 Angelina Jolie on the November 2007 cover. | |
| Editor | Reena Combo |
|---|---|
| Categories | Entertainment |
| Frequency | Monthly |
| Publisher | AEM Worldwide |
| Founded | 2006 |
| First issue | December 2006 |
| Final issue | 2011 |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
Ikonz is a national entertainment magazine published in the United Kingdom. It was a print magazine between 2006 and 2011.
The publication was launched as a regional monthly glossy in December 2006 by AEM Worldwide. Its official national UK launch took place in February 2007.
Ikonz caters for young British Asians, focusing on the film and music industry in both Hollywood and Bollywood. The magazine also carries mainstream British celebrity gossip, fashion and entertainment stories throughout.
Ikonz is primarily aimed at British Asian women, although not as directly as in other Asian magazines. Initially, the publication balanced editorial for both male and female audiences with distinct urban influences. Following a revamp in September 2007, a large portion of the magazine adopted a more female orientated theme with equal coverage afforded to mainstream content.
A series of high-profile mainstream interviews, including exclusives with Halle Berry, Jessica Alba, and Jennifer Lopez, have encouraged the growth of the publication. These, along with Brit-Asian and urban interviews such as Boyz II Men, Keisha White, Richard Blackwood, Jay Sean and 50 Cent, have allowed the publication to increase its appeal
However, the magazine's key south Asian content remains in the form of Bollywood interviews with A-list artists including Amitabh Bachchan, Shah Rukh Khan, Shilpa Shetty, Aishwarya Rai and Bipasha Basu. In July 2007, it ran special coverage of the IIFA awards. Also featured heavily are British Bhangra artists.
Ikonz is the only British Asian publication to have regular contributions from mainstream celebrities. In October 2007, actors Kevin Sacre, Ricky Whittle and Sam Darbyshire from television soap Hollyoaks appeared in a special Halloween photo feature for the magazine, alongside presenters from the BBC Asian Network. The feature was reproduced by national publications including the Daily Star and More (magazine).
The magazine took the step to support glamour model Katie Price in November 2007, following the publication in Heat (magazine) of an offensive sticker mocking Price's son Harvey.
The editor of Ikonz is Reena Combo, with Adam Yosef as the sub editor.
The magazine's editorial team includes editorial assistants, contributors, international correspondents and freelance writers and photographers.
Ikonz magazine is complemented by a website, an online video channel, a blog and online profiles including myspace and facebook. These mediums are edited by the Ikonz New Media Team and are an online interpretation of the magazine's style and 'personality'. In September 2007, the magazine launched a television advertising campaign.
In February 2011, Ikonz magazine was relaunched as an online-only format, rebranded as 'Ikonz World'.
In December 2007, Ikonz donated Christmas gifts to the Birmingham Children's Hospital.
Bhangra is a type of non-traditional music of Punjab originating in Britain, specifically Southall. It is a type of upbeat popular music associated with the Punjabi diaspora in Britain. The style has its origins in the folk music of Punjab as well as western pop music of the 1970s and 1980s. Prior to this musical fusion, Bhangra existed only as a dance form in the native Punjab. This Punjabi music was unique in that it was not traditional nor did it seek any authenticity. While the traditional folk music of Punjab has a set of melodies that are used by various singers, Bhangra was a form of strict "band culture" in that new melodies were composed for each song. Therefore, the musicians were as important as the singers.
Madame Tussauds is a wax museum founded in 1835 by French wax sculptor Marie Tussaud in London, spawning similar museums in major cities around the world. While it used to be spelled as "Madame Tussaud's", the apostrophe is no longer used. Madame Tussauds is a major tourist attraction in many cities, displaying the waxworks of famous and historical figures, as well as popular film and television characters.
Rajinder Singh Rai, better known by his stage name Panjabi MC, is a British-Indian recording artist, rapper, producer and DJ. He is best known for the worldwide 2002 bhangra hit "Mundian To Bach Ke", which sold 10 million copies worldwide, making it one of the best-selling singles of all time. Among other songs, he gained acclaim with the 2003 release "Jogi". AllMusic has called him "one of the most prominent names in bhangra".
Jodi Albert is an English actress and singer, best known for playing Debbie Dean in the Channel 4 soap opera Hollyoaks, as a member of Simon Cowell's British girl group Girl Thing, and as a member of Irish girl group Wonderland.
Rishpal Singh Rekhi, better known by his stage name Rishi Rich, is a British-Indian music producer based in London. He began his career in the Asian Underground scene and later became internationally known for his bhangra tracks, his Hindi remixes, and as a pioneer of Asian-R&B fusion music.
Rahul Khanna is an Indian actor, VJ and writer who works in Bollywood. He is the elder son of actor Vinod Khanna and the elder brother of Akshaye Khanna.
Helen Pearson is a British actress who has been in three major soap operas, EastEnders, Emmerdale, and Hollyoaks.
Me Against Myself is the debut studio album by Jay Sean, released 8 November 2004 in the United Kingdom, January 2005 in Malaysia, and February 2005 in India on 2Point9 Records, Relentless Records, and Virgin Records.
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Madame Tussauds Hong Kong, is part of the renowned chain of wax museums founded by Marie Tussaud of France, is located at the Peak Tower on Hong Kong Island in Hong Kong. It is the first Madame Tussauds museums in Asia, the other being the Shanghai branch, which opened in 2006 and the third branch at Bangkok which opened in 2010. The Hong Kong branch houses nearly 100 wax figures of internationally known personalities, with Asian figures taking up more than a third of the total, of which sixteen were Hong Kongers. The wax figures are featured in a range of themed settings such as Hong Kong Glamour, Music Icons, Historical and National Heroes, The Champions and World Premiere.
Sunrise Radio is an Asian radio station in Bradford, West Yorkshire, in the United Kingdom.
Signature are English dance duo Suleman Mirza and Madhu Singh. Their style of dance is British Bhangra and they frequently base their performances around Michael Jackson songs, such as "Billie Jean" and "Thriller". They gained wide recognition during their performances in the second series of Britain's Got Talent, in which they were runners-up to the winner street dancer George Sampson.
Kantimathi Subramanian Iyer, known professionally as Shweta Subram, is a Canadian playback singer, known for singing in the song "Jalebi Baby" (2020). She primarily sings in Hindi, as well as Punjabi, Sindhi, Tamil, English and other languages. Shweta is the recipient of multiple awards including the North American Best Singer award from Sangam Kala Group, and Best Singer Award from Shankar Mahadevan Academy's talent hunt, judged by Shankar Mahadevan himself. Shweta was an active participant in the International Indian Film Academy Awards (2011), performing with Bollywood music composer/director duo Salim–Sulaiman for IIFA Rocks in Toronto.
Jin & Seetal are a British Asian male and female Bhangra duo from Solihull, England and are UK Bhangra's first British Asian male and female duo act.