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Bio:
Swami are a critically-acclaimed Asian electro-pop band from Birmingham, England.
Swami's debut dance album Desi Nu Skool Beatz was initially released in 1998. Described as "blinding" by the Birmingham Post, the album received some international recognition when the opening track Mehbooba appeared in the 2004 Olsen twins movie New…
Swami are a critically-acclaimed Asian electro-pop band from Birmingham, England.
Swami's debut dance album Desi Nu Skool Beatz was initially released in 1998. Described as "blinding" by the Birmingham Post, the album received some international recognition when the opening track Mehbooba appeared in the 2004 Olsen twins movie New York Minute. This was followed by the 2002 album Bhangradotcom, which was less dance-oriented.
Their big break came with the release of their third album DesiRock, which became popular across the entire British Asian music scene. By this time Diamond was the only original member remaining and had recruited his cousin S-Endz as rap vocalist in the band. The title track DesiRock was voted as a BBC Radio 1 favorite and the album voted Best Asian Album of 2004 by various newspapers and websites, which led to the band doing a Maida Vale session in the summer of 2005, and the title track also appeared in the Official 2006 FIFA World Cup edition of Electronic Arts' FIFA series of video games. In the same year DJ Swami won the Media Storm Best Producer award at the UK Asian Music Awards, as well as being nominated for Best Track (DesiRock) and Best Group.
In late 2005, the band signed a deal with Sony BMG to release DesiRock in India as "So Who Am I" with a new line-up including new vocalist Sups. The album was almost completely remixed with S-Endz covering all rap vocals and much more use of live instruments. They embarked on a successful promotional tour of India which included a high-profile performance at the MTV Style Awards. Shortly afterward this version of the album was digitally released worldwide.
In Fall 2007, Swami released their new album "Equalize". The album features many guest appearances including Pras of The Fugees, Boostylz, Lady Ru, French rappers Asuivre, South African vocalist Ishmael, MC Spee from the band Dreadzone, Yam Boy and more. The line-up of the band had now switched to DJ Swami, S-Endz, Sups and Dhol player Bobby Panesar.
The lead track, "Hey Hey" was premiered on MySpace on the 1st August, in a deal which saw Swami as the MySpace Music Featured Artist of the Week. The band then recorded an exclusive BBC Radio 1 live performance in September and the video to "Hey Hey" premiered later that month.
With "Hey Hey", "Electro Jugni" and "Can't Let Go" (all from Equalize) all burning up the charts, Swami shook up the game again with their announcement of "53431" - an exclusive download zone only accessible to those who purchased the album. By the end of 2007 it was clear that Equalize was undeniably the album of the year with "Hey Hey" alone hitting over 1.5 million plays on MySpace. Swami then announced that they had signed a new deal with EMI, and that the album would be re-released with exclusive remixes and bonus tracks including a new version of "Electro Jugni" featuring the popular Swedish-Latina singer DeDe Lopez.
In February 2008, Swami performed live on the BBC TV show 'Desi DNA', with many music fans and journalists declaring their performance to be the highlight of the evening - this performance also served as the debut of Swami's new female singer Liana. The video to 'Electro Jugni' was shot a few weeks later and is expected to premiere soon.
Their members are:
Diamond (aka DJ Swami) (guitars/decks/keys/vox)
S-Endz (vox)
Sups (vox)
Liana (vox)
Bobby P (percussion)
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Urban Desi Songs: It's All About 'Tonight'
Posted October 09th, 2009 06:10
Listen to some of the hottest Urban Desi songs on the scene right now talking about "tonight.".
Twitterview With Swami
Posted September 24th, 2009 04:09
Read our twitterview with Urban Desi group, Swami..
Video: Swami's 'Sugarless'
Posted September 12th, 2009 13:09
The band Swami has just released their video for the single "Sugarless," check it out here..
Summer Urban Desi Hits: Part I
Posted September 01st, 2009 09:09
The summer of 2009 has been busy as artists have released hit single after hit single, and album after album. Check out part I of this summer's hottest hits..
DH! Exclusive: Swami's '53431' Track List!
Posted August 04th, 2009 06:08
Check out DesiHits! exclusive look into Swami's new album "53431".
'53431'- A Journey Through 10 Years of Swami
Posted July 29th, 2009 03:07
Read about what to expect from Swami's latest release "53431".
