Apache Indian (musician)
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Apache Indian | |
|---|---|
 Kapur in 2015 | |
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Steven Kapur |
| Born | 11 May 1967 Handsworth, Birmingham, England |
| Genres |
|
| Occupations |
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| Instruments | Vocals |
| Years active | 1980–present |
| Labels | |
Steven Kapur[1] BEM (born 11 May 1967), known by the stage name Apache Indian, is a British singer-songwriter and reggae DJ, who had a series of hits during the 1990s.[2] He is best known for the 1993 song "Boom Shack-A-Lak".
Life and career
[edit]Born into a family of Punjabi Indians, Kapur was raised in Handsworth, Birmingham, a racially mixed area with large Black and Asian communities, and home of reggae bands such as Steel Pulse. By the early 1980s, he was working with local sound systems and grew dreadlocks.[2] By the mid-1980s, he had begun to make a name for himself as a dancehall deejay. Kapur recorded his first single in 1990, "Movie Over India", under the moniker Apache Indian, and it was picked up by the reggae distributor Jet Star.[2] The track mixed ragga and bhangra sounds and was popular among audiences of both genres.[2] Two further singles followed in a similar vein, "Chok There" and "Don Raja", bringing him to the attention of major labels, and in 1992, he signed with Island Records.[2]
With the collaboration of his cousins Simon & Diamond, Kapur introduced a new hybrid sound of bhangra called bhangragga, or bhangramuffin, with his 1993 debut album, No Reservations, recorded in Jamaica and produced by Simon & Diamond, Phil Chill, Robert Livingston, Bobby Digital, and Sly Dunbar.[2] This was followed by Make Way for the Indian (produced by Sly & Robbie, the Press, Mafia & Fluxy, Pandit Dineysh, and Chris Lane), which featured rapper Tim Dog and spawned the hit "Boom Shack-A-Lak". By 1997, Kapur had parted ways with Island, and his next album,[3] Real People, was released by Warner Bros. Sweden.[citation needed]
His single "Om Namaha Shivaya" is included on the 2004 Putumayo World Music compilation album World Reggae, a collection of reggae tracks performed by artists from around the world.
In 2013, he sang a song on the soundtrack of the Indian film Iddarammayilatho. That year, he released the album It Is What It Is through Universal India. Its first single, "Celebrate", was a collaboration with Canadian pop singer Raghav and producer Jim Beanz.
In 2018, Kapur co-hosted the Brit Asia TV Music Awards with Preeya Kalidas.[4]
Kapur performed during the closing ceremony for the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham.[5]
Apache Indian Music Academy
[edit]In November 2013, Kapur opened the Apache Indian Music Academy at South and City College, in his hometown of Handsworth.[citation needed]
Accolades
[edit] | This section needs additional citations for verification. (July 2025) |
Apache Indian was nominated for an Ivor Novello Award for best contemporary song for "Arranged Marriage" as well as for a Mercury Music Prize for his debut album, No Reservations, in 1993. He was also nominated for the Central Britain Media and Arts Asian Jewel Award in 2004. He received an award at the Asian Media Awards for his talk show Real Talk in 2013, and a year later, he was decorated with the event's Lifetime Achievement Award. He was awarded the in the for services to music and young people.[6]
Awards
[edit]- British Reggae Industry Awards – Best Newcomer (1990)[2]
- UK Asian Music Awards – Best International Success (2003)[7]
- UK Asian Music Awards – Outstanding Achievement (2005)[8]
- UK Asian Music Awards – Lifetime Achievement Award (2011)[9]
- Brit Asia TV Music Awards – Lifetime Achievement Award (2014)[10]
- 2021 New Year Honours – British Empire Medal for services to music and to young people (2021)
Discography
[edit]Apache Indian has sold over 11 million albums worldwide.[11]
Studio albums
[edit]| Year | Album | Label | UK [12] |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1993 | No Reservations | Island Records | 36 |
| 1995 | Make Way for the Indian | Island/Universal Music | — |
| 1996 | No Problem | Love Birds | — |
| 1997 | Real People / Wild East | Warners Sweden/Sunset Records | — |
| 2000 | Karma | Sunset Records | — |
| 2005 | Time for Change | Explorer Recording Company | — |
| 2007 | Sadhu – The Movement | Smash Records | — |
| 2013 | It Is What It Is | Universal Music India/Sunset Entertainment Group | — |
| 2017 | In Ja... | Sunset/Universal India | — |
| 2018 | On the Weekend | Sunset Entertainment Group | — |
| 2020 | What's Not to Love | — | |
| "—" denotes releases that did not chart. | |||
