Lwin, Nanda 1971-
(Nanda Layos Lwin)

PERSONAL:

Born August 31, 1971, in London, Ontario, Canada; son of Maung Sann (a professional engineer) and Avelina (a cytotechnologist) Lwin. Ethnicity: "Southeast Asian." Education: University of Toronto, B.A.Sc., 1993. Hobbies and other interests: Music charts, music, piano, writing, reading, exploring the Internet, politics, civil aviation, architecture, standup comedy, film, cycling, debating, swimming.

ADDRESSES:

Home—Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Office—Musicdata, P.O. Box 43225, Sheppard Centre Postal Station, Toronto, Ontario M2N 6N1, Canada.

CAREER:

Author, journalist, entrepreneur, engineer, and educator. Musicdata, Toronto, Ontario, Canada, founder and president, 1995—. Seneca College, professor of civil engineering technology, 2004—; licensed professional engineer, Ontario, Canada; also lecturer at Humber College. Worked as civil engineer (structural engineer, including work on the CN Tower in Toronto, and transportation engineer).

MEMBER:

Arthritis Society of Canada, Canadian Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences, Osteoporosis Society of Canada, Professional Engineers Ontario, Ruskin Literary and Debating Society (observer).

WRITINGS:

The Record 1994 Chart Almanac, Music Data Canada (Mississauga, Ontario, Canada), 1995.

The Canadian Singles Chart Book, Music Data Canada (Mississauga, Ontario, Canada), 1996.

Canada's Top Hits of the Year, Music Data Canada (Mississauga, Ontario, Canada), 1997.

The 1996 Country Chart Yearbook, Music Data Canada (Mississauga, Ontario, Canada), 1997.

Canada's Top 1000 Singles, Music Data Canada (Mississauga, Ontario, Canada), 1998.

Top 40 Hits: The Essential Chart Guide, Music Data Canada (Mississauga, Ontario, Canada), 1999.

Top Albums: The Essential Chart Guide, Music Data Research (Toronto, Ontario, Canada), 2003.

The Essential 2002 Chart Yearbook, Music Data Research (Toronto, Ontario, Canada), 2003.

Author of "ChartTalk," a column for the Internet periodical Canoe.ca, 1997-2002, published in Hamilton Spectator, 2003—. Contributor to the annual Canadian edition of the publication Top 10 of Everything. Contributor to magazines and newspapers, including Canadian Music Network and Globe and Mail (Toronto, Ontario, Canada).

SIDELIGHTS:

Nanda Lwin told CA: "My books summarize the chart performance of every charted record in Canada. My lifelong passion for the charts began in 1983, when I tuned into American Top 40, a popular radio program hosted by Casey Kasem on a local radio station. I recall having watched the program on television a few years earlier, but it really didn't capture my interest or my imagination. Even though the television show introduced me to the music charts, it was the top-forty-countdown radio program that sparked my interest. The thought of listening to and keeping a continuous record of the biggest songs each week appealed to me.

"Throughout my teens, I collected the usual U.S. and British chart books that chart-watchers had on their bookshelves, and I started a collection of charts from the Canadian music trade journals. In those days, if I wanted to know how high a record went on the Canadian charts, I had to thumb through the charts themselves for the information I needed. There was no chart book for Canada. Then it hit me one day: why don't I compile chart books for the Canadian market?

"In 1995 I founded my own publishing company, Music Data Canada (now Musicdata), and in July of that year I published my first book. By 1999 I made a decision. I needed to attract a bigger audience, so I decided to publish a book that was targeted at the consumer rather than the record and radio industries. So I published Top 40 Hits: The Essential Chart Guide, a more affordable publication (about half the price of my previous books). The main section of the book lists every hit single, arranged by artist, that made it to the top forty, summarizing each record's chart performance (date charted, peak position, and weeks on the chart)."