Zeshan B: Difference between revisions

Zeshan B
Zeshan B
Background information
Birth name	Zeshan Bagewadi
Also known as	Zeshan B
Born	June 27, 1987 (age 37); Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
Genres	Soul
Occupations	Musician; singer-songwriter;
Instrument	Harmonium
Labels	Minty Fresh
Website	www.zeshanb.com

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Zeshan Bagewadi (born June 27, 1987), known professionally as Zeshan B, is an American singer, multi-instrumentalist, songwriter and recording artist from Chicago, Illinois. His debut album Vetted was released on April 7, 2017.^[1]

Bagewadi was featured in the "10 New Artists You Need to Know: April 2017" article by Rolling Stone.^[2] On August 10, 2017, he made his television debut on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert where he performed "Cryin' in the Streets".^[3]

Early life and career

The start of Zeshan’s musical career can be traced back to high school where he joined choir, both gospel choir and regular choir, as a sophomore. Under the guidance of his choir director, Zeshan was directed towards a voice teacher who was also an opera singer for the Chicago Lyric. Zeshan’s new vocal teacher discovered his ability for singing opera and began prepping him for a career in opera. Zeshan went on to study at Northwestern University’s Bienen School of Music. After graduating with his Bachelors, and later his Masters, Zeshan was immediately hired by opera companies, making his debut performance in New York in Don Giovanni: Mozart Opera.^[4]

Early on in his opera career, Zeshan started to feel the constraints of pursuing classical music. He formed a world music string band with some of his fellow colleagues and the left the world of opera behind him.^[5]

References

^ "Singer 'Zeshan B' wants to stretch the language of soul". NBC News. August 25, 2017. Retrieved January 22, 2018.
^ "10 New Artists You Need to Know Now". Rolling Stone. April 21, 2017. Retrieved January 22, 2018.
^ BWW News Desk. "VIDEO: Zeshan B Performs 'Cryin' In The Streets' on LATE SHOW". Retrieved January 22, 2018.
^ Gardner, John. “Zeshan B: Chicago-Born Opera-Trained Indian Muslim Soul Singer.” The World Music Foundation Podcast. The World Music Foundation. Retrieved 2, September 2020.
^ Gardner, John. “Zeshan B: Chicago-Born Opera-Trained Indian Muslim Soul Singer.” The World Music Foundation Podcast. The World Music Foundation. Retrieved 2 September 2020.

External links

Podcast Interview with The World Music Foundation

[1] "Singer 'Zeshan B' wants to stretch the language of soul". NBC News. August 25, 2017. Retrieved January 22, 2018.

[2] "10 New Artists You Need to Know Now". Rolling Stone. April 21, 2017. Retrieved January 22, 2018.

[3] BWW News Desk. "VIDEO: Zeshan B Performs 'Cryin' In The Streets' on LATE SHOW". Retrieved January 22, 2018.

[4] Gardner, John. “Zeshan B: Chicago-Born Opera-Trained Indian Muslim Soul Singer.” The World Music Foundation Podcast. The World Music Foundation. Retrieved 2, September 2020.

[5] Gardner, John. “Zeshan B: Chicago-Born Opera-Trained Indian Muslim Soul Singer.” The World Music Foundation Podcast. The World Music Foundation. Retrieved 2 September 2020.

