Music of Pakistan

In poetry, the ghazal is a poetic form consisting of couplets which share a rhyme and a refrain. Each line must share the same meter. Etymologically, the word literally refers to "the mortal cry of a gazelle". The animal is called Ghizaal, from which the English word gazelles stems, or Kastori haran (where haran refers to deer) in Urdu. Ghazals are traditionally expressions of love, separation and loneliness, for which the gazelle is an appropriate image. A ghazal can thus be understood as a poetic expression of both the pain of loss or separation of the lover and the beauty of love in spite of that pain. The structural requirements of the ghazal are more stringent than those of most poetic forms traditionally written in English. In its style and content it is a genre which has proved studied variety of expression around its central theme of love and separation between lovers. The ghazals can be written by male poets for women as well as by female poets for men, as an expression of one's feelings about mutual love and whatever comes in that package- accompanying joys, frustrations, disappointments, fulfillment and satisfactions. The ghazal spread into South Asia in the 12th century under the influence of the new Islamic Sultanate courts and Sufi mystics. Exotic to the region, as is indicated by the very sounds of the name itself when properly pronounced as ġazal. Although the ghazal is most prominently a form of Urdu poetry, today, it has influenced the poetry of many languages. Most Ghazal singers are trained in classical music and sing in either Khyal or Thumri.

The Mughal Emperor Muhammad Shah was one of the most important patrons of Qawwali and is widely credited for its cultural advancement.

Qawwali (Urdu: قوٌالی‎) is the devotional music of the Chishti Sufis. Qawwali is a vibrant musical tradition that goes back more than 700 years in South Asia . Although most Qawwali singers are found in Pakistan and they performed mainly at Sufi shrines throughout South Asia, it has also gained mainstream popularity. Qawwali music received international exposure through the work of the Sabri Brothers in 1975, late Bakhshi Salamat, Aziz Mian and Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, largely due to several releases on the 'Real World' label, followed by live appearances at WOMAD festivals. Listeners, and often artists themselves are transported to a state of wajad, a trance-like state where they feel 'one with God', generally considered to be the height of spiritual ecstasy in Sufism. Qawwali was essentially created by Amir Khusrau in the late 13th century in the Mughul Empire. During the first major migration in the 11th century, the musical tradition of Sama migrated to South Asia from Turkey. Rumi and his Mevlana order of Sufism have been the propagators of Sama in Central Asia. Amir Khusrau of the Chisti order of Sufis is credited with fusing the Turkish, Persian, Arabic, and South Asian musical traditions, to create Qawwali as well as the classical music tradition. The word "Sama" is used (or is the preferred name) in Central Asia and Turkey, for forms very similar to Qawwali while in Pakistan, the formal name used for a session of Qawwali is "Mehfil-e-Sama". Instruments used in qawwali include:

• Tabla
• Dholak
• Harmonium
• Rubab (instrument)
• Sitar
• Sarangi
• Guitar
• Violin
• Saxophone
• Drums
• Flute
• Shehnai
• Piano
• Harmonica
• Tanpura
• Ektara
• Gharha
• Keyboard
• Chimta
• Dhol
• Dafli or Daf

Faiz Ali Faiz, a qawwali artist live in concert

A group of qawwali musicians, called Humnawa in Urdu, typically consists of eight or nine men. Women are usually excluded from traditional Muslim music as ' respectable women' are traditionally prohibited from singing in mixed-gender public gatherings. Traditionally over the centuries, this has been the practice per the general interpretation of Islamic Law by the religious scholars. Although women are encouraged to hold their own 'Women Only' gatherings for reciting religious 'Naats' and holding live dance and music parties with musical instruments on 'Just- Before- Weddings-Mehndi' celebrations. This again, has to be a 'Women Only' event per the long practiced tradition where Islam generally discourages mixed-gender gatherings among unmarried women and unmarried men. Although in the 20th century, the so-called modern era, actual practice among Islamic societies, has been that one will see a lot of female musicians and female singers holding public concerts for both men and women. For evidence, one can just read the musician name lists on this page to spot a lot of female names on those lists now.

There is a large number of hamd and naat singers in Pakistan. This is a type of Islamic religious music where poetical verses of the love for God (Allah) is expressed. Some of the most famous artists include Ustad Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, along with his nephew Rahat Fateh Ali Khan. There are Sabri Brothers Qawwal, Qawwal Bahauddin Khan from Karachi. 'Hamd' is also used extensively in Christian religious music from Pakistan and all over the world where people from this region are found. 'Hamd' is not the exclusive domain of any religion. As pointed out – it denotes praise to God, it is more extensively used in the Muslim world. It is usually used in conjunction with the Sanna (praise) and referred to as 'Hamd – o – Sanna'. 'Naat' denotes praise to the prophet Muhammad.

