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One Pound Fish Man

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Muhammad Shahid Nazir
(One Pound Fish Man)
سیٹھ شاہد نذیر
Nazir performing for West Ham fans, 2012
Born
Muhammad Shahid Nazir

1981 (age 42–43)
Pattoki, Punjab, Pakistan
OccupationSinger-songwriter • fishmonger
Musical career
Also known asOne Pound Fish Man
OriginUpton Park, London, England
GenresNovelty song
InstrumentVocals
Years active2012–13
LabelsWarner
WebsiteOfficial Instagram

Muhammad Shahid Nazir (Urdu, Punjabi: محمد شاہد نذیر; born 1981), also known as the One Pound Fish Man (sometimes stylised as £1 Fish Man), is a Pakistani trader and singer-songwriter who found Internet fame with his viral video, "One Pound Fish". His subsequent appearance on The X Factor led to a record deal with Warner Music.[1]

Personal life

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Nazir was born in the town of Pattoki, near Lahore in Punjab, Pakistan.[2] He grew up listening to Bollywood and Punjabi music, and would sing religious songs during assembly at school. Prior to emigrating to the United Kingdom, Nazir worked for the family-owned transport company.[3] He is married to Kashifa. The couple have four children. His mother, wife and children are still living in Pattoki.[3]

Career

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"One Pound Fish"

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Following brief employment at a pound shop, Nazir, who had since settled in East London, began work at a fish stall at Queen's Market, Upton Park, where his employer instructed him to use a trader's call to attract customers. He soon composed the song "One Pound Fish":

"Come on ladies, come on ladies
One pound fish
Have-a, have-a look
One pound fish
Very, very good, very, very cheap
One pound fish
Six for five pound
One pound each"

After passing customers uploaded videos of him performing his song onto YouTube, it became an internet smash and a viral video, and he subsequently auditioned on the television show The X Factor singing the song. The song was later covered by Alesha Dixon, Timbaland and Mindless Behavior.[4]

In a 2018 Vice interview, Nazir recounted his shock at the song's online popularity, describing it as a "god-gifted idea". He added "I was second [in the YouTube charts] only after Gangnam Style [by Psy], this was because YouTube had been banned in Pakistan at that time. Otherwise I would definitely have been number one". Nazir also claimed that UK supermarket Tesco had asked him to appear in advertisements alongside Kevin Bacon and Angelina Jolie, an offer which he declined due to an exclusivity deal he had in place with PTCL.[5]

Post X Factor

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In November 2012, Nazir was signed by Warner Music Group as a recording artist, and released a dance version of his market sales pitch. A video was also filmed which featured Bollywood-style dancers and an appearance from former weather forecaster Michael Fish.[6] The song was in the running for securing the Christmas number one for 2012 alongside X Factor winner James Arthur's release of his winning song "Impossible".[2][7]

On 9 January 2021, a music video for "One Pound Juice" featuring Nazir was uploaded to YouTube, using adapted lyrics based on the original "One Pound Fish" song, to reflect Nazir's new business venture in selling bottles of UK-made e-cigarette liquid for use in e-cigarettes.[8][9]

Return to Pakistan

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Nazir's fame alerted the UK's immigration services. Nazir had arrived in the United Kingdom in 2011 on a student visa, however he instead began work as a fishmonger.[10] In December 2012, under the government policy he was ordered to leave the country as his visa had expired.[11] He returned to Pakistan in December 2012, following which he originally intended to apply for a French visa, in order to release a new single.[12] However, his management later stated he would return to the UK to promote his musical career with a new entry visa. His agent, Samir Ahmed, said: "He will be returning to Pakistan and will be celebrating New Year with his family. His return to the UK is pending approval of a working visa. We fully expect him to return in the coming weeks".[13] According to a 2016 article in the New Statesman, Nazir was declined a new visa to enter the UK because he violated the terms of his last visa by singing as a professional entertainer. A year after that he applied for another visa to try and appear in a film about his life, however it was also denied.[14]

On his return to Pakistan, Nazir began delivering motivational speeches in universities across the country, alongside serving as a brand ambassador for PTCL. In 2013, Nazir released "Dabang Sher Aaya", a song written in support of Nawaz Sharif's election campaign in Pakistan, which later became the Pakistan Muslim League's official party anthem. Another song, "Hum Sher Dil Hum Sher Jawan" was later released ahead of the Pakistani election on 25 July.[5]

In September 2013, it was reported that an arrest warrant had been issued for Nazir in Lahore, in relation to a criminal complaint filed by Orix Leasing Company concerning an initial recovery suit of ₹6.6 million, following an unpaid loan issued to Nazir's company Rajpoot Goods Transport in 2007. In 2008, a case had been registered against the company after it failed to deposit initial instalments of the loan. Nazir later negotiated a deal with Orix, agreeing to pay ₹1.34 million through 11 cheques of ₹94,000 each, however the cheques were found to be counterfeit. Nazir had previously failed to attend a court hearing surrounding the legal process, which led to his arrest in 2013. A further arrest warrant was later withdrawn following his assurance to observe court orders, with a hearing scheduled for 9 April 2014.[15][16]

Discography

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Singles

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List of singles, with selected chart positions, showing year released and album name
Title Year Peak chart positions Album
UK
[17] 		UK Asian Chart FRA SCO
"One Pound Fish" 2012 28 1 169 24 Non-album single
"—" denotes a recording that did not chart.

References

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  1. ^ "The One Pound Fish man: everyone's hooked, including Warners". London Evening Standard. 20 November 2012. Retrieved 28 April 2020.
  2. ^ a b "Video: One Pound Fish song makes bid for Christmas No1 - Telegraph". Telegraph.co.uk. 11 December 2012.
  3. ^ a b "Family of "One Pound Fish Man" is praying for his video hits on Christmas". Dawn. 16 December 2012. Retrieved 16 December 2012.
  4. ^ Susannah Butter (20 November 2012). "The One Pound Fish man: everyone's hooked, including Warners". Evening Standard.
  5. ^ a b "How the One Pound Fish Man Became a Political Jingle Writer". VICE. 24 July 2018.
  6. ^ Sarah Shaffi. "£1 Fish man releases offishial video for One Pound Fish". Newham Recorder. Retrieved 28 April 2020.
  7. ^ "James Arthur smashes X Factor sales record". Evening Standard. 11 December 2012.
  8. ^ "The sad story of what happened to the £1 fish man". Lad Bible. 1 February 2024.
  9. ^ "One Pound Juice - YouTube Music Video". YouTube. 9 January 2021.
  10. ^ Mahmood, Shabnam (15 May 2012). "Singing fish man keeps on 'breaming'". BBC News. Retrieved 16 June 2022.
  11. ^ Mughal, Ubaid (24 December 2012). "One Pound Fish man, Shahid Nazir, faces deportation from UK over visa issue". The News Tribe. Retrieved 9 May 2016.
  12. ^ "One Pound Fish Man viral song to be released in Europe". BBC News. 7 January 2013.
  13. ^ Laura Martin (24 December 2012). "One Pound Fish man told to return to Pakistan because of visa issues - Mirror Online". mirror.
  14. ^ Kerley, Mike (24 October 2016). "Living the Meme: What happened to the One Pound Fish man?". Newstatesman.com. Retrieved 28 April 2020.
  15. ^ "One Pound Fish singer in Pakistan loan charge". Channel 4. 10 March 2014.
  16. ^ "Arrest warrants issued for 'One Pound Fish' man". Dawn. 6 September 2013.
  17. ^ "The Official Charts Company – One Pound Fish Man". The Official Charts Company. 5 May 2013.
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