Tag: Music

  • ‘Wakhri’ has the best music lineup of any Pakistani movie in a long time

    ‘Wakhri’ has the best music lineup of any Pakistani movie in a long time

    Pakistan’s upcoming film ‘Wakhri’ is gearing up for a nationwide release on January 4, with director, Iram Parveen Bilal, promising a fantastic music album. Renowned music producer Abdullah Siddiqui has curated an impressive collection of tracks featuring prominent female singers from today’s music scene.

    Abdullah Siddiqui took to his Instagram to share the news, announcing a multi-artist album: “I produced four new tracks for Wakhri, the new film by the wonderful Iram Parveen Bilal and they’re out now. They’re performed by the insane lineup of Meesha Shafi, Ali Sethi, Eva B, Natasha Noorani, and RFB.”

    Siddiqui expressed joy in creating the soundscape for the vibrant world of the film, calling the songs both enjoyable and significant. He listed the tracks included in the album, featuring Eva B’s ‘Baaghi’, Meesha Shafi’s ‘You Don’t Give a Haqq’, Natasha Noorani’s ‘Matlabi (Wakhri version), and Risham Faiz Bhutta and Ali Sethi’s ‘Wakhri Dhamaal.’
    Reacting to Siddiqui’s post, director Iram said in the replies, “We are so honoured and I can’t wait to watch you soar even higher!” followed by a series of heart emojis.
    The film, based on the life of Pakistan’s social media sensation Qandeel Baloch, recently celebrated a significant milestone with its worldwide premiere at the Red Sea Film Fest in Jeddah.

    Head of International Programming, Kaleem Aftab, praised “Wakhri” for changing the narrative on a specific incident in Pakistan, while also bringing up Zarrar Kahn’s horror film, ‘In Flames’ as Pakistan’s international Oscar contender, adding diversity to the lineup.

  • What is your sound town on Spotify Wrapped? Twitter in hysterics after final results revealed

    What is your sound town on Spotify Wrapped? Twitter in hysterics after final results revealed

    Spotify Wrapped Day commences at the end of the year when Twitter users fear the dreaded results about the songs and artists they have listened to all year. Already, users are in hysterics over how Pritam continues to dominate everyone’s top five artists list, with not many even knowing who he is.

    But another feature included in the final results is the sound town, which matches fans to a city where other fans of their favourite artists come from.

    Pakistani Twitter users were in fits after majority of the results of this feature associated them with Multan.

    Hilarious memes began to commence on the bird app.

  • Beloved Gazan Christian music teacher bled to death after Israeli troops shot her

    Palestinian music teacher Elham Farah bled to death in Gaza after she was shot by IDF soldiers and left alone to bleed on the street for hours. Her family members and students are recalling her as a woman known for her smile.

    Fareh, the daughter of the Palestinian poet Hanna Fareh, lived in the al-Rameh neighbourhood of Gaza, teaching music for decades before retiring. She had been sheltering inside a church during Israeli airstrikes, and had stepped outside to check if her home was bombed when she was shot.

    Hammam Farah, her relative, posted on X that during his aunt’s last moments, her phone battery ran out so she couldn’t reach out to relatives for help. Other civilians or rescue personnel couldn’t rescue her because of intense shooting in the area. Hammam said that IDF snipers shoot civilians in the leg in order to bait fighters who might try to rescue the injured person.

    Since her death, Gaza residents have flooded social media with tales of Farah’s resilience, warm heart and good nature.

    “Oh my love, Miss Ilham, my love!!!! The music classes we took with you at Cairo School were some of the best. We used to love when you would play for us and sing: ‘I write your name, my country, on the sun that never sets, neither my money nor my children, for your love there is no lover.’”

    Another user shared a video of Elham playing the piano at Kamaliyah School, which was the oldest school in Palestine.

    “Martyr teacher Elham Hanna Farah in 2021 returns to her childhood memories and plays inside the Kamaliya School in the Al-Zaytoun neighborhood in the Old City of Gaza, which is the oldest school in Palestine. The activity was a celebration of restoring and cleaning the place in an initiative by the Iwan Center for Cultural Heritage of the Islamic University of Gaza.”

