Asians have embedded themselves in the root of British society, in both its economy and culture. Although the Bhangra industry is still screaming and shouting (almost literally) at the top of it’s voice to get noticed by the mainstream, we are now seeing Asian artists disbanding themselves from the “Bhangra” genre and venturing into other areas of music.

With this growth in variety, the Asian music industry (rightly or wrongly) has its own annual award ceremony to celebrate the achievements of the industry. The Asian Music Awards (or the AMAS as it is also known) is just that.

This year, the award ceremony was a step up from its previous incarnation, taking place at the glamorous Royal Festival Hall in London. The night brought out all the faces within the industry, ranging from top talents such as Jay Sean, to lesser known ‘celebrities’ such as Shabnam Paryani (of Big Brother 8 fame).

The show was hosted by West End star Preeya Kalidas, and B4U Music VJ Salil; with the stage playing host to some of the UK’s most talented Asian artists. Guest presenters included Grammy nominated Daniel Bedingfield, The Apprentice’s Syed Ahmed, and singer-songwriter Karen David. Audiences were also adorned with performances from the likes of D-Boy, Blitzkrieg and Punjabi Hit Squad.

As for the awards itself, Birmingham collective Shaanti were named Best Underground Act and Rishi Rich’s latest protégé H-Dhami walked away with Best Newcomer.

Jay Sean, who recently scored a top 20 hit with “Ride It”, won Best Urban Act and Best Video.

Other winners on the night included the group Swami, who picked up the award for the Best Producer, and BBC Asian Network’s Adil Ray, who picked up the award Best Radio Show.

Speaking on the occasion, S-Endz, member of Swami said, “The AMA ceremony appears to be getting more professional as every year passes and I hope they can continue to build on their success.”

The full list of winners are as follows:

Best Act – Sukshinder Shinda
Best Album – Sukshinder Shinda – Living the Dream
Best Club DJ – Jags Klimax
Best Female Act – Hard Kaur
Best Newcomer – H-Dhami
Best Producer – Swami
Best Radio Show – Adil Ray – BBC Asian Network
Best Urban Act – Jay Sean
Best International Act – Adnan Sami
Best Underground Act – Shaanti
Best Video – Jay Sean – Ride It
Best Website – Desi Hits
Commitment to the Scene – Nitin Sawhney
Outstanding Achievement – Shin from DCS
Lifetime Achievement – Heera

A selection of pictures from the night:

For more pictures, be sure to visit the InsideDesi Gallery.