SANAM (band)

Sanam
Origin Mumbai, India
Genres Pop Rock
Years active 2010–present
Labels
Members
  • Sanam Puri
  • Samar Puri
  • Keshav Dhanraj
  • Venky S

Sanam is an Indian Pop Rock Band based in Mumbai consisting of Sanam Puri (Lead Vocals), Samar Puri (Lead Guitar and Vocals), Venky S or Venkat Subramaniyam (Bass Guitar and Vocals) and Keshav Dhanraj (Drums and Vocals). The band’s manager Ben Thomas is often referred to as the fifth band member. Together they strive to create the sound & style the band is recognised for by blending 4 different musical influences.[1][2] This band is considered to bring back the band culture and independent music into India after a notable gap.[3][4][5] The band is known for being amongst India’s top 10 independent YouTube Channels, India’s biggest music artist on the digital platform and the fastest growing YouTube Channel in the country.[6][7][8]

The band’s music is known to bring out messages of Love, Peace and a feeling of Togetherness, making 3 generations of grand parents, parents and children enjoying the same music together.[2][9] For the same reason their live concerts find audiences of all age groups coming together. The band has also started a new trend of releasing singles in India instead of full Albums.[2] The band has so far recorded & performed songs in the following languages - Hindi, English, Bengali, Telugu and Gujarati.

The band name Sanam is derived from the universal word for love in languages like Hindi, Urdu, Persian, Arabic and Sanskrit, across Eastern Europe to the Indian sub-continent.[1] The band’s frontman Sanam Puri is also the voice behind Bollywood chart busters like ‘Dhat Teri Ki' and 'Ishq Bulaava’.[3] Amongst other original songs written, produced and composed by the band, is the song 'Main Hoon' for 'The Amazing Spider-Man 2’ that received rave reviews across its multi-language theatre release in India.The band is also known for giving a new life to retro classics like ‘Lag Jaa Gale’, ‘Aap Ki Nazrone Ne Samjha’, ‘Mere Mehboob Qayamat Hogi’ and ‘Gulabi Aankhen’ to name a few.[10][11]

format for repetition [12]

Musical career

Early Years and Formation

Venky S, in his school days enjoyed watching a lot of MTV and Channel V; major influences being the music videos of Queen, Michael Jackson, Guns N’ Roses, Take That, Boyz II Men, Whitney Houston, Mariah Carey, Nirvana, and a few others. Indipop was at its peak on TV at the time. His mother loved watching Hindi movies, which got him listening to many popular Bollywood songs at the time. He enjoyed singing and also playing the Guitar and bass at a very young age. Keshav Dhanraj was introduced to music by his brother Arjun Dhanraj, who had his own band and was always into music as a child. Inspired by Arjun, Keshav began to explore different instruments (Violin, Recorder, Guitars, Drums) and different styles of music by going for concerts and watching other musicians perform. Keshav got the initial feel of performing to an audience at a young age by doing shows with his brother’s band, before he set out to start his own. Brothers Samar Puri and Sanam Puri enjoyed composing songs to surprise their parents from the age of 6-7.[13] Samar Puri initially started off by going for Piano classes in Delhi for a few weeks when he was younger. During that time, their parents forced Sanam Puri to also learn the Piano and do vocal lessons as they discovered that he could sing. However the classes were short lived. Around this time, Samar and Sanam Puri were enrolled in talent competitions (most of which they won) and were accompanied by their mother since they were still very young at the time. Sanam Puri eventually started learning to play the keyboard and Samar started the guitar. Samar also enjoyed writing lyrics about the age of 12. They grew up listening to a lot of pop music but slowly cut down on listening to artists and concentrated more on composing music together.[1]