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+{{Use mdy dates|date=October 2019}}
-{{AFC submission|t||ts=20171026171224|u=ZeshanB|ns=118|demo=}}<!-- Important, do not remove this line before article has been created. -->
+{{Infobox musical artist
-{{Zeshan B}}
+| name            = Zeshan B
-<!-- EDIT BELOW THIS LINE -->
+| image           = Zeshan B press image.jpg
-'''Zeshan Mohammed Bagewadi''' (born June 27th, 1987) known professionally as [[Zeshan B]] is an [[American]] singer, multi-instrumentalist, songwriter and recording artist from [[Chicago, Illinois]].<ref>http://chicagotonight.wttw.com/2017/06/06/zeshan-b-puts-south-asian-twist-classic-american-soul</ref> He is best known as having created Brown-Skinned Soul, a genre of music that blends classic American [[R&B]] and [[Soul]] with [[Indian]]/[[Pakistani]] vocal stylings. His debut album, [[Vetted]], was released in 2017 to critical and commercial acclaim.<ref>http://www.rollingstone.com/music/lists/10-new-artists-you-need-to-know-april-2017-w477527/zeshan-b-w477532</ref>
+| image_size      = 220
+| landscape       = yes
+| birth_name      = Zeshan Bagewadi
+| alias           = Zeshan B
+| birth_date      = {{Birth date and age|1987|06|27}}
+| birth_place     = [[Chicago]], [[Illinois]], U.S.
+| genre           = [[Soul music|Soul]]
+| occupation      = {{hlist|Musician|singer-songwriter}}
+| instrument      = Harmonium
+| years_active    =
+| label           = [[Minty Fresh]]
+| associated_acts =
+| website         = {{URL|www.zeshanb.com}}
+}}
+'''Zeshan Bagewadi''' (born June 27, 1987), known professionally as '''Zeshan B''', is an American singer, multi-instrumentalist, songwriter and recording artist from Chicago, Illinois. His debut album ''Vetted'' was released on April 7, 2017.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.nbcnews.com/news/asian-america/singer-zeshan-b-wants-stretch-language-soul-n795301 |title=Singer 'Zeshan B' wants to stretch the language of soul |date=August 25, 2017 |publisher=NBC News  |access-date=22 January 2018}}</ref>
-== Early Life ==
+Bagewadi was featured in the "10 New Artists You Need to Know: April 2017" article by ''[[Rolling Stone (magazine)|Rolling Stone]]''.<ref>{{Cite magazine |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/lists/10-new-artists-you-need-to-know-april-2017-w477527/zeshan-b-w477532 |title=10 New Artists You Need to Know Now |magazine=Rolling Stone |date=April 21, 2017 |access-date=22 January 2018}}</ref> On August 10, 2017, he made his television debut on ''[[The Late Show with Stephen Colbert]]'' where he performed "Cryin' in the Streets".<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.broadwayworld.com/bwwmusic/article/VIDEO-Zeshan-B-Performs-Cryin-In-The-Streets-on-LATE-SHOW-20170811 |title=VIDEO: Zeshan B Performs 'Cryin' In The Streets' on LATE SHOW |author=BWW News Desk  |access-date=22 January 2018}}</ref>
-[[File:Kid Pic on Piano.jpg|thumb|left|Zeshan Bagewadi at age 2.]]
-Bagewadi was born in Chicago, Illinois, the middle child and only son of [[Indian Muslim]] immigrants.<ref>https://www.americanbluesscene.com/2017/04/zeshan-b-brings-back-souls-protest-album-tradition/</ref> His father Raj was born in the small village of [[Bagewadi]] in [[Karnataka]] and his mother Vaseem (nee’ Zafer) was born in [[Hyderabad]] and raised in [[Mumbai]].<ref>https://span.state.gov/achievers/zeshan-bagewadi-young-indian-american-takes-opera/20100503</ref> From his father’s side, Zeshan is related to the early Hindi Cinema singer and actress [[Amirbai Karnataki]]; she was the sister of Zeshan’s paternal great-grandfather, Inspector Raj Mohammed Kuntoji of the Indian Imperial Police Force.<ref>http://www.streeshakti.com/bookA.aspx?author=10</ref>
+== Early life and career ==
-[[File:Dad Article .jpg|thumb|right|Raj Bagewadi's Op-ed on Langston Hughes and Black Poets of the Harlem Renaissance. Published in the Times of India, (1969).]]
