The biggest festival of South Asian culture in Europe – ZEE London Mela is set to put the stage on fire with its fantastic line-up of entertainment. From Bollywood, to British to international singing stars plus favourite TV celebs and more – the ZEE London Mela has it all covered in this one spectacular day-out.
This year’s ZEE London Mela, a celebration inspired by South Asian culture, takes place on 6th September in Gunnersbury Park. With plenty of artists making their main stage debuts and a new title sponsor, ZEE TV, this year’s festival is set to be bigger and better than ever before.
TV stars
Popular stars from brand new Asian entertainment channel &TV are all set to come and meet the fans! &TV stars from the comedy show Bhabi ji Ghar Par Hai,Saumya Tandon and Aashif Sheikh, will be entertaining audiences with their comedy gags. The pair play an unconventional married couple lead as Anita and Vibhuti Narayan, in the one-of-its type show on Asian TV.
Zee TV’s chat-show Zee Companion will see its much-loved hosts ready to greet the visitors at the ZEE stand. Zee Companion is a unique live show that acts as an interactive portal between viewers, hosts and experts. Come and meet the lovely Natasha Asghar, Anila Dhami and Sujata Joshi.
ZEE London Mela will be hosted by ZEE’s very own presenter Asad Shan – be ready for a fun and interactive session and come along to the ZEE stand for selfies and autographs with the celebs. Also grab your free ZEE goodie bag and line up for free henna designs and watch out for the Zee TV show Out & About crew filming all the activities on the day.
Live Performances at the Main Stage
Benny Dayal: Bollywood sensation Benny Dayal will be headlining this year’s ZEE London Mela main stage with his magnificent live band Funktuation. Discovered by the legendary A. R. Rahman, Benny Dayal will be performing for the second time in London this summer fresh from his barnstorming live show at the Royal Albert Hall, BBC Proms. Benny Dayal, as a stunning live artist guarantees to bring an energy like never before to the ZEE London Mela main stage. .
Imran Khan: Imran Khan is a Pakistani singer, songwriter, and record producer and is currently sat at the number one spot in the Asian download charts. He rose to fame in 2007 after the success of his first single “Ni Nachleh”.
Imran Khan is on the way to release his second album in summer 2016, whose first single “Imaginary” was released in June 2015, a chart topping tune he is set to perform on the main stage at this year’s ZEE London Mela.
Raghav: Raghav Mathur was born in Toronto, Canada to Hindu parents from India. He is known professionally as Raghav, is an independent Canadian singer/songwriter.
He has released three studio albums: the debut Storyteller in 2004, Identity in 2009 and The Phoenix in 2012. His most known commercial success was with “Angel Eyes” which peaked at number 7 in the UK in 2005. His singles “So Confused”, “Can’t Get Enough” and “It Can’t Be Right” also reached the UK top ten in 2004.
Mumzy Stranger: Mumzy is a MC, singer-songwriter and record producer. 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 is one of the latest prospects of British-Asian R&B artists in Britain.
Arjun: London-based popular singer, songwriter and music producer Arjun will be performing at this year’s ZEE London Mela.
Arjun has become known for his fusion of contemporary Western and Eastern sounds, combining soulful R&B with elements of South Asian music.This formula has made him a big hit with Asian youth across the globe. As a pioneer in the Hindi/R&B Fusion genre, Arjun has set the standard for other young Asian artists now following in his footsteps.
Veena Parashar: Winner of two music based reality TV shows, versatile Bollywood singer Veena has bagged accolades from Amitabh Bachchan, Bappi Lahri, Ravi Khishan, Shekhar Suman, Raghu Ram and many other famous film and television personalities!
Global Local Stage
Hussain Brothers Qawwali Group: Hussain Brother’s have been performing for the past 18-years in and out of the UK. Hussain Brother’s are gifted In other popular styles such as traditional Qawwali, Sufi Qawwali, Bollywood Qawwali, Modern Day Qawwali Ghazal And Geet. Hussain Brothers are also very famous for incorporating different languages into their Qawwali such as Hindi, Punjabi, Urdu and Persian.
Dila V & The Odd Beats: This Bosporus-straddling blend of Turkish folk and irresistible Balkan dance beats comes with sinuous hints of Greek Rebetiko amongst other tasty world music flavours. Fronted by singers Dila Vardar & Djanan Turan and featuring Nicki Maher’s eloquent clarinet it’s Multi-National Gypsy Eastern Folk Girl Power at its finest.
