Introduction
Shah Sayfuz Ali (Bengali: শাহ সৈফুয আলী, Sylheti: ꠡꠣꠢ ꠍꠂꠚꠥꠎ ꠀꠣꠟꠤ; born 27 August 1988), better known by his stage name Char Avell, is an English singer-songwriter and actor of Sylheti origin.
Early life
Ali grew up in a traditional Bangladeshi Muslim household in the heart of East London. His parents originally came from the town of Balaganj in Sylhet. He was homeless at a certain point in time and lost his father at a young age. Music has inspired Ali from an early age as well.
Career
Ali started as an unsigned artist known as Sayfuz. As Sayfuz, his debut single "Putting on a Act" was released.
Mumzy Stranger discovered Ali in his neighbourhood, and mentored and assimilated his sounds with Stranger's music. In July 2011, Ali was signed by Tiffin Beats Records. His first single "Say You Love Me" was released in November 2012, which was produced by Stranger. It fuses the Punjabi vocals of Junai Kaden with Avell's R&B vocals. His other singles include, "Sky Is Falling Down", "Gone", "Lost Soul", "Roadside" and "All Nighter". Avell also features on Ramee's debut single "Peeng".
In May 2012, Ali was interviewed by DJ Nihal on BBC Asian Network. In April 2012, Ali performed live on the Kan D Man and DJ Limelight show on BBC Asian Network.
In August 2013, Ali performed at Eid in the Square in Trafalgar Square, London. In August 2014, he performed at the London Mela in Gunnersbury Park. In May 2015, he performed at the Boishakhi Mela in Victoria Park, London.
In February 2015, Avell appeared in an episode of comedy web series Corner Shop Show.
In March 2018, he featured in Humza Arshad's parody of the viral Nike advertisement, known as "Nothing Beats A Londoner", featuring notable Londoners from underrepresented minorities such as Juggy D, H-Dhami, Tasha Tah, Sevaqk, Bobby Friction, Raxstar, Tez Ilyas, Arjun, Steel Banglez, Mumzy Stranger, Jay Sean, Corner Shop Show (Islah Abdur-Rahman, Michael Truong, Can Snatchy Kabadayi) and Naughty Boy.
Singles
| Year | Single | Producer(s) |
|---|---|---|
| 2010 | "Putting on a Act" (as Sayfuz) | Sayfuz |
| 2012 | "A Song for Mama" (Boys II Men Cover) | Char Avell, Babyface |
| "Say You Love Me" featuring Junai Kaden | Char Avell | |
| 2013 | "Sky Is Falling Down" | |
| 2014 | "Roadside" | |
| "Gone" | ||
| "Lost Soul" | ||
| "All Nighter" | ||
| 2015 | "I Need You (Dil Mein Ho Tum)" featuring S. Janaki | SP, Bappi Lahiri |
| "Gone RMX" | Char Avell, DJ Limelight | |
| "In2 Remix" featuring Raxstar and Kan D Man (WSTRN Cover) | Char Avell, N4, Parallel | |
| 2016 | "Let Go" | Char Avell |
| "Won't Leave" featuring Mumzy Stranger | SP | |
| "Judge If You Want" | Char Avell | |
| "You and I" | ||
| 2017 | "Waiting" | |
| "Money On My Mind" | ||
| 2018 | "Changes #FreeArchi" |
|- ! scope="row"| 2019 ! scope="row"| "DM" |- |}
Featured in
- Ghetto Refix – Junai Kaden ft. Mumzy Stranger, Char Avell, Tasha Tah and Ramee
- Peengh – Ramee ft. Char Avell
- Reason - Pak-Man ft. Char Avell (from the album, Still Legendary)
- Injoy Remix - Iksy ft. Char Avell
Appearances
- Lak Nu Hila – Tasha Tah
- In2 Parody – WSTRN Cover – Iksy (alongside Mumzy Stranger, Humza Arshad, Bengali Blitz, Corner Shop Show and Puremovements.)
- Sorry Parody – Justin Bieber Cover – Iksy (alongside Majharul Hoque.)