Years later, Samar Puri and Venky S, while studying together in ‘Indian School Muscat’ started a pop rock band with Sanam Puri. After moving back to India, Samar and Sanam began exploring different music avenues in Delhi. Sanam Puri became active in the college rock circuit in Delhi by performing in bands like Decibel, Bandish,[14] and went on to win quite a few local competitions while Samar Puri explored different styles of music production and continued to write lyrics. Some of "Samar Sanam" songs (like Badalne ke intezaar mein") were written during this time. Together they wrote and composed a number of songs which they would perform at family functions. Venky S moved to Bangalore and continued his music by starting new musical projects with a new set of friends. He took up bass playing with bands like Soundproof, Haven and Chronic Blues Circus. and also started singing swing/jazz standards, in A cappella groups and doing Karaoke gigs with friends. Around this time, he met Keshav Dhanraj who was based out of Chennai and was drumming for a few popular Chennai based bands like like Nerverek and Buzz Theory. They decided to start an alternative rock outfit called ‘The Previous Band’. However, that dream fell short when other members of the band decided to move abroad for further studies. Brothers Samar Puri and Sanam Puri, following their musical dreams moved to Mumbai from Delhi in 2000.[13] Venky S, who was still in Bangalore, introduced them to Keshav Dhanraj, who had just meanwhile also moved to Mumbai to work with Furtados Music as the Brand Manager for Zildjian, Pearl Drums and Evans India. Samar, Keshav and Sanam together formed 'The SQS Project’[1] in Keshav’s garage in Mumbai, later joined by Venky.[15]

2010: Forming of SQS Supastas

In May 2010, Times music launched a Nationwide Pop band hunt called ‘SUPASTARS’ for young talent in India. Amongst thousands of entries, 'The SQS Project' won the title ‘TIMES MUSIC SUPASTARS’,[16][17] changing the band name to ‘SQS Supastars’. Along with their three-year record deal with Times Music, the band was introduced for the first time into the world of show business.

The band released their first self-titled album, ‘Supastas’ and later released music videos of their songs ‘Hawa Hawa' and ‘Behka'. This project featured the work of major Swedish and Denmark music labels who handled the entire mixing and mastering of the album. The band also endorsed the ‘Mufti’ clothing line during their second music video "Behka"[18] Amongst the band first performances was the ‘Femina Miss India’ beauty contest 2011.

2014: Forming of Sanam and Growth Curve

In 2013 the band met Ben Thomas (Managing Director, Kurian & Co Talent Management),[15][9] who after years of managing and nurturing some of India’s top singers and composers, decided to channel all his experience and time into grooming and building this band. With a plan of action in place, it was time for the band members to give up everything they were doing at the time and completely focus on their music. This is when Venky gave up his assignments and moved to Mumbai, Keshav Dhanraj quit his job at Furtados and Samar and Sanam Puri stopped composing music for ads and other commercial projects and decided to channel all their energy into the band.

Ben introduced the band to Vishal-Shekhar which led to Sanam Puri’s first Bollywood break as a play back singer with songs like ‘Dhat Teri Ki'[19] from the movie ‘Gori Tere Pyaar Mein' and ‘Ishq Bulaava' from ‘Hasee Toh Phasee'.[14][3][20] The same year the band composed it’s first original composition ‘Main Hoon’ for the Hollywood blockbuster ‘The Amazing Spiderman 2.[21][22][23][24]

To showcase the look and sound of the band, Ben suggested to make music videos and upload them onto YouTube for the ease of sharing with agents for live concerts globally. After a few months, the band received a cheque from Google worth $800. At first they thought this was some kind of a mistake to later discover that this was money made out of monetisation from the videos uploaded on YouTube.

2014 saw the collective decision of all members to rebrand the band to be called SANAM.[15] They also decided to pursue the YouTube world seriously and consistently with the realization that it worked on neutral, content based algorithms and genuine fan reactions, unlike the closed and biased[25] Bollywood music industry. In addition to this, YouTube also offered tools that allowed the creators to see exactly who their audience is and which videos are buzzing in which regions of the world.

The focus as SANAM band was to make the best use of digital space and build a global audience. The band started releasing original content as well as renditions of some old and new songs. This included songs in English as well as regional languages like Bengali and Gujarati. The band slowly started getting recognised for their renditions of old classic songs like ‘Gulaabi Ankhein’, ‘Mere Mehboob’ etc., and for giving them a new sound.[8]

In 2016 SANAM band was

The band was invited to perform at the Youtube FanFest in the year 2015 and 2016[26][27][28][29] where the YouTube Channel of SANAM band was announced as the fastest growing and highest watched independent music channel on YouTube in India, with over 14 million channel views every month and a YouTube subscriber base growing at a dramatic pace.[8][30] Band's official YouTube channel have more than 208 million views with 939+ thousand subscribers with an average of 500K daily views. The bands popularity on social media fuels their growing fanbase in the countries across mainly Maldives, Mauritius, South Africa, Trinidad, Kenya, the Netherlands, Bangladesh, United States, England, Pakistan, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Nigeria and Suriname, besides India.

