L-FRESH the Lion

Sukhdeep Singh Bhogal (born 12 October 1988), better known by his stage name L-FRESH the Lion, is an Australian hip hop artist and producer.^[1] Based in South Western Sydney, Bhogal has released four studio albums as L-FRESH the Lion, highlighted by 2016's ARIA Award-nominated Become. He has also received three nominations at the National Live Music Awards. Bhogal's stage name is derived from a backronym for FRESH—Forever Rising Exceeding Sudden Hardships—while the L and lion refer to the Sanskrit translation for his middle name, Singh, which is given to Sikh men.^[2] He has been described as one of Australia's most important rappers.^[3]

L-FRESH the Lion
L-FRESH the Lion performing at the Corner Hotel in 2018
Background information
Birth name	Sukhdeep Singh Bhogal
Born	(1988-10-12) 12 October 1988 (age 35). Liverpool, New South Wales, Australia
Origin	South Western Sydney, Australia
Genres	Hip hop
Occupation(s)	Rapper, musician, producer, songwriter
Instrument(s)	Vocals, sampler
Years active	2009–present
Labels	Elefant Traks
Website	l-fresh.com

Early life

Bhogal was born in Liverpool, New South Wales, on 12 October 1988 to Sikh parents from India. He grew up in South Western Sydney, speaking Punjabi at home but English at school.^[4]

Music career

L-FRESH the Lion first caught the attention of his peers and the Australian music scene in 2009 when he supported Nas during his first headline tour of Australia.^[1][5] In 2012, he released his first long-play record, The Lion Speaks.

In May 2014, L-FRESH the Lion released One, which was promoted as his debut studio album. He then signed a record deal with Elefant Traks in early 2015.^[6] His follow-up album, Become, was released in May 2016 and peaked at number 55 on the ARIA Charts.^[7] At the ARIA Music Awards of 2016, it was nominated for Best Urban Album.^[8][9]

In 2017 and 2018, L-FRESH the Lion was selected by YouTube to be an Australian representative for their global Creators for Change initiative.^[10] His music video "Raci$t / Our World" premiered at the Tribeca TV Festival alongside two other Creators for Change projects.^[11] He then went on to perform the song at YouTube's Brandcast event held in Sydney at the Hordern Pavilion, which was headlined by a performance from Sir Elton John.^[12][13] L-FRESH the Lion's 2018 Creators for Change project, a short documentary called Culture Strong, won Best Editor and Runner-up Best in the West at the Made in the West Film Festival, while also being nominated for Best Director, Best Cinematographer and Best Sound Design.^[14] L-FRESH the Lion closed out his 2018 involvement with the Creators for Change initiative by performing "Our World" at the United Nations Headquarters in New York as part of an educational event in observance of the International Day for Tolerance.^[15] L-FRESH the Lion was selected as part of the five-person Australian jury at the Eurovision Song Contest 2018.^[16]

In 2019, the Sydney Kings basketball franchise enlisted L-FRESH the Lion to write and perform their team song.^[17] "We the Kings" was released before the launch of the 2019–20 National Basketball League season and performed for the first time by L-FRESH the Lion in front of a record-breaking crowd at Qudos Bank Arena.^[17][18]

At the height of the COVID-19 pandemic in Australia in July 2020, L-FRESH the Lion released his third album, South West.^[19] It was ranked at number 13 in Double J's 50 best albums of 2020 and led to his nomination as Double J's 2020 Australian Artist of the Year.^[20] The 14-track album is a letter to Bhogal's younger 13-year-old self, with messages of confidence, appreciation of his Sikh & Punjabi cultural background, self-empowerment and decolonisation.^[21]

In 2022, Bhogal made his acting debut in an episode of the ABC TV program Summer Love.^[22]

Business career

L-FRESH the Lion is the founder and artist director of Conscious, an annual year-long hip-hop artist development program run by Campbelltown Arts Centre.^[23] The program supports the development and career pathways of socially minded hip hop artists with connections to Western Sydney. Since 2018, the program has worked with artists such as A.Girl, Becca Hatch, Jessica Jade, Nardean, Mirrah, Spvrrow, Slim Set and T Breezy.^[23]

Influences

L-FRESH the Lion cites the work of Tupac Shakur as influential, both on his music and in contributing to the development of his awareness of his Sikh heritage.^[4]