The music of Balochistan province is very rich and full of varieties due to the many different types of languages which are spoken in the province, including Balochi, Pashto, Brahui, Dari and Saraiki.

According to Balti folklore, Mughal princess Gul Khatoon (known in Baltistan as Mindoq Gialmo—Flower Queen) brought musicians and artisans with her into the region and they propagated Mughal music and art under her patronage.[2] Musical instruments such as the surnai, karnai, dhol and chang were introduced into Baltistan. Classical and other dances are classified as sword dances, broqchhos and Yakkha and ghazal dances.[3] Chhogho Prasul commemorates a victory by the Maqpon rajas. As a mark of respect, the musician who plays the drum (dang) plays for a long time. A Maqpon princess would occasionally dance to this tune. Gasho-Pa, also known as Ghbus-La-Khorba, is a sword dance associated with the Gasho Dynasty of Purik (Kargil). Sneopa, the marriage-procession dance by pachones (twelve wazirs who accompany the bride), is performed at the marriage of a raja.

A Punjabi dhol band, performing at a wedding in Multan

Music from the Punjab province includes many different varieties. One can read the 'main article' link directly above for details.

Potohari has a rich tradition of poetry recital accompanied by sitar, ghara, tabla, harmonium and dholak. These poems (potohari sher) are often highly lyrical and somewhat humorous and secular in nature, though religious sher are also recited.

Music from Sindh province is sung in Sindhi, and is generally performed in either the "Baits" or "Waee" styles.

• Allan Faqir
• Abida Parveen
• Bhagat Kanwar Ram
• Runa Laila
• Shazia Khushk
• Zarina Baloch
• Shaman Ali Mirali

The predominant language found in Pakistan's Northern Areas has an extensive oral history which dates back several thousand years. With the increase in tourism to Pakistan's Northern Areas and increased domestic as well as international awareness of the local folk music, the Shina folk traditions have managed to stay alive and vibrant. Folk music in this region has remained relatively pure and unscathed by modern influences due to the relative isolation of this area. The arrival of many refugees from the adjacent Nuristan province of Afghanistan and the subsequent increase in commercial activity in Chitrali bazaars allowed this local form of music to flourish in the past few decades.

Saraiki language is spoken by 13.9 million people in southern Punjab and northern Sindh. Atta Ullah Essa Khelvi Khan is one of the most famous Saraiki singers in Pakistan, hailing from Mianwali.

The Khattak Dance, a swift martial arts sword-dance performed by Pashtuns in Pakistan's Northern Areas

Pashto music is commonly found in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and in Pakistan's major urban centres such as Karachi, Islamabad, Rawalpindi, Lahore, Sialkot and Multan. Music genres include Tappa, Charbeta, Neemkai, Loba, Shaan and Badala.

Music from Hazara Division is sung in Hindko dialect, and is generally performed in either the Mahiyay or Shaer styles.

Ahmed Rushdi, the father of pop, also known as the first regular pop singer of south Asia

Pop music really started in the South Asian region with the famous playback singer Ahmed Rushdi's song ‘Ko Ko Korina’ in 1966. Composed by Sohail Rana, the song was a blend of 1960s bubblegum pop, rock and roll twist music and Pakistani film music. This genre would later be termed as filmi pop. Paired with Runa Laila, the singer is considered the pioneering father of pop music, mostly hip-hop and disco, in Pakistan.

Following Rushdi's success, Christian bands specialising in jazz started performing at various night clubs and hotel lobbies in Karachi, Hyderabad and Lahore. They would usually sing either famous American jazz hits or cover Rushdi's songs. Rushdi sang playback hits along with Laila until the Bangladesh Liberation War when East Pakistan was declared an independent state. Laila, being a Bengali, decided to leave for the newly independent Bangladesh.

Nazia Hassan, the sister of another pop singer Zohaib Hassan and the member of the pop group Nazia and Zoheb, in 1981, became the first playback singer to release a pop music album. Her first album was "Disco Deewane" and second was "Aap Jaisa Koi". Both the albums broke sales records in Pakistan and India and even topped the charts in the West Indies, Latin America and Russia. Hassan won several awards for her songs, including the Filmfare Award for Best Female Playback Singer for the later and received the Pakistan's highest civilian award, Pride of Performance for her contributions in the music field.

Modern pop singers such as Atif Aslam, Ali Zafar, Hadiqa Kiani, Goher Mumtaz and Farhan Saeed have made international waves as well, winning numerous awards and performing in some of the world's most prestigious arenas. In 2013 Atif Aslam became the first Pakistani pop singer to perform at The O2 Arena London twice and has sung several songs for Hollywood and Bollywood. Aslam is also the youngest recipient of Tamgha-e-Imtiaz, one of Pakistan's highest civilian honours, for his work in the music industry.[4][5][6] He was also named in 2012 among top performers of Dubai alongside Pitbull, Enrique Iglesias, Il Divo, Gotye, Evanescence and Swedish House Mafia.

