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Nihal Arthanayake | |
|---|---|
 DJ Nihal atThe Asian Awards in 2014 | |
| Born | Nihal Arthanayake (1971-06-01)1 June 1971 (age 53) |
| Occupation(s) | DJ, radio and television presenter |
| Spouse | Eesha Arthanayake |
| Children | 2 |
Nihal Arthanayake (born 1 June 1971) is a British radio and TV presenter.
Nihal Arthanayake was born on 1 June 1971,[1] toTheravadaBuddhist[2]Sri Lankan parents.[3] Nihal began his involvement in the music industry as a promoter of rap shows in his native Essex,[4] while he was studying atBurnt Mill School, inHarlow,Essex.
Nihal began a career as a rap recording artist performing as 'MC Krayzee A'. In 1988 he released the track 'Into The Music' on the British Hip Hop compilation 'Hard Core One' on BPM Records.[5][6][7] In 1995, Nihal was a member of the group 'The Muddie Funksters' and released the 4-track EP 'Brown Like Muddie' onGo! Discs Records[8] and the 7" flexi disc single 'I'm The M The B The S The T' forHip Hop Connection Magazine.[9] He was also briefly a member ofalternative hip hop outfitCollapsed Lung and worked withFun Da Mental andPunjabi MC,Badmarsh & Shri,Mentor,Sona Family and DJ Sanj.
In the late 1990s Arthanayake turned to music promotion working for artists as diverse asNitin Sawhney,Judge Jules,Mos Def andElton John[10] and it was while working for the groundbreaking Asian Beats record label Outcaste Records he promoted, amongst othersBadmarsh & Shri'sSigns album.[11]
Arthanayake has worked as a freelance music journalist, writing forAsiana,Eastern Eye,The Face,Mixmag,Hip Hop Connection,[11]Attitude,Bear magazine,Cage And Aviary Birds andThe Observer.[12]
Arthanayake joined BBC Radio 1 in 2002, to become co-host of a night timeAsian Beats show with DJBobby Friction coming under the specialist DJ category. The show won aSony Radio Award in 2003 – achieving Gold standard in the Specialist Music Category for their showBobby Friction & Nihal Present.[13] At the end of 2004, they released a compilation album as a reflection of the music they play on the show. After an initial high-profile start, the show was rescheduled to the early morning 'graveyard' hours. Eventually Bobby Friction left the show, leaving the title as "Asian Beats with Nihal".
In October 2007 Arthanayake became the presenter of the Weekend Breakfast Show on Radio 1; he was one of only two DJs to present both a mainstream and a specialist show on the channel, the other beingAnnie Mac. He also provided holiday cover for Radio 1 colleagues. In September 2008 he was moved from weekend breakfast to weekend afternoons 13.00-16.00 on Radio 1.[14] On 21 September 2009, Arthanayake was moved from weekends to a brand-new review programme, namedBBC Radio 1's Review With Nihal. The weekly show reviews the latest music. He also became the sole presenter of the specialist Radio 1Asian Beats show after Bobby Friction left.
In May 2007, Arthanayake leftKicking Off... to become the host of the daily phone-in talk show from 09.00 to 12.00 on the Asian Network. In April 2009 his show moved to 13.00-15.00 as part of schedule changes. In late 2012 the show moved to 10.00-13.00.
In 2010, he won "Best Radio Show" at theUK Asian Music Awards (UK AMAs) for his show on Radio 1,[15] and a Sony Award for Best Speech Programme for his Asian Network show.[16]
In June 2014, it was announced that in September 2014, Arthanayake would leave BBC Radio 1.[17]
Until September 2016 Arthanayake had his own discussion programme concerned with societal and political topics at BBC Radio A (Asian Network) Channel:Nihal. Discussion and debate on the big issues..
In September 2016 Nihal joinedBBC Radio 5 Live co-hosting the "Afternoon Edition" show withSarah Brett.[18] After Sarah Brett left the show it was renamedNihal Arthanayake; it was broadcast Monday-Thursday 1pm-4pm.[19]
He left the weekday afternoon show in June 2024,[20] and now hosts two interviews on Sunday evenings in a slot called Headliners with Nihal Arthanayake, which is also available as a podcast.[21] He also occasionally presentsLoose Ends onBBC Radio 4.