Discography

Studio albums

Title	Details	Peak chart positions
		AUS ^[24]
The Lion Speaks	Released: March 2012^[1] Label: Self-released Format: Digital download	—
One	Released: May 2014^[25]^[26] Label: Vienna People Records (VPR001) Format: CD, digital download	—
Become	Released: 12 May 2016^[27] Label: Elefant Traks (ACE144) Format: CD, digital download	55
South West	Released: 17 July 2020^[28] Label: Elefant Traks (ACE238) Format: Vinyl, streaming, digital download	—

Extended plays

Title	Details
Wide Awake	Released: 2009 Label: Independent Format: digital download
Waiting	Released: 2011 Label: Independent Format: CD, digital download

Singles

Singles from One
"One" Released: May 31, 2013 "Faithful" Released: October 25, 2013 "Survive (feat. MK-1)" Released: March 10, 2014
Singles from Become
"Get Mine (feat. Parvyn)" Released: August 14, 2015 "Hold Up (feat. Remi)" Released: December 4, 2015 "1 in 100,000" Released: April 18, 2016 "1 in 100,000 Redux (feat. Raxstar)" Released: June 29, 2016
Singles from SOUTH WEST
"Alchemy" Released: June 27, 2019 "Born To Stand Out" Released: August 29, 2019 "Oh My (feat. Sergiio)" Released: April 30, 2020 "Mother Tongue (feat. Mirrah)" Released: June 23, 2020 "Village Boy" Released: April 30, 2021
Singles from L-FRESH the Lion
"Our World" Released: September 27, 2017 "WE THE KINGS" Released: October 3, 2019 "Mother (feat. MOZA & Mirrah)" Released: February 5, 2020 "Ek Parivar (feat. Akaali)" Released: January 26, 2021 "Remember (with Radio3000 & Nate Wade)" Released: May 28, 2021

Awards and nominations

ARIA Music Awards

The Australian Recording Industry Association Music Awards (commonly known informally as ARIA Music Awards or ARIA Awards) is an annual series of awards nights celebrating the Australian music industry, put on by the Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA).

Year	Nominee / work	Award	Result
ARIA Music Awards of 2016^[29]	Become	Best Urban Album	Nominated

AIR Awards

The Australian Independent Record Awards (commonly known informally as AIR Awards) is an annual awards night to recognise, promote and celebrate the success of Australia's Independent Music sector.

Year	Nominee / work	Award	Result
AIR Awards of 2014^[30]	One	Best Independent Hip Hop Album	Nominated
AIR Awards of 2017^[31]	Become	Best Independent Hip Hop Album	Nominated

Environmental Music Prize

The Environmental Music Prize is a quest to find a theme song to inspire action on climate and conservation. It commenced in 2022.^[32]

Year	Nominee / work	Award	Result	Ref.
2022	"Mother" (featuring Moza and Mirrah)	Environmental Music Prize	Nominated	^[33]

J Awards

The J Awards are an annual series of Australian music awards that were established by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation's youth-focused radio station Triple J. They commenced in 2005.

Year	Nominee / work	Award	Result
J Awards of 2020^[34]^[35]	L-FRESH the Lion	Double J Australian Artist of the Year	Nominated

Music Victoria Awards

The Music Victoria Awards are an annual awards night celebrating Victorian music. They commenced in 2006.

Year	Nominee / work	Award	Result	Ref.
Music Victoria Awards of 2014	One	Best Hip Hop Album	Nominated	^[36]^[37]

National Live Music Awards

The National Live Music Awards (NLMAs) are a broad recognition of Australia's diverse live industry, celebrating the success of the Australian live scene. The awards commenced in 2016.

Year	Nominee / work	Award	Result
National Live Music Awards of 2016^[38]	L-FRESH the Lion	Live Hip Hop Act of the Year	Nominated
National Live Music Awards of 2017^[39]^[40]	L-FRESH the Lion	Live Hip Hop Act of the Year	Nominated
National Live Music Awards of 2020^[41]	L-FRESH the Lion	Musicians Making a Difference	Nominated