Shallum Asher Xavier from Pakistani rock band, Fuzon, performing live at a concert

The rise of rock music in Pakistan began in the 1980s when cassettes first came into Pakistan bringing in a wave of Western rock music, particularly groups such as Pink Floyd. Since then, the nation's music industry has witnessed groups such as Junoon, Vital Signs, Jal, and Noori. The nation has also since then seen the rise of talented and internationally renowned musicians such as Faraz Anwar.

Pakistani hip hop is a blend of traditional Pakistani musical elements with modern hip hop music.

Pakistan's film industry known as "Lollywood" is based in Lahore and Karachi.

• Atif Aslam-Referred as the best singer in Pakistan
• Aima baig-famous singer
• Ahmed Rushdi- film playback singer
• Rohail Hyatt- Renowned musician,performer
• Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan- Composer and performer
• Abida Parveen-Queen of Sufi music[7]
• Ghulam Ali-Composer and performer
• Ali Azmat - Rock singer, formed 'Junoon' with Salman Ahmed
• Rahat Fateh Ali Khan- Popular playback singer
• Sajjad Ali- renowned composer,singer,songwriter and performer
• Goher Mumtaz- Formed the band 'Jal' with Atif Aslam
• Mehdi Hassan- composer and performer
• Hadiqa Kiani- renowned composer,singer, and writer
• Mustafa Zahid- Pop singer, formed band Roxen
• Qurat-ul-Ain Balouch- singer, performer
• Ali Zafar - Popular singer and performer
• Farhan Saeed
• Abdullah Qureshi (singer) - singer, songwriter, and composer
• Bayaan - Alternative Rock Band
• Amanat Ali Khan- performer of semi-classical ghazals
• Amjad Bobby-film Music Composer
• Asad Amanat Ali Khan
• Barkat Ali Khan-Composer and performer of semi-classical ghazals
• Badnaam (band) - Sufi grunge rock band
• Farida Khanum- performer of semi-classical ghazals
• Farhad Humayun - singer and composer
• Habib Wali Mohammad- performer
• Iqbal Bano- performer
• Momina Mustehsan (Singer-songwriter, musician, and social activist
• Khawaja Khurshid Anwar-film music Composer
• M Ashraf- film music Composer
• Malika Pukhraj- composer and performer
• Master Abdullah- film music Composer
• Mohammad Aizaz Sohail - Classical Singer
• Munni Begum- composer and performer
• Naheed Akhtar- film playback singer
• Nayyara Noor- film and non-film playback singer
• Natasha Khan[8][9] - Coke Studio Singer
• Noor Jehan- film and non-film playback singer
• Nazia Hassan- film and non-film playback singer
• Rasheed Attre- film music Composer
• Roshan Ara Begum-Semi-classic ghazals
• Tahira Syed- performer
• Tassawar Khanum- film and non-film performer
• Tina Sani- TV performer
• Usman Warsi
• Ustad Badar uz Zaman-Semi-classic ghazals
• Waqar Ali- film and TV Composer
• Zoheb Hassan- film and non-film playback singer and composer
• Munshi Raziuddin
• Overload
• Sabri Brothers
• Amjad Sabri[10]
• Qawwal Bahauddin

salman ahmed

• Aziz Mian
• Fareed Ayaz
• Javed Bashir
• Badar Ali Khan (Badar Miandad)
• Sher Miandad
• Sardar Ali Takkar (Pashto singer)
• Gul Panra (Pashto pop singer)
• Zarsanga (Pashto singer, often referred to as the Queen of Pashto folk music).
• Bakhtiar Khattak (Pashto pop and classical singer) .
• Zeek Afridi(Pashto pop singer)
• Haroon Bacha (Pashto singer known for classical, semi-classical songs)
• Gulnar Begum (Pashto film playback singer)
• Sara Haider - female singer from Coke Studio
• Gulzar Alam (Pashto singer known for singing folk songs,and Ghazals)
• Khyal Muhammad (Pashto singer known for Ghazal, classical and semi-classical songs)

• Ghulam Haider (1908–1953)
• Ghulam Ahmed Chishti (Baba Chishti) (1905–1994)
• Rasheed Attre (1919–1967)[11]
• Khwaja Khurshid Anwar (1912–1984)
• Sohail Rana[12]
• Nisar Bazmi (1925–2007)
• Nashad (1923–1981)
• Master Abdullah (1932–1994)
• Robin Ghosh (1939–2016)[13]
• M. Ashraf (1938–2007)[14]
• Khalil Ahmed (1936–1997)
• Ustad Tafu
• Wajid Nashad (1953–2008)
• Waqar Ali
• Amjad Bobby (1942–2005)
• Rohail Hayat (1983–present)[15]
• Goher Mumtaz- 'Jal' (2002–present)