one in both the UK Singles Chart and the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 in 1974. The R.I.A.A. awarded gold disc status on 27 November, and it won a Grammy Award for Best Selling Single...
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
Kung Fu Fighting
"Kung Fu Fighting" is a disco song written by Jim Brusatto and Vivian Hawke performed by Carl Douglas, and composed and produced by Biddu. It was released as a single in 1974, at the cusp of a chopsocky film craze, and eventually rose to the top of the British and American charts, in addition to...
", in just 10 minutes. Later, at the insistence of A & R at Pye Records, "Kung Fu Fighting" was put on the A-side. Soon after release in 1974, "Kung Fu Fighting" became a worldwide hit, topping charts around the world, ultimately selling eleven million copies worldwide. In 1974, it received a Gold certification
RIAA certification
In the United States, the Recording Industry Association of America awards certification based on the number of albums and singles sold through retail and other ancillary markets. Other countries have similar awards...
from the RIAA
Recording Industry Association of America
The Recording Industry Association of America is a trade organization that represents the recording industry distributors in the United States...
, and won the Grammy Award
Grammy Award
A Grammy Award — or Grammy — is an accolade by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States to recognize outstanding achievement in the music industry...
for Best Selling Single. Shortly after, Biddu also produced Carl Douglas' debut LP (album) Kung Fu Fighter, which produced another major hit, "Dance The Kung Fu". He soon begame established him as one of the key figures in Britain's soul
British soul
British soul, Brit soul or the British soul invasion is soul music performed by British artists. Soul has been a major influence on British popular music since the 1960s, and American soul was extremely popular among some youth subcultures, such as mods, skinheads and the northern soul movement...
and disco scenes during the 1970s, working with a variety of British soul and disco artists, including Tina Charles, The Outriders, and Jimmy James
Jimmy James (Singer)
Jimmy James is a soul music singer, known for songs like Come To Me Softly, Now Is the Time and I'll Go Where the Music Takes Me.-The Vagabonds:...
.
In 1975, Biddu recorded and released the instrumental LP Blue Eyed Soul, and watched his own star rise even further as the album's first single, "Summer of '42", climbed to #14 on the UK chart spending a full two months there and then had similar success in the US, topping the Dance Music/Club Play Singles chart and reaching #57 on the Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
. Another single from the album, "Jump for Joy", also topped the Dance Music/Club Play Singles chart in the US while reaching #72 on the Billboard Hot 100 there in 1976. In the Billboard Year-End
Billboard Year-End
Billboard Year-End charts are a cumulative measure of a single or album's performance in the United States, based upon the Billboard magazine charts during any given chart year. Billboard's "chart year" runs from the first week of December to the final week in November...
chart, "Jump For Joy" was ranked #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
John Howard (singer-songwriter)
John Howard is an English singer-songwriter, pianist and recording artist. With his February 1975 debut album Kid in a Big World , Howard emerged as a late voice of the glam-pop wave of the early 1970s...
. Around the same time, a friend introduced Biddu to Tina Charles, a singer who had had some success singing lead vocals for the group 5000 Volts
5000 Volts
5000 Volts is the name of a British disco recording act that achieved success throughout Europe during the 1970s. The group consisted of vocalists Tina Charles and Martin Jay, with a changing group of session musicians.-Career:...
. 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)
I Love to Love (But My Baby Loves to Dance)
"I Love to Love " was a popular single by Tina Charles, from her debut album, I Love to Love; the song was composed by Jack Robinson and James Bolden...
" 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 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
Ivor Novello Awards
The Ivor Novello Awards, named after the Cardiff born entertainer Ivor Novello, are awards for songwriting and composing. They are presented annually in London by the British Academy of Songwriters, Composers and Authors and were first introduced in 1955.Nicknamed The Ivors, the awards take place...
