Naughty Boy

Naughty Boy (real name Shahid Khan; born 1985) is a British songwriter, record producer, musician and rapper. After dropping out of a Business and Marketing Degree at London Guildhall University, Khan pursued a career as a record producer, obtaining a grant from The Princes Trust and funding equipment through winning £44,000 on Channel 4 day-time game show Deal or No Deal. The finances allowed Khan to upscale production from the garden shed in his parents' home in Watford, Hertfordshire to a studio in Ealing, West London. Soon after Khan signed a three-year publishing deal with Sony ATV as well as a recording contract to release one album under Virgin Records (EMI Records). Khan launched himself as a record producer under the moniker "Naughty Boy" and now runs a production company called Naughty Boy Recordings. Most notably, Naughty Boy has produced two top-ten records for UK rappers Chipmunk ("Diamond Rings") and Wiley ("Never Be Your Woman"). Coincidently, both top-ten hits featured guest vocals from singer-songwriter Emeli Sandé. Naughty Boy and Sandé would form a strong writing and production partnership leading to Sandé landing her own record deal with Virgin and EMI. Sandé would go on to be named the Critics Choice for the 2012 BRIT Awards, and release her debut album Our Version of Events (2012), a record which was mostly produced and co-written with Naughty Boy. The producer would spend 2011 and 2012 working on records for the likes of Leona Lewis, JLS, Cheryl Cole, Jennifer Hudson, Alesha Dixon and Tinie Tempah amongst others. Naughty Boy is also working on his own debut album, due in 2013 titled Hotel Cabana. "Wonder" the first single from the collection features lead vocals from Sandé. Early life edit: Initially Khan was studying Business and Marketing at London Guildhall University (now London Metropolitan University), but dropped out after his first semester and began working various jobs. Amongst other places, Khan worked at Dominos Pizza and Watford General hospital. It was during this period of his life that he "decided to follow his ambition to write and produce his own music, under the name Naughty Boy Recordings." In the background, Khan was recording songs in his parents' garden shed in Charlock Way. Eventually the aspiring producer got noticed by music executives and was awarded a three-year contract with Sony ATV and a one-album record deal with Virgin Records (EMI Records). To establish Naughty Boy Recordings, Khan applied to The Princes Trust in 2005, where he was awarded a grant of £5,000 to help start up his business. Speaking to the Watford Observer in 2009 about the opportunity, Khan said "The Prince's Trust has a scheme where they want to help people who they feel can set up their own business. I wanted to make music but I didn't have any equipment. They said they wanted to help me." That same year, Khan appeared on Channel 4's hit day-time gameshow Deal or No Deal, where he won £44,000, further enabling him to purchase equipment and begin recording. The producer now bases his recordings at his studio in Ealing, West London. Music career edit: 2012-present: Hotel Cabana edit: Khan is currently working on his own debut album titled Hotel Cabana, which is scheduled to be released under his moniker "Naughty Boy" by Virgin Records in 2013. The album's first single "Wonder" features frequent collaborator Sandé on the lead vocals. It is due to be released on 30 September 2012 and to appear on a re-release of Sande's debut album, Our Version of Events, after already appearing on the US version of the album. British singer-songwriter Gabrielle also worked with Naughty Boy for Hotel Cabana on a song called "Hollywood", which is being lined up at the album's second single. The singer also revealed that fellow British songwriter Ed Sheeran and British rapper Tinie Tempah will also feature on Hotel Cabana. Both Tempah and Sheeran have worked with Naughty Boy on previous records. It is the album's title song, "Hotel Cabana" which features Tempah. A trailer for Hotel Cabana was premiered on Naughty Boy's VEVO account on 20 September 2012. It states Hotel Cabana is "directed by Naughty Boy, starring Emeli Sande, Tinie Tempah, Professor Green, Gabrielle and George The Poet". Of the album, Khan has stated, "I want it to be an album for our time; it has a concept to it, so it's more like a film in some respects, I view it like I'm not just a producer - I'm a director too". As producer and songwriter edit: The producer burst on to the music scene in 2009 by co-writing and producing Chipmunk's hit single "Diamond Rings", featuring a then unknown Emeli Sandé. Khan would once again work with Sandé, this time on Wiley's "Never Be Your Woman" (2010), a cover of White Town's "Your Woman" (1997). Khan and Sandé's affiliation would not end there. They would continue to make music together, resulting in Sandé also getting a record deal with Virgin Records, and subsequently Khan songwriting and producing the majority of Sandé's debut album, Our Version of Events. Naughty Boy was formally introduced and credited as an artist on Sandé's second single "Daddy", though he doesn't actually sing on the track. Khan has also worked with Alesha Dixon, JLS, Lily Allen, Alexandra Burke and Jennifer Hudson. He also produced records for Professor Green, Cheryl Cole and Tinie Tempah. Khan worked with Sandé to produce and co-write Leona Lewis's new single "Trouble" which features Childish Gambino. The duo had also produced and written "Mountains" for Lewis, however this song was re-recorded by Sandé and put on her own album Our Version of Events.