Mumzy Stranger

Mumzy Stranger
Background information
Native name মুহাম্মদ মুমিথ আহমেদ
Birth name Muhammad Mumith Ahmed
Also known as Mumzy
Born (1984-01-18) 18 January 1984
Plaistow, Newham, London, England
Origin Newham, London
Genres
Occupation(s)
Instruments Piano, guitar
Years active 2005–present
Labels
  • 2Point9
  • Timeless London
  • Stranger Productions
Associated acts
Website www.mumzystranger.com

Muhammad Mumith Ahmed (Bengali: মুহাম্মদ মুমিথ আহমেদ; born 18 January 1984), better known by his stage name Mumzy Stranger, is a British Bangladeshi MC, singer, songwriter and record producer, known for his distinctive soulful-bashment style. He made his mainstream recording debut in the summer of 2009 with his debut single "One More Dance", which topped the UK Asian Charts, as did the follow-up singles, "Showgirl" and "Fly With Me". He is the first artist of Bangladeshi descent to have entered the mainstream music industry and still remains to this day one of the latest prospects of British-Asian R&B artists in Britain.[1] Ahmed sings in a unique reggae-style tone, in English, Punjabi, Hindi, Bengali and Sylheti.

Early life

Ahmed was born and raised in Plaistow, Newham in East London to Bengali Muslim parents. He is of Bengali origin and was raised in a traditional Islamic home.[2]

In 2000, Ahmed started out in the UK garage scene at the age of 16, and was involved in pirate radio until 2003 when he left as he felt like a stranger (from which he derived his stage name). So far since his rise to local fame, his main fan base today is still derived from the East side of London and has also gained international success.[3]

2005–08: Career beginning

Ahmed was one of three finalists in BBC Asian Network's Unsung competition in 2005 with his song "Jump Up",[4][5] after a friend of his sent in Stranger's demo tape,[6] which caught the attention of Rishi Rich, a Bhangra-fusion producer who was also one of the judges for the competition.[7]

Two years later, as a graduate from the University of Westminster, achieving a BA (Hons) in Business Information Technology,[1] Ahmed finally went into the studio with Rishi Rich. With the help of Rishi Rich, he released his promo single, "Let's Party" in 2007, which Rich produced along with the next single, "Stranger". He performed in the UK at the Royal Festival Hall in South Bank, London and at the 2008 Boishakhi Mela, a concert of Bangladeshi musicians. He also performed at the award show for the UK Asian Music Awards in 2008.

2009: Debut single and collaborations

Ahmed's debut single "One More Dance" was produced by Rishi Rich and was released in July 2009.[8] The single was set to be titled "One More Chance" but was later changed to "One More Dance", according to Rishi Rich.[9] It failed to reach the mainstream charts but topped the UK Asian Charts on its debut.[10][11] His second single, "Showgirl", was released in August 2009.[6][12] Mumzy is heard on two tracks on The Streets of Bollywood 3, a remix album by Rishi Rich, Hunterz and Kami K, mainly focusing on bringing Indian and urban music together.

Ahmed collaborated with several UK and international desi artists, such as H-Dhami, Preeya Kalidas, Abbas Hasan and Malkit Singh.[13]

On 18 November 2010, Ahmed supported Sean Kingston at The O2 Arena.[14]

2010: Debut mixtape and album released

Ahmed released his debut mixtape, No Stranger to This, which was put together in the course of seven days and officially released on 11 December, a day before his debut album, Journey Begins. Stranger and Stereo Nation are heard on the soundtrack of It's a Wonderful Afterlife. The track is a remix of a hit song by Stereo Nation, "Larl Larl Buleeya (Remix)". The track is Stranger's debut on a British film soundtrack. He is also heard on the soundtrack of Toonpur Ka Super Hero, making his debut on a Bollywood film soundtrack.

In December 2010, Stranger's debut album was Journey Begins released on in the UK.[15] Stranger performed songs from the album with a live orchestra to 600 fans and media at a one-off concert on 18 December at Stratford Circus in Stratford, London.[16] The album's lead single is "Fly With Me", produced by himself at his home studio. The single debuted at number 15 on the UK Asian Download Chart and stayed in the top 40 for more than 17 weeks but dropped off the chart at week 18. There are several remixes of "Fly With Me", a Grime Mix featuring Flo Dan, Gods Gift, KID & Roly; a Rishi Rich Kulcha Mix and a Bangla Mix featuring SH8S. Stranger's fourth and final single from the album is "Spaceman" featuring Wiley.

2011–12: Award nominations and singles

At the UK Asian Music Awards's Nominations Party held at the West Midlands' super-club Gatecrasher, in Birmingham on 1 February, Ahmed was nominated for 4 awards, Best Album (for Journey Begins), Best Male Act, Best Urban Act and Best Video (for "Fly With Me"), the most for any solo act at the UK Asian Music Awards 2011.[17] He ended up winning Best Urban Act.[18]

After the release of his debut album, he released his new promotional single titled "Mama Used to Say", a collaboration with Grammy-Award winning British R&B singer, Junior, which was released on 10 March.[19] Stranger performed the single at the UK AMA with Junior.[20]

On 8 April 2011, Ahmed's single "Heartbreaker" was released as a free download.[21][22]

Ahmed collaborated with Junai Kaden[23] on the track "Aaja Mere Naal". The track is Junai Kaden's debut single and produced by Mumzy himself. The single was released on 14 April 2011.[24] The track entered the UK Asian Download Chart at no. 7, making it his very first top 10 single.