, including the "Songwriter of the Year" award. Around this same time, he began experimenting with electronic music
Electronic music
Electronic music is music that employs electronic musical instruments and electronic music technology in its production. In general a distinction can be made between sound produced using electromechanical means and that produced using electronic technology. Examples of electromechanical sound...
in some of his disco songs, making use of electronic musical instrument
Electronic musical instrument
An electronic musical instrument is a musical instrument that produces its sounds using electronics. Such an instrument sounds by outputting an electrical audio signal that ultimately drives a loudspeaker....
s such as keyboards and synthesizer
Synthesizer
A synthesizer is an electronic instrument capable of producing sounds by generating electrical signals of different frequencies. These electrical signals are played through a loudspeaker or set of headphones...
s. Some of his early examples of electronic disco
Electronic dance music
Electronic dance music is electronic music produced primarily for the purposes of use within a nightclub setting, or in an environment that is centered upon dance-based entertainment...
include the early boogie
Boogie (genre)
Boogie is an electronic/funk-influenced variation of post-disco.Boogie, as one of the post-disco subgenres, lacks the four-on-the-floor beat, which is a "traditional" rhythm of disco music. Aside from the moderate influence of synthpop, boogie heavily draws from funk music...
song "Bionic Boogie" from his 1976 album Rain Forest; 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
Hi-NRG
Hi-NRG describes a form of high-tempo disco music as well as a genre of electronic dance music originating in the United States during the late 1970s...
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 a tempo
Tempo
In musical terminology, tempo is the speed or pace of a given piece. Tempo is a crucial element of any musical composition, as it can affect the mood and difficulty of a piece.-Measuring tempo:...
of 130 beats per minute. His backing tracks also had a strong influence on the British New Wave
New Wave music
New Wave is a subgenre of :rock music that emerged in the mid to late 1970s alongside punk rock. The term at first generally was synonymous with punk rock before being considered a genre in its own right that incorporated aspects of electronic and experimental music, mod subculture, disco and 1960s...
band The Buggles
The Buggles
The Buggles were an English New Wave band consisting of Trevor Horn and Geoff Downes . They are remembered chiefly for their 1979 debut single "Video Killed the Radio Star" that was #1 on the singles chart in 16 countries. Its music video was the first to be shown on MTV in the U.S...
, founded by two of Biddu's former session musicians, Trevor Horn
Trevor Horn
Trevor Charles Horn CBE is an English pop music record producer, songwriter, musician and singer. He was born in Houghton-le-Spring in north-east England....
and Geoff Downes
Geoff Downes
Geoffrey "Geoff" Downes is an English rock keyboard player, songwriter, best known as the keyboardist for the bands The Buggles, Yes and Asia, of which he is the only consistent member. When he was a keyboardist for The Buggles, he played multiple keyboards to achieve a New Wave technopop sound...
, who are most famous for writing the hit song "Video Killed the Radio Star
Video Killed the Radio Star
"Video Killed the Radio Star" is a song by the British synthpop/New Wave group The Buggles, released as their debut single on 7 September 1979, on Island Records from their debut album The Age of Plastic. It celebrates the golden days of radio, describing a singer whose career is cut short by...
" in 1979.
In 1977, he worked on the Life LP of veteran Jamaican-born soul singer Jimmy James
Jimmy James (Singer)
Jimmy James is a soul music singer, known for songs like Come To Me Softly, Now Is the Time and I'll Go Where the Music Takes Me.-The Vagabonds:...
, which churned out two smash disco hits I'll Go Where your Music Takes Me and Disco Fever. In early 1978, Biddu's own Journey to the Moon was a hit, peaking at #41 in the UK. That same year, he scored the music for the English film The Stud, starring Joan Collins
Joan Collins
Joan Henrietta Collins, OBE , is an English actress, author, and columnist. Born in Paddington and raised in Maida Vale, Collins grew up during the Second World War. At the age of nine, she made her stage debut in A Doll's House and after attending school, she was classically trained as an actress...
; the film's soundtrack was successful on the UK Albums Chart
UK Albums Chart
The UK Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales in the United Kingdom. It is compiled every week by The Official Charts Company and broadcast on a Sunday on BBC Radio 1 , and published in Music Week magazine and on the OCC website .To qualify for the UK albums chart...
