PRESS RELEASE v3
Date: 24th November 2022
Updated: 8th Jan 2023
Status: Immediate Release
Through the arts Rain Dance Colour Festival's brand new show is building awareness for better mental health and wellbeing
Raise the Roof to enhance your mental health & wellbeing at the Opera House (Est. 1912) on the 14th January 2023.
See one of the world’s most famous songs ‘Jind Mahi’ featured in the film ‘Bend It Like Beckham’ performed by the “King of Bhangra” Malkit Singh MBE, along with Arjun, the pioneer of Hindi/R&B Fusion captivating fans from all over the world with his passion and talent, joined with Navin Kundra, who has been recognised as ‘The UK’s fastest rising British Asian singing sensation’ bringing his charm and charisma he is able to seamlessly create an unforgettable music experience.
Raise the Roof produced by Rain Dance Colour Festival promotes mental health and wellbeing, featuring key messages from NHS health and care leaders through our beloved artists, enticing new audiences to enjoy the magic of Bhangra, Bollywood, R&B and global fusion music through the community.
Malkit Singh is often credited as the legendary pioneer, who brought Punjabi folk from the fields and straight onto the world stage. His songs have featured in many films including blockbuster’s Bend it Like Beckham and Monsoon Wedding. From humble Punjabi origins, Malkit has used Bhangra music in cross-cultural experiments, earning him the highest respect amongst Bhangra aficionados. He has a global fan base which continues to grow from strength to strength every year.
Arjun, the pioneer in the Hindi/R&B Fusion genre, music videos attract millions of views, and was signed to India’s biggest record label T-Series. ‘I’ll Be Waiting,’ his first single released on the T-Series channel has racked up over 80 million views, charted at #1 in the iTunes India Chart and spent over 40 weeks in the UK (United Kingdom) BBC Asian Download Chart.
Navin Kundra is an award-winning artist well known for his three consecutive top 20 singles in the UK urban charts. With recognition for his wonderful voice and being a splendid entertainer, from King Charles III, his ability to transcend cultural, language, genre and age barriers on stage, on camera and online is next to none.
AJ Wavy is a British born DJ/Producer who has amassed an incredible online audience with close to 1 million followers on socials in just a year. His unique blend of Eastern cultural classics with modern contemporary western sounds has captivated viewers from all over the world. A fusion of Western R&B, Hip Hop and Indian pop smash hits has become AJ’s trademark having gained over 15 million views across TikTok and YouTube.
Saloni is an Indo-British artist with a combination of eastern and western sounds with many of her songs having an infectious beat, perfect for the dancefloor. Saloni is proud to share and popularise Telugu music which is set to uplift and inspire with many of her songs encompassing empowering lyrics and a memorable chorus making Raise the Roof a multi-generational event that you cannot miss!
Rain Dance Colour Festival through the arts is raising funds for Mental Health and Wellbeing part of proceeds will go to Manchester Mind and British Asian Trust to continue their life saving activities . So come out, support a good cause and experience an immersive concert for first time! #RDCfestival
Health and Care Partner
Health Careers Live
Health Careers Live is an award-winning not-for-profit programme led by healthcare students, professionals, patients and advisors.
Passionate about widening participation, diversity and inclusion, we empower aspiring and current healthcare professionals from all backgrounds to discover and lead fulfilling careers in health and care.
*Winner of the NHS Parliamentary Award (NW) – Health Equalities*
Health Careers Live Quote
Production & Media Partner
Virtual Studio Live
The world challenges technology and technology inspires the world
VSL are innovating and ensuring our services are relevant to today’s project requirements and global challenges.
Charity Partners
British Asian Trust
The British Asian Trust exists to tackle widespread poverty, inequality and injustice in South Asia. Mental health is one of their main programmes. Mental health is a critically under-resourced issue in South Asia. Moreover, a lack of public awareness leaves superstitions and fears unchallenged. The British Asian Trust is working to end stigma and transform support for people with mental health needs.
British Asian Trust Shortened Quote (See below for full quote)
“There has been no dearth of reports warning of a mental health crises in the UK since after the pandemic.
Awareness and acceptance of mental health issues, as well as the resources for addressing them, are commonplace in the UK.
Unfortunately, the same cannot be said of many other countries. Without appropriate support, mental health conditions can significantly worsen a person’s wellbeing and their ability to maintain relationships, forcing them to become isolated and alone. We’re thankful to the Rain Dance Colour Festival for supporting us to provide this essential support to those who need it most.”
Richard Hawkes,
Chief Executive of the British Asian Trust.
Manchester Mind
Manchester Mind is a local independent charity, who’ve promoted better mental health for all for over 30 years. Around 7,000 young people and adults access their diverse support services, which include youth counselling, emergency food provision, welfare rights advice, peer support groups, emotional resilience courses, educational sessions in local schools, volunteering at their community allotment/sensory garden and more. The charity raises its own funding every year, so every donation makes a lasting difference through these changing times. For details of Manchester Mind’s projects and services, the latest news and to find out how you can get involved please visit www.manchestermind.org
Manchester Mind Shortened Quote (See below for full quote)
“We’re excited to be one of Rain Dance Colour Festival’s charities of choice, as this positive celebration reflects many of our values, bringing people together to promote community wellbeing, self-care and belonging, whilst promoting our local mental health services. As an independent charity, we’re also grateful for the kind donations to be gathered at “Raise the Roof”, helping to ensure we can continue to be there for 7,000 young people and adults each year. Thank you for your inspiring energy and kindness, which is make a real difference to Manchester Mind.”
Joanna Huddart
Manchester Mind
Stats and Facts:
- Raise The Roof produced by Rain Dance Colour Festival is promoting Mental Health and Wellbeing
- Malkit Singh MBE hit song ‘Jind Mahi’ featured in the film ‘Bend It Like Beckham’
- ARJUN is currently the most viewed UK Asian artist on YouTube, with over 1.1 billion views.
- Navin Kundra performed for King Charles III
- Hear messages from key NHS Health and care leaders
Further Information
[email protected] or [email protected] for further information, interviews of artists and producers and copies of high-resolution images.
British Asian Trust Full Quote
Richard Hawkes, Chief Executive of the British Asian Trust, commented, “There has been no dearth of reports warning of a mental health crises in the UK since after the pandemic. Whilst awareness and acceptance of mental health issues, as well as the resources for addressing them, are commonplace in the UK, unfortunately, the same cannot be said of many other countries, including Pakistan and Bangladesh, which lack both the awareness and capacity to address the growing mental health crisis post COVID-19. In Pakistan, almost 90% of people in need of treatment have no access to any kind of support. Without appropriate support, mental health conditions can significantly worsen a person’s wellbeing and their ability to maintain relationships, forcing them to become isolated and alone. Mental health issues can lead to alcohol and drug dependency, hospitalisation, severe depression and even suicide, among other things. We’re thankful to the Rain Dance Colour Festival for supporting us to provide this essential support to those who need it most.”
Manchester Mind Full Quote
Joanna Huddart at Manchester Mind commented, “We’re excited to be one of Rain Dance Colour Festival’s charities of choice, as this positive celebration in the New Year reflects many of our values, bringing people together to promote community wellbeing, self-care and belonging, whilst promoting our local mental health services. As an independent charity, we’re also grateful for the kind donations to be gathered at “Raise the Roof”, helping to ensure we can continue to be there for 7,000 young people and adults next year. Thank you for your inspiring energy and kindness, which is make a real difference to Manchester Mind.”
Rain Dance Colour Festival Website
Further Information
[email protected] or [email protected] for further information, interviews of artists and producers and copies of high-resolution images.
