The Canadian Tamil Youth Alliance held its first ever Top Talents Awards Gala and Dinner last Friday, June 18. Top Talents was created to recognize and celebrate the achievements of Tamil youth aged 17-30 by recognizing and rewarding talented youth among the community with an award and a $500 bursary. Its aim was to motivate youth to achieve greater success by recognizing and rewarding those youth who have contributed to society and are positive role models for their peers.
Today we will look at the profile of the winner of the CTYA Urban Music Award, Mr. Rajeev Sathiyaseelan.
The Top Talents Urban Music Award is presented to an individual who has demonstrated outstanding ability, achievement and leadership in urban music. Decisions are made based on the applicant’s video performance, personal statement and references by a panel of judges. The selection panel is interested in the nominee’s overall success, leadership qualities, determination, performance, and commitment to success.
“As a musician I have witnessed him to have the ability to mold new artists, and explore new influences. Making songs for our troubled homeland, and making music from everything from poverty, to National women’s day, he is not just an artist, he is a young revolutionary.” – Gowsigan Sabananthan, Nominator and Producer
The universal language is music, and while there are many who are able to understand this language, there are only few who are able to create it. Rajeev Sathiyaseelan, rapper, song writer, composer and singer is amongst the creators.
Rajeev (‘Tha Prophecy’) has an infectious passion for urban music, and has proven to be extremely successful. Rajeev is the co-founder, and lead male rapper of Freedom Recordz, a record label designed to connect with the international community and educated them on the Tamil freedom struggle and other social issues.
Rajeev was introduced to music at a young age; being raised in a musically inclined family, his talents were recognized early on. He attended vocal and drum lesions, which served to be a basic foundation for his music productions. However, his most important lessons were learnt on the streets of Rexdale, Ontario.
Growing up in Rexdale, Ontario, he witnessed many hardships and struggles early on in life. He witnessed losing friends to gang violence, and endured family seperations; he began writing poetry as a way of channeling the emotions he was feeling through these hardships. When he began high school at Wexford School for the Arts, he soon began converting his simple poetry into rhythmic poetry. He quickly got involved in his school talent shows and freestyle competitions where he gained the respect and his peers and community members as a talented rapper. Instead of using his negative experiences as an excuse to not succeed, Rajeev fueled his poetry with modern rapping and uses his music to shed light on social issues, and to use his music as a as a form of advocacy- something he has successfully committed himself to.
With the help of his friends and family, Rajeev was able to create Freedom Recordz as a way to educate the common person of the problems faced by Tamils. His albums have done well, and he has realized that his music gives a voice to those many that have been silenced and oppressed.
His songs have addressed poverty, national women’s day, and the Tamil struggle. He has produced a not-for-profit album, “Rise to Victory” which contributed to settling refugees in Raameshwaram, India. His debut music video, “I have a dream,” has acquired more than 70,000 unique hits on YouTube, and remains a widely listened track among youth. He has performed at many events, and is quickly able to get the crowd involved into his music. Anyone who has heard his music could feel and see his passion for music and walks away more educated on the social issues which he brings to light through them.
Rajeev’s story is one of success, and his motivation, enthusiasm and persistence serves as a role model for aspiring young artists. He is currently completing Freedom Recordz Entertainment’s debut hip hop album, “Resurrection in Progress”, and continues to be an advocate of society through his powerful music.
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