EPs
[edit]| Year | Album | Certifications |
|---|---|---|
| 1993 | Nuff Vibes | BPI: Silver[13] |
| 2012 | Home Run | |
| 2016 | Apache Indian |
Singles
[edit]| Year | Single | Peak positions | Certifications | Album | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UK [14][15] |
IRE |
NED [16] |
BEL (FLA) [17] |
GER |
AUT [18] |
AUS [19] |
NZ [20] | ||||
| 1991 | "Movie Over India" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | No Reservations | |
| "Chok There" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||
| 1992 | "Don Raja" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| "Arranged Marriage" | 16 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||
| "Fe' Real" (with Maxi Priest) | 33 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Fe Real | ||
| 1993 | "Chok There" (reissue) | 30 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | No Reservations | |
| "Boom Shack-A-Lak" | 5 | 8 | 10 | 24 | 32 | 13 | 34 | 19 | Nuff Vibes | ||
| "Movin' On" (charity single) | 48 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | non-album single | ||
| 1994 | "Wreckx Shop" (with Wreckx-n-Effect) | 26 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Hard or Smooth | |
| 1995 | "Make Way for the Indian" (with Tim Dog) | 29 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Make Way for the Indian | |
| "Raggamuffin Girl" (with Frankie Paul) | 31 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||
| 1997 | "Lovin' (Let Me Love You)" | 53 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Real People | |
| "Real People" | 66 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||
| 2005 | "Om Numah Shivaya" (tsunami charity single) | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Time for Change | |
| "The Israelites" (with Desmond Dekker) | — | — | — | — | — | 34 | — | — | |||
| "—" denotes releases that did not chart or were not released. | |||||||||||
References
[edit]- ^ Kergan, Wade. "Apache Indian Biography". AllMusic. Retrieved 31 July 2022.
- ^ a b c d e f g Larkin, Colin (1998). The Virgin Encyclopedia of Reggae. Virgin Books. p. 13. ISBN 0-7535-0242-9.
- ^ Moskowitz, David V. (2006). Caribbean Popular Music: an Encyclopedia of Reggae, Mento, Ska, Rock Steady, and Dancehall. Greenwood Press. p. 14. ISBN 0-313-33158-8.
- ^ Anusha, Nava (11 October 2018). "BritAsia TV Music Awards 2018 Winners". desiblitz.com. Archived from the original on 29 June 2019. Retrieved 19 August 2020.
- ^ Bosley, Kirsty (8 August 2022). "Who is Apache Indian, the Handsworth musician from Hollywood and Bollywood films". Birmingham Mail.
- ^ "No. 63218". The London Gazette (Supplement). 31 December 2020. p. N33.
- ^ "British Asian Music Awards 2004 launched". 7 October 2004. Archived from the original on 10 February 2010. Retrieved 24 August 2010.
- ^ "Artists unite to celebrate British Asian Music". Archived from the original on 10 January 2011. Retrieved 24 August 2010.
- ^ Jas Sembhi (10 March 2011). "2011 UK Asian Music Awards Winners". desiblitz.com. Archived from the original on 9 July 2011. Retrieved 13 March 2011.
- ^ Baddhan, Raj (7 October 2014). "Brit Asia Awards 2014: Winners list". BizAsia. Retrieved 20 August 2020.
- ^ "New Year Honours 2021: Apache Indian receives BEM". 30 December 2020. Archived from the original on 10 April 2021. Retrieved 10 April 2021.
- ^ Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. p. 26. ISBN 1-904994-10-5.
- ^ "Apache Indian – Nuff Vibes (EP)". bpi.co.uk. Retrieved 31 July 2022.
- ^ "Apache Indian". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 7 October 2014.
- ^ "Just Wanna Know/Fe Real Ft. Apache Indian". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 31 July 2022.
- ^ "Discografie Apache Indian". dutchcharts.nl. Retrieved 31 July 2022.
- ^ "Discografie Apache Indian". ultratop.be. Retrieved 31 July 2022.
- ^ "Discographie Apache Indian". austriancharts.at. Retrieved 31 July 2022.
- ^ "Discography Apache Indian". australian-charts.com. Retrieved 31 July 2022.
- ^ "Discography Apache Indian". charts.org.nz. Retrieved 31 July 2022.
External links
[edit]
- Apache Indian at AllMusic
- Apache Indian discography at Discogs
- Apache Indian 2003 interview at Solid Pulse
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Artists | |
+
- 1967 births
- Living people
- Island Records artists
- English male singers
- English male songwriters
- British Asian musicians
- British rappers of Indian descent
- English reggae musicians
- English people of Indian descent
- English people of Punjabi descent
- Musicians from Birmingham, West Midlands
- People from Handsworth, West Midlands
- Recipients of the British Empire Medal
- British Asian rappers