RKZ Drops Video for Mr. Entertainer
Posted July 23rd, 2009 05:07
Luton, England based singer and rapper, RKZ, releases the music video for his first single of 2009, Mr. Entertainer..
DH! Exclusive: S-Endz's New Track 'We Got Some Breaking Up To…
Posted July 14th, 2009 01:07
Check out a DH! exclusive of the new track from Swami band member, S-Endz's. The song entitled, "We Got Some Breaking Up To Do.".
Promotion Tactics Turn You Into a Walking Billboard
Posted July 01st, 2009 03:07
Urban Desi and Bhangra artists look to their fans to promote their music. Read about the newest promotional trend..
Swami Graces Outdoor Stage at Mosaic Music Festival
Posted June 19th, 2009 02:06
Read about Swami's upcoming performance at the Mosaic Music Festival and tune in with two of their tracks..
World Premiere: Swami 'Sugarless'
Posted June 12th, 2009 01:06
We have the exclusive world premiere for British Indian pop/alt/bhangra band Swami's track 'Sugarless'. Listen to the song and tell us your thoughts..
Menis on the Set of 'Kool 2 B Asian' Music Video
Posted May 08th, 2009 08:05
Check out photos from behind the scenes of Menis' music video for his single 'Kool 2 B Asian' along with some famous Urban desi artists who stopped by to support Menis.
Swami Looks For An Opening Act
Posted February 16th, 2009 07:02
Read about how Swami will find an opening act for their North American show.
Swami's New Tracks On Twitter
Posted February 02nd, 2009 14:02
Swami is the first Desi act to release tracks on Twitter. Read the article to see where to go to find their music.
Bollywood Stars at Salman And Katrina Starrer 'Yuvvraaj' Special…
Posted November 21st, 2008 12:11
The Khans, Katrina and many celebs attended a special screening for the anticipated film,' Yuvvraaj'. Check out pics from the star-studded event..
Jugtar's Point of 'Biew'
Posted November 10th, 2008 22:11
You watched the wacky Sardar, Jugtar dance with the sexy ladies and hate on the smelly boys at Ministry of Sound ! Now meet him again to hear what's his point of 'biew' on the Bhangra scene!.
DH! Exclusive Music Video Premiere: Swami's, 'Electro Jugni'!
Posted October 22nd, 2008 01:10
Check out the new, full-length video for 'Electro Jugni' now!.
Swami Takes 'Electro Jugni' To Space!
Posted October 21st, 2008 12:10
Swami will exclusively release their new music video for 'Electro Jugni' to Desi Hits! this week!.
Swami - Live Acoustic Set
Posted June 28th, 2008 17:06
We brought you footage of Swami performing live with their tour diary, and now we bring you footage of them stripping down and performing an exclusive acoustic set. To watch the video, click.
Brand New Music - Swami and Imran Khan
Posted June 20th, 2008 10:06
It's finally Friday, time to let get ready for a party-filled weekend, and we've got two brand new tracks to help you get in the mood! To listen to new tracks by Swami and Imran Khan, click.
Exclusive Swami Tour Diary Part 4
Posted May 28th, 2008 07:05
Desi Hits! exclusive Swami Tour Diary is coming to an end, but we've got the final episode right here! To watch it click.
Exclusive Swami Tour Diary Part 3
Posted May 21st, 2008 07:05
You've been waiting and we're here to deliver the third installement of Desi Hits! exclusive Swami Tour diary! To watch it click.
Exclusive Swami Tour Diary Part 2
Posted May 14th, 2008 07:05
Desi Hits! is here to deliver, as we have the second episode of Swami's exclusive tour diary, where you'll get to see the group like never before! And remember to keep it locked right here because every Wednesday for the next three episodes..
S-Endz Gets Arrested!
Posted May 12th, 2008 13:05
How and why did S-Endz from Swami get arrested?!.
Swami's 'Electro Jugni' Teaser Video
Posted April 30th, 2008 10:04
They've redefined the Desi Rock genre with their hit album, "Equalize," and now they're back with their second video, "Electro Jugni".
Party with Swami
Posted April 21st, 2008 16:04
Want to party like a rock star with Swami?.
Terry Mardi Album Review: SWAMI
Posted January 09th, 2008 10:01
The Magnificent Terry Mardi brings the heat on his brand new Album Review Show, this time he has Swami in the studio. Listen in to find out how Terry Mardi feels about Swami's album and discovers how Swami travelled the world to find the right….
