imran khan

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With his new album, Unforgettable reaching phenomenal heights, singer Imran Khan is ruling the UK Asian music scene. Radhika Popat caught up with the man who’s bought Bhangra to a different level, for a game of pool at Hoops shisha lounge in Plaistow.

After Imran Khan showed us what he was capable of back in 2007, fans have been eagerly awaiting the release of his album and it seems it was a wait well worth it, because Imran’s ‘Unforgettable’ is simply that. From Amplifier to Bewafa, the album is filled with some amazing tracks which have been teamed up with some high-quality videos.

But his talents don’t just stop at music; Imran is also a basketball player and as it turns out a pro at pool. “I was selected for the NBA Juniors and I play snooker,” he smiles as he takes his first shot. With my inability to play, I figure this is going to be a very short game.

As he begins to clear the table with ease, we get on to the subject of his music and how he discovered such a unique style. “I come from Holland where there is a big market for House music, so it influenced me a lot. I thought let me do Punjabi House music,” he explains.

The lyrics of his songs are also very creative with ‘woofer’ and ‘amplifier’ being the guy and girl. “I write all my lyrics myself, and I get these ideas from everywhere like cars, people, daily stuff and what’s happening in the world,” he says.

So with the huge success of Ni Nachle, why did the Dutch-artist decide to wait for two-years before releasing his album? “With Ni Nachle we wanted to test how it did, whether it would be successful or not. At that time we had no album, no tracks and that’s why it took two-years to make.”

He goes on to say: “There was a period where I had so much pressure from fans and promoters asking ‘where’s the album?, and I was like it’s coming,” he laughs

With his music adopting an exclusive style, Imran has gathered a remarkable following of people from all backgrounds, not to mention a huge female fan club (he tells me he goes to the gym a lot). Whilst I figure out how to take my next shot, he says: “I’m really happy that everyone is listening to my music, because I didn’t want to make my music for one particular audience, I wanted to make it worldwide.”

Imran’s followers also showed their support at a recent album signing tour, and thankfully the appearances don’t stop there, “I’m going to Canada, then the USA and I’ve also done my world tour”

As he continues to annihilate me, we talk about his music videos, which are of real high-quality and have included car chases and even snakes! “No, the car in Amplifier is not mine,” he laughs in response to my question. The most recent of his videos is for Bewafa shot at the Mayfair Hotel penthouses.

Like with every artist, there is always one track on the album which is a favourite, and for Imran it is ‘Superstar’, he says: “My favourite track is Superstar because I worked very hard on that track, every day, for like a month or something...for one track.”

And with other artists taking their work to Bollywood and beyond I ask the singer if that is something he too is considering? “No, not yet, I want to establish myself first and then go to other ends.”

Just then, I win the game, because Imran pots the black! It was an undeserved victory, but a win is still a win! I have to ask him to give some helpful pool/snooker tips to our readers because he is very good, despite potting the black. “You have to have good aim,” he laughs. “How can I advise you? Just focus, focus on the ball”.

Imran certainly seems to be on the ball, and this year we look forward to a lot more from the man that amplified Bhangra!

You can pick up Unforgettable at all good music stores, iTunes and at
www.imrankhanworld.com

Thanks to out good friends at Hoops shisha lounge in Plaistow, East London for hosting the interview.

IMRAN KHAN

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Radhika Popat