Pakistani News for the Rest of Us

The performance by Turkish State Ballet proved the point that classical ballet performances need not necessarily be imported or be a facsimile of ballet presentation seen in Europe or the West. In fact, the spectators witnessed a modern ballet and popular dances up to date in all departments, including music and dance forms. Even actors …

Popular singer Shehzad Roy has defended his latest song which is stirring up some controversy… he said that the song “Sali tu Mani Nahin” is not intended to, and does not, offend our cultural sensibilities or decorum. “The character I play in this video is that of a neighbourhood boy who is in love with …

Pakistani music channels are not only fighting off competition from abroad, but actually winning new audiences day by day. Today, because of these music channels, local bands and singers like Atif, Jal, Noori and Junoon are more popular than any foreign band or singer. Vast audiences from India, Canada and North America watch two of …

Currently the biggest band in Pakistani pop, Strings has had a tumultuous history of disbanding and then reuniting. What hasn’t changed is the consistency of Faisal and Bilal — the band duo — at churning out good music. As for the band’s as yet untitled next album, “it’ll be different — more rock-oriented and not …

Currently in the city to promote his first solo album, Social Circus, the shiny-headed, irreverent and utterly candid former lead singer of Junoon says he actually quit acting seven years ago. Azmat says he’ll never move to Mumbai, even though his professional prospects might seem better here. But don’t assume that Pakistan’s most famous rocker …

Pakistani rock band Jal was performing for the first time in Bangladesh. JPR Events had brought to the music lovers and concert -goers in Dhaka. Jal-An Urdu word of Persian origin, which simply means ‘water’. Playing along the lines of Latin-Acoustic Guitars; the main emphasis of their music is one the melodies and the lyrical …

Unicef Pakistan has appointed Strings - one of the leading Pakistani pop groups, as national ambassadors for HIV/Aids. Strings will join Unicef ambassadors around the world from the entertainment and sports fields to combat HIV/Aids. The group’s stars believed that their music could be both a means of social commentary and form of self …

Pop music is rapidly taking over the Pakistani music scene, despite the moral brigade and diktats of the clergy. “Pop, along with soft rock, is growing in popularity. Already, one private channel - Indus Music - is solely devoted to playing pop music 24 hours a day. There are over 80 FM channels spread all …

Andrea Meadows is swapping her Yorkshire tones for Urdu on her first single which she hopes will eventually bring together artists from all over the world. Thanks to dad Cliff Jenkyns she was invited to perform for 8,000 people … “My dad phoned me at work and said ‘can you take next week off? You’re …

In a no-frill performance with absolute command over classical music, leading vocalist Ustad Mubarak Ali Khan enthralled the audience at a function organized by the All Pakistan Music Conference on Saturday night. Since Ustad Mubarak Ali Khan is also extremely fond of Ustad Bade Ghulam Ali, he chose Raag Des of the Khammach Thaath to …

Harvinder Singh of Planet M says, ‘‘Pakistani music cassettes sell like hot cakes and sometimes we get out of stock as well. These days Ali Zafar is on everybody’s lips and still one can see the craze for Pakistani band Junoon.’’ For ghazal lovers the craze is for Tahira, Iqbal Bano and Abida Parveen. …

Abbasi—whose earlier releases paint him as a swinging modernist in the John Scofield mode—was born in Karachi, Pakistan. Snake Charmer, the band, pays tribute to its leader’s roots in several different ways. The South Asian influences are reflected in more than Abbasi’s occasional use of the electric sitar: his wife, Ontario-raised Kiran Ahluwalia, brings her …

From being heralded as Asia’s biggest rock act that redefined Sufi rock, Junoon has come a long way. The band that was applauded by U2’s Bono for their efforts at propagating world peace, is finally taking a break, what with all its members concentrating on their solo careers. Salman Ahmed shifted base to USA as …

German rock group ‘Ikarus’ and French rock band ‘Lunatic Age’ are currently in town to participate in a Mega Rock Festival marking International Music Day. Members of both rock groups shared their feelings and experiences with ‘The News’ Tuesday. ‘Lunatic Age,’ the French rock band, finds its visit “exciting and exotic”. For ‘Ikarus,’ the …