Shireen Jawad (Bengali: শিরিন জাওয়াদ; born 10 August 1971) is a Bangladeshi British singer.
Early life
Jawad was born and brought up in East London, England. Her first memories are of singing on her father's lap at the age of two[1] She began singing Bollywood songs from an early age as a hobby.[2][3] She was encouraged by her father to learn music.[2][3] Her first performances were at school.[1] Her inspiration came from her late mother and father who used to play traditional Bangla folk music at home.[4]
Career
Jawad qualified as a social worker before becoming a professional singer.[2][3] At the age of 19, she had her first public performance and moved on to singing Bengali folk songs to larger audiences.[1] She has performed at community functions and Melas across the UK, winning prizes at the 2002 Bethnal Green Festival and at the Asianet Talent Competition.[1]
In 2007, Jawad's debut album Panjabiwala was released, co-recorded with Habib Wahid the album features a collection of songs given to Jawad by her late mother. In 2009, her second album Mathwali was released by Laser Vision, which features a selection of songs Jawad collated from all regions of Bangladesh.[4] In April 2013, her third album Rangeela was released by Laser Vision, featuring Habib Wahid, Bappa Mazumder, Fuad al Muqtadir, Hridoy Khan, Rumel, Rumman, Rafa and Raihan.[5][6] Jawad has also worked with producers Habib Wahid and Fuad Almuktader.[2][3]
Jawad regularly performs in UK, Bangladesh and the US as well as Denmark, Italy and Spain. In August 2015, she performed at the Barclaycard Arena in Birmingham.[2][3]
Jawad's main focus is traditional Asian folk and spiritual music.[4][7]
