Arijit Singh and One Pound Fish Man top South Asian chart vote

Can you name an artist with more number one singles than Oasis, Ed Sheeran and Ariana Grande?

It’s Zack Knight.

The British-Pakistani singer and songwriter has topped the Official Asian Music Chart, which celebrates its 15th anniversary this year, a whopping 17 times.

His biggest track, Bom Diggy Diggy, a collaboration with Jasmin Walia, spent eight weeks at number one and has racked up a combined 300 million plays on YouTube and Spotify.

But, he tells BBC Asian Network, he didn’t even like the track when he first made it in his bedroom.

“I made it in half an hour,” he says.

“But my dad walked in the room and was like, ‘Beta (son) this is a hit’.”

When the Official Asian Music Chart launched in 2010, it was the first chart of its kind to recognise the consumption of South Asian music in the UK.

For the first time, Bollywood, Bhangra and more mainstream rap and pop acts from a South Asian background had a platform to recognise their success.

To celebrate the 15-year milestone, BBC Asian Network asked listeners to vote for their favourite song from a list of the Top 50 biggest selling number 1’s.

Presenters Nikita Kanda and Haroon Rashid revealed that Tum Hi Ho, sung by Arijit Singh for the Bollywood film Aashiqui 2, was the nation’s favourite.

The singer, known for his work in cinema, recently made history by headlining a sold-out UK stadium show, and collaborated with Ed Sheeran on global hit Sapphire.

Reacting to news of Tum Hi Ho’s win, composer Mithoon said it was an important song for him.

It fulfilled his “childhood dream” of winning a prestigious Filmfare Award – the first in his celebrated career.

“I dedicated that song to my father and to everything that he taught me and sacrificed for me, so it’s a very special song for me,” he says.

Artists such as Arijit have the Bollywood machine to propel their songs to wide audiences, but the Official Asian Music Chart has also given a platform to acts working outside the film industry.

Bom Diggy Diggy wasn’t Zack Knight’s first number one, but its position highlighted its popularity and the growing reach of British Asian artists.

The track went viral in 2017 and was picked up to feature in the Bollywood film Sonu Ke Titu Ki Sweety a year later.

Reflecting on the moment, Zack says: “I’m just a kid from the UK trying to release music.

“I’m happy to just get a few fans, I didn’t know it would go to India and all that.”

While South Asian acts are experiencing more mainstream success in 2025, they don’t often appear in the Official Singles Chart, which is why Zack believes the Official Asian Music Chart is still a vital part of the scene.

“We are a genre in our own right. I love mixing languages and it’s probably one of the only charts in the world that recognises artists like myself,” he says.

Singer Jay Sean was the first act to score a number one on the chart with Do You Remember, his collaboration with dancehall superstar Sean Paul and rapper Lil Jon.

Presenter Bobby Friction, the first ever host of the Official Asian Music Chart Show on BBC Asian Network, says “it was a really special moment” to see a British Asian artist “take that first crown”.

Jay had already had hits in the main UK Top 40, but remembers the original Asian chart well.

“Asian Network and I, we’ve been together on this journey right from the beginning”, he says.

It’s a journey that’s seen South Asian music and artists – from Joy Crookes to Zayn Malik – make further strides into the mainstream.

The former One Direction star is one of two people to have had both an Official Singles Chart and Official Asian Music Chart number one.

Zayn did it in 2016 with Pillow Talk, but it was producer Naughty Boy who did it first with La La La featuring Sam Smith in 2013.

The Top 50 number 1’s list also highlights the rising influence of social media on the music charts.

Several viral one-hit wonders, including Skechers by YouTuber DripReport, appear.

But one of the biggest breakout hits was One Pound Fish Man – whose single, One Pound Fish, claimed the number two spot.

A recording of Pakistani fish trader Shahid Nazir singing on his east London market stall went viral, leading him to enter TV talent show The X Factor.

He was signed to the Warner Record Label, and released a Bhangra-infused version of the song in 2012 before being forced to return to Pakistan for breaching his visa.

You can listen back to BBC Asian Network’s full Ultimate Asian Music Chart Number 1 countdown with Nikita Kanda and Haroon Rashid on BBC Sounds.

Listen to Newsbeat live at 12:45 and 17:45 weekdays – or listen back here.