Dr Nitin Sawhney CBE is a globally celebrated musician, composer, and cultural advocate. Raised in South London, he excelled as a classical and jazz pianist, flamenco guitarist, and later studied sitar and tabla. Abandoning a law degree for music in the 1980s, Sawhney has since composed over 70 film and TV scores, released 13 acclaimed solo albums, and earned an Ivor Novello Lifetime Achievement Award, a CBE, and nine honorary doctorates. His groundbreaking 1999 album Beyond Skin, a Mercury Prize nominee, fused Indian classical, jazz, and electronica, earning a South Bank Show Award. Albums like Prophesy (2001) and Philtre (2005) won MOBO and BBC Radio 3 Awards, while his film scores for The Namesake, Midnight’s Children, and Mowgli: Legend of the Jungle showcased his versatility. His 2025 BAFTA-nominated score for Disney’s Tiger follows his BAFTA-winning Human Planet and other acclaimed works.
Website: www.nitinsawhney.com
Instagram: @nitinsawhney
Portrait of Nitin Sawhney CBE. Photograph by Suki Dhanda.