  • American rapper goes viral for displaying names of Palestinian toddlers killed by Israeli airstrikes

    American rapper goes viral for displaying names of Palestinian toddlers killed by Israeli airstrikes

    Rapper Marcus Morton (who goes by his stage name redveil) has gone viral for a recent performance at a concert.

    The rapper was performing at Camp Flog Gnaw, one of the biggest music festivals of America, when he broke off from singing to make a meaningful gesture.

    The rapper took a moment to display the names of all Palestinians toddlers who were killed by Israeli airstrikes in Gaza, where now more than 12,000 civilians have died. The named ended with the display of the website ceasefiretoday.com, which provides a list of ways Americans can pressurise their governments to end the genocide of Gaza.

    ‘It’s not complicated, don’t let no body tell you that s***,” Marcus was seen telling the crowd. “Go to this f***ing website right now, call your reps, demand a f***ing ceasefire.”

    X (formerly Twitter) users celebrated redveil’s solidarity to the Palestinian liberation movement, declaring him to be the sole musician who took a stand despite knowing it could have affected his career.

    “This is unprecedented. That moment we’d been waiting for; that cultural shift which delegitimizes Israel and will lead to it’s dismantling; of unapologetic calls for liberation— is upon us. Who would’ve imagined such crowds in the US screaming Free Palestine even 5 years ago?!”

    More class and morality than Rihanna, Beyonce, and Tiffany Hadish compiled.

    “The bar for artists has been massively raised,” praised several activists.

  • Nikkahkhwan to pay fine of Rs. 30,000 if found involved in ceremonies playing music

    Nikkahkhwan to pay fine of Rs. 30,000 if found involved in ceremonies playing music

    A committee of religious scholars in a village called Tabi Murad in Lakki Marwat have imposed a ban on playing any sort of music in engagement and marriage ceremonies, while also barring clerics from offering funeral prayer for those who arrange such programs or else they will have to pay a huge fine of Rs30,000.

    In a strict warning, endorsed by 30 local scholars, it is stated that a hafiz or a cleric should not officiate a Nikah if they are playing music. To make it more stern, they have asked the clerics to not attend funeral rites of those who play music in their ceremonies. The clerics are cautioned to confirm these facts before solemnising marriages.

    Locals have appreciated the decision because they believe that these programs disrupt the peace of the area while the scholars have stressed that this ban is imposed on the repeated requests of the residents of the village.

  • Woman swallows Airpods after mistaking them for this item

    Woman swallows Airpods after mistaking them for this item

    Tanna Barker, a resident of the US, accidentally swallowed one of her Apple Airpods after mistaking it for a vitamin tablet.

    According to Android Authority, she narrated the hilarious story in a TikTok video that went viral.

    She explains in the clip that the incident happened while she was out for a walk with her friend with whom she was having a conversation, and so, she took one of the airpods out of her ear to hear her friend more clearly.

    In between the walk and the talks, a distracted Barker decided to take her vitamins and put one of the airpods in her mouth, realising later that the vitamins were still in her hand.

    “Halfway through my walk, I decided to take my vitamins, so I put my vitamins in, took a drink, and I was like, man, those are stuck,” Barker told.

    “So I guzzled my water, kept on going, said bye to Kathleen, and went to go get my AirPods. And my pills were in my hand. I swallowed my AirPod,” she added.

    She contacted doctors and friends for advice right after. Everyone had one thing to say: let it pass naturally.

    According to Gulf news, a similar incident happened back in 2021 when another American woman gulped down an AirPod assuming it was a vitamin tablet.

    She even tested it after recording a voice note and capturing sounds that her stomach was making.

    A British celebrity, Kirstie Allsopp, also swallowed her AirPod with her vitamins, but she vomited it out instead.

  • Who ‘run the world’? Taylor Swift and Beyoncé are fuelling the US economy

    This is definitely an un-cruel Summer

    The US economy can thank Taylor Swift and Beyonce for the extra leg up. According to CNBC, Swift’s critically acclaimed Era’s tour is set to make more than $1 billion, making it the highest grossing tour of all time. While Beyonce’s ‘Renaissance’ tour, according to CBS, could rack up more than $2 billion from concert shows.

