The guru of Bangladeshi band music, Nagar Baul James, has once again tied the knot. His bride is a Bangladeshi American expatriate who now goes by the name Namiya Anam.
This marks the third marriage for the country’s most popular rock star. James and Namiya first met in Los Angeles in 2023, during James’s US tour. Their acquaintance at that show gradually deepened and eventually turned into love and marriage.
After the tour, James returned to Bangladesh, and not long after, Namiya followed her heart and came to join him. The couple got married on 12 June 2024.
Since their marriage, they have been living together at James’s Banani residence in Dhaka. The couple recently received wonderful news – on 8 June 2025, their first child, a baby boy named Jibran Anam, was born at Huntington Hospital in New York at 3:35am local time.
Those close to the couple say their understanding and chemistry are remarkable. Namiya’s father, Nurul Amin, and mother, Nahid Amin, live permanently in the United States, where Namiya was raised. She is also known there as a professional dancer.
Before this, James was married to film actress Rathi, and later to Benazir Sajjad, who now lives in the US In 2014, James and Benazir separated for professional reasons.
Benazir had decided to settle permanently in Dallas with their only daughter, Jahan, while James chose to remain in Bangladesh, dedicated to his music and homeland. Their separation happened amicably.
From his first marriage with Rathi, James has two children — a son, Danish, and a daughter, Jannat — both of whom have completed university and are now pursuing their own careers.
Friends and family close to James believe that having a son at this stage of his life could become a turning point for him.
Reflecting on his new chapter, James said, “By the boundless grace of Allah, I am doing well. As long as I live, I wish to keep singing. I ask everyone to keep me in their prayers.”
Since the 1990s, James has been enchanting listeners with his music. Generations continue to be swept away by his songs.
Whether performing at home or abroad, when James takes the stage, audiences join in chorus, singing every lyric by heart – from “Dustu Cheler Dal” and “Asbar Kale Aslam Eka” to “Lace Fita Lace,” “Taray Taray Rotiye Debo,” and “Dukhini Dukh Koro Na.”
James has never chased popularity. Whatever fame came his way, he accepted it with humility — and what did not, never bothered him. Perhaps that is precisely what keeps him the timeless legend he is today.
