The Journey So Far..

Sunny Jagpal, born into the esteemed, dynamic, and power-pushing Jagpal family, was exposed to the Asian wedding world of photography, film, and music from birth. His father, widely known as ‘Apna Bhajan,’ was the original founding member of Apna Sangeet, which he formed in the early 70s. After many successful years, he created Apna DJs and Apna Video and Photography, which stemmed from his original bands name. The company has produced many exceptional talents in the wedding industry that are still thriving today.

Sunny Jagpal’s cousins, known worldwide, hail from the family’s UK starting grounds and are famously recognised by their area postcode, B21.

Sunny's journey into the wedding industry commenced from birth, and it was an inevitable journey, akin to when a family owns a shop that their children then run. However, for Sunny Jagpal, it was always going to be a much bigger shop with a massive sign on it.

In 1995, Sunny Jagpal's family had that defining moment in life when his sister Krisina, asked him what he wanted to be. His response to this question was "I want to be a DJ." At four years of age, he replied by moving the hi-fi speakers and dining table to the middle of the room and proceeded to play his dad’s bands song ‘Apna Sangeet’ on cassette. This moment is most often told by Sunny Jagpal's dad as the starting point of it all.

At a young age, Sunny would be allowed to sit behind the DJ setup and witness his dad and other DJs from the camp perform. It was visually exciting with loud music and so much energy. This became a weekly occurrence, and Sunny would be involved in picking up the smaller equipment and helping the family business.

By the age of nine, Sunny was able to completely wire up his dad's DJ/roadshow. He was so inspired to play with sounds and music that he started using Acid Pro on PC and began making intros for his dad's DJ. These mixes would go on to be used up and down the country by the DJ crew of Apna DJ’s.

At this same time Sunny’s dad was teaching him how to use photography cameras and studio lighting equipment. His dad brought him his first camera from auction as they were so expensive. His dad taught him the most important basics on how to use the camera and take photos. At the age of 10, Sunny was photographing events alongside his dad.

At the age of 11, Sunny Jagpal went to Argos with his mum and purchased his first set of DJ decks: the Homemix, which comprised a dual CD player with a built-in amplifier and speakers.

He would spend hours in his bedroom playing with different genres of music, and after some time, his dad took his essence to music more seriously. At 13, he went on to purchase his first set of decks, they were Stanton C304s. Sunny began taking on small shows for £200 and this is where the DJ journey truly started.

Sunny performed at his first-ever wedding of 400+ guests at the age of just 14. To understand the level of confidence this takes at such a young age is something many men, let alone teenagers, wouldn't be able to do. At this same time Sunny was photographing weddings under the family business brand and would regularly get requested by clients to personally photograph their big day.

Besides growing up, DJ-ing and photographing, Sunny took a keen interest in sports. Notably, he was picked as one of the best Asian players in his age group and represented the ‘North vs. South’ where the best Asian players in the UK were selected. Sunny Jagpal was handpicked and scouted by West Bromwich Albion FC and signed for the Academy at 15. Though his semi-professional career was short-lived due to a severe break in his leg and knee, he still persevered and, with his cousins and close friends, made an Asian football team representing Asian talent at a semi-professional level in the Championship of the Warley League. The team was named by the boys: Soorma FC.

In addition to sports, Sunny Jagpal, a talented individual with a passion for the performing arts, was captivated by the world of acting. His exceptional abilities were acknowledged when he obtained four A*s at A-Levels, in performing arts. Sunny showcased his talent at various levels, most notably at the renowned Birmingham Hippodrome, where he performed in several renowned adaptations and musicals, including Blood Brothers and The Sound of Music.

Growing up in the wedding industry, Sunny yearned to explore the club scene and expand his musical knowledge beyond Bhangra music. He ventured into the English music market of R&B, Hip Hop, House, Dance and Garage music under the alias SJ. He performed in some of the UK's top clubs and worked under the Bullion brand, which paved the way for UK DJs to travel across Ibiza and other destinations. Sunny Jagpal was flown to Europe on six occasions to DJ at some of the top clubs.

At this same time Sunny was delving further into the photography world and was a helper for nearly two years to a very affluent famous French photographer. Alongside this said photographers team, Sunny travelled Europe helping and working on projects further learning the art of photography. He went on to help design the front covers for Asiana magazine and photographed models for personal and commercial work.

At the age of 19 Sunny, along with a friend, launched their own events company in Birmingham called Betta Betta Events. They booked many artists, such as Garry Sandhu, Bally Jagpal, DJ Aza (Steels Bangles tour DJ), and Panjabi MC, to name a few. They even hosted the UK single launch of the song ‘Bari Barsi’ for Panjabi MC on Sunny Jagpal's 21st Birthday.

At the age of 21, Sunny graduated from Nottingham Trent University with a 2:1 in Digital Media Design. He credits his eldest sister, Tinika, for inspiring him to pursue a degree-level education.

Despite his young age, Sunny achieved numerous personal accolades. In his twenties, he delivered electrifying performances, creating a buzz in the Asian wedding industry. He performed in various club and private events alongside the cream of the Asian Bhangra industry, from the BBC Asian Mela’s to club events and private events in the UK and abroad. He even became the world tour DJ for B21, Popsy 'the hype machine,' and Sardara Gill. He also helped organise various charity events, personally raising over £40,000 for different charities throughout his career.

Sunny’s degree which focused on SEO in digital social media enabled him to work alongside a close friends company called Win Media. Sunny worked on many projects for major brands such as B&Q, Eurofit Auto Centres, Little Dessert Shop, Kareplus and Manchester United’s security team, CSG, to name just a few. His work enabled businesses to maximise their presence on social media with design, video and photography work which in turn elevated the businesses.

In 2018, Sunny was awarded the Midlands Best Wedding DJ at the Mawa Awards UK. The award was noted as well-deserved and further solidified his position as Birmingham's best Asian wedding DJ. In the same year Sunny Jagpal was awarded a 2019 SME excellence award in photography.

In 2019, Sunny was sadly diagnosed with stage two lymphoma cancer. Despite this, with the help of the amazing doctors at City Hospital Birmingham/Queen Elizabeth Hospital Birmingham and his friends and family, Sunny's treatment was positive. Although the cancer spread and returned, he was treated again in the winter of 2020 and received a positive outcome. Sunny remains in remission and maintains an exceptionally positive outlook on his future life.

Despite his cancer diagnosis, Sunny Jagpal continues to perform at Asian weddings with his eloquent nature, impactful DJ, and host skills.

Sunny Jagpal is an incredibly resilient individual, although very humble, and his honesty can be seen from all angles. It has been over 12 years since Sunny presented a website, and he brings over 15 years of professional experience to the table.

This website serves as a testament to his successful years in the ever-growing wedding industry.

The journey continues for Sunny Jagpal, and he remains humble, hungry, and driven to provide couples with the very best for their wedding entertainment.

Thank you for taking the time to read Sunny Jagpal's brief life story, and we hope to see you on a dance floor very soon!