The band has released a few collaborations."Inquilab Mera Khwab" is a collaboration with Clinton Cerejo as a part of Jammin, a digital musical collaboration featuring leading YouTube's musical talent with four accomplished music composers A R Rahman, Salim-Sulaiman, Clinton Cerejo, and Mithoon to create 10 original soundtracks and music videos.[12][31]

The Duaa music video, featuring Sanah Moidutty, has enjoyed a staggering 16 million plus lifetime views in about 2 years!. "Yeh Vaada Raha" is a song that featured famed local Maldives singer, Mira Mohamed Majid. It was filmed in Herathera Island Resort in Addu Atoll, Maldives.[32][33][34] "Hai Apna Dil to Awara" features famed accordionist of Mauritiius, Mr. Soogum Sookha while "Roop Tera Mastana" features Rhys Sebastian, one of the country's most prodigious saxophone talents.

The band performed in the capital Male at the VMY Music Festival in July 2015 that commemorated the 50th Anniversary of Independence of the Republic of Maldives.[35] The Ballard Estate Festival was formally inaugurated by the chief guest Nitin Gadkari, Minister Of Road Transport and Highways Of India on 24 January followed by a performance by Sanam band. The event was also attended by Actress & Politician Hema Malini.[36]

The band has been often referred to as India's One Direction[37] because of their fast popularity and described as a "fabulous four" by the Times of India.[12]

Discography

Filmography (Band)

Release Year Album Title Song Title Label Writer Composer Language
2014 The Amazing Spiderman 2 Main Hoon Sony Music Samar Puri, Manoj Yadav Sanam Band Hindi

Filmography (Sanam Puri)

Release Year Film Title Song Title Label Writer Composer Language Co Singers
2013 Gori Tere Pyaar Mein Dhat Teri Ki Sony Music Kumaar Vishal Shekhar Hindi Aditi Singh Sharma
2013 Gori Tere Pyar Mein Gori tere Pyar Mein Sony Music Kumaar, Kausar Munir, Anvita Dutt Guptan Vishal Shekhar Hindi Mika Singh, Mamta Sharma, Shruti Pathak, Aditi Singh Sharma, Shankar Mahadevan, Shalmali Kholgade, Kamal Khan, Neeti Mohan, Nitesh Kadam, Sukhwinder Singh, Sanah Moidutty
2013 Ishk Actually Lucky Tonight T Series Manoj Yadav Chirantan Bhatt Hindi Ann Mitchai
2014 Hasee Toh Phasee Ishq Bulava Sony Music Kumaar Vishal Shekhar Hindi Shipra Goyal
2014 Chandamama Kathalu E Kadha - Vanamali Mickey J Meyer Telegu Shweta Pandit
2014 Hamshakals Barbaad Raat Zee Music Mayur Puri Himesh Reshamiya Hindi Shalmali Kholgade
2014 Hamshakals Humshakals Mash Up Zee Music Mayur Puri, Shabbir AHmed, Sameer Himesh Reshamiya Hindi Neeraj Shridhar, Neeti Mohan, Himesh Reshamiya, Shalmali Kholgade, Ash King, Mika Singh, Palak Muchal
Qued Jajabor Priyotoma - Faisal Roddy Faisal Roddy Bengali -

Collaborations (Sanam Puri)

Release Year Project Title Song Title Writer Composer Language Co Singers
2013 Coke Studio @ MTV Season 3 Episode 3 Pinjra Manoj Yadav Clinton Cerejo Hindi Jonita Gandhi
2013 Micromax Unite Anthem Roobaroo Prasoon Joshi A R Rahman Various Benny Dayal, Raghu Dixit, Apeksha Dandekar, Shruti Pathak, Neeti Mohan, Kamal Khan, Brodha V, Voctronica, Swaroop Khan

Studio Albums (Band Sanam)

