Raaj J. Konwar
Raaj J Konwar (Born 7 October 1975) is an Indian singer and composer from North Lakhimpur, Assam. His songs have been featured in Bollywood and Assamese films. He received his education at M.V. School and Govt H.S. School, North Lakhimpur. He attended J.B. College, Jorhat and Cotton College, Guwahati, and later he moved to the National College (Jhamathmal Advani Law College) Mumbai.
Struggling daysRaaj J Konwar
Raaj J Konwar arrived in Mumbai in 1996 on the pretext of recording his first Assamese Album Xagor tumi. He moved there permanently the next year to pursue a singing career, and started studying law at National College, Bandra, but concentrated on singing and making music. His elder brother, Bhagya Mohan Konwar, encouraged him and helped him financially before he became famous. After seven or eight years, he had his first major hit with the song “Ajnabi Khabwon Mein” in the movie “Superstar”.
“Before my big break in 2008, it was a real struggle. For the first few years I stayed in a 40-bed dormitory since accommodation in Mumbai is very expensive. I did all kinds of jobs for a little bit of money and to stay connected with people. I sang backing vocals and also wrote English lyrics in remix songs. Remix songs were a rage in the 90s. I made demos and approached music labels to release my songs, but without much success. But I never lost hope.” – Raaj said.
Playback singingRaaj J Konwar
After his first break in the year 2008 with the popular song Ajnabi, he has sung in several Hindi movies i.e.Click, Acid Factory, Mission Istanbul, Ragini MMS, Hostel, Sada Adda, Mallika,etc. and some Assamese movies i.e.Ramdhenu, Rishang, Akax Subole Mon, Rowd etc.
Early Years
Raaj formed a band called ‘Dynasty’ in Jorhat when he was in Junior College. He sang for a band called ‘Just’ that played covers of songs by Guns N’ Roses, Judas Priest, Peter Frampton and Eric Clapton while he was in Cotton College, Guwahati. In his initial days in Mumbai, he performed as a lead vocalist in a band called ‘Hoboes’ and worked with famous guitarist Mansur Alam, with whom he performed songs by Pink Floyd, Ozzy Osbourne, Gary Moore, Extreme, and Mr. Big.
Discography
HINDI MOVIE SONGS
| Year | Song | Movie or Album | Music Director | Co-singer(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | Ajnabi | Superstar (2008 film) | Shamir Tandon | Solo |
| 2008 | World Hold On | Mission Istanbul | Shamir Tandon | Kunal Ganjawala,Gayatri Ganjawala |
| 2009 | Ye Jism | Acid Factory | Shamir Tandon | Anchal |
| 2010 | Rubayee | Click | Shamir Tandon | Sunidhi Chouhan |
| 2010 | Yadein Remix | Click | Shamir Tandon | Solo |
| 2011 | Rishta Bano | Hostel | Virag Mishra | Monali Thakur |
| 2011 | Itne Kareeb Aao | Ragini MMS | Shamir Tandon | Solo |
| 2011 | Ittefak | Mallika | Shamir Tandon | Shilpa Rao |
| 2012 | Rowshan Dil Ka Jahan (Remix) | Runway | Shamir Tandon | Sunidhi Chouhan |
| 2012 | Sadda Adda | Sadda Adda | Shamir Tandon | Ahan Shah,Shahid Malllya |
ASSAMESE MOVIE SONGS
| Year | Song | Movie or Album | Music Director | Co-singer(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | Osto Akaxote | Raamdhenu | Jatin Sharma | Solo |
| 2012 | Warrior of Love | Rishang | Jatin Sharma | Bob Omulo |
| 2012 | Moja Koru | Akax Chubole Mon | Nandan Bhuyan | Solo |
| 2012 | Rongeen polythene | Rowd | Jatin Sharma | Solo |
Awards and nominations
- Raaj was nominated for the Best New Sensation of the year category in the 2012 Stardust Awards for the Song ITNA KAREEB AAO from the movie Ragini MMS.
- Received the best playback song award at the PRAG CINE AWARD 2013 for the song WARRIOR OF LOVE from the movie Rishang.
