Shahin Badar (born 17 June 1974) is an English singer and songwriter who is best known in Europe and North America for her vocals on the Prodigy's single "Smack My Bitch Up" (1997), which went platinum.
Early life
Badar was born in Colchester, Essex, England to a Bangladeshi father and Indian mother. She spent her formative years growing up in Kuwait and the UAE.[1]
Inspired by her mother, Zohra Ahmed, who is a classical singer and encouraged by her teachers, Badar developed a blend of Arabic and Indian vocals.[2] She sings in English, Arabic, Bengali and Indian languages.[1]
Badar returned to England to continue her schooling at Gilbert Grammar School. Upon leaving she took up a position in Customs and Excise.[1]
Career
Recording
In 1996, Badar's first album Destiny was released, produced by British music producer Kuljit Bhamra. In 2010, her second album Laila was released.[2][3]
Badar has received recognition of her work from various awarding bodies through short-listings and nominations, in addition to this her performance and written work is also included in projects that have secured major awards(*).
^ abKarim, Mohammed Abdul; Karim, Shahadoth (October 2010). British Bangladeshi Who's Who(PDF). British Bangla Media Group. p. 33. Archived(PDF) from the original on 29 September 2011. Retrieved 10 May 2011.