+The start of Zeshan’s musical career can be traced back to high school where he joined choir, both [[Gospel music|gospel choir]] and regular choir, as a sophomore. Under the guidance of his choir director, Zeshan was directed towards a voice teacher who was also an opera singer for the [[Lyric Opera of Chicago|Chicago Lyric]]. Zeshan’s new vocal teacher discovered his ability for singing opera and began prepping him for a career in opera. Zeshan went on to study at [[Northwestern University|Northwestern University’s]] [[Bienen School of Music]]. After graduating with his Bachelors, and later his Masters, Zeshan was immediately hired by opera companies, making his debut performance in New York in [[Don Giovanni|Don Giovanni: Mozart Opera]].<ref>Gardner, John. “Zeshan B: Chicago-Born Opera-Trained Indian Muslim Soul Singer.” The World Music Foundation Podcast. The World Music Foundation. Retrieved 2, September 2020.</ref>
-In the 1960s and 70s, his father Raj was a freelance journalist in Mumbai who contributed essays and op eds to the [[Times of India]] and the [[Hindustan Times]] on [[African American]] social movements and artistic expression.<ref>http://www.npr.org/2017/04/08/522899195/the-second-generation-soul-of-zeshan-bagewadi</ref> This would later have a profound impact on Zeshan, as his parents enjoyed listening to American R&B and Soul artists such as [[Bill Withers]], [[Marvin Gaye]], [[Aretha Franklin]], and [[Stevie Wonder]] as well as Indo-Pakistani singers like [[Mehdi Hassan]], [[Kishore Kumar]], [[Mohammad Rafi]] and [[K.L. Saigal]].<ref>http://ventsmagazine.com/2017/03/09/zeshan-bs-vetted-47-via-minty-fresh-combines-southern-soul-traditional-indo-pakistani-music/</ref>
+Early on in his opera career, Zeshan started to feel the constraints of pursuing classical music. He formed a [[world music]] string band with some of his fellow colleagues and the left the world of opera behind him.<ref>Gardner, John. “Zeshan B: Chicago-Born Opera-Trained Indian Muslim Soul Singer.” The World Music Foundation Podcast. The World Music Foundation. Retrieved 2 September 2020.</ref>
-Upon migrating to Chicago, Zeshan’s mother worked as a clinical social worker at the notorious [[Cook County Hospital]] on Chicago’s [[west side]] and his father runs a successful insurance agency with [[Allstate]].<ref>https://www.chicagoreader.com/Bleader/archives/2017/04/06/chicago-born-muslim-indian-soul-singer-zeshan-b-calls-for-black-and-brown-unity</ref> Zeshan was strongly influenced by his maternal grandparents, who taught him to speak and read [[Urdu]] fluently.<ref>http://www.popmatters.com/review/zeshan-b-vetted/</ref>
+== References ==
-From preschool to 3rd grade, Zeshan attended the [[Islamic Foundation School]] in [[Villa Park, IL]]--a private, full time Islamic school.<ref>https://issuu.com/albayanmagazine/docs/albayan2012print</ref> Zeshan’s vocal talents were first discovered in that school as he displayed a natural aptitude as a cantor in reciting the [[Quran]] and at the age of 9, he was made a [[muezzin]] who would give the [[adhan]] for Friday ([[Jummah]]) prayer services.<ref>https://issuu.com/albayanmagazine/docs/albayan2012print</ref> When his family relocated to [[Lombard, IL]], Zeshan’s enrollment in public school entitled him to further pursue his love of music. Zeshan took up [[oboe]] and [[piano]] and was the male soloist in his high school’s ([[Glenbard East High School]]) gospel choir.<ref>http://chicagotonight.wttw.com/2017/06/06/zeshan-b-puts-south-asian-twist-classic-american-soul</ref> It was in gospel choir that Zeshan felt most at home:
+{{Reflist}}
+== External links ==
-''“I think I decided to be a musician when I got my first solo (of many) in my high school's gospel choir. I just loved the freedom I felt to let go and let all of my energy and emotions out in my singing--and that people liked it. When I think back on it, I'm pretty sure I looked like an epileptic chicken doing that with all of my nervous, awkward energy! But in all seriousness, I think it's a rite of passage for a musician to feel like they can freely express themselves--and gospel choir gave me that.”''<ref>https://myspace.com/article/2017/3/31/zeshan-b-vetted-interview</ref>
+*[https://wmfpodcast.org/opera-trained-indian-muslim-soul-singer/ Podcast Interview with The World Music Foundation]
-To further pursue his love of singing, Zeshan was encouraged by his parents and his choir instructor to take private voice lessons. His voice teacher discovered that Zeshan had a deeply resonant, rich [[tenor]] voice that was suitable to [[classical music]] and [[opera]].<ref>http://chicagotonight.wttw.com/2017/06/06/zeshan-b-puts-south-asian-twist-classic-american-soul</ref>
-== Education ==
-[[File:College Recital Pic.jpg|thumb|left|Zeshan B performing at his senior recital at Lutkin Hall, Northwestern University (2009)]]
-Zeshan enrolled and attended [[Northwestern University]]’s [[Bienen School of Music]] in 2005 on a scholarship.<ref>http://digitaledition.chicagotribune.com/tribune/article_popover.aspx?guid=ce50bb94-dfd0-4067-b460-3a3b3fa77d4f</ref>  He completed his Bachelor’s Degree in Music (Voice) in 2009 and went on to pursue a Master’s degree in Voice and Literature at Northwestern, completing his studies in 2011. [[File:Indian Community Gigs.jpg|thumb|right|Bagewadi (right) during his college years--singing traditional Indo-Pakistani music in Chicago (2008)]]During his college years, Zeshan would sing on weekends for events and concerts hosted by the Chicagoland-area Indo-Pakistani community and thus gained valuable experience in singing traditional Indian and Pakistani musical forms such as [[ghazal]], [[geet]] and [[qawwali]]. This further strengthened his command of Urdu and introduced him to singing in other related languages such as [[Punjabi]] and [[Farsi]].<ref>https://soundcloud.com/malanational/zeshan-bagewadi-the-soul-of-music</ref>
-In 2007 (during his junior year) upon received an independent study credit from his college, Zeshan traveled to Bangalore, India to learn Hindustani music theory (ragas) and vocals from Dr. Nagaraj Rao Havaldar of the world renowned Kirana Ghana.<ref>https://span.state.gov/achievers/zeshan-bagewadi-young-indian-american-takes-opera/20100503</ref>
-== Career ==
-Upon completion of his Master’s degree in 2011, Zeshan immediately made his professional Opera debut in New York City as Don Ottavio in the [[Martina Arroyo]] Foundation’s production of [[Mozart]]’s [[Don Giovanni]] at the [[Kaye Playhouse]] to critical acclaim.<ref>https://www.operanews.com/Opera_News_Magazine/2011/10/Review/NEW_YORK_CITY__Prelude_to_Performance.html</ref> This led to engagements and offers to sing with [[Chicago Opera Theater]], [[Sarasota Opera]] and New Jersey Opera. However, feeling constricted with the rigid performance practices and traditions of opera, Bagewadi decided to form his own band and write his own music.<ref>https://www.chicagoreader.com/Bleader/archives/2017/04/06/chicago-born-muslim-indian-soul-singer-zeshan-b-calls-for-black-and-brown-unity</ref>
-He formed a band with other Northwestern University students called Zamin and upon releasing their self entitled debut album, the band became a favorite in the Chicago [[indie]] underground scene for their unique sound of string instruments, hand percussion and Indo-Pakistani vocal stylings.<ref>https://dailynorthwestern.com/2012/07/15/campus/campusarchived/nu-band-to-perform-at-taste-of-chicago-on-final-day/</ref> However, by 2014 Zeshan had grown once again weary of the experimental direction that the band was taking and was equally frustrated in having to share creative input with others. He decided to leave the band in 2014.
-After exiting Zamin, Zeshan decided to move in a direction that was commensurate with his own life experiences—he began writing and experimenting with music that combined elements of R&B, Soul, Gospel with Indo-Pakistani genres such as [[ghazal]] and [[geet]]. Initially, Zeshan struggled to find work and had to supplement his musical income with driving for [[Uber]] and repairing cars in his garage in [[Albany Park]], Chicago.<ref>http://www.popmatters.com/post/zeshan-b-honors-family-and-soul-music-in-insightful-20-questions/</ref>
