Nitin Sawhney: Politicians need to show that racism is not okay
Award-winning musician, producer and composer Nitin Sawhney has criticised politicians who seem “hell-bent on destruction and hate”.
Speaking to Sky News about his new album, Identity, Sawhney said the tracks were born out of frustration over “the social media, mainstream media and political discourse about identity” which “tends to be derogatory quite often”.
Politicians, he believes, need to “think more” about what they’re saying. “I think it’s [their] responsibility to lead and to show that racism, or anything that actually has that connotation, is not okay.”
Known for his film scores, orchestral projects and celebrity collaborations, Sawhney’s latest album is as eclectic as ever. Alongside rapper Hak Baker, singer I Am Roze and Elbow’s Guy Garvey, also listed as a featured artist is none other than Gary Lineker.
Gary Lineker features on Identity following his tweets criticising the government’s asylum policies
The sports presenter speaks on a track titled Illegal alongside voices from the women’s aid charity Asha Projects, after standing by posts on X, formerly known as Twitter, earlier this year in which he criticised the government’s asylum policies.
The former England footballer was asked to “step back” from presenting Match Of The Day during the row over his comments, but later rejoined the BBC show – and in September, a report for the broadcaster stated that high-profile presenters should be able to express their views on political issues as long as they stop short of campaigning.
“I was really interested in some of his conversation with [Home Secretary] Suella Braverman and what happened with Match Of The Day,” Sawhney said. “it just felt really powerful to have his voice on there, especially because of what he believes in.”
Sawhney’s own sense of identity was shaped by the love for music he developed early on. Growing up in Rochester, Kent, playing music was an escape from the daily racism he faced.
“At that time the National Front was very powerful,” he said. “I was attacked and abused quite often, music was just a way of catharsis.”
One of Britain’s most acclaimed musical voices, Sawhney argues that as a society we have forgotten how to listen.
“The world is dictated by a few narcissistic, megalomaniac men who seem to be intent on making the world worse for everyone.
“We can either have a world that has a conscience and thinks about each other and conducts itself with empathy, you know, cares for the vulnerable and tries to lift everyone up, as opposed to putting people down and having a hateful world full of war there’s going to destroy the planet. You can choose.
“And the problem is we have too many politicians who seem hell-bent on destruction and hate rather than building a better future for everyone.”
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While there is plenty the musician gets animated about, his album – he hopes – is an antidote to the “tsunami of negativity” in the world.
“What I really wanted to do with this album, was a kind of platform for collaborators and guests to express themselves in the way they wanted to be heard.”
Nitin Sawhney’s album Identity is out on 20 October
Angelina Jolie says although she appreciates being an artist, she would prefer for her legacy to be “a good mother” and to be known for her “belief in equality and human rights”.
The Oscar-winning actress stars as Maria Callas in the new Pablo Larrain film about the opera singer’s life.
Pic: StudioCanal
She has called Maria “the hardest” and “most challenging” role she has had in her career and put months of preparation into immersing herself into the world of opera.
Jolie, who recently reached a divorce settlement with actor Brad Pitt, told Sky News: “To be very candid, it was the therapy I didn’t realise I needed. I had no idea how much I was holding in and not letting out.
“So, the challenge wasn’t the technical [side of opera], it was an emotional experience to find my voice, to be in my body, to express. You have to give every single part of yourself.”
The biopic combines the voice of the Maleficent actress with recordings of Maria Callas.
Jolie believes it “would be a crime to not have [Callas’] voice through this because, in many ways, she is very present in this film”.
Who was Maria Callas?
Born in New York in 1923, Maria Callas was the daughter of Greek immigrants who moved back to Athens at the age of 13 with her mother and sister.
After enrolling at the Athens Conservatory, she made her professional debut at 17 and went on to become one of the most famous faces of opera, travelling around the world and performing at Covent Garden in London, The Met in New York and La Scala in Milan.
Callas’s final operatic performance took place at Covent Garden in 1965 when she was 41 but she continued to work conducting master classes at Juilliard School, doing concert tours and starring in the 1969 film Medea.
Written by Peaky Blinders creator Steven Knight, Maria focuses on the artist’s final years in the 1970s when she moved to Paris and disappeared from public view.
She died on 16 September 1977 at the age of 53.
Pic: StudioCanal
Jolie on changing motivations as an actor
Maria follows the life of an artist fully consumed by the art she creates and even remarks that “happiness never developed a beautiful melody”.
Reflecting on her own life in the spotlight, Jolie said she noticed her own career motivations change over the years.
“There’s this kind of study of being human that we do when we create, and we communicate with an audience because our work is not in isolation – it’s a connection.
“I think when I was younger, I had different questions about being human and different feelings and now as I’ve gotten older, I understand some things and now I have different questions.
“It’s a matter of life, right? And so maybe that’s interesting that this now is a character really contemplating death and really contemplating the toll of certain things in life that I, of course, couldn’t have understood in my 20s”.
Jolie at the New York Film Festival in September with three of her children (L-R) Pax, Zahara and Maddox. Pic: AP
A family affair
Two of Jolie’s children, Maddox and Pax, took on production assistant roles during the filming of Maria and witnessed their mother perform opera for the first time in public.
She says the film allowed them to create new experiences together and for her children to see her approach to playing a difficult role.
“Everyone in my home, we all give each other space to be who we are and we’re all different.
“I’m the mom, but I’m also an artist and a person and so my family has been very kind and gives me their understanding. They make fun of me, and they support me and just as you’d hope it would be.”
She adds: “When you play somebody who is dealing with so much pain, it’s very important to come home to some kindness.”
Maria is in cinemas now.
Tom Holland’s dad has confirmed his son’s engagement to Zendaya – revealing how the 28-year-old meticulously planned the proposal.
Zendaya, also 28, sparked engagement rumours when she attended last Sunday’s Golden Globes wearing a sparkling diamond on her ring finger.
Neither star has publicly addressed the rumours but Tom’s comedian father, Dominic Holland, has now confirmed the pair are set to wed.
He wrote in a post on his Patreon account: “Tom, as you know by now was very incredibly well prepared. He had purchased a ring.
“He had spoken with her father and gained permission to propose to his daughter.”
“Tom had everything planned out… When, where, how, what to say, what to wear,” he added.
Zendaya arrived at the Golden Globes with a noticeable piece of new jewellery. Pic: Invision/AP
Dominic also noted that while most men worry about being able to afford an engagement ring, he suspects his actor son was “more concerned with the stone, its size and clarity, its housing, which jeweller”.
Tom and Zendaya met on the set of Spider-Man: Homecoming in 2016, when they played the titular hero and his love interest MJ, respectively. Their romance was confirmed in 2021.
In his post, Tom’s father admitted fears over whether being in the spotlight could put a strain on the couple’s relationship.
He wrote: “I do fret that their combined stardom will amplify their spotlight and the commensurate demands on them and yet they continually confound me by handling everything with aplomb.”
“And even though show business is a messy place for relationships and particularly so for famous couples as they crash and burn in public and are too numerous to mention […] yet somehow right at the same time, I am completely confident they will make a successful union.”
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Zendaya rose to fame after landing a role in Disney sitcom Shake It Up, and became a household name after starring in Euphoria.
Holland – who has starred in three Spider-Man films opposite his now-fiancée – made his stage debut in Billy Elliot the Musical in 2008.
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