    The anticipation of the tours, as well as the two pop icons, has also reportedly boosted local tourism within America, with brands and small business stores churning out creative ways to captivate fans, greatly boosting their income. According to the New York Times, a survey by the Federal Reserve shows hotel revenues have risen in the Philadelphia region, where Swift has booked stadiums for her tour, and Sweden has already said Beyonce’s tour is to thank for to help recover from inflation.

    Moreover, AirBnB reported that the most popular tourist destinations during the Fourth of July weekend was not Greece or Italy, but Ohio city, where Taylor was hosting a concert.

    Small business owners told The New York Times that their earnings tripled in income since the tours began, as Swifties and the Bey Hive flock to athetize their looks ahead of concerts. Shade Hotel in California spoke to the publication about hosting a Taylor Swift-pre party where guests could wear costumes, sip on the ‘Lavender Haze’ cocktail- boosting their earnings.

    Similarly, the bead industry has also witnessed a revival after a lyric from Taylor’s song ‘Midnights’ album went viral. ‘So make the friendship bracelets, take the moment and embrace it’, the lyrics said. Fans began showing up to concerts wearing friendship bracelets, and viral videos on social media show fans exchanging bracelets with each other, with the likes of Nicole Kidman and Keith Urban joining in.

    Speaking to Seattle Times, a staff member of Maple Leaf’s Beadworld said that since the Era’s tour began, they’ve attracted more clients than they can handle.

    “We were full all day,” Sands said. “Definitely busier than normal.”

    Nail technicians and hair salons can thank the Bey Hive for the tripling their income. Raven Voorhees told The New York Times she spent the entire summer working with clients attending Beyonce’s concerts, requesting colors alligned with the themes of the Renaissance tour.

    “It’s boosting business,” Ms. Voorhees said. “We’re talking about someone who’s paying about $60 max for her service to now $150 because she’s doing a new set, she’s getting the works, all of the nail art and then, even after that, having to come back and having to do it again.”

    It turns out even public transit services can thank Beyonce and Taylor Swift for never going out of style. In Los Angeles buses stayed open late for concert-goers, thanking Swift for the boost.

    “We’re enchanted that Taylor Swift fans have given a big boost to public transit across the United States this year — and we’re looking forward to spending our midnights with many of you very soon,” the city’s metro system punned on its website.

  • Hum the tune, find the song; YouTube tests new search feature

    Hum the tune, find the song; YouTube tests new search feature

    YouTube is experimenting with a new search feature in which you can hunt for a song by humming into your device. This new trial is being conducted on android gadgets and it is a major upgrade from Apple’s music recognition app, Shazam.

    Users who have access to the feature, which is currently under testing, can try it through YouTube’s voice search by singing, humming, or recording a song for three seconds or more. Once the app identifies the song, it will direct the user to the relevant YouTube video or its official music video or related shorts.

    The feature is currently available to only a limited number of users.

    The same feature was introduced by Google (Google Search widget and Google Assistant) in 2020 however, according to TechChrunch, the difference appears to be that Google’s feature requires users to hum for 10-15 seconds in order to identify the song.

    In a blog by Google posted in 2020, it was explained that this feature is based on ‘learning models that can match your hum, whistle or singing to the right “fingerprint”’. YouTube confirmed to TechCrunch that the new test also uses the same technology as the Google feature.

  • Six universities are now offering courses on Taylor Swift

    Six universities are now offering courses on Taylor Swift

    ‘Well they didn’t teach you that in prep school so it’s up to me!”

    Looks like Taylor Swift has decided to take this lyric literally and influenced more than six universities across America, including NYU and Stanford, are introducing courses revolving around the pop mastermind and her works, ranging from literature to psychology.

    Arizona State University announced this month that they were offering a course titled “Psychology of Taylor Swift — Advanced Topics of Social Psychology” where the course revolves around connecting various themes from Taylor’s music like revenge, trauma, anxiety- and link it to psychology. PHD student Alexandra Wormey used Swift 2017 album ‘Reputation’ as an example:

    “Taylor’s sixth album, Reputation, is her comeback after disappearing from the spotlight due to conflicts with Kim Kardashian and Kanye West. She enