Pakistan’s music scene reflects many close-knit connections of friends and family, but being related does not always mean mainstream success.
Rock band Noori, founded by brothers Ali Noor and Ali Hamza, has bassist Muhammad Ali Jafri whose brother is Hamza Jafri — the frontman of Co-Ven. Roxen, which until recently featured two brothers Omar and Haider Halim, also has Mustafa Zahid who is the cousin of former Junoon frontman Ali Azmat.
Family ties within the music industry can provide a unique catalyst to boost one’s career. It eases newcomers’ apprehensions, provides mentor …

A super intense season of Coke Studio is set to air this summer with as many music legends as pop and rock stars. Well guys, the time has finally come to start raving about the upcoming Season Three of Coke Studio (CS).

The set has been altered so artists can feed off of each others vibes to present “something that comes straight from the heart and goes to the heart.” By simply bringing aboard a wide array of artists, CS’s music will attempt to bridge gaps created by culture, age or ethnicity.

The Sufi feel is retained with Arieb Azhar reprising his poignant vocals to some great music. Last season turned Saeein Zahoor into a household name, you will similarly see Fakir Juman Shah showing us that music is in every corner of our country if you search for it.

Qawwali is more prominent this season as we hear the wails of Rizwan and Muazzam who sound terrific, even in the absence of music. Zeb and Haniya, who immortalized their song ‘Paimona’ are back too.

Fakir Juman Shah

Led by Fakir Juman Shah, the Shah Jo Raag Fakirs are continuing the over 250-year-old tradition of singing at Bhit Shah, the fakirs’ voices piercing the air at the shrine every single night. Each fakir, in fact, performs a different day of the week from sundown to sunrise, for life. Custodians of one of the greatest mystical traditions, the rhythmic kalams they recite in praise of the great mystic Shah Abdul Latif, accompanied by the unique five-stringed instrument, dhamboora, entrances one and all. Despite belonging to one of …

Coke Studio embodies a musical fusion of exciting elements and diverse influences, ranging from traditional eastern, modern western and regionally inspired music. Bringing alive the magic of live recordings and performances, Coke Studio prides itself on providing a musical platform which bridges barriers, celebrates diversity, encourages unity and instills a sense of Pakistani pride. Coke Studio is an inspired step by Coca-Cola for having created a platform where renowned as well as upcoming and less mainstream musicians from various genres can collaborate musically.
This year, after the unprecedented critical acclaim and …

Islamabad got a good healthy dose of rock as Entity Paradigm, Jal, Call and many other bands performed on 13th march 2004 at the opening of the Open Air Theater in the scenic “Shakarpariyan”.
The event was organized by Dream Weaver Productions (known for the highly acclaimed murder mystery musical “8 women” performed at Al Hamra Lahore in December 2003) and the Capital Development Authority. Tickets were affordable at rupees 500 a piece.
Fans poured in to experience the glory of their best-loved bands. The event was extroverted, but sadly there were …

Folk musicians and singers from Thar’s Manganhaar community enthralled audiences with their traditional performance at the Manganhaar Music Festival here on Tuesday and impressed upon them that folk music and mystic poetry impact people and communities from within their soul. The festival was kicked off with a performance by Chanesar who played ‘Khamach’, an indigenous musical instrument specialty of the Manganhaar musicians.
Organized by ActionAid Pakistan and Folklore Society of Pakistan, the festival is the second of its kind since last year. The festivals are part of an effort to strengthen …

The lead vocalist of Junoon – a radical rock band of the last decade, Ali Azmat, has launched his first solo album titled ‘Social Circus’. The album is released by Sadaf Stereo.
Addressing a press conference at the Karachi Press Club on Thursday, Ali Azmat who is famous for his vocal powers and stage performance, said he had been planning to launch this album since the release of Junoon’s last album, Deewar – a flop album as compared to the band’s earlier ones.
Describing his album’s theme, he said it was a …

As stated on official site of Noori, Mohammed Ali Jafri has decided to leave Noori in order to pursue other ventures.
Jafri talks about his departure from Noori in his own words on his first and final journal entry on nooriworld.net:
“After giving the others a head-start to writing their journal entries I find myself somewhat at a loss for words now that it’s my turn. Not only because I thought I’d have all my thoughts neatly structured in my mind – and I don’t – but also because of the very …

Name: Salman Saquib a.k.a Mani

Date of Birth: 23/03/1978

Place of Birth: Karachi.

Education: B.Com from Govt. Commerce College, Karachi.

Hobbies: Personalities usually watch TV programs. I watch sports in my spare time and I also play along with the showbiz team.

Other Occupations: Well this is my bread and butter…. If you are fit in this profession you can more than a CA or an MBA.

What do you think about your job?
It’s cool.
Would you encourage others to take up this job?
Yups.. If they believe they are talented enough then why not, but being talented …

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. It has developed in a very short span of time and shows more promise than even Indian pop music,” claims Saadia, 19, a student of business studies. Most of the songs are in Urdu set to western music. There is a lot of talent coming here. Music experts say there are about 15 established music bands and a dozen pop music stars …