Zahed Sultan

Zahed Sultan
Sultan performing at The Barbican in 2015.
Background information
Origin	Kuwait, India
Genres	Experimental • alternative • electronic
Occupation(s)	Multimedia artist • social entrepreneur • culture producer • filmmaker
Instruments	Vocals • keyboards • percussion • visuals
Years active	2011-present
Website	zahedsultan.com

Zahed Sultan is a London-Kuwait based multimedia artist, social entrepreneur, culture producer, and filmmaker. He has performed and presented his work worldwide, including North America, UK, Europe, Middle East and Asia. Sultan is particularly known for his live audio-visual performances.

Sultan began his career at the age of 14 as a DJ for both mixed and segregated parties in Kuwait. During his time in college, he worked as a promoter for nightclubs around Boston, MA (US). Sultan wrote his first track at the age of 22, using a PC and an analog Roland sampler to program and sequence the song. Several years later, he created a small body of work entitled illusive for a local exhibition in Kuwait. At 25, Sultan won 3rd place in DJ Sasha's Involver remix competition with Global Underground and Ableton. Sultan's remix was later signed by Sasha's label Xpander to the TV series Crime Scene Investigation (CSI).

Sultan released his debut album Hi Fear, Lo Love on April 1, 2011. Its first single, "I Saw Her, I Fell For Her" was licensed to the movie 11.6 directed by Philippe Godeau. Its second single, "I Want Her But I Don't Want Her" was featured on Stephane Pompougnac's internationally acclaimed Hôtel Costes, Vol. 15 compilation and thus became the first modern track from the Persian Gulf area to be featured on a global music compilation. MTV Iggy featured Sultan's third single "Walkin Away" and highlighted Sultan as an emerging Arab Artist. On September 1, 2011, the album was followed up by the Hi Fear, Lo Love Remix EP, featuring remixes of Sultan's work by artists such as Domscott and Bjorn Albyon.

In 2012, Sultan released an EP titled Reuse Me in conjunction with an annual exhibition organized by his organization (The en.v Initiative) in Kuwait entitled REUSE. The exhibition promotes eco-friendly living via creative mediums. The EP featured the song "Like This (Ha-Ka-Tha)" and won favorable reviews by a number of online magazines and blogs such as The East / West Sound. Later in 2013, Sultan was also featured on O2 Academy TV in London, UK.