, where it reached #2. He also produced the soundtrack for its sequel, The Bitch
The Bitch (film)
The Bitch is a British film released in 1979. It is a sequel to The Stud , and both films were based on novels by British author Jackie Collins. Like its predecessor, the film starred her sister, Joan Collins, as Fontaine Khaled.-Plot:...
, in 1979. During the late 1970s, Biddu also had a hit in France with the late Claude François
Claude François
Claude François was a French pop singer, songwriter and dancer. He wrote "Comme d'habitude," the original version of "My Way."-Early life:...
, for whom he produced the song "Laisse Une Chance A Notre Amour".
Biddu worked with various musicians including some players from Manchester and Liverpool who had worked on sessions with Tina Charles till the late 1970s, after which disco music slowly began to wane as funk, New Wave and electronic music
Electronic music
Electronic music is music that employs electronic musical instruments and electronic music technology in its production. In general a distinction can be made between sound produced using electromechanical means and that produced using electronic technology. Examples of electromechanical sound...
began taking centre-stage in Western popular music, taking with it Biddu's established place in the Western music scene, despite his early attempts at producing electronic synthpop
Synthpop
Synthpop is a genre of popular music that first became prominent in the 1980s, in which the synthesizer is the dominant musical instrument. It was prefigured in the 1960s and early 1970s by the use of synthesizers in progressive rock, electronic art rock, disco and particularly the "Kraut rock" of...
music, such as his 1980 song "Small Talk" for Amy. Nevertheless, he soon found himself spinning out hits working in another part of the world, Asia
Asia
Asia is the world's largest and most populous continent, located primarily in the eastern and northern hemispheres. It covers 8.7% of the Earth's total surface area and with approximately 3.879 billion people, it hosts 60% of the world's current human population...
.
Success in Asia (1980s)
In the late 1970s, Western disco was getting popular in AsiaAsia
Asia is the world's largest and most populous continent, located primarily in the eastern and northern hemispheres. It covers 8.7% of the Earth's total surface area and with approximately 3.879 billion people, it hosts 60% of the world's current human population...
and particularly in India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
, where there was not yet any home-bred musician who could belt out a disco tune or two with ease and authority. It was this reason that led established Indian filmmaker
Cinema of India
The cinema of India consists of films produced across India, which includes the cinematic culture of Andhra Pradesh, Assam, Gujarat, Haryana, Jammu and Kashmir, Karnataka, Kerala, Maharashtra, Orissa, Punjab, Tamil Nadu, and West Bengal. Indian films came to be followed throughout South Asia and...
and actor Feroz Khan
Feroz Khan
Feroz Khan was an Indian actor, film editor, producer and director in the Hindi film industry...
to England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
and to Biddu, in 1979. Khan wanted to introduce a catchy song in his upcoming Hindi film
Bollywood
Bollywood is the informal term popularly used for the Hindi-language film industry based in Mumbai , Maharashtra, India. The term is often incorrectly used to refer to the whole of Indian cinema; it is only a part of the total Indian film industry, which includes other production centers producing...
, Qurbani
Qurbani (1980 film)
Qurbani is a 1980 Indian Bollywood movie. The word "qurbani" means "sacrifice" in English. Produced and directed by Feroz Khan . The film stars Feroz Khan, Vinod Khanna, Zeenat Aman, Amjad Khan, Shakti Kapoor, Aruna Irani, Amrish Puri and Kadar Khan...
, in which the main score of the film was to be legendary Indian music duo, Kalyanji Anandji
Kalyanji Anandji
Kalyanji Anandji is a name used by Indian composer duo known for its work on Hindi film soundtracks, particularly action potboilers in the 1970s. The name comes from first names of the two Gujarati brothers that formed the duo, Kalyanji Virji Shah and Anandji Virji Shah...
. Biddu initially wasn't 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
Nazia Hassan
Nazia Hassan was an iconic Pakistani pop singer. Her song "Aap Jaisa Koi" from the Indian film Qurbani made her a legend and pop icon in Pakistan and all of South Asia in the 1980s, where she is admired and loved even today, years after her death...
at a party in London. Khan later requested Hassan have an audition with Biddu. Biddu later signed her up for the song he was composing for Qurbani.
