Nitin Sawhney (GB)

About

Also known as: Natin Sawhney, Nitin Sawhbey, Nitin Sawheny, Nitin Sawhey, Nitin Sawney, Nitin Sawnhey, Nitin Shawney, Nittin Sawhney, Sawhney, Nitin, nmn sawhney

Nitin Sawhney has built one of the most genuinely eclectic catalogues in British music, weaving together Asian influences, electronica, flamenco, jazz and trip hop into something that resists easy categorisation. His 1999 album Beyond Skin earned a Mercury Music Prize nomination and a South Bank Show Award, and from there he signed to Richard Branson's V2 Records and kept racking up accolades, including MOBO and BBC Radio 3 awards. Over a career spanning more than 20 studio albums, he has written and performed with Paul McCartney, Anoushka Shankar, Jeff Beck, Brian Eno and many others, and scored over sixty films, including Mira Nair's The Namesake. Sawhney's music consistently digs into themes of multiculturalism, politics and spirituality, and his 2021 album Immigrants and 2023's IDENTITY on Warner Music show no sign of him slowing down. He produced Anoushka Shankar's Grammy nominated Traces of You and turned down an OBE in 2007 on principle, though he later accepted a CBE in 2019. He also holds seven honorary doctorates and received the Ivor Novello Lifetime Achievement award in 2017.