Talvin Singh

Talvin Singh
OBE
Singh performing in 2012
Background information
Born
Talvinder Singh Matharoo[1]

1970 (age 55–56)[2]
London, England[2]
Genres
[2][3]
Occupations
[1]
InstrumentTabla[1]
Years active1991–present
LabelIsland[3]
AwardsMercury Prize (1999)[4]
OBE (2014)[1]
Ivor Novello Award for Innovation (2022)[5]
Websitetalvinsingh.com

Talvin Singh (born 1970) is a British musician, producer, and composer. As a tabla player, Singh is associated with the Asian Underground movement. His debut album, OK (1998), won the Mercury Music Prize in 1999.[6] He was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the 2014 Birthday Honours for services to music[7] and received the Ivor Novello Award for Innovation at the 2022 Ivors Composer Awards.[8]

Early life and career

Singh was born in Leytonstone, east London. He began playing tabla as a child and went to India at 16 to study for two years.[9] After returning to London, he worked with artists including Björk, Sun Ra, Massive Attack, Courtney Pine, and Siouxsie and the Banshees.[9] Between 1996 and 1999, Singh, promoter Sweety Kapoor, and the group State of Bengal organized the Anokha club nights at the Blue Note in Hoxton Square, London.[10] In 1997, they released the compilation Anokha - Soundz of the Asian Underground.[10] Singh released his debut solo album, OK, in 1998; it won the 1999 Mercury Prize.[6] In 2000, he collaborated with Madonna on her album Music.[10]

Style and influences

Singh's music incorporates elements of Indian classical music, electronic music, and drum and bass.[9][11] Singh stated that his early practice involved using electronic beats in place of a metronome, which influenced his later integration of traditional and electronic rhythms.[12]

In a 2017 interview with Times of India, he contested the term 'fusion music', stating that integrating Indian and Western musical traditions requires a formal understanding of both systems.[11] In a 2022 interview with M Magazine, Singh said that he was "not a conventional composer" from a Western musical perspective, and described his work as rooted in Indian classical and oral traditions rather than manuscript-based composition.[13] In a 2023 interview with Mixmag, he stated that the Anokha club nights featured a combination of ambient music, trip hop, Indian classical music, and jungle.[14]

Awards

Singh received the Mercury Prize in 1999 for the album OK. He was appointed OBE in the 2014 Birthday Honours for services to music and received the Ivor Novello Award for Innovation in 2022.[6][7][8]

Discography

Albums

  • Drum + Space (as Calcutta Cyber Café) (1996)
  • OK (1998)
  • Ha (2001)
  • Vira (2001)
  • Sweet Box (2008)
  • OK (Expanded Edition) (2009)

Compilations

Collaborations and original contributions

Remixes

References

[15]

  1. ^ a b c d "Birthday Honours 2014: CSV". GOV.UK. Cabinet Office. 20 February 2015. Retrieved 12 March 2026.
  2. ^ a b c "Singh, Talvin". Encyclopedia of Popular Music. Oxford Reference. Retrieved 12 March 2026.
  3. ^ a b Talvin Singh at AllMusic
  4. ^ Finn, Gary (8 September 1999). "Mercury prize for Talvin Singh". The Independent. Retrieved 12 March 2026.
  5. ^ "The Ivors Composer Awards 2022 winners announced". The Ivors Academy. 15 November 2022. Retrieved 12 March 2026.
  6. ^ a b c "Mercury Prize past winners". Mercury Prize. Retrieved 12 March 2026.
  7. ^ a b "Birthday Honours 2014: the Prime Minister's list" (PDF). GOV.UK. Cabinet Office. 13 June 2014. p. 32. Retrieved 12 March 2026.
  8. ^ a b "The Ivors Composer Awards 2022 winners announced". The Ivors Academy. 15 November 2022. Retrieved 12 March 2026.
  9. ^ a b c "You drum it, I'll Singh it". Mail & Guardian. 12 April 2001. Retrieved 12 March 2026.
  10. ^ a b c Shah, Manali (1 April 2017). "Talvin Singh: The man who started a music revolution". Hindustan Times. Retrieved 12 March 2026.
  11. ^ a b Canton, Naomi (10 September 2017). "Indian musicians feel they have to do fusion to be hip". The Times of India. Retrieved 12 March 2026.
  12. ^ Bugel, Safi (14 September 2023). "Talvin Singh: "I wanted to break rules. It was a beautiful experience"". Mixmag. Retrieved 12 March 2026.
  13. ^ Konemann, Liam (17 November 2022). "Talvin Singh: 'I'm not a conventional composer.'". M Magazine. PRS for Music. Retrieved 12 March 2026.
  14. ^ Bugel, Safi (14 September 2023). "Talvin Singh: "I wanted to break rules. It was a beautiful experience"". Mixmag. Retrieved 12 March 2026.
  15. ^ "The Ivors Composer Awards 2022 winners announced". The Ivors Academy. 15 November 2022. Retrieved 10 March 2026.
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