References

1. "L-Fresh the Lion - The Lion Speaks". All Aussie Hip Hop. 22 March 2012. Retrieved 8 March 2020.
2. Palathingal, George (14 November 2015). "L-FRESH the LION review: Sikh rapper shows his roar power". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 1 August 2018.
3. "REVIEW: L-Fresh The Lion Has "Become" One Of Australia's Most Important Rappers • Howl & Echoes". Howl & Echoes. 16 May 2016. Retrieved 21 June 2021.
4. Hegarty, Siobhan (7 June 2020). "Trying to be 'cool' stripped L-FRESH The LION of his language. Now the Sikh MC celebrates his roots". ABC News. Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved 7 June 2020.
5. "Live Gig Guide - Nas at The Palace Theatre, Melbourne". Live Gig Guide.
6. "L Fresh the Lion joins Elefant Traks". 2015. Retrieved 8 March 2020.
7. Ryan, Gavin (21 May 2016). "ARIA Albums: Keith Urban Spends Second Week at No 1". Noise11. Retrieved 21 May 2016.
8. "Save the Date: ARIA Launches 30 Year Celebrations". ARIA. ARIA Awards. 17 August 2016. Retrieved 1 August 2018.
9. Mediaweek (5 October 2016). "2016 ARIA Awards nominations released". Mediaweek. Retrieved 21 June 2021.
10. "Meet the 2018 Creators for Change Global Ambassadors". YouTube's Blog. Retrieved 21 June 2021.
11. "YouTube's 'Creators for Change' premiere at Tribeca's TV Festival". Engadget. Retrieved 21 June 2021.
12. "New York Debut & Meeting Elton John: L-FRESH The LION Co-hosts The Music Podcast". TheMusic. Retrieved 21 June 2021.
13. Joshi, Kruti (27 September 2017). "Google Australia sells the potential of YouTube to advertisers at Brandcast". Mediaweek. Retrieved 21 June 2021.
14. Festival, Made in the West Film (25 November 2018). "2018 WINNERS announced!". Made in the West. Retrieved 21 June 2021.
15. "YouTube stars get creative at UN, to promote tolerance". UN News. 16 November 2018. Retrieved 21 June 2021.
16. Groot, Evert (8 March 2020). "Exclusive: They are the expert jurors for Eurovision 2018". eurovision.tv. European Broadcasting Union. Retrieved 30 April 2018.
17. "L-FRESH The LION Pens Official Anthem For NBL Team Sydney Kings". TheMusic. Retrieved 21 June 2021.
18. "Biggest Crowd in NBL History Watch Sydney and Illawarra". NBL. Retrieved 21 June 2021.
19. "L-FRESH The LION: 'Everybody is owning where they're from, because you can't silence us'". NME. 27 July 2020. Retrieved 21 June 2021.
20. "Double J Australian Artist of the Year". ABC. Retrieved 21 June 2021.
21. "L-FRESH The LION Drops New LP: 'This Is An Empowerment Record'". TheMusic. Retrieved 21 June 2021.
22. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt21377936/?ref_=tt_ep_nx
23. "CONSCIOUS". Conscious C-A-C. Retrieved 21 June 2021.
24. Wallace, Ian (23 May 2016). "Week Commencing ~ 23 May 2016 ~ Issue #1369" (PDF). The ARIA Report (1369). Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA): 2, 6–7, 14, 16, 19, 21. Archived from the original (PDF) on 23 May 2016. Retrieved 1 August 2018.
25. "One by L-Fresh the Lion". Apple Music. May 2014. Retrieved 8 March 2020.
26. "L Fresh the Lion Debut Album One and Tour". April 2014. Retrieved 8 March 2020.
27. "Become by L-Fresh the Lion". Apple Music. May 2016. Retrieved 8 March 2020.
28. "South West by L-Fresh the Lion". Apple Music. 17 July 2020. Retrieved 18 July 2020.
29. "ARIA Award Nominees for 2016". Wikipedia. Retrieved 21 June 2021.
30. "CARLTON DRY AIR AWARDS 2014 NOMINEES ANNOUNCED". speaker tv. September 2014. Retrieved 20 August 2020.
31. "A.B Original dominates 2017 AIR Awards nominations". theindustryobserver. 31 May 2017. Retrieved 20 August 2020.
32. "Environmental Music Prize Searches for Green Theme Song". The Music Network. May 2022. Retrieved 22 June 2022.
33. "Prize". Environmental Music Prize. Retrieved 22 June 2022.
34. "Here are your nominees for the 2020 J Awards!". Australian Broadcasting Corporation. 2 November 2020. Retrieved 3 November 2020.
35. Triscari, Caleb (19 November 2020). "Lime Cordiale take home Australian Album of the Year at the 2020 J Awards". NME Australia. Retrieved 19 November 2020.
36. . Music Victoria. Archived from the original on 19 September 2020. Retrieved 13 August 2020.
37. "Previous Winners". Music Victoria. Retrieved 13 August 2020.
38. "Nominees 2016". NLMA. 2016. Retrieved 5 September 2020.
39. "NLMA reveal 2017 Nominees". NLMA. 9 October 2017. Retrieved 5 September 2020.
40. "Winners 2017". NLMA. December 2016. Retrieved 5 September 2020.
41. "LMIA 2020". The Music Network. 9 October 2020. Retrieved 9 October 2020.