Agam Kumar Nigam is an Indian singer who is prominently known for singing sad songs. He is the father of popular Bollywood playback singer Sonu Nigam.
Wiki/Biography
Agam Kumar Nigam was born in 1947 (age 76 years; as of 2023) in Agra, Uttar Pradesh. He moved to Faridabad along with his family when he was five years old. After completing his schooling in Faridabad, he moved to Mumbai in 1968 to pursue his dream of becoming a playback singer.
Physical Appearance
Height (approx.): 5′ 9″
Hair Colour: Black
Eye Colour: Black
Family
Parents & Siblings
There is not much information about his parents. He has a sister.
Wife & Children
He got married to Shobha Nigam in July 1972. It was a runaway marriage as Shobha’s parents were not in favour of their marriage. He has a son named Sonu Nigam, who is a popular playback singer.
Agam Kumar Nigam with his wife, son, and daughter-in-law (right to left)
Sonu Nigam with his sisters
He has two daughters named Meenal Nigam and Teesha Nigam (Neekita Nigam). Teesha Nigam is also a playback singer.
Relationships/Affairs
In an interview, Agam Kumar Nigam talked about his relationship with Shobha and said that they met each other for a live concert of 11 days. He said that initially, he was not happy with her being his singing partner, as she was a part-time singer. However, by the end of their 11-day concert, they became very good friends and eventually fall in love with her. In an interview, he talked about this and said,
At the end of the 11 concerts I realized that this was the girl who I wanted to marry. It was like a new chapter just opened for us seamlessly. When we returned, we were even more drawn to each other.”
Agam Kumar Nigam with Shobha Nigam
Address
He resides at Windsor Grand Building in Oshiwara, Mumbai.
Career
Stage Shows
Agam Kumar Nigam started his singing career as a stage artist in his teenage. Initially, he used to sing in small shows such as Rameela and other stage shows in his hometown. In 1968, he moved to Mumbai to pursue his dream of becoming a playback singer. However, at that time, established singers such as Mohammed Rafi, Kishore Kumar, and Mukesh dominated the industry, which made it challenging for Agam to secure a role as a playback singer. Consequently, he began performing at orchestra and stage shows, but he did not achieve significant success.
Agam Kumar Nigam singing in an orchestra
The singer later moved to Delhi and worked there as a stage artist for almost eighteen years. In an interview, he revealed that once he went to his hometown in Faridabad, near Delhi. At that time, there was a popular singing show named ‘Khushrang Deshara,’ organised in Delhi in which popular singers from Punjab such as Surinder Kaur, Asa Singh Mastana, and Narendra Chanchal used to perform. He said that he too was invited by the organisers to participate in the show. He performed in the show and received huge accolades from the audience. After this, he decided to move to Delhi and continue his work there.
Album
Agam Kumar Nigam launched his debut album ‘Uski Yaadon Mein’ in 2002, consisting of eight tracks. However, the album failed to create a buzz in the music industry. In 2004, he launched his second album ‘Bewafaai,’ which consists of nine tracks. The album was well-received by the audience, marking the breakthrough of the singer’s career.
Cover of the album ‘Bewafaai’
In 2007, he released the album ‘Phir Bewafaai,’ which was the second series of his album ‘Bewafaai.’ The other series of the album ‘Bewafaai’ include ‘Woh Bewafa’ (2008), ‘Bewafaai Ka Aalam’ (2010), ‘Phir Se Bewafaai’ (2015), and ‘Bewafa Dholna’ (2019).
Cover of the album ‘Bewafaai Ka Aalam’
He sang various songs for the album ‘Pyar Kisi Se Na Karna’ (2009), which is a collaborative work with Tulsi Kumar and Sonu Nigam. In 2012, he sang the songs ‘Beta Chhutal’ along with Omkar Singh and ‘Choliya Ke Taanka’ along with Rekha Rao for the Bhojpuri film ‘Hamaar Saiyan Daroga.’
Awards
- He has been awarded Bharat Gourav Ratan at the show ‘Meri Awaaz Suno’ organised by the Kala Darpan Society in Delhi.
- He has also been honoured with an award at ‘The RDD Show’ on the occasion of the completion of the 1000th episode of the show.
Agam Kumar Nigam receiving the award at ‘The RDD Show’
Facts/Trivia
- He wanted to become a singer since he was a child and started singing at the early age of 4 in small shows such as Ramleela and other stage shows.
- In the initial days of his singing career, he used to travel for hours and perform for Rs 25.
- In an interview, he revealed that he ran away from his house to Mumbai at the age of 15 along with his friend Balkishan Dhawan in pursuit of a chance in playback singing. However, the singer later came back to his hometown and in 1968, he finally shifted to Mumbai from Faridabad and continued with his singing career there.
- In March 2023, an amount of Rs 72 Lakh was stolen from Agam Kumar Nigam’s house in Oshiwara. He filed a complaint about it at the Oshiwara Police Station. After investigation, it was found that the money was stolen by the singer’s former driver named Rehan. However, the police later recovered Rs 70.70 from the accused and booked him under sections 380 (theft), 454 (trespassing), and 457 (housebreaking).
Categories: Biography
Source: SCHOOL TRANG DAI
