Nitin Sawhney (raised in Rochester, Kent, England) is a London-based compos… Read Full Bio ↴Nitin Sawhney (raised in Rochester, Kent, England) is a London-based composer and DJ of various styles of music, including jazz, drum and bass, hip-hop, flamenco and modern orchestral compositions. His major works include Beyond Skin, Prophesy, Human, and Philtre. He is considered one of the pioneers of what is known as the Asian Underground music scene, defining a music genre that mixes south-Asian musical influences with western electronica and breakbeat style. He does however dislike the tag of "world" music, describing it as musical apartheid.

Nitin attended Sir Joseph Williamson's Mathematical School and studied law at Liverpool University for a short time. He then went to London, where he met Sanjeev Bhaskar. The pair became friends and created a comedy double act, The Secret Asians, together. The show sought to turn absurdly dated Asian stereotypes on their heads. It led to a contract with BBC radio and eventually grew into the award-winning BBC TV sketch show Goodness Gracious Me.

During that time he met up with an old school friend, acid jazz keyboards-player James Taylor. He joined Taylor for a 40-date tour in as part of The James Taylor Quartet. It introduced him to the jazz club scene and provoked him into forming his own band, The Jazztones. He moved on to join forces with tabla master Talvin Singh to form the Tihai Trio and, after that collaboration ended in 1993, released his debut album, Spirit Dance on his own label. Shortly afterwards, he signed with Outcaste Records.

Sawhney's music is intensely political, commonly approaching themes of multiculturalism, empowerment, identity, immigration, poverty, and spirituality. He is active as an artist in residence for five different performing arts organisations in Europe and Asia, and along with George Martin is a patron for the British Governments Access-to-Music Program which brings music education to the inner-city students.

Sawhney's skills include classical and jazz piano and flamenco guitar. He has released six studio albums, as well as countless remixes and collaborations. After releasing Beyond Skin on London's Outcaste Records in 1999, he was signed by V2 to do six albums. His first album with the Virgin subsidiary, the millennial/apocalyptical Prophesy, in 2001 won a MOBO Award and a BBC Radio 3 Music Award.

Sawhney's music is influenced by his roots in India, utilising and featuring Urdu and Hindi lyrics, Qawwali singing, tablas and other instruments from the subcontinent, and Raga phrasings in music which is often primarily meant for the dance floor.

Sawhney's work in production and arrangement has led to his working in film and television scores. He has scored television ads for Sephora and Nike, as well as more than 25 films from his London-based Spirit Dance Studios. He was nominated for an Ivor Novello Award for Film and TV Composition in 2004 for his music on Channel Four's film, Second Generation. From there, he has begun to see acceptance from the "classical" community, and in 2004 he was commissioned by the city of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra and the Britten Symphonia to compose new performance works. London's Royal National Theatre invited him to write, direct, and score a work to be opened in 2005.

For photographs and additional information visit Nitin's official site, www.NitinSawhney.com

Homelands (Dzihan
Nitin Sawhney Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Indians Part :
Vocal percussion

Calo language (gipsies language) Part :
Ya no malmite nadi

Second Indian part :
Sa da pa ma pa da

Ga ma pa ma pa da
Ga pa ma sa ni ni
( indian musical notes )

Portuguese Part :

Tudo o que quiser
(Everything you want)
Tem que entender
(You got to understand)
Nas palmas da mão
(In the palms of the hand)
Se tiver porquê
(If there is a reason)

Frágil nessa terra
(Fragile in this land)
Fácil derrubou
(Easy it fell)
Quando jogou fora
(When you through it away)

Tudo acabou
(Everything ended)

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to Nitin Sawhney's song Homelands contain snippets of different languages and cultural influences, creating a unique tapestry of sound. The Indian portion of the song features vocal percussion and a series of Indian musical notes. The use of vocal percussion adds a layer of rhythm to the song, while the use of Indian musical notes adds a distinctly Indian flavor to the music.

The portion of the song in the Calo language, which is the language of the gypsies, features the lyrics "Ya no malmite nadi." While the meaning of these lyrics is not clear, they add a sense of mystery and intrigue to the music. The Calo language is spoken by various groups of gypsies throughout Europe and is known for its poetic and musical qualities.

The Portuguese portion of the song features the lyrics "Tudo o que quiser / Tem que entender / Nas palmas da mão / Se tiver porquê." These lyrics translate to "Everything you want / You got to understand / In the palms of the hand / If there is a reason." This portion of the song speaks to the idea that in order to achieve what you want, you need to have an understanding of why you want it.

Overall, the lyrics to Homelands are rich with cultural influences, incorporating elements of Indian music, the Calo language, and Portuguese phrases. The different languages and cultural references create a sense of a global community, bringing together diverse cultures and perspectives.

Line by Line Meaning

Vocal percussion
A form of music where sounds are created using the human voice and body as instruments.

Ya no malmite nadi
A phrase in the Calo language spoken by the gypsies, meaning 'No one is forgotten'.

Sa da pa ma pa da
Musical notes in Indian classical music that are used to form a melody.

Ga ma pa ma pa da
More musical notes in Indian classical music that are used to form a melody.

Ga pa ma sa ni ni
Further musical notes in Indian classical music that are used to form a melody.

Tudo o que quiser
Everything you want.

Tem que entender
You have to understand.

Nas palmas da mão
In the palms of the hands.

Se tiver porquê
If there is a reason.

Frágil nessa terra
Fragile in this land.

Fácil derrubou
It was easy to bring down.