Artist of the Year Award - Voting Extended
Posted December 29th, 2007 13:12
The votes for the Desi Hits! Global Artist of the Year, 2007 have come pouring in from all over the world! According to YOUR votes we wanted to give you the heads up on the current top 10 vote getters which include (in no particular order):….
Terry Mardi's Guide To Shisha
Posted November 02nd, 2007 23:11
Terry Mardi gets hubbly bubbly with this special edition of his Guide to Urban Desi. Listen in to the show to find out how Desi youth from all over the globe are being united with the revolution of Shisha! Yes, Shisha and best of all! It's….
Mmmh 6... Monday Music Must Haves!
Posted October 22nd, 2007 11:10
In a musical rut? Don’t know who to turn to? Not to worry! Desi Hits! is here to bring you the most bangin tunes from the past, present and future... and trust us when we say, these are MUST HAVES!!!PAST ROUGE: ‘DON'T BE SHY' This….
New Urban Desi Show
Posted October 19th, 2007 04:10
Arun & Dr P bring you the Urban Desi Show 49.4 packed full of beats from the streets and fusion flavas. Check out this weeks hot show for the likes of 50 Cent, Blitz, Swami, Hard Kaur, Lil Sach and even a Desi influenced track from Britney….
URBAN DESI SHOW - Dr Zeus, Punjabi MC and Swami EXCLUSIVES !!
Posted September 29th, 2007 13:09
Arun & P return to unleash some more Urban Desi magic on your senses in show #49.2 There's new tracks from Dr Zeus' soon to be released new album, a Panjabi MC single and more from band of the moment Swami making it another EXCLUSIVE INFESTED….
Swami Does A Kanye West
Posted September 05th, 2007 09:09
Group of the moment SWAMI, are following in the footsteps of Kanye West and doing an exclusive live session at the Maida Vale studios in London and with Desi Hits and you could be there! The full live band are going to be dropping exclusive….
Get the hottest MPFrees now!
Posted August 20th, 2007 12:08
All right, so we at Desi Hits! know how it is with our people - never, EVER, will we pay for something that we can get for free, yaar! So Desi Hits! has provided its users with a page dedicated to free tracks - with the hottest remixes and….
‘Equalize’ Hits The Top Spot
Posted January 22nd, 2008 18:01
With just over a month since its release on Virgin Records, Swami’s ‘Equalize has already managed to soar to the number one position in India’s international chart. For three weeks in a row the album has remained at the….
YOUR Desi Hits! Global Artist of the Year
Posted January 17th, 2008 11:01
Votes have come pouring in from all over the world, more than 6O countries have participated in voting to find the worlds best Desi artist from South Africa, Sinagpore, USA right through to B-Town itself Mumbai!! This is undoubtedly the largest….
The Brown Boy Movement
Posted January 11th, 2008 11:01
You’ve probably heard the saying: “Brown’s the new black baby!†on the Desi Hits! radio shows, and couldn’t be any truer with the amazing track, ‘Brown Boys’ produced by Mentor blowing up the airwaves.….
Swami Storms India
Posted December 14th, 2007 12:12
It’s safe to say ‘Desi Rock’ group Swami, which stands for ‘So Who AM I,’ is unlike anything you’ve ever heard before. Their eclectic mix of rock and Desi sounds can be heard in their massive hit album….
LL Cool Singh Returns
Posted December 06th, 2007 11:12
Ever heard of a Bhangra album where each track is inspired by a different genre of music?... Sounds pretty interesting right? Well that’s exactly how Bhangra vocalist, Jas Dhingra aka LL Cool Singh describes his album. Jas has been on….
DIAMOND performance by SWAMI
Posted September 17th, 2007 10:09
We sent our intern Nipa Patel down to the recent live performance by Swami at the world famous Maida Vale Studios.
She came back using words such as AMAZING and SPECTACULAR !!!!!!!
Click here to read the full account .
Bhangra beats beyond the London studios!
Posted May 28th, 2007 12:05
Coming off of his massively successful previous albums, 'Desi Rock' and 'So Who Am I,' Swami is out of the studios and back on the scene! Seeking out a much wider inspiration, Swami is making bigger, bolder, more progressive international sounds.….
