L-FRESH the Lion

Sukhdeep Singh Bhogal (born 12 October 1988), better known as L-FRESH The LION is a hip hop artist and producer from Sydney, Australia.[1] The acronym F.R.E.S.H. stands for Forever Rising Exceeding Sudden Hardships, while the L and LION refer to his middle name, Singh, which is given to Sikh men.[2] He has been described as one of Australia's most important rappers.[3] Born in the city of Liverpool in Sydney's South West, L-FRESH The LION caught the attention of his peers and the Australian music scene when he supported Nas during the hip hop icon's first headline tour of Australia in 2009.[4] He released his debut album, One, in 2014, before signing a record deal with one of Australia's leading independent record labels, Elefant Traks, in early 2015. His follow up album, Become (2016), earned him wider industry accolades including an ARIA nomination for Best Urban Album.[5]

L-FRESH The LION
L-FRESH The LION performing at The Corner Hotel 2018
Background information
Birth name	Sukhdeep Singh Bhogal
Also known as	The LION
Born	(1988-10-12) 12 October 1988. Liverpool, New South Wales, Australia
Origin	South West Sydney, Australia
Genres	Hip hop
Occupation(s)	Rapper, musician, producer, songwriter
Instrument(s)	Vocals, sampler
Years active	2009–present
Labels	Elefant Traks

At the height of the COVID-19 pandemic in Australia, L-FRESH The LION released his critically acclaimed third album, SOUTH WEST (2020).[6] It ranked #13 in Double J's 50 best albums of 2020[7] and led to L-FRESH The LION being nominated as Double J's 2020 Australian Artist of the Year.[8] The 14-track album is a letter to his younger 13-year-old self, with messages of confidence, appreciation of his Sikh & Punjabi cultural background, self-empowerment and decolonization.[9] He co-produced the album with Houston-LA-Sydney producer, Kambui 'ZiG' Parker, with additional production by Mike Elizondo (Dr. Dre, Eminem, 50 Cent), Damn Moroda, Sergiio and ultmt. (Phife Dawg from A Tribe Called Quest).

In 2019, the Sydney Kings basketball franchise enlisted L-FRESH The LION to write and perform their team song.[10] WE THE KINGS was released before the launch of the 2019-20 National Basketball League season[10] and performed for the first time by L-FRESH The LION in front of a NBL record-breaking crowd at Qudos Bank Arena.[11]

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.[12] 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.[12]

In 2017 and 2018, L-FRESH The LION was selected by YouTube to be an Australian representative for their global Creators for Change initiative.[13] His music video RACI$T / OUR WORLD premiered at the Tribeca TV Festival alongside 2 other Creators for Change projects.[14] He then went on to perform the song at YouTube's Brandcast event held in Sydney at the Hordern Pavilion.[15] The event was headlined with a performance by Sir Elton John.[15][16] His 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.[17] L-FRESH The LION closed out his 2018 involvement with the YouTube 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.[18]