It did not take a long time for Biddu to compose "Aap Jaisa Koi
Aap Jaisa Koi
"Aap Jaisa Koi" is a 1980 Indian Hindi-Urdu song from the film Qurbani. It was composed by Biddu and was sung by the Pakistani singer, Nazia Hassan. It was Nazia's first song. The song was featured in the film as an item number.-History:...
" 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
Nasal voice
A nasal voice is a type of speaking voice characterized by speech with a "nasal" quality to it. It can also occur naturally because of genetic variation...
, Biddu decided to backtrack it for an echo
Echo (phenomenon)
In audio signal processing and acoustics, an echo is a reflection of sound, arriving at the listener some time after the direct sound. Typical examples are the echo produced by the bottom of a well, by a building, or by the walls of an enclosed room and an empty room. A true echo is a single...
effect. The song which 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 massive hit across the Indian subcontinent.
Riding on the massive popularity of the song and the film, Biddu decided to sign Hassan and her brother Zoheb up for a Hindi pop album, something hitherto not tried in India. Biddu modelled them on the then popular American brother-sister duo, The Carpenters
The Carpenters
Carpenters were an American vocal and instrumental duo, consisting of sister Karen and brother Richard Carpenter. The Carpenters were the #1 selling American music act of the 1970s. Though often referred to by the public as "The Carpenters", the duo's official name on authorized recordings and...
. Biddu composed a few catchy numbers for Nazia and Zoheb for the album Disco Deewane
Disco Deewane
Disco Deewane is a Pakistani pop album, performed by Pakistani singer Nazia Hassan and produced by the famous Indian producer Biddu, that was released in 1981. It charted in fourteen countries worldwide and became the best-selling Asian pop record up until that time...
. In 1981, the album was a massive hit across Asia, South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
, and some countries in South America
South America
South America is a continent situated in the Western Hemisphere, mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere. The continent is also considered a subcontinent of the Americas. It is bordered on the west by the Pacific Ocean and on the north and east...
(particularly Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
where it topped the charts), charting in 14 countries. The album became the best-selling Asian pop album up until that time. The 15 year old teenage Pakistani singer
Pakistani pop music
Pakistani pop music refers to popular music forms in Pakistan. Pakistani pop is a mixture of traditional Pakistani classical music and western influences of jazz, rock and roll, hip-hop and disco sung in various languages of Pakistan, including Urdu language...
Nazia Hassan became a household name across the South Asia
South Asia
South Asia, also known as Southern Asia, is the southern region of the Asian continent, which comprises the sub-Himalayan countries and, for some authorities , also includes the adjoining countries to the west and the east...
n subcontinent as a result and Biddu saw his stars rise across the region. Disco Deewane was followed by the production of three more heavy hitters with Nazia and Zohaib; Star/Boom Boom
Star/Boom Boom
Star/Boom Boom is the second music album of famous brother and sister duo Nazia Hassan & Zohaib Hassan released in 1982. A movie was made on the music in Bollywood called Star....
in 1982 (the number "Boom Boom" from the album and film Star
Star (1982 film)
Star is a Bollywood movie made in 1982, starring Kumar Gaurav, Rati Agnihotri, Raj Kiran, Saeed Jaffrey, A.K. Hangal, Dina Pathak and Padmini Kolhapure. It had a very successful soundtrack released as Star/Boom Boom, produced by Biddu and sung by Nazia Hassan....
was a big hit), then the album Young Tarang
Young Tarang
Young Tarang was the third music album of the duo sensation Nazia Hassan and Zohaib Hassan released in 1984. It is one of the most famous albums of Asia. It was the first Asian album to feature music videos. The album sold over 60 million copies....
1984 two years later, before winding up again with the duo in 1987 with Hotline
Hotline (Nazia and Zohaib Hassan album)
Hotline was the fourth music album of the first pop singers of the sub-continent Nazia Hassan & Zohaib Hassan released in 1987. It was the most selling album of the duo after Disco deewane.-Track listing:# Telephone Pyar - Nazia Hassan & Zahra Hassan...