Release Year Album Title Song Title Label Language
2010 Supastars Hawa Hawa, Jaan Gaya, Aisa Laga, Behka, Tumse, Teri Aankhon Se, Hawa Hawa, Boondon Se Times Music Hindi
2011 Samar Sanam On N On, Paa Hi Liya, Roshni, Higher Mere Saath, Badalne Ke Intezaar Mein, Mujhe Pyaar Karo, Titli Saregama Hindi

Compilation Albums (Band Sanam)

Release Year Album Title Song Title Label Language
2015 Sanam Revisited Lag Ja Gale, Ek Ladki Ko Dekha To, Aap Ki Nazron Ne Samjha, Tujhse Naraz Nahi Zindagi, Yeh Raaten Yeh Mausam, Mere Sapnon Ki Rani Kab Aayege, O Mere Dil Ke Chain, Mere Mehboob Qayamat Hogi, Roop Tera Mastana Saregama Hindi
2011 Samar Sanam On N On, Paa Hi Liya, Roshni, Higher Mere Saath, Badalne Ke Intezaar Mein, Mujhe Pyaar Karo, Titli Saregama Hindi

Independent Singles (Band Sanam)

Release Year Song Title Language
2016 Agar Tum Suno Hindi
2016 Nazron Ko Nazron Se Hindi
2016 Ishtyle Hindi
2015 Jaanta Tha Hindi
2015 Garmi Di Tu Hindi
2014 Khushnaseeb Hindi

Independent Renditions (Band Sanam)

Release Year Song Title Language
2016 Pehla Nasha Hindi
2016 Tere Bina Zindagi Se Hindi
2015 Gulaabi Ankhein Hindi
2015 Hum Bewafa Hargiz Na The Hindi
2015 Dilbar Mere Hindi
2015 Kora Kagaz Tha Yeh Man Mera Hindi
2015 I am not the Only One English
2015 Tumi Robe Nirobe Bengali
2015 Pal Pal Dil ke Paas Hindi
2015 Samjhawan Hindi
2014 Mary Did you know English
2013 Jeele Zara Hindi
2016 Saiyaan Hindi
2016 Ae Dil Hai Mushkil Hindi

Collaborations (Band Sanam)

Release Year Song Title Collaborating Artist Language
2016 Inquilab Mera Khwab Clinton Cerejo Hindi
2016 Hai Apna Dil To Awara Soogum Sookha Hindi
2015 Yeh Vaada Raha Mira Mohamed Majid Hindi & Malay
2016 Kuch Na Kaho Shirley Setia Hindi
2015 Roop Tera Mastana Rhys Sebastian Hindi
2014 Tara Vina Shyam Baljinder Singh Gujarati
2014 Dua Sanah Moidutty Hindi

Noteworthy Public Concerts

Month-Year Concert Location Audience Size
April 2011 Femina Miss India 2011 Mumbai 8000
December 2014 Global Village Concert Dubai 4000
November 2014 Monsoon Music Mania[38] Chennai 1000
February 2015 Tempest 2015 Delhi 8000
March 2015 YouTube Fan Fest Mumbai 5000
May 2015 Sanam Live In Concert Mauritius 5000
July 2015 VMY Music Festival[1][39] Maldives 25000
September 2015 Sanam Live In Concert Mauritius 5000
Oct 2015 Sanam Live In Concert[40][41] Maldives 12000
January 2016 Ballard Estate Festival [42][43] Mumbai 1000
January 2016 Crescendo 2k16 Pune 3000
February 2016 Valentines Concert[44][45] Bangladesh 2000
March 2016 YouTube Fan Fest Mumbai 5000
April 2016 Artist Aloud Music Awards Mumbai 1000
May 2016 Sanam Live in Concert Netherlands 3000
May 2016 Sanam Live in Concert[46][47] Suriname 5000
August 2016 Sanam Live in Concert South Africa[48][49] 2600

