Music lifts our spirits and has always been an integral part of our celebrations on Independence Day. From “Jeevay Pakistan” to “Dil, Dil Pakistan”, when we hear those tunes, our hearts fill with patriotic pride and nostalgia. Music has the ability to tug at our heart strings and so it is no surprise that our musicians are adulated the way they are. We take a look at four stars who are not only savvy at making music but also at making the most out of music…
Shehzad Roy
Shehzad Roy debuted on the Pakistani music scene in 1995 and what a debut it was! The young singer garnered an instant fan following with the teenyboppers and soon his songs were to be heard everywhere. Shahzad continues to be an innovative musician, writing lyrics that are fun but relevant to the times we live in. This is why his album, Buri Baat Hai, released in 2005, still sounds fresh with its tongue-in-cheek songs and entertaining videos, and his latest album, Qismat Apnay Haat Mein is flying off the shelves after an unusual launch at the Juvenile Jail in Karachi and a controversial video of the song ‘Laga Reh’.
In a sense, Shahzad can be credited with initiating the first high-profile international exchanges. He has sung with Sukhbir and Shan as well as having worked with Bryan Adams. In fact, Shahzad is responsible for bringing Bryan to Pakistan as part of a charity concert a few years ago.
But more than music, it is Shahzad's dedication to his NGO, the Zindagi Trust, which is commendable. The trust now has 25 schools across the country and it uses an innovative method to entice children, who would otherwise be on the street, to attend school - the children receive a small monetary amount for each day of attendance. Shahzad was awarded the Tamgha-i-Imtiaz in 2004, for his efforts to help the underprivileged children of Pakistan and the Sitara-e-Eisaar in recognition of his trust's work in the earthquake affected areas.
With his boyish good looks, his witty songs and his worthy cause, Shahzad Roy truly embodies the spirit of young and independent Pakistan, striving to make a difference.
Atif Aslam
It is, by now, a well-known story of how Atif Aslam became a singer - while singing for some friends at the college canteen, he was persuaded to participate in a singing competition on Independence Day celebrations. He performed, won and blew everyone away by the sheer magnitude of his voice.
In 2004, Atif released his first album Jal Pari, which became a hit thanks to the much-disputed yet highly-acclaimed hits, Aadat, Woh Lamhey, and Dil Harey. Then followed Doorie, a very filmi album by the standards of Atif Aslam fans, which still managed to produce 3, if not 4, super hit songs. Atif’s latest album, Hungaami Halat was released early this year and although it has done well, it has not produced hits anywhere near the cult status achieved by Aadat, Doorie and the like from previous albums.
Atif has lent his voice to many songs for Bollywood films and this has increased his international fan-following by multitudes. This year, Atif received the Tamgha-e-Imtiaz for his services in the field of music.
Ali Zafar
Aptly titled the Prince of Pop, Ali is perhaps the most versatile young artiste around. Musician, actor, painter and model, it is no surprise that he won the Youth Icon Award at the Lux Style Awards in 2007. His 2003 debut, Huqa Pani, won him an award for Best Album at the 2004 LSAs.
Ali's voice has often been compared to that of the legendary Kishore Kumar's and that suave voice may be the secret behind his tremendous success... that, and the fact that he is extremely good-looking - he was rated as one of the 10 sexiest men in Asia by British magazine, Eastern Eye! Ali proved just how good a musician he was recently in a live performance - he held his own against trained classical singers as well as musicians belonging to other genres.
Although it has been almost two years since his last album, Masty, was released, Ali remains in the media eye thanks to his many endorsements.
Hadiqa Kiyani
Undoubtedly, the best female pop singer in the country, Hadiqa started her career as a VJ for one of the first music chart shows in the fledgling entertainment industry. After her debut with Raaz in 1995, Hadiqa went on to release many more albums - most of them going multi-platinum.
Always willing to experiment, whether it was with her music or her looks, Hadiqa continued to evolve and change with each album. A fresh look with each new video kept her in the news. Her long coats paired with trousers became her signature in the 90s.
Hadiqa is one of the few artistes who has not only collaborated with many other local musicians but has also performed internationally at concerts featuring international stars such as Lionel Richie, Wet Wet Wet, Lisa Stansfield and the Brand New Heavies.
In 2006, Hadiqa was awarded the Tamgha-e-Imtiaz for her services in the field of music. While Hadiqa has not been very musically active this year, her collaboration with various artistes in the widely aired track “Yeh Hum Naheen” keeps her on our TV screens.
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