. The duo went on to sell as many as 60 million records worldwide.
Beyond Southern Asia, he also had some success in another part of Asia, the Far East
Far East
The Far East is an English term mostly describing East Asia and Southeast Asia, with South Asia sometimes also included for economic and cultural reasons.The term came into use in European geopolitical discourse in the 19th century,...
. After having previously had a chart-topping hit in Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
with The Tigers in 1969, he returned there to work with the popular Japanese idol
Japanese idol
In Japanese culture, are media personalities in their teens and early twenties who are considered particularly attractive or cute and who will, for a period ranging from several months to a few years, regularly appear in the mass media, e.g...
and J-pop
J-pop
, an abbreviation for Japanese pop, is a musical genre that entered the musical mainstream of Japan in the 1990s. Modern J-pop has its roots in 1960s music, such as The Beatles, and replaced kayōkyoku in the Japanese music scene...
singer Akina Nakamori
Akina Nakamori
is a Japanese pop singer and actress. She was one of the most popular singers of the 1980s in Japan. She is known for her deep, power-house voice....
, 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 charts and sold around 300,000 copies. He produced several more hit songs for Akina Nakamori, including 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
Hong Kong
Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
, where he produced and composed the song "傷心戲院" ("Sad Theater") for C-pop
C-pop
C-pop is an abbreviation for Chinese popular music , a loosely defined musical genre by artists originating from mainland China, Hong Kong, and Taiwan. Others come from countries where the Chinese language is used by a large number of the population, such as Singapore and Malaysia...
singer Samantha Lam in 1988.
Indi-pop scene (1990s)
Having spent nearly a decade with the Nazia-Zohaib pair, Biddu next turned his attention to Hindi vocalist Shweta ShettyShweta Shetty
Shweta Shetty is an Indian pop singer known for her albums and for her contributions to Bollywood film soundtracks. She currently lives in Hamburg. She is married to a German, Christian Brandt.Her song johnny joker was a famous one....
, both writing and producing the Johnny Joker album in 1993. Then in 1995, came another sensational pop album, composed and produced by Biddu. Made in India - a remarkable dance album for Hindi pop/film playback singer Alisha Chinai
Alisha Chinai
Alisha Chinai in Gujarati family and an Indian pop singer known for her several albums as well as playback singing in Hindi cinema.-Career:...
. The album became the best selling Hindi dance album ever and featured a slick handful of Western styled videos - a sure selling point for India's newly-launched MTV set. It topped the Indian charts, where it remained for over a year, and sold over 5 million copies in India.
In 1996, Biddu made a brother-sister duo again with Shaan
Shaan (singer)
Shaan , is an Indian playback singer, and television host. He hosted the shows Sa Re Ga Ma Pa, Sa Re Ga Ma Pa L'il Champs, Star Voice of India and "Star Voice of India 2"...
(Shantanu Mukherjee) and Sagarika Mukherjee
Sagarika
K-15 Sagarika is a nuclear-capable submarine launched ballistic missile with a range of .-Development:...
, producing the Naujawan album. Biddu spent the rest of the 1990s working with a variety of musicians, including the Indian girl-group "The Models", and Sonu Nigam
Sonu Nigam
Sonu Nigam is an Indian playback singer whose songs have been featured in numerous Hindi movies, as well as films in Assamese, Punjabi, Bengali, Marathi and Kannada language. He has also released numerous Indi-pop albums and acted in a few Hindi feature films...
, as well as continuing his collaboration with Alisha Chinai
Alisha Chinai
Alisha Chinai in Gujarati family and an Indian pop singer known for her several albums as well as playback singing in Hindi cinema.-Career:...
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 was an ambitious 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 outstanding album under the composition and lyrics of non other than Shoib Mansoor Sahab. Album name "Junaid of vital signs " Later the album name was changed to "NAAM" OR "TUMHARA AUR MERA NAAM" .This album includes the hits like Pehli Dharkan,Tumhara Mera Nam, Ab Jiya Na Jaye,Barish.
