This year’s ZEE London Mela, a celebration inspired by South Asian culture, takes place on 6th September in Gunnersbury Park. Set to be bigger and better than ever before and with a new title sponsor, ZEE TV, this year’s festival will feature Bollywood, urban and classical music, outdoor arts, dance, fashion, sports, a kids area, Tastes of Asia, the London Mela Bazaar, a giant funfair and a spectacular firework finale!
The Main Stage finale will feature one of the world’s leading creators of outdoor spectacle, Transe Express, presenting their award winning show MobilleHomme, collaborating with East London’s Dhol Academy in an awe inspiring finale with a customary ZEE London Mela firework finale. This project is supported via grant funding from Arts Council England distributing National Lottery funds.
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.
Last Thursday, 23rd July, the ZEE London Mela launched at the prestigious Durbar Court, Foreign and Commonwealth Office in London and was attended by over 300 guests from the worlds of politics, media and the arts. Guests arrived in the exquisite event space from 5:30pm onwards to enjoy speeches from International Development Minister, Baroness Verma and a stunning performance from Nutkhut’s Imperial Court Dancers.
An auction to raise money for the victims of the Nepal Earthquake was hosted at the launch by BBC Asian Network’s resident DJ and ZEE London Mela regular Bobby Friction. A total of 1,080 was raised for the Mela’s three charitable beneficiaries; Oxfam, The Gurkha Welfare Trust and YUMI Nepal.
BBC Asian Network will once again be proudly supporting this year’s ZEE London Mela and today announces the fantastic line-up of the freshest UK and international music talent who will be performing on the BBC Asian Network Stage at the event – Zack Knight, Sama Blake, JernadeMiah and Coldfever. The Asian Network is committed to championing British-Asian talent and supporting their development, particularly through shows presented by Panjabi Hit Squad, Kan D Man and DJ Limelight, and Yasser through his BBC Introducing programme. All these presenters will be performing DJ sets on the Asian Network Stage at the ZEE London Mela, and they will be introducing the following British Asian and international artists to the crowds:
Zack Knight – British Asian singer-songwriter, Zack (formerly known as Zeekay), first started out writing for household names such as TinieTempah 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 playlistedon Asian Network since his debut release and he has performed sessions on Noreen Khan’s show.
JernadeMiah – 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’.
Mark Strippel, Head of Programmes for Asian Network, says: “No-one champions British-Asian music and youth culture like BBC Asian Network and this year we present our most distinctive London Mela offering yet with some fantastic DJ’s and artists gracing the BBC Asian Network stage.”
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.
Mr. Neeraj Dhingra, ZEE Network Europe CEO says: “ZEE is at the forefront of the South Asian world and it is very exciting to be a part of Europe’s largest celebration of South Asian culture and that too as the title sponsor this year. The event brings a complete fusion of entertainment for London’s multi-cultural community for a full great day out. The ZEE London Mela is set to be an extravagant feat not to be missed. Watch out for the line-up of entertainment presented on the main stage in the coming days.”
The ZEE London Mela Artistic Director Ajay Chhabra says: “As the largest event of its kind in Europe, in one of the world’s most diverse cities, the ZEE London Mela celebrates diversity, culture and creativity like no other festival. We are proud of our relationship with our artists, our sponsors and how each year we raise the expectations of our audience. Always challenging the norm and continuing to present the unexpected, the London Mela continues to be the largest event of its kind in Europe.”