Naveen Sajju


Naveen Sajju is a state award-winning Indian playback singer and music director, sung over hundred songs in the Kannada film and television industry. In 2018, he was declared first runner-up of the reality show [Bigg Boss Kannada cinema|Kannada season 6|Bigg Boss Kannada].
Starting his musical career as an orchestra singer, Sajju entered Kannada cinema through the film Lucia and went on to win Karnataka State Film Award for Best Male Playback Singer for the song "Ede Olagina Tamate".

Early life

Sajju was born in Mysore, Karnataka, India, on 27 July 1992. Raised in a modest background, he completed his schooling in Mysore and developed a strong interest in music from an early age. While still young, he joined a local orchestra band, performing folk and popular Kannada film songs during village tours. Sajju later pursued a diploma in music from Dr. Gangubai Hangal Music University, Mysore.

Career

Playback singing

Naveen’s playback singing debut came in 2013 with the feature film Lucia, signifying a turning point in his career. The three songs composed by the debutante Poornachandra Tejaswi: “Ede Olagina Tamate,” “Helu Shiva,” and “Yako Barlilla,” gained widespread popularity and topped iTunes charts. For his rendition of "Jamma Jamma", he was awarded the Karnataka State Film Award for Best Male Playback Singer in 2014. In 2015, he further expanded his singing credits across Kannada cinema with titles including RX Soori, Vascodigama, and Jackson.
Post this, he lent his voice to several mainstream films including Akira, Half Mentlu, Bhujanga, Ricky, and Yen Nin Problemmu.

Music direction

In addition to singing, Naveen expanded into music composition, first serving as music director in 2017 for Yen Nin Problemmu. However, his breakthrough as a composer came with the Duniya Vijay starrer, Kanaka in 2018, for which he composed the entire soundtrack and background score, comprising 8 tracks including “Enne Namdu Oota Nimdu” and “Bara Moda Karagi.” He also lent his vocals to key songs like “Enne Namdu” and “Duniya Dalle Don”. This marked his first major venture as a composer, transitioning from vocal performance to creative helm of musical narratives.
In 2020s, Naveen continued to diversify his musical portfolio with Salaga and Dear Vikram. His upcoming unreleased films include Kusthi and Lo Naveena.

Acting

Naveen had roots in acting prior his entry into films. He was a part of the theatre troupe "Niranthara" in Mysore. Post Lucia's success, he was offered acting roles in films and he had signed few of them which remains unreleased till date.. In 2019, it was announced that director Kumar had cast him opposite Sanjana Anand in his directorial film Charlie Chaplin. The project was shelved in the filming stage.
In 2024, Naveen announced two projects under his home banner Naveen Sajju Studios. The film, Lo Naveena features himself in the lead alongside composing the music.. The other project titled Mansion House Muthu also features him in the lead role.

Television

In 2018, Naveen entered Bigg Boss house as an inmate and emerged as the first runner up towards the finale. Later, he took up the series Chukki Thaare, aired on Colors Kannada to be his first television acting assignment in 2024. He portrayed a father figure involved in a family-focused drama centered on the bond between two young girls.

Discography

Music Director

YearFilmOther Note
2017En Nin Problemmu
2018Kanaka
2021SalagaOne song only