Experiments in fusion (2000s)
In 2004, Biddu re-emerged with a new genre to soothe the soul of western audiences. the album Diamond Sutra, inspired by the tragic events of 9/11, has Sanskrit chants and a painting of Buddha on the front cover of the album, shaping Biddu's concern of the world in danger of self-destruction. He is also critical of American arrogance and what he describes as an "I, me, my society," but insists he is not trying to lecture or moralise through his music.Biddu now lives in Spain with his English wife of 39 years, Sue, and two grown-up children. He started 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 doing live performances as a singer. In 2010, Biddu won an "Outstanding Achievement" award at the UK Asian Music Awards
UK Asian Music Awards
The UK Asian Music Awards, also known by the abbreviation UK AMA, is an award show that is held annually in the United Kingdom since 2002. It is presented by B4U Music since 2008...
(UK AMAs), and he was also awarded the "Lifetime Achievement Award" at the JD Rock Awards in India that same year.
Discography
The following is a selected discographyDiscography
Discography is the study and listing of the details concerning sound recordings, often by specified artists or within identified musical genres...
of albums, singles and soundtracks he has produced or composed.
Albums
- Carl DouglasCarl DouglasCarl Douglas is a former Jamaican-born, UK-based, singer, best known for his song "Kung Fu Fighting", which hit number one in both the UK Singles Chart and the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 in 1974. The R.I.A.A. awarded gold disc status on 27 November, and it won a Grammy Award for Best Selling Single...
— Kung Fu Fighting and Other Great Love SongsKung Fu Fighting"Kung Fu Fighting" is a disco song written by Jim Brusatto and Vivian Hawke performed by Carl Douglas, and composed and produced by Biddu. It was released as a single in 1974, at the cusp of a chopsocky film craze, and eventually rose to the top of the British and American charts, in addition to...
(1974) - Jimmy JamesJimmy James (Singer)Jimmy James is a soul music singer, known for songs like Come To Me Softly, Now Is the Time and I'll Go Where the Music Takes Me.-The Vagabonds:...
— You Don't Stand a Chance if You Can't Dance (1975) - John HowardJohn Howard (singer-songwriter)John Howard is an English singer-songwriter, pianist and recording artist. With his February 1975 debut album Kid in a Big World , Howard emerged as a late voice of the glam-pop wave of the early 1970s...
— Can You Hear Me OK? (1975, unreleased; 2005) - Lee VanderbiltLee VanderbiltLee Vanderbilt was born in the mid 1930s in San Fernando, Trinidad, moving to the United Kingdom in the late 1950s. In 1964 he signed his first record deal using the stage name, "Ebony Keyes", with Parlophone Records, releasing two songs, "Brother Joe" and "Under the Apple Tree"...
-– Get Into What You're In (1977) - Tina Charles — I Love to Love (1976)
- Jimmy James — Life (1977)
- Tina Charles — Rendezvous (1977)
- Tina Charles — Greatest Hits (1978)
- Kelly MarieKelly MarieKelly Marie is a Scottish disco singer. Her only notable hit was "Feels Like I'm in Love", a #1 hit in the UK in 1980.-Early career:...
— Feels Like I'm in Love (1981) - Nazia HassanNazia HassanNazia Hassan was an iconic Pakistani pop singer. Her song "Aap Jaisa Koi" from the Indian film Qurbani made her a legend and pop icon in Pakistan and all of South Asia in the 1980s, where she is admired and loved even today, years after her death...
— Disco DeewaneDisco DeewaneDisco Deewane is a Pakistani pop album, performed by Pakistani singer Nazia Hassan and produced by the famous Indian producer Biddu, that was released in 1981. It charted in fourteen countries worldwide and became the best-selling Asian pop record up until that time...
(1981) - Nazia Hassan & Zohaib HassanZohaib HassanZoheb Hassan is a self retired Pakistani pop icon, who left the music industry after the sad demise of his sister and sub-continental pop legend, Nazia Hassan.-Career:Zoheb Hassan was born on November 18, 1966....