2013–present: Brand new projects

Mumzy is the featured artist on Nafees' song titled "Sazaa", which went to number 1 on The Official Asian Download Chart in its first week of release. He has also released his new record, "Love Comfort" featuring himself and a new female artist he signed, Shayma. He has also been to India with Tasha Tah to feature in a song called "Kurbaan"; this track was made before but the Bollywood Industry extended it for 6 minutes and the video has been shown on B4U Music.[25]

Charity work

Ahmed is an ambassador for Newham Council's anti-violence campaign to prevent gun and knife crime.[26] On 29 August 2010, Stranger took part in the Sky Ride Leicester, a free, family-orientated and fun traffic-free mass participation cycling event in Leicester, England.[27]

Awards and nominations

Year Award Category Result
2009 Urban Music Awards Best UK Asian Act Won
2010 BritAsia TV Music Awards Best Newcomer Act Won
Best Urban Asian Act Won
2011 UK Asian Music Awards Best Album (Journey Begins) Won
Best Male Act Won
Best Urban Act Won
Best Video (Fly With Me) Won
2014 BritAsia TV Music Awards Non-Asian Music Producer Won

Discography

Albums

Album Title Album details Peak chart positions Certifications
Journey Begins

Mixtapes

EPs

Videography

Music videos

Covers

Appearances

See also

References

  1. 1 2 "Mumzy's Bio". BBC Asian Network. 2011. Retrieved 9 March 2011.
  2. ↑ "Bio". Mumzy's Official Website. 2010. Retrieved 9 March 2011.
  3. ↑ Maher, Amelia (19 August 2009). "Mumzy Stranger: Mumz The Word". RWD Magazine. Retrieved 8 December 2009.
  4. ↑ "Unsung finalist". BBC Asian Network. 2005. Retrieved 8 December 2009.
  5. ↑ Press office (30 March 2005). "Three finalists go head to head in BBC Asian Network Unsung 2005". BBC. Retrieved 8 December 2009.
  6. 1 2 "Interview with Mumzy Stranger". Desi-Box Media. July 2009. Retrieved 8 December 2009.
  7. ↑ "Mumzy: Brit-Bengali Soul". MTV Iggy. Retrieved 8 December 2009.
  8. ↑ "Mumzy launch party". The Asian News. 17 July 2009. Retrieved 8 December 2009.
  9. ↑ "Making of One More Dance Music Video". MTV Iggy. 4 June 2009. Retrieved 8 December 2009.
  10. ↑ "Mumzy Stranger – 'One More Dance'". Radar Music Videos. 26 May 2009. Archived from the original on 3 June 2009. Retrieved 8 December 2009. |first1= missing |last1= in Authors list (help)
  11. ↑ "Making of Mumzy's "One More Dance" Music Video". MTV Iggy. Retrieved 8 December 2009.
  12. ↑ "Mumzy Stranger's Showgirl". The Asian News. 15 August 2009. Retrieved 8 December 2009.
  13. ↑ "Top 5 Collaborations". DesiHits. 2010. Retrieved 9 November 2010.
  14. ↑ "Mumzy to support Sean Kingston". DesiHits. 2010. Retrieved 18 November 2010.
  15. ↑ "Mumzy Stranger - The 'Journey Begins' (Out Soon)". SimplyBhangra.com. 2010. Retrieved 9 October 2010.
  16. ↑ "Mumzy Stranger to release debut album". Manchester: Manchester Evening News. 6 December 2010. Retrieved 12 October 2010.
  17. ↑ "Most Nominations at UK AMA 2011". dailyrindblog. 1 February 2011. Retrieved 9 March 2011.
  18. ↑ Jas Sembhi (10 March 2011). "2011 UK Asian Music Awards Winners". desiblitz.com. Retrieved 13 March 2011.
  19. ↑ "Brand new single". DesiHits. 2011. Retrieved 9 March 2011.
  20. ↑ "Mumzy & Junior's Performance at UK AMA". BBC Asian Network. 10 March 2011. Retrieved 11 March 2011.
  21. ↑ "Making of "Heartbreaker"". DesiBox.com. 2011. Retrieved 5 April 2011.
  22. ↑ "Mumzy Stranger is a "Heartbreaker"". DesiHits. 2011. Retrieved 5 April 2011.
  23. ↑ "New Mentor Role". DesiHits. 2011. Retrieved 14 April 2011.
  24. ↑ "Mumzy's new protoge". DesiHits. 2011. Retrieved 7 April 2011.
  25. ↑ "Sazaa is Number 1". BBC Asian network. 2013. Retrieved 2 October 2013.
  26. ↑ "Mumzy Stranger fights Knife and gun Crime with Tower Hamlets". Newham Council. 16 March 2011. Retrieved 16 March 2011.
  27. ↑ "Sky Ride Leicester (Mumzy Stranger)". Zimbio. 29 August 2009. Retrieved 30 August 2010.
  28. ↑ "Mumzy – MixTape". DesiDrop.Com. 2008. Retrieved 14 November 2008.
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