-In 2014, upon learning (from his grandmother as her health declined<ref>https://www.dawn.com/news/1125726/we-are-only-separated-by-a-border</ref>) that his grandfather’s shop was burned down in the ensuing violence and chaos that accompanied the 1947 partition of India and Pakistan, Zeshan collaborated with Pakistani-American filmmaker Nushmia Khan and released a music video on midnight, August 14th (to commemorate India and Pakistan’s independence days) entitled “Border Anthems” in which he sang his own rendition of both India and Pakistan’s national anthems in a gesture of unity.<ref>http://theaerogram.com/border-anthems/</ref>[[File:White House Pic.png|thumb|left|Zeshan B (center) and bandmates with President Barack Obama in the East Room of the White House (2016) Disclaimer: “This photograph is provided by THE WHITE HOUSE as a courtesy and may be printed by the subject(s) in the photograph for personal use only. The photograph may not be manipulated in any way and may not otherwise be reproduced, disseminated or broadcast, without the written permission of the White House Photo Office. This photograph may not be used in any commercial or political materials, advertisements, emails, products, promotions that in any way suggests approval or endorsement of the President, the First Family, or the White House.” ]] The video was premiered by [[Dawn]] (Pakistan’s leading English newspaper) and was featured in [[Hum TV]], [[Buzzfeed]]<ref>https://www.buzzfeed.com/imaansheikh/the-border-anthems?utm_term=.mm60kd6md#.uuOwGOK4O</ref>, [[Times of India]]<ref>http://epaperbeta.timesofindia.com/Article.aspx?eid=31809&articlexml=AN-ANTHEM-TO-A-BORDER-23082014106023</ref>, Scroll.In<ref>https://scroll.in/article/674753/video-a-poignant-border-anthem-unites-pakistani-indian-national-songs</ref> and [[Voice of America]]<ref>https://www.urduvoa.com/a/2639941.html</ref> (Urdu).
-Also in 2014, he sang the US [[National anthem]] for former US [[President Jimmy Carter]] at an event in Detroit for which President Carter later remarked, “I’ve never heard a more beautiful rendition of the [[Star-Spangled Banner]] than the one we just heard”.<ref>http://www.rollingstone.com/music/lists/10-new-artists-you-need-to-know-april-2017-w477527/zeshan-b-w477532</ref> This led to an engagement to sing for [[President Barack Obama]] at the [[White House]] in 2016 for the White House’s inaugural celebration of the Muslim holiday [[Eid-Ul-Adha]]<ref>http://www.rollingstone.com/music/lists/10-new-artists-you-need-to-know-april-2017-w477527/zeshan-b-w477532</ref>.
-=== Vetted ===
-[[File:7--Vetted.jpg|thumb|right|Album cover of Vetted (released in April, 2017) Photo Credit: Diana Quiñones Rivera. Album Artwork by Delicious Design League (Chicago).]]
-In late 2015, Zeshan’s work caught the attention of Chicago indie label [[Minty Fresh]] Records. The label arranged for Zeshan to record a full length album of originals and lesser known soul arrangements. The album was recorded in early and mid 2016 in [[Memphis]] at the Historic [[Ardent Studios]], produced by [[Isaac Hayes]] and [[Al Green]]’s legendary arranger Lester Snell and featured a wrecking crew of former [[Stax Records]] musicians (Michael Toles, Dave Smith, Steve Potts).<ref>http://shorefire.com/releases/entry/zeshan-bs-cryin-in-the-streets-a-lost-protest-soul-classic-for-trying-times</ref> Zeshan named the album ‘Vetted’ as a nod to those who are vetted with “unfair scrutiny”.<ref>https://www.chicagoreader.com/Bleader/archives/2017/04/06/chicago-born-muslim-indian-soul-singer-zeshan-b-calls-for-black-and-brown-unity</ref>
