DJ Nihal

DJ Nihal
Nihal, talking to the crowd at a Radio 1 event in Preston
Born	Nihal Arthanayake (1971-06-01) 1 June 1971 (age 45) Harlow, Essex, England, UK
Status	Married, with two children
Occupation	DJ, radio and television presenter

DJ Nihal (born Nihal Arthanayake on 1 June 1971 in Harlow, Essex) is an English radio and TV presenter who broadcasts on BBC Asian Network and since August 2010 BBC Radio 5 Live.

Nihal, born 1 June 1971, to Buddhist Sri Lankan parents, began his involvement in the music industry as a promoter of rap shows in his native Essex while studying at Burnt Mill School, Harlow, Essex.

After graduating from university, Nihal began an unsuccessful career as a recording artist. He was briefly a member of alternative hip hop outfit Collapsed Lung. Nihal attempted to find fame as a rapper and worked with Fun Da Mental and Punjabi MC (in 1995), Badmarsh & Shri, Mentor, Sona Family and DJ Sanj and has worked as a freelance music journalist, having written for Asiana, Eastern Eye, The Face, Mixmag, Hip Hop Connection,Attitude, Bear magazine, Cage And Aviary Birds and The Observer.

In the late 1990s Arthanayake turned to music promotion working for artists as diverse as Nitin Sawhney, Judge Jules, Mos Def and Elton John and it was while working for the groundbreaking Asian Beats record label Outcaste Records he promoted, amongst others Badmarsh & Shri's Signs album.