MojoJojo | |
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| Born | Akshay Johar New Delhi, India |
| Occupations |
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| Years active | 2014–present |
| Musical career | |
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| Website | mojojojomusic |
Akshay Johar, known professionally as MojoJojo, is an Indian DJ and record producer. He began his musical career as a bass guitarist with the rock band Paradigm Shift and later rose to prominence as an independent artist and producer.
MojoJojo started learning the piano at the age of ten and subsequently picked up the guitar during his college years. He played as a bassist in bands such as The Gravy Train and The Doppler Effect before transitioning into record production in 2015. His debut album, Shots Fired, released in the same year, received critical acclaim. He was awarded the Radio City Freedom Award for Best Electronica Artist and was nominated for a Global Indian Music Academy (GiMA) Award.
Akshay Johar was born in New Delhi and attended Delhi Public School, R.K. Puram, where he developed a keen interest in music. He learned to play the piano and acoustic guitar during his school years but did not initially pursue music as a career. It was only in his final years at school that he joined a band and began playing the bass guitar. [1]
Johar completed his higher education in New Delhi, where he continued his involvement in music. During his college years, he performed with various independent artists and bands, including Paradigm Shift, Gravy Train, Barefaced Liar, and The Doppler Effect. [1]
After performing as a bass guitarist with Prateek Kuhad's band in 2014, MojoJojo decided to pursue a full-time career in record production. [2] In 2015, he made his debut with an EP titled Bass Bahar, a collection of remixed Bollywood tracks. [3] Later that year, he released his first full-length album, Shots Fired, an electronic music collection. The album was released on 1 October under the Times Music label and featured nine tracks with contributions from artists including KR$NA, Sound Avtar, Tanya Nambiar, and Bawari Basanti. [4]
In an interview with RSJOnline.com, MojoJojo spoke about the creative process behind the album, which began in late 2014 with the writing of tracks such as "Storm". He expressed a desire to move beyond the conventions of EDM stating, "My contention with that grouping is that it's looked upon more as a trend and a fad, [an] easy route to become popular and got a negative connotation." The track "Storm" featured vocals by classical artist Bawari Basanti and included live piano and cello recordings, while another track, "Nepal", featured live drums. [3] In an interview with Mumbai Mirror , he described the experimental nature of the album: "I was trying to find my sound — each song on it was a different sub-genre — from drum 'n' bass to moombahton to future bass". [2]
"The music landscape in India transformed between my albums. In 2015, I think all underground artists were starting to transition to other streaming platforms. [...] That’s why we’ve had the boom in hip-hop and why singer-songwriters are doing well now." — MojoJojo, in an interview with Mumbai Mirror
The album received a positive response upon release. "Storm" earned him a nomination for Best Electronic Track at the 2016 Global Indian Music Academy Awards. [5] Another track from the album, "Thar Bomb", which incorporated tribal chants from the Thar region, won him the award for Best Electronica Artist at the Radio City Freedom Awards. [6]
Since then, MojoJojo has released several singles. His second EP, Sapne, was released in 2018 to a favourable audience response. [2] His second full-length album, Andarrated, has also been released.
| Year | Album / EP | Track(s) | Artist(s) | Note(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | Bass Bahar | MojoJojo | EP Remixes of Bollywood songs | |
| 2015 | Shots Fired [7] | Storm | MojoJojo ft. Bawari Basanti | First album |
| Greed is Good | MojoJojo & Nanok ft. Reisa | |||
| Rise and Fall | MojoJojo ft. Tanya Nambiar | |||
| Thar Bomb | MojoJojo | |||
| Shots Fired | MojoJojo & Sound Avtar ft. KR$NA | |||
| Nepal | MojoJojo | |||
| Jungle Raj | MojoJojo ft. KR$NA | |||
| Pick It Up | MojoJojo ft. Chetan Awasthi | |||
| Yogic Jogging | MojoJojo | |||
| 2018 | Sapne [8] | Sapne | MojoJojo ft. Tyesha Kohli | EP |
| Akela | MojoJojo ft. Akshay Oberoi | |||
| Main Chala | MojoJojo ft. Saptak Chatterjee | |||
| 2021 | Andarrated | Issa Vibe | MojoJojo ft. Dee MC & Abhinav Bhardwaj | Second album |
| Copy Paste | MojoJojo ft. Sikander Kahlon, Harjas Harjaayi & Shah Rule | |||
| Dillagi | MojoJojo | |||
| Judaai | MojoJojo ft. Shen B & Tyesha Kohli | |||
| Swaad | MojoJojo ft. Rebel 7 | |||
| Duniya | MojoJojo | |||
| Digi Daga | MojoJojo | |||
| Rang | MojoJojo ft. Richa | |||
| Maahi | MojoJojo | |||
| Sone De | MojoJojo ft. Tyesha Kohli & Akshay Oberoi | |||
| Ankhiyan | MojoJojo | |||
| Piya | MojoJojo ft. Dhaval Kothari & Rebel 7 | |||
| Bekhudi | MojoJojo ft. Abhinav Bhardwaj |
| Year | Track | Artist(s) |
|---|---|---|
| 2017 | Shankar | MojoJojo |
| 2018 | Chak Bass | MojoJojo ft. Sikander |
| 2019 | Mawali Qawali | MojoJojo ft. D'Evil |
| Galat Launda | Fotty Seven ft. MojoJojo | |
| 2020 | Bola Tha Na - Beck's Ice Smooth Anthem | MojoJojo & Burrah ft. Fotty Seven |
| Thandi Hawa (MojoJojo Remix) | Ritviz & MojoJojo |