-Ahead of the full album’s release, in January 2017—just days after President [[Donald Trump]]’s travel ban—Zeshan B released the single “Cryin in the Streets”—a cover of [[George Perkins]]’ Civil Rights Anthem (1970) that was written as a reaction to [[Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.]]’s assassination.<ref>https://www.chicagoreader.com/Bleader/archives/2017/04/06/chicago-born-muslim-indian-soul-singer-zeshan-b-calls-for-black-and-brown-unity</ref> The song and its music video (filmed in Chicago) were premiered by [[American Songwriter]]<ref>http://americansongwriter.com/2017/01/zeshan-b-delivers-anthem-cryin-in-the-streets/</ref> and garnered Zeshan regional and national acclaim from [[PRI]],[[File:Colbert Pic.jpg|thumb|left|Zeshan B performing on the Late Show with Stephen Colbert at the Ed Sullivan Theater, New York (2017). Photo Credit: CBS/The Late Show with Stephen Colbert]] the [[Chicago Tribune]] and led to Zeshan’s Chicago television debut with appearances on [[WGN]] Morning News and ABC7’s “Windy City Live”.<ref>http://abc7chicago.com/entertainment/zeshan-b-performs-timeless-soul-classics/1835672/</ref> The song was praised for it’s beauty and presicient poignancy in the era of Trump’s presidency.<ref>http://www.imposemagazine.com/tv/zeshan-b-cryin-in-the-streets</ref>
-The release of the full length album followed in April 2017.<ref>https://itunes.apple.com/us/artist/zeshan-b/id1204953482</ref>  Premiered by [[NPR]], Vetted garnered commercial and critical acclaim with a debut at #8 in the [[Billboard]] Top 10 (World Music) charts<ref>https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=10102357278217375&id=2413884</ref> and subsequent features in [[Rolling Stone]] (Zeshan’s image was featured on the cover of Rolling Stone’s ‘10 Artists You Need to Know’ series) [[New York Times]], [[NBC]], [[CBS]], [[The Village Voice]], [[No Depression]], [[Chicago Reader]], [[WBEZ]], the [[Times of India]] and [[DW]].<ref>http://www.rollingstone.com/music/lists/10-new-artists-you-need-to-know-april-2017-w477527/zeshan-b-w477532</ref><ref>https://www.nytimes.com/2017/08/10/arts/music/pop-rock-and-jazz-in-nyc-this-week.html</ref><ref>https://www.nbcnews.com/news/asian-america/singer-zeshan-b-wants-stretch-language-soul-n795301</ref>
-In August 2017, Zeshan made his network debut on the [[The Late Show]] With [[Stephen Colbert]], and received a standing ovation at the [[Ed Sullivan Theater]].<ref>http://www.cbs.com/shows/the-late-show-with-stephen-colbert/video/GcVYlaAMHnLjO_dUf8HKPbk3LDVAKOzB/zeshan-b-performs-cryin-in-the-streets-/</ref>
-== Artistry ==
-=== Voice and Timbre ===
-Zeshan has been described as a “vocal virtuoso” with a remarkably versatile, 3 octave voice that has enabled him to singing in different genres.<ref>http://www.wnyc.org/story/classic-soul-punjabi-urdu-zeshan-b-live-in-studio/</ref> Critics have described his voice as being “deep, mournful and velvety” with a “powerful [[falsetto]] and shimmery [[vibrato]].”<ref>http://theaerogram.com/zeshan-sings-blues-desi-soul/</ref>  Zeshan has also been lauded for his mastery of phrasing and tone, as well as his ability to oscillate from [[raga]]-based [[melismas]] to [[gospel]]-tinged moans and affectations.<ref>http://nodepression.com/article/zeshan-bagewadi-sings-soul-music-two-worlds</ref>  Zeshan attributes his voice’s versatility to the operatic vocal techniques he learned in college and graduate school.<ref>http://www.npr.org/templates/transcript/transcript.php?storyId=522899195</ref>
-== Style ==
-Bagewadi is known for having created the genre “brown-skinned soul”—a unique blending of American R&B, Soul and [[Blues]] with Indo-Pakistani vocal stylings and languages, and his breakout album ‘Vetted’ is replete with what critics call “blaring [[tanpura]] and [[harmonium]] alongside hard grooves, delicate strings, and riveting horns”.<ref>https://www.americanbluesscene.com/2017/04/zeshan-b-brings-back-souls-protest-album-tradition/</ref> The album was categorically accepted by well known soul singers, arrangers, [[DJs]] and [[music critics]] as being “true deep soul”.<ref>https://www.dustygroove.com/browse.php?cat=deep_funk&sortfield=artist&incl_in=on&incl_oos=on&incl_cs=on&limit=30&kwfilter=Memphis+Soul&filterfield=artist&format=cd&new_status=new</ref>
-=== Influences ===
-Zeshan has said that from an early age, he was influenced (by way of his parents’ musical tastes) by legendary soul artists such as [[Bill Withers]], [[Aretha Franklin]], [[Mahalia Jackson]], [[James Brown]], [[Sam Cooke]], [[Marvin Gaye]], [[Al Green]], [[The Temptations]], [[Curtis Mayfield]], [[B.B King]], [[Muddy Waters]] and [[Stevie Wonder]] as well as Indo-Pakistani stalwarts such as [[Mehdi Hassan]], [[Jagjit Singh]], [[Kishore Kumar]], [[Manna Dey]] and [[Mohammed Rafi]].<ref>http://read.tidal.com/article/zeshan-b-what-are-you-listening-to</ref> He has also derived inspiration from contemporary artists/groups such as [[neo-soul]] artists [[D’Angelo]], [[Lauryn Hill]], R&B artists like [[Brian McKnight]] and [[R. Kelly]], hip hop artists such [[Snoop Dogg]], [[Dr. Dre]], [[Chance the Rapper]] and [[Jidenna]] as well as jazz legends such as [[John Coltrane]], [[Louis Armstrong]], [[Oscar Peterson]], [[Miles Davis]] and [[Ella Fitzgerald]].<ref>https://myspace.com/article/2017/3/31/zeshan-b-vetted-interview?page=3</ref>
-Having studied classical music in college, Bagewadi is also an avid listener of classical music, having been inspired by the symphonic literature and compositional style of, [[Mozart]], [[Beethoven]], [[Brahms]], [[Richard Strauss]], and [[Shostakovich]], the operatic and liturgical literature of [[Verdi]] as well as the [[lieder]] (German song) literature of [[Schubert]], [[Robert Schumann]] and [[Hugo Wolf]].
-=== Instruments & Equipment ===
-Zeshan’s harmonium is a [[teak wood]] Paul and Co. 3 reed scale changer from [[Calcutta]] that was given to him as a gift from his parents for being accepted into Northwestern’s Bienen School of Music. He is known for having rejected the traditional [[Hindustani]] style of only playing melodies on the harmonium and instead uses it more as an organ by mostly playing large, stacked [[chords]] and harmonies as well as melodies.<ref>http://digitaledition.chicagotribune.com/tribune/article_popover.aspx?guid=a07b1a74-974c-4340-8b70-1c030c287135</ref> He has designed an electric pickup for his harmonium that he often routes through a 1959 tweed [[Fender Bassman]] or a 1965 blackface [[Fender Twin Reverb]].
-In 2017, Bagewadi received a sponsorship deal from the [[Urbana-Champaign]] based harmonium manufacturer Old Delhi Music to play their “Bhava” brand harmoniums (constructed in the [[Delhi]] style) and tours exclusively with the Bhava 2.5 mini and the Bhava Classic 3.5 octave.
-Zeshan also plays a [[Miraj]]-style [[tanpura]] made from tumba (dried gourd); it is prominently featured in 2 of the songs Vetted (Ain’t no Love in the Heart of the City and Hard Road to Travel).<ref>http://shorefire.com/releases/entry/zeshan-b-blends-soul-indo-pakistani-music-on-vetted</ref>
-== Personal Life ==
-Zeshan B is married to Dr. Alexandra Roybal. The pair met while they were students at Northwestern University and lived together in Chicago for 3 years before marrying in 2015. Alexandra is currently an [[anesthesiology]] resident at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore, MD. She is [[Mexican American]].<ref>https://www.chicagoreader.com/Bleader/archives/2017/04/06/chicago-born-muslim-indian-soul-singer-zeshan-b-calls-for-black-and-brown-unity</ref>
-He is well known for being a [[polyglot]].<ref>http://digitaledition.chicagotribune.com/tribune/article_popover.aspx?guid=ce50bb94-dfd0-4067-b460-3a3b3fa77d4f</ref> Apart from [[English]], he is fluent in [[Urdu]] and [[Italian]] (having studied abroad in [[Urbania, Italy]] while a sophomore in college) and he is conversant in [[Spanish]] and [[Punjabi]]. Throughout his career, Zeshan has sang in Italian, Spanish, [[German]], [[French]], [[Russian]], [[Arabic]], [[Farsi]], Urdu and Punjabi.<ref>https://myspace.com/article/2017/3/31/zeshan-b-vetted-interview?page=3</ref>
