Taz was a British singer, music composer, and actor of Indian descent. On 29 April 2022, he passed away of prolonged illness.
Wiki/Biography
Tarsame Singh Saini aka Taz Stereo Nation aka Johnny Zee was born on Tuesday, 23 May 1967 (age 28 years; at the time of his death) in Coventry, West Midlands, United Kingdom. His zodiac sign is Gemini.
An old photo of Taz with his family
He did his schooling at Stoke Park School, Coventry, England. During an interview, he talked about his training in music. He said,
I am a bathroom singer and have not had any kind of training as such. I play keyboards enough to be able to compose and I am purely soul-driven when it comes to performing on stage.”
He added,
My father was very firm about English music not being played at home; even English-speaking was banned. I grew up listening to Shoukat Ali Khan, Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, Gurdas Maan and Kuldeep Manak. Gurdas Maan ji, in fact, is the God of Punjabi music. But my calling was Asian-fusion where I fused both English and Punjabi. I have always promoted Punjabi and will do that in future too. When I entered the music industry and created fusion genre, my father did not talk to me for four years!”
Taz in his younger days
Physical Appearance
Height (approx.): 5′ 6″
Eye Colour: Brown
Hair Colour: Brown (dyed blonde)
Family
He was born to a Punjabi family.
Parents & Siblings
His brother’s name is Tarlochan, and his sister’s name is Kuldip.
Taz with his father
Taz with his mother
Wife & Children
He was married and had two daughters named Serina (elder; singer) and Simran, and a son named Dan.
Taz with his daughters
Career
In 1989, he released his first music album ‘Hit the Deck.’
Hit the Deck (1989)
He then released a few more music albums like ‘The Remix Album’ (1990), ‘Spirits of Rhythm’ (1994), ‘Nasha’ (1999), ‘Rewind Selekta’ (2009), and ‘Desi & U know It’ (2012).
A collage of Taz music albums
Jaz gained immense popularity with the song “Pyar Ho Gaya” from the music album ‘OH! Laila’ in 2000.
[embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ObLPIl_UHoc[/embed]
In 1996, he started working as a lead singer in the pop music band Stereo Nation. He was among the first few singers, who introduced cross-cultural Asian fusion music in India. One of his songs was recorded in English, Spanish, and Swahili. He also lent his voice for songs in a few Hindi films such as “Daroo Vich Pyar” from Tum Bin (2001), It’s Magic” from ‘Koi… Mil Gaya’ (2003), “Mujhpe To Jadoo” from ‘Race’ (2008), and “Gallan Goriyan” from ‘Batla House’ (2019).
It’s Magic” from ‘Koi… Mil Gaya’ (2003)
Jaz worked as an actor in English language films such as ‘Sambar Salsa’ (2007) and ‘Don’t Stop Dreaming’ (2007).
Don’t Stop Dreaming (2007)
He was invited to perform at various stage shows and live events.
Taz in a live show
Awards
- Best Punjabi Singer in the Middle East (year not known)
- Best International Act 2005 by the UK Asian Music Awards
Taz with his award
Death
Earlier, he was detected with a hernia, and his surgery was postponed for two years due to the COVID-19 pandemic which resulted in his worsened condition. In 2021, he went into a coma and recovered after being hospitalized for a few days. In March 2022, he again started facing health issues, and on 29 April 2022, he died of his prolonged illness.
Facts/Trivia
- During an interview, he shared how the British pop star Neville Staples spotted him. He said,
I was spotted by a famous British pop star by the name of Neville Staples of the Two Tone Band ‘The Specials’ & ‘Fun Boy Three’ whilst working in my fathers shop. I used to have a habit and tendency of singing to the radio and practicing my vocal techniques. Neville just happened to be listening to me from outside the shop and I guess I still count my lucky stars today. He liked what he heard and invited me to the recording studio to record some demos. Before I knew it we were recording my first album and the rest is history.”
- Jaz used to follow a non-vegetarian diet.
- He was an avid animal lover and owned a pet dog named Kovu.
Taz’s Facebook post about his dog
- Jaz used to enjoy drinking alcohol occasionally.
Taz holding a glass of beer
- He once performed to raise funds for the Charity of Afghanistan at the Royal Albert Hall.
- He performed live in the presence of Prince Charles at the annual gala for the Richest British Asian Awards held at Natural History Museum London.