Apache Indian

• Name — Apache Indian • Honorific Suffix — BEM • Birth Name — Steven Kapur • Born — 11 May 1967 • Birthplace — Handsworth, Birmingham, England • Genre — * Bhangramuffin • reggae fusion • Eurodance • Occupation — * Singer • songwriter • Instruments — Vocals • Years Active — 1980–present • Label — * Island • PolyGram • Universal Music Steven Kapur (born 11 May 1967), known by the stage name Apache Indian, is a British singer-songwriter and reggae DJ, who had a series of hits during the 1990s. He is best known for the 1993 song "Boom Shack-A-Lak".

Born into a family of Punjabi Indians, Kapur was raised in Handsworth, Birmingham, a racially mixed area with large Black and Asian communities, and home of reggae bands such as Steel Pulse. By the early 1980s, he was working with local sound systems and grew dreadlocks. By the mid-1980s, he had begun to make a name for himself as a dancehall deejay. Kapur recorded his first single in 1990, "Movie Over India", under the moniker Apache Indian, and it was picked up by the reggae distributor Jet Star. The track mixed ragga and bhangra sounds and was popular among audiences of both genres. Two further singles followed in a similar vein, "Chok There" and "Don Raja", bringing him to the attention of major labels, and in 1992, he signed with Island Records. With the collaboration of his cousins Simon & Diamond, Kapur introduced a new hybrid sound of bhangra called bhangragga, or bhangramuffin, with his 1993 debut album, No Reservations, recorded in Jamaica and produced by Simon & Diamond, Phil Chill, Robert Livingston, Bobby Digital, and Sly Dunbar. This was followed by Make Way for the Indian (produced by Sly & Robbie, the Press, Mafia & Fluxy, Pandit Dineysh, and Chris Lane), which featured rapper Tim Dog and spawned the hit "Boom Shack-A-Lak". By 1997, Kapur had parted ways with Island, and his next album, Real People, was released by Warner Bros. Sweden. His single "Om Namaha Shivaya" is included on the 2004 Putumayo World Music compilation album World Reggae, a collection of reggae tracks performed by artists from around the world. In 2013, he sang a song on the soundtrack of the Indian film Iddarammayilatho. That year, he released the album It Is What It Is through Universal India. Its first single, "Celebrate", was a collaboration with Canadian pop singer Raghav and producer Jim Beanz. In 2018, Kapur co-hosted the Brit Asia TV Music Awards with Preeya Kalidas. Kapur performed during the closing ceremony for the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham.

Apache Indian was nominated for an Ivor Novello Award for best contemporary song for "Arranged Marriage" as well as for a Mercury Music Prize for his debut album, No Reservations, in 1993. He was also nominated for the Central Britain Media and Arts Asian Jewel Award in 2004. He received an award at the Asian Media Awards for his talk show Real Talk in 2013, and a year later, he was decorated with the event's Lifetime Achievement Award. In 2021, he was awarded the British Empire Medal for services to music and young people.

• Year — Album — Label — UK • 1993 — No Reservations — Island Records — 36 • 1995 — Make Way for the Indian — Island/Universal Music — — • 1996 — No Problem — Love Birds — — • 1997 — Real People / Wild East — Warners Sweden/Sunset Records — — • 2000 — Karma — Sunset Records — — • 2005 — Time for Change — Explorer Recording Company — — • 2007 — Sadhu – The Movement — Smash Records — — • 2013 — It Is What It Is — Universal Music India/Sunset Entertainment Group — — • 2017 — In Ja... — Sunset/Universal India — — • 2018 — On the Weekend — Sunset Entertainment Group — — • 2020 — What's Not to Love — — • "—" denotes releases that did not chart.

• Year — Album — Certifications • 1993 — Nuff Vibes — BPI: Silver • 2012 — Home Run • 2016 — Apache Indian

• Year — Single — Peak positions — Certifications — Album • UK — IRE — NED — BEL (FLA) — GER — AUT — AUS — NZ • 1991 — "Movie Over India" — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — No Reservations • "Chok There" — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — • 1992 — "Don Raja" — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — • "Arranged Marriage" — 16 — — — — — — — — — — — — — — • "Fe' Real" (with Maxi Priest) — 33 — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — Fe Real • 1993 — "Chok There" (reissue) — 30 — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — No Reservations • "Boom Shack-A-Lak" — 5 — 8 — 10 — 24 — 32 — 13 — 34 — 19 — Nuff Vibes • "Movin' On" (charity single) — 48 — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — non-album single • 1994 — "Wreckx Shop" (with Wreckx-n-Effect) — 26 — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — Hard or Smooth • 1995 — "Make Way for the Indian" (with Tim Dog) — 29 — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — Make Way for the Indian • "Raggamuffin Girl" (with Frankie Paul) — 31 — — — — — — — — — — — — — — • 1997 — "Lovin' (Let Me Love You)" — 53 — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — Real People • "Real People" — 66 — — — — — — — — — — — — — — • 2005 — "Om Numah Shivaya" (tsunami charity single) — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — Time for Change • "The Israelites" (with Desmond Dekker) — — — — — — — — — — — 34 — — — — • "—" denotes releases that did not chart or were not released.

In November 2013, Kapur opened the Apache Indian Music Academy at South and City College, in his hometown of Handsworth.

• British Reggae Industry Awards – Best Newcomer (1990) • UK Asian Music Awards – Best International Success (2003) • UK Asian Music Awards – Outstanding Achievement (2005) • UK Asian Music Awards – Lifetime Achievement Award (2011) • Brit Asia TV Music Awards – Lifetime Achievement Award (2014) • 2021 New Year Honours – British Empire Medal for services to music and to young people (2021)