About

Nitin Sawhney is a British Indian musician, producer and composer whose work is an eclectic mix of global sounds drawing from club orientated electronica to flamenco, Indian classical music and commercial song writing. He is the recipient of over twenty international awards, has scored approximately 60 films, made over 20 studio albums, 11
under his own name, and has also scored extensively for theatre, dance and video games.. As a touring musician, Sawhney has performed extensively at some of the world’s most prestigious venues, as well as having curated many international festivals and lectured at numerous international universities.

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Areas of Representation: North America

Biography

Nitin Sawhney is a British Indian musician, producer and composer whose work is an eclectic mix of global sounds drawing from club orientated electronica to flamenco, Indian classical music and commercial song writing. He is the recipient of over 20 international awards including a CBE, an Ivor Novello lifetime achievement award, 6 independent honorary doctorates and has scored approximately 60 films (including Warner bros’ Mowgli for Netflix), numerous tv series, including BBC’s epic Human Planet series, made over 20 studio albums, 11 under his own name, and has also scored extensively for theatre, dance and video games. Nitin is a member of the academy of motion picture arts and sciences and BAFTA.

As a touring musician, Nitin has performed extensively at some of the world’s most prestigious venues, including the Royal Albert Hall, Hollywood Bowl and Sydney Opera House. As a DJ, he has performed across the world and appeared regularly at London’s most popular club, Fabric, compiling their album release – Fabriclive 15. As well as having curated
many international festivals, Nitin has lectured at numerous international universities, including Stanford and Berklee in Valencia. Collaborations include work with Paul McCartney, Sting, Jeff Beck, Ellie Goulding, Annie Lennox, Will Young, Bob Geldof, Andy Serkis, Mira Nair and Nelson Mandela.

Tour Dates

Videos

News

• Nitin Sawhney in new Pink Floyd recording

  Disgusted by the Russian invasion, David Gilmour speaks about band’s first brand new song in 28 years, which samples a Ukrainian musician now on the front line – and expresses ‘disappointment’ in Roger Waters. The song features Nitin Sawhney on keyboard.

  Alexis Petridis

  Thu 7 Apr 2022 11.36 EDT
  Last modified on Fri 8 Apr 2022 23.56 EDT

  A ...

• Composer who turned down OBE says he later accepted CBE in tribute to his parents’ “immigrant experience”
  When Nitin Sawhney was offered an OBE in 2007 for services to music, his father asked him to accept the order of chivalry for his birthday – but he turned it down, citing the Iraq War and saying he “could not handle the idea of the word ’empire'” after his name.
  But 12 years later, Sawhney, ...

Press

“A series of played-in-full anniversary performances of the album which had begun last year at the Royal Albert Hall in London concluded triumphantly at Celtic Connections, with a show that couldn’t help but feel significant. From the soulful Broken Skin to the record’s sweeping title track an hour later, Beyond Skin was revived one last time not only crisply and powerfully, but with brand new purpose and energy.” – The Scotsman

“But the star was Sawhney, who revealed his flamenco guitar skills with a solo version of Henrecica Latina, before blending flamenco and Qawwali in Homelands, or blues and Indian influences in the stomping Deadman.” — The Guardian

“As a polymath musician, he blends jazz, pop, soul, classical, electronica and rap from a coolly-turned kaleidoscope of cultural backgrounds. His work … has placed the fiery strum of flamenco guitar into the controlled laboratory conditions of ambient electro and provided thoughtful social commentary via a concept record featuring a spoken-word monologue from John Hurt. ”  — The Telegraph (UK)

“Not unlike Schrödinger’s Cat, Sawhney is is a paradox, at once inside and out of the classical and contemporary genres, straddling several mediums that most artists can only dream of mastering.” — City A.M.

“Whatever themes Sawhney and Wang Ramirez are grappling with, Dystopian Dream is a sophisticated evening out, part dance, part music, part piece of art – the result is hypnotic. ” — CULTUREWhisper   (review of dance/music collaboration by Company Wang Ramirez and Nitin Sawhney.)

Interviews:

Songlines – “Beyond Skin was about the paradox of how we perceive nationality and religion”   October 2, 2019 (or Download pdf – 1.6MB)

The National – “Nitin Sawhney on music, politics, and a British Asian childhood”   January 19. 2020 (or Download pdf – 100KB)

Downloads/Media

Technical Riders:

Tech Rider:

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