Arthanayake's TV appearances began in 1999 alongsideEmma B on BBC2'sWebwise.[11] He also hosted his own rap showThe Drop onMTV Base,[11] and three hours of live TV every Saturday for digital television channelCBBC entitledThe Saturday Show: Extra.[11]
Arthanayake co-presented three series ofBBC2'sAsian music arts and culture show –Desi DNA alongsideAdil Ray andAnita Rani since 2004[11] and he interviewedKarsh Kale,Padma Lakshmi, Nerm, Outlandish and DJ Pathaan, as well as presenting special features onJay Sean, Ms Scandalous and Freeform Five.
In November 2004, he presentedChannel 4 documentaryWhere's Your F*****G Manners?[12]In August 2005, he appeared on BBC2'sArt School, alongsideUlrika Jonsson andKeith Allen, spending two weeks at theChelsea School of Art and learn about modern art.[11]
In 2010, Nihal appeared on BBC2'sCelebrity Masterchef,[22] but did not get past the first round, after cooking a Thai chicken curry on rosti for the Invention Test.[23]
With inside knowledge of the music industry he has contributed commentary on various music and culture-related topics on programmes ranging from theBRIT Awards,The Culture Show andChannel 5'sThe Wright Stuff, toMTV Base'sHip Hop Candy, and has appeared as a guest panellist on music comedy quizNever Mind the Buzzcocks[11] and on BBC Four'sWe Need Answers.
In March 2021, Nihal appeared onRichard Osman's House of Games on the BBC. In July/August 2021 he was part of the BBC’s coverage team for theTokyo 2020 Olympic Games,[24] broadcasting short explainers from Tokyo about how some of the less well-known sports work.
Following the success of the Radio 1 show, Arthanayake launched his own club night calledBombay Bronx in May 2004 as an opportunity to showcase his love of rap music – but with a distinctly Asian perspective. Since its creation, Bombay Bronx has seen some of the biggest artists on the 'Asian Beats' scene perform live, such asSwami,Raghav,Jay Sean, Belgian Ben, Skiddy McGee and Mentor Kolektiv, as well as giving a platform for unsigned artists such as Sunit, Raxtstar and Serese.
As well as DJ-ing at a variety of events up and down the country, Nihal has DJ-ed theIsle of Wight Festival,Glastonbury Festival andBestival in the UK. Internationally, he has performed inBangladesh,Dubai,Germany,India,Sri Lanka,Switzerland,Thailand and toured the U.S. withBobby Friction andRaghav.
In 2005, Nihal and former colleague Bobby Friction represented London as members of a team of cultural ambassadors during the successful2012 Summer OlympicsLondon bid.[4]
He is the voiceover for theSlumdog Millionaire album.[citation needed]
Nihal also appeared on the BBC Radio 5 Live showFighting Talk on 1 May 2010 alongsideTom Watt,John Rawling andKevin Bridges. Here he showed his support for north London football clubTottenham Hotspur.
Additionally, Nihal was responsible for the music accompanying theLondon New Year's Eve fireworks display for 2011[25] and 2012.[26]
In November 2023, while speaking at a journalism diversity conference inUK, Arthanayake stated that working within an "overwhelmingly white" environment at the BBC depressed him and affected his mental health due to the lack of diversity.[27] He went on to say "It’s really affecting me that I walk in and all I see is white people".[28]
Arthanayake used to live in theDollis Hill area of London.[29][30] He moved toStockport,Greater Manchester in 2016 when he joined BBC Five Live.[18][31] He lives there with his wife Eesha, and their two children, one son and one daughter.[1][32]He has a BA (2:1) fromSt Mary's University, Twickenham in History and English Literature and in 2023 was also awarded an Honorary Doctorate in Communications.[33]
Arthanayake is a fan ofTottenham Hotspur.[34]