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 Fernandes, Kasmin (17 July 2015). "Sanam: We are not limiting ourselves to one kind of music" (Music). Times of India. Times Group. Retrieved 17 July 2015.
  2. 1 2 3 Tankha, Madhur (10 June 2015). "Sanam and friends" (Metroplus). The Hindu. The Hindu. Retrieved 10 June 2015.
  3. 1 2 3 Wadhwa, Akash (31 January 2014). "I want to be like Honey Singh: Sanam Puri" (Entertainment). Times of India. Bennett, Coleman & Co. Ltd. Retrieved 31 January 2014.
  4. News Desk, India TV (24 April 2015). "Exclusive: Ishq Bulava singer Sanam Puri and his band in a candid tete-a-tete!". India TV News. Independent News Service. Retrieved 24 April 2015.
  5. Ratti, Pragati (15 January 2011). "SQS Supastars: reviving Indian pop music". CNN News 18. Time Warner Company. Retrieved 15 January 2011.
  6. "Qyukistars Tops The Youtube's Fastest Growing List, Passes 5 Billion Views". Business World. 4 May 2016. Retrieved 8 September 2016.
  7. Weiss, Geoff. "YouTube Announces "Breakneck Growth" In India, Slate Of New Shows From Local Content Partners". tubefilter.com. Tube Filter. Retrieved 17 March 2016.
  8. 1 2 3 Goyal, Malini (8 May 2016). "Meet India's hottest YouTube stars who are all the rage with the millennial generation" (Panache). Econimic Times. Bennett, Coleman & Co. Ltd. Retrieved 8 May 2016.
  9. 1 2 "Exclusive: Sanam shares some tidbits". radioandmusic.com. Indiantelevision.com Group. Retrieved 1 February 2016.
  10. Mathew Prasad, Blessy (22 August 2016). "Old school's the new cool". The New Indian Express. The New Indian Express. Retrieved 22 August 2016.
  11. Madhukalya, Anwesha. "10 Indian Origin Singers On YouTube Who'll Make You Listen To Them On Loop". huffingtonpost.in. Huffington Post. Retrieved 10 August 2016.
  12. 1 2 3 TNN, Times News Network (29 August 2016). "Band 'Sanam' is India's fabulous four" (Entertainment). Times of India. Bennett, Coleman & Co. Ltd. Retrieved 29 August 2016.
  13. 1 2 Maheshwri, Neha (31 Jan 2014). "I am single and am dating music: Sanam Puri" (Entertainment). Times of india. Bennett, Coleman & Co. Ltd. Retrieved 31 Jan 2014.
  14. 1 2 Tuli, Aanchal (1 May 2014). "Spider-Man singer Sanam started with a DU band" (Entertainment). Times of India. Bennett, Coleman & Co. Ltd. Retrieved 1 May 2014.
  15. 1 2 3 Satpute, Shibani. "Meet Sanam: India's Coolest New Pop Band". baysidejournal.com/. Bayside Journal.
  16. TNN, Times News Network (28 Aug 2010). "SQS Project wins Times Music Supastars" (Entertainment). The Times of India. Bennett, Coleman & Co. Ltd. Retrieved 28 Aug 2010.
  17. D'Souza, Alexis (9 February 2010). "The SQS Story". myopusradio.com. Platform News. Retrieved 9 February 2010.
  18. Iyer, Anita. "Mufti clothes SQS!". soundbox.co.in. Select Publishing Company. Retrieved 14 March 2011.
  19. Ratti, Pragati (4 November 2013). "'Dhat Teri Ki' a perfect debut, says new singer in B-town Sanam Puri". NEWS 18. Cable News Network. Retrieved 12 September 2016.
  20. "I dont mind acting in films - Sanam Puri". Zoom 4 India. 26 December 2013. Retrieved 26 December 2013.
  21. Adivarekar, Priya (23 April 2014). "Singer Sanam Puri works on a promotional song for The Amazing Spiderman 2". The Indian Express. The Express Group. Retrieved 12 September 2016.
  22. IANS, India's Largest Independent News Service (18 April 2014). "Sanam Puri made 'The Amazing Spider-Man 2' song in one night". Times of India. Bennett, Coleman & Co. Ltd. Retrieved 18 April 2014.
  23. Parande, Shweta. "The Amazing Spider-Man 2 Hindi song Main Hoon by SANAM: Spidey flies to the soothing number!". india.com. India Webportal Pvt Ltd. Retrieved 23 April 2014.