— Star/Boom BoomStar/Boom BoomStar/Boom Boom is the second music album of famous brother and sister duo Nazia Hassan & Zohaib Hassan released in 1982. A movie was made on the music in Bollywood called Star....
(1982) - Nazia Hassan & Zohaib Hassan — Young TarangYoung TarangYoung Tarang was the third music album of the duo sensation Nazia Hassan and Zohaib Hassan released in 1984. It is one of the most famous albums of Asia. It was the first Asian album to feature music videos. The album sold over 60 million copies....
(1984) - Nazia Hassan & Zohaib Hassan — HotlineHotline (Nazia and Zohaib Hassan album)Hotline was the fourth music album of the first pop singers of the sub-continent Nazia Hassan & Zohaib Hassan released in 1987. It was the most selling album of the duo after Disco deewane.-Track listing:# Telephone Pyar - Nazia Hassan & Zahra Hassan...
(1987) - Alisha ChinaiAlisha ChinaiAlisha Chinai in Gujarati family and an Indian pop singer known for her several albums as well as playback singing in Hindi cinema.-Career:...
— Made in India (1995) - The PearlsThe PearlsThe Pearls were a 1970s girl vocal duo from Liverpool, England, featuring Lyn Cornell and Ann Simmons. They released a number of singles, the most successful being "Guilty", which reached #10 in the UK Singles Chart in June 1974.-Career:...
— A String of Pearls (2005) - Sophie ChoudrySophie ChoudrySophie Choudry is an Indian film actress, singer, former MTV India VJ and occasional model and anchor.-Early life:...
— Le Mera Dil (2008)
Singles
- The Tigers — "Smile for Me" (1969)
- The Showstoppers — "Action Speaks Louder Than Words" (1971)
- Carl Douglas — "Ain't No Use" (1972)
- Jimmy James — "A Man Like Me" (1972)
- The Flirtations — "Love A Little Longer" (1972)
- Mac and Katie KissoonMac and Katie KissoonMac and Katie Kissoon is a male / female vocal duo, consisting of brother and sister Mac Kissoon and Katie Kissoon...
— "Beautiful World Out There" (1973) - The Black Knights — "Billy Gunn" (1973)
- The Playthings — "Stop What You're Doing" (1973)
- Carl Douglas — "Kung Fu FightingKung Fu Fighting"Kung Fu Fighting" is a disco song written by Jim Brusatto and Vivian Hawke performed by Carl Douglas, and composed and produced by Biddu. It was released as a single in 1974, at the cusp of a chopsocky film craze, and eventually rose to the top of the British and American charts, in addition to...
" (1974) - The Pearls — "Doctor Love" (1974)
- The Playthings — "Surrounded By A Ray Of Sunshine" (1974)
- Tina Charles — "One Broken Heart For Sale" (1974)
- Carl Douglas — "Blue Eyed Soul" (1975)
- Jimmy James — "You Don't Stand a Chance (If You Can't Dance)" (1975)
- John Howard — "I Got My Lady" (1975)
- Tina Charles — "You Set My Heart On Fire" (1975)
- Biddu — "Groovy Kind Of LoveA Groovy Kind of Love"A Groovy Kind of Love" is a pop song written by Toni Wine and Carol Bayer for the Screen Gems music publishing company. It is heavily based on the Rondo movement of Sonatina in G major, op. 36 no. 5 by Muzio Clementi...
" (1976) - Jimmy James — "Now Is the Time" (1976)
- Tina Charles — "Dance Little Lady Dance" (1976)
- Tina Charles — "I Love to Love (But My Baby Loves to Dance)I Love to Love (But My Baby Loves to Dance)"I Love to Love " was a popular single by Tina Charles, from her debut album, I Love to Love; the song was composed by Jack Robinson and James Bolden...
" (1976) - Tina Charles — "Love Me Like A Lover" (1976)
- Claude FrançoisClaude FrançoisClaude François was a French pop singer, songwriter and dancer. He wrote "Comme d'habitude," the original version of "My Way."-Early life:...
