Leicester entrepreneur Virdi Singh Mazaria is to take part in this year’s series of The Apprentice – the first ever turban wearing contestant to do so.
Virdi, a Leicester-based music producer and DJ, is one of 18 contestants vying for a £250,000 business boost from Lord Sugar in the latest series of the BBC reality show.
The ambitious — year-old wants to introduce the billionaire to the ‘lucrative’ music industry – one which he is yet to invest in.
Having DJ’d worldwide from the age of 18, Virdi says he is ready to “step into a realm of remarkable success” if he were to win Lord Sugar’s investment.
“As a driven entrepreneur; music, events and logistics have been my day one passion. It’s time to put it all together and show Lord Sugar why I am his perfect business partner,” he said on his social media.
“I believe I am deserving of Lord Sugar’s investment because I bring more than just entrepreneurship to the table. I am a creator of unmatched experiences, a performer, my ambition is relentless, setting me apart in the fast-paced world of business. With Lord Sugar as my business partner, I am ready to step into a realm of remarkable success.”
Virdi’s background includes working as an auditor – a career he left just a month before the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020 to begin life as a music producer and DJ. Although he admits his timing was far from ideal, he has managed to grow his business into something special.
“When lockdown hit and I lost all bookings and upcoming projects,” he revealed. “At the time, it was my biggest business fail however, what I learnt was, when everything fails, how to improvise and get myself back up. Which is what I did.
Since then, one of Virdi’s most notable business achievements was having the privilege to produce a track for Sidhu Moose Wala, a prominent figure in the Punjabi music scene.
On his social media, he proudly announced that he is the first ever pagg (turban) wearing Singh to feature on this year’s series of The Apprentice, which starts next month.
“This is not just it. This is for you. My people. All my apneh. People who look like me. Understand no matter what, with hard work, determination and self-belief, you CAN achieve ANYTHING,” he said.
“And I’m here to prove it. Apprentice, get ready!”
The Apprentice series 18 premieres on Thursday, February 1 at 9pm on BBC One The series will also stream on BBC iPlayer.