Husein Madhavji attributes his performing roots to reciting Eid Namaaz as a child and participating in youth waez competitions, upon the encouragement of his father. These experiences carried over into high school plays and musicals, and eventually a degree in Ryerson University’s Radio and Television Arts Program. Madhavji entered the broadcasting scene in Winnipeg, Manitoba, as an entertainment reporter and local anchor. After being the feature reporter for UPN/CBS Television’s evening and morning shows in Northern California, he became the host of the national entertainment show, Star Daily on E! Canada. Through this gig, Madhavji interviewed some of the world’s best-known artists and celebrities. One of Madhavji’s memorable highlights from his broadcasting career was covering Barack Obama’s election as President of the United States in 2008. “Just to be in that crowd, to witness history and to see President Obama win and hear his victory speech was amazing,” he reminisces.
Madhavji points out that while “there is an art to broadcasting, like there is an art to any profession, it’s much more practical – your job as a broadcaster is to be the medium.” In other words, it means to be the face that conveys information to its viewers. When Star Daily ended, Madhavji switched to his creative roots and pursued acting since performing is what he was “always used to.” Within a short period of time, Madhavji landed himself a role on HBO Canada’s “Call me Fitz.” In addition, he has recurring roles on both ABC/Global’s “Combat Hospital” and NBC/CTV’s “Saving Hope.”
While Madhavji has had many successes including his first Gemini nomination for his role on “Call me Fitz”, he emphasizes the importance of drawing the line between confidence and arrogance, and remaining humble. As he explains, “being grounded comes from our faith … when I taught Bait-ul Ilm, I had grade 8 students and they loved the fact that I am on television for maybe 60 seconds of the class … what we are taught about the ethics of our faith and understanding that any of this success is related to the guidance from the Imam and that everyone keeps me grounded.”
Madhavji acknowledges that being Muslim in his field has its added challenges but it is a source of strength for him. “I articulate my faith to those who don’t understand it. I think because of that, it gives me strength in the work I have done. It doesn’t make me want to give up. It makes me want to fight harder. I know that it’s tough and that it’s an uphill battle, but I also know who I am and what I believe in … I am not going to sacrifice my morals or my identity. That’s what gets me up in the morning to pursue my craft and take it to the next level,” he adds.
Taking it to the next level has been an incredible journey for twenty-three-year-old Adam Nanji. Growing up, Nanji “disliked music a lot” but he was captured by its “unshakeable” nature once his parents purchased his first guitar and enrolled him in guitar lessons. He explains, “What drew me into the guitar was that it was something I could do on my own and it was something that I could put in as much effort as I wanted and I just got really hooked into that …All those things I liked as a kid fell by the wayside, but then it became all about the guitar.” Upon completing a degree in cultural studies, communication studies and women’s studies at McGill University, Nanji returned to Vancouver to find himself filling a spot in a music show. He recounts, “I asked my friends to join the show with me and we did it. It was absolutely horrible but we had so much fun that we decided to do it again, but better. That one show turned into our band, Belle Game.” The band, now composed of five members – some of whom have been friends with Nanji since kindergarten – is gaining recognition across Canada for their unique Belle Game sound. As Nanji explains, “our music is definitely rooted in pop or rock music but we call it orchestral dark pop. It’s a little experimental and it has a little more sadness or darkness than your average pop song on the radio.”
In addition to performing on Tracks on Tracks, a cross-Canada train tour, Nanji and his band mates have opened for Said the Whale and international pop sensation Gotye. The thrill of performing for an audience is satisfying for Nanji, and he says, “I think there is just something about playing music live. No matter how much you practice, it’s totally unpredictable and just getting to do that in front of people is really exciting … there is something about performing and for some amazing reason, people take value into the personal habit that you have invested yourself in.” While the “big shows are amazing,” the highlight for Nanji has been the band’s completion of their first full-length album, “Ritual Tradition Habit,” which was released in October 2012.
In addition to contributing to the Canadian musical landscape, Nanji aspires for this album and his future music to impact our culture. He describes, “I am an example of an Ismaili that is a musician, not necessarily an Ismaili musician. I make music that doesn’t traditionally fit into our culture. It’s contemporary and it’s pop music. The exciting thing in our community is that we are really branching out … it’s not people breaking away from tradition but it’s taking new things and making it part of our culture. And I hope that’s something I am doing.”
Both Madhavji and Nanji are examples of the larger community of artistic leaders who serve as positive role models for the Ismaili and greater Canadian community.
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