— "Laisse Une Chance A Notre Amour" (1978) - The Real Thing — "Let's Go Disco" (1978)
- Captain Zorro — "Phantasm" (1979)
- Amy — "Small Talk" (1980)
- Akina NakamoriAkina Nakamoriis a Japanese pop singer and actress. She was one of the most popular singers of the 1980s in Japan. She is known for her deep, power-house voice....
— "Don't Tell Me This is Love" (1985) - Akina Nakamori — "The Look That Kills" (1987)
- Akina Nakamori — "Blonde" (1987)
- Samantha Lam — "傷心戲院" ("Sad Theater") (1988)
- Caron — "You'll Always Have A Friend" (1992)
- Nazia Hassan — "Boom Boom: The Biddu Experience '95" (1995)
- Bus StopBus Stop (band)Bus Stop were a British dance act best known for their single "Kung Fu Fighting", which reached #8 in the UK Singles Chart in June 1998. The song sampled the original vocals by Carl Douglas, the original being a UK #1 hit in 1974, with added rap verses. The group then released three further...
— "Kung Fu Fighting" (1998) - Brighouse and Rastrick Brass BandBrighouse and Rastrick Brass BandThe Brighouse and Rastrick Brass Band was formed in 1881. It is based in Brighouse, in Calderdale, West Yorkshire, United Kingdom.-History:The Brighouse and Rastrick Band is regarded by many as the best and most consistent ‘public subscription band’ in the world...
— "I'll Go Where Your Music Takes Me" (1999)
Albums
- Blue Eyed Soul (1975)
- Rain Forest (1976)
- Funky Tropical (1977)
- Journey to the Moon (1977)
- Soul Coaxing / Nirvana (1977)
- Journey to the Moon / Journey in the Rain (1977)
- Eastern Man (1977)
- Disco Gold (1978)
- Futuristic Journey (1978)
- Dance of Shiva (1985)
- Diamond Sutra (2004)
Singles
- "Summer of '42" (1975)
- "Jump for Joy" (1975)
- "Bionic Boogie" (1976)
- "Soul Coaxing" (1977)
- "Voodoo Man" (1979)
Soundtracks
Biddu has scored or produced the soundtracks for the following films.- EmbassyEmbassy (film)Embassy is a 1972 film based on a spy thriller novel by Stephen Coulter. It was a British film directed by Gordon Hessler, written by John Bird and William Fairchild, and with music scored by Biddu....
(1972) - The Stud (1978)
- The BitchThe Bitch (film)The Bitch is a British film released in 1979. It is a sequel to The Stud , and both films were based on novels by British author Jackie Collins. Like its predecessor, the film starred her sister, Joan Collins, as Fontaine Khaled.-Plot:...
(1979) - Flat Bust (1979)
- QurbaniQurbani (1980 film)Qurbani is a 1980 Indian Bollywood movie. The word "qurbani" means "sacrifice" in English. Produced and directed by Feroz Khan . The film stars Feroz Khan, Vinod Khanna, Zeenat Aman, Amjad Khan, Shakti Kapoor, Aruna Irani, Amrish Puri and Kadar Khan...
(soundtrack released 1979, film released 1980) - StarStar (1982 film)Star is a Bollywood movie made in 1982, starring Kumar Gaurav, Rati Agnihotri, Raj Kiran, Saeed Jaffrey, A.K. Hangal, Dina Pathak and Padmini Kolhapure. It had a very successful soundtrack released as Star/Boom Boom, produced by Biddu and sung by Nazia Hassan....
(1982) - Goonj (1989)
- Maut Ki Sazaa (1991)
- Shootout at LokhandwalaShootout at LokhandwalaShootout at Lokhandwala is a 2007 Hindi feature film directed by Apoorva Lakhia. It is based upon the 1991 Lokhandwala Complex shootout, a real-life gun battle between gangsters and Mumbai Police....
(2007)
External links
- MTV india
- [ Allmusic biography]