DJ Parm Panesar: Parm Panesar is a musical mind that has an intricate knowledge of Eastern and Western sounds and has a magical way of fusing them together. Playing percussion, in particular Dhol, opened doors to tour the world. Parm also taught Dhol for Johnny Kalsi’s Dhol Foundation, at the Midlands based classes. Turning to DJing, he built up a unique style, again wowing audiences globally.
Shane Tong: Shane Solanki is a writer, performer music producer and spoken word artist from London. He’s worked with Talvin Singh, Ninja Tune and Hetain Patel, and has supported musicians including Billy Bragg, comedians including Shazia Mirza, and poets including Micheal Horowitz, Lemn Sissay and Ursula Rucker.
Navrattan
Created by Nutkhut’s co-Artistic Director Simmy Gupta, Navrattan - A Quest for the Lost Gems, inspired by the children’s stories of Mughal Emperor Akbar and his favourite advisor Birbal, will take you into the mysterious and magical world of the Mughal Empire! Join Birbal on his epic quest to find and collect the nine hidden gems from Emperor Akbar’s precious nine-jewelled pendant – his Navrattan. An interactive promenade show packed full of surprises, storytelling, puppetry, traditional Kathak dance and craft workshops. This 45-minute family adventure is a perfect introduction to the ancient arts and traditions of the Mughal Empire.
BBC Asian Network Stage
Zack Knight: British Asian singer-songwriter, Zack (formerly known as Zeekay), first started out writing for household names such as Tinie Tempah and Ginuwine. His early influences were Usher, Boyz II Men and Michael Jackson, and his style of mixing popular Bollywood songs with R&B has proved extremely popular. He has been supported across the Asian Network.
Sama Blake: Hailing form the Netherlands, Sama started song writing from a young age. He made his debut with Sniper in 2012 and has since worked with music producer Eren E on various songs including Bottom and High Profile. His music has been playlisted on Asian Network since his debut release and he has performed sessions on Noreen Khan’s show.
Jernade Miah: East London based singer, Jernade, made his debut in 2010 when he performed as Asian Network presenter Bobby Friction’s BBC Introducing artist at Maida Vale studios.
Cold Fever: Multi-talented producer, songwriter and rapper, Cold Fever, was introduced to BBC Asian Network by champion of new music, Yasser, and performed at Glastonbury 2015. AKA Bhumeet Kala-Lee, Cold Fever grew up with a mix of Reggae, Jazz and Soul influenced by his Jamaican father and Indian mother. This blend inspired the creation of ‘Desi Reggae’.
The BBC Asian Network Stage will be hosted by: Yasser, Panjabi Hit Squad, Kan D Man and DJ Limelight
Other activities
In true mela style, visitors will get to enjoy a ‘tastes of Asia’ food market with an array of mouth-watering delicacies. Activities will also be buzzing at the ‘MelaBazaar’ shopping area. The Main Stage finale will feature one of the world’s leading creators of outdoor spectacle, Transe Express, presenting their award winning show Mobille Homme, collaborating with East London’s Dhol Academy in an awe inspiring finale with a customary ZEE London Mela firework finale.
BBC Asian Network listeners can enjoy highlights from the ZEE London Mela on air through the week, with extensive highlights and special programming from the festival from Friday in: Yasser, who is a champion of unsigned music (Fridays 9pm – 12am); Kan D Man & DJ Limelight, who are supporters of new Asian street artists and young UK talent (Saturdays, 9pm – 12am); and Panjabi Hit Squad, who are at the forefront of British-Asian music (Saturdays, 6 – 9pm). Highlights will also be available at www.bbc.co.uk/asiannetwork.
The ZEE London Mela, a festival that has been previously referred to as the ‘Asian Glastonbury,’ is entering a new era as an affordable ticketed show. Now in its thirteenth year the event is using its new found status to raise money for victims of this year’s devastating earthquakes in Nepal. The modest ticket prices for Europe’s biggest Mela will be fully restored in the infrastructure, artists and performances at this much loved one-day festival.
For more information please visit: www.londonmela.org
To purchase tickets for the event visit: londonmela.ticketline.co.uk