-Bagewadi was raised in a secular, liberal Muslim family; he refers to himself as a “global citizen” and he is frequently seen in Sikh gurdwaras and [[churches]], such as [[Trinity United Church of Christ]] (President Obama’s former church) where he has performed often.<ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8XRNUGRS2_U</ref><ref>http://www.rollingstone.com/music/lists/10-new-artists-you-need-to-know-april-2017-w477527/zeshan-b-w477532</ref> He has been denounced by members of the [[American Muslim]] community for his vocal criticism of the “blatant anti-black racism and patriarchal misogyny that exists in the Muslim community” and the “excessive deference and importance that is accorded to self-serving [[Imams]] and scholars who revel in their cult of personality”.
-Known for being an outspoken supporter of the Black Lives Matter movement, Bagewadi's hit single "Cryin in the Streets" was largely inspired by the movement as well as the death of Sandra Bland, who he knew personally in high school and college.<ref>http://www.ithaca.com/entertainment/musician-zeshan-b-fights-the-system-with-soul/article_580acb12-82a4-11e7-87c8-578e0f3f9546.html</ref> In addition to his music, he has often lent his support for the Black Lives Matter movement through visuals; the cover artwork for his 'Cryin in the Streets' includes an illustration of a Black Lives Matter protest.<ref>https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/cryin-in-the-streets-single/id1206135125</ref> The official music video of the song depicted Zeshan marching in a Black Lives Matter protest as well as stock footage of unarmed blacks--Sandra Bland, Michael Brown, Eric Garner and Laquan McDonald (known victims of police brutality).<ref>https://www.pri.org/stories/2017-02-13/indian-american-muslim-singer-resurrects-old-civil-rights-anthem</ref> On his national television debut on the Late Show with Stephen Colbert in August of 2017, Zeshan B sang onstage with video-projected images of black leaders and activists such as Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Angela Davis, Colin Kaepernick and he sang an Urdu intro that emphasized the importance of black lives and how much they matter.<ref>http://www.cbs.com/shows/the-late-show-with-stephen-colbert/video/GcVYlaAMHnLjO_dUf8HKPbk3LDVAKOzB/zeshan-b-performs-cryin-in-the-streets-/</ref>
-Zeshan is an outspoken advocate for good relations between India and [[Pakistan]] and has spoken on the socio-political tensions between those two countries on several occasions. His maternal grandparents’ families were splintered in the 1947 partition of India (the largest mass migration in human history in which historians estimate nearly 1 million people were killed) with his grandparents remaining in [[India]] and some of their relatives migrating to [[Karachi]], Pakistan.<ref>http://www.dw.com/en/india-and-pakistan-are-different-but-man-we-can-really-get-along-says-musician-zeshan-b/a-40115648</ref> When his famed Border Anthems video (see above in ‘career’)was premiered in 2014, Zeshan himself authored an op-ed for Dawn in which he stated that his experience as an American of Indian heritage accorded him a unique perspective on the tensions between India and Pakistan:
-''“Although I was born and bred in the United States, I keep trying to rekindle these memories [of the partition]. Why? Because while growing up here, I had the unique privilege of growing up with Pakistanis; something that the average citizen in neither country experiences. When we were kids, we didn’t fight over India and Pakistan; we fought over whose Mom makes better biryani. We stood by each other at school when the other kids made fun of our qeema sandwiches. We commiserated on how awful our Urdu or Hindi was and how strict our parents were. We just had too much in common. Socio-political tensions between our parents’ countries seemed so trivial.”<ref>https://www.dawn.com/news/1125726/we-are-only-separated-by-a-border</ref>''
-== Discography ==
-== References ==
+{{authority control}}
-== Zeshan B ==
+{{DEFAULTSORT:Zeshan B}}
-{{AFC submission|||ts=20171026171447|u=ZeshanB|ns=118}}
+[[Category:American soul singers]]
+[[Category:Musicians from Chicago]]
+[[Category:1987 births]]
+[[Category:Living people]]
+[[Category:American people of Indian descent]]
+[[Category:21st-century American singers]]