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
aftermath
Nitin Sawhney Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Aftermath
Shades of hell
I set them free
But struggle
Eternally
Its too late now
Frozen world outside
Made by foolish pride
Time to mend
Your life begins
Breathe for me
Make me feel
Im not alone
Rowen
Final stunt
Will the blood shed
End at once
Rowen
Is no doubt
Life in limbo
Is our home now
Rowen
Final stunt
Will the blood shed
End at once
Rowen
Is no doubt
Life in limbo
Is our home
The song "Aftermath" by Nitin Sawhney is a haunting and emotional portrayal of the aftermath of war and the struggle for survival in its wake. The opening lines "So let it be felt, aftermath" sets the tone for the rest of the song. It speaks to the idea that the lasting effects of war cannot be ignored and must be acknowledged. There is a sense of desolation and destruction that is conveyed through the lyrics "Shades of hell, I set them free, but struggle eternally". It shows that even though the war may have ended, the effects of it continue to haunt the people who have lived through it.
The second verse of the song speaks to the idea that it is too late to change what has happened. The "Frozen world outside, made by foolish pride" reflects the idea that war is often caused by ego and the misplaced belief of superiority. However, the song offers hope in the lyric "Time to mend, your life begins, breathe for me, make me feel, I'm not alone". It conveys the idea that despite the destruction and devastation, people can still move forward and rebuild their lives.
Line by Line Meaning
So let it be felt
Allow yourself to feel the consequences of your actions
Aftermath
The result of a destructive event
Shades of hell
The dark and painful aftermath of a traumatic experience
I set them free
I have let go of my past hurt and anger
But struggle
However, I still face challenges in moving on
Eternally
This struggle may last forever
Its too late now
The point of no return has been reached
To turn the clock around
To go back in time and undo the past
Frozen world outside
The world appears lifeless and unchanging
Made by foolish pride
This emptiness is a result of my own arrogance and mistakes
Time to mend
It is time to heal and fix what's broken
Your life begins
This is a new opportunity to start fresh
Breathe for me
Be a source of hope and support for me
Make me feel
Help me feel connected and loved
Im not alone
I am not the only one who has struggled and been hurt
Rowen
The name of someone who may have been hurt or lost
Final stunt
The end result of one's choices and actions
Will the blood shed
Can we stop hurting each other?
End at once
This cycle of violence and trauma must end now
Is no doubt
There is no question, this is the reality we are facing
Life in limbo
We are stuck in a place between life and death, and must find a way to heal
Is our home now
This struggle and pain is where we live, but there is still hope for something better
Contributed by Kaylee C. Suggest a correction in the comments below.