Sonu Nigam

30 Jul, 1973 | Faridabad, Haryana

Singer/Actor/Music Director

Biography

Sonu Nigam or Sonu Niigaam is a highly acclaimed Indian playback singer whose songs have been featured in numerous Bollywood and Kannada movies. He has also released numerous Indi-pop albums and acted in a few Hindi feature films. He recently changed the spelling of his last name from 'Nigam' to 'Niigaam' in accordance with numerology. Early Years And Playback Singing Sonu Nigam began his singing career at the age of three, when he joined his father on stage to sing Mohammad Rafi's "Kya Hua Tera Wada". Then on, he accompanied his father on his singing assignments at weddings and parties. He moved to Mumbai with his father to begin his Bollywood singing career at the age of 18. His first movie song as a playback singer was in the movie, "Janum" (1990), which was never officially released. He got a break as a playback singer in Gulshan Kumar's movie, "Aaja Meri Jaan". He then sang the song, "Accha Sila Diya", for the album, "Bewafa Sanam" (1995), which gave him the recognition as an established playback singer. Pop Albums And Concerts Sonu has released a number of pop albums, both in Hindi and in Punjabi. The "Classically Mild" album is the best among all. He has also released several albums of Mohammad Rafi's songs, as well as devotional albums. Television, Radio And Acting Besides "Sa Re Ga Ma," Sonu Nigam has also hosted the TV show Kisme Kitna Hai Dum and has been a judge on the show Indian Idol (aired on Sony Entertainment Television) seasons 1 and 2. Sonu returned to Indian Idol in its third and fourth seasons as a celebrity judge. Personal Life  Sonu was born to Agam Kumar Nigam and Shobha Nigam on July 30, 1973, in Faridabad, Haryana, India. He attended the J.D. Tytler School. He has two sisters, Meenal and Neekita. Sonu is very close to his parents. Both his father and mother are good singers, and in 2005 and 2007 his father released two highly popular albums, "Bewafaai" and "Phir Bewafaai", respectively.   Neekita is also a singer. She has sung a few playback songs and appeared on a few stage shows with Sonu. Sonu married Madhurima on 15 February 2002. They have a son, Nevaan, born on July 25, 2007.