  24. Ratti, Pragati (26 April 2014). "The Amazing Spider-Man 2's Hindi anthem: A song composed in just one night". CNN News 18. A Time Warner Company. Retrieved 26 April 2014.
  25. Pathak, Ankur (29 April 2015). "'Gabbar is Back': Singer claims he was not given credit for a song". Times of India. Bennett, Coleman & Co. Ltd. Retrieved 29 April 2015.
  26. Ganguly, Srijani (6 March 2016). "Sanam: The four member band that dominates the virtual world". India Today.
  27. Bahirwani, Krishna (3 March 2016). "YouTube FanFest returns to Mumbai on 18th March". DNA India. Diligent Media Corporation Ltd. Retrieved 3 March 2016.
  28. Sinha, Dipanjan (18 March 2016). "Internet sensations to gather at the YouTube fanfest in Mumbai". Mid Day. Mid-Day Infomedia Ltd. Retrieved 18 March 2016.
  29. "YouTube FanFest returns to Mumbai for its third edition" (Brand Equity). Economic Times. ET Brand Equity. 3 March 2016. Retrieved 3 March 2016.
  30. Ferreira, Verus. "Sanam". The Teenager Today. Retrieved 8 September 2016.
  31. "Cerejo, Sanam set Jammin' rolling with engaging track". radioandmusic.com. Indiantelevision.com Group. Retrieved 22 August 2016.
  32. Fernandes, Kasmin (27 October 2015). "Sanam Puri's band collaborates with Maldivan singer". Times of India. Bennett, Coleman & Co. Ltd. Retrieved 27 October 2015.
  33. "Sanam Puri's band collaborates with Maldivan singer". The Daily Star. The Daily Star. 9 April 2016. Retrieved 9 April 2016.
  34. Fathuhy, Aishath (11 October 2015). "Sanam to shoot their video song in Maldives with Mira". 11 October 2015. Vaguthu. Vaguthu Maldives. Retrieved 11 October 2015.
  35. "The Indian pop band SANAM in Maldives". travelcentremaldives.com. Travel Centre Maldives. Retrieved 22 July 2015.
  36. "The Ballard Estate Festival will give Mumbai more recreational options". News X. ITV Network. 17 January 2016. Retrieved 17 January 2016.
  37. Pienaar, David (25 May 2016). "Indian pop stars coming to SA" (Entertainment). Comaro Chronicle. Caxton & CTP Printers and Publishers Ltd. Retrieved 25 May 2016.
  38. "Drenched in the Monsoon Music Mania" (Chennai). The New Indian Express. The New Indian Express. 17 November 2014. Retrieved 17 November 2014.
  39. "Sanam Puri arrives in Maldives". Sun Online. Sun Media Group. 22 July 2015. Retrieved 22 July 2015.
  40. "Sanam to make another appearance, this time in Addu". V News. vNews.mv. 12 September 2015. Retrieved 12 September 2015.
  41. Fathuhy, Aishath (11 September 2015). "Sanam returns to Maldives; this time to Addu City!". Vaguthu. Vaguthu Maldives. Retrieved 11 September 2015.
  42. Das, Mohua (14 January 2016). "Street carnival to liven up weekends at Ballard Estate". Times of India. Bennett, Coleman & Co. Ltd. Retrieved 14 January 2016.
  43. Ganesan, Ranjita (5 March 2016). "New life for an old estate". Business Standard.
  44. Munawar, Rashna (15 February 2016). "James and Sanam rock Dhaka". Dhaka Tribune. Retrieved 15 February 2016.
  45. "James and Sanam to perform in Dhaka today". The Daily Star. The Daily Star. 11 February 2016. Retrieved 11 February 2016.
  46. "Indiase pop band SANAM naar Suriname". Suriname Nieuws. Suriname Nieuws. 25 May 2016. Retrieved 25 May 2016.
  47. "Indiase Muziekgroep Sanam geeft eerste show in Suriname". Loop News. Loop by Trend Media Inc. 21 May 2016. Retrieved 21 May 2016.
  48. "India's One Direction heading to SA for one show only". Channel 24. 24.com. 23 May 2016. Retrieved 23 May 2016.
  49. "Popular pop boy band from India coming to South Africa". Kempton Express. Caxton & CTP Printers and Publishers Ltd. 12 August 2016. Retrieved 12 September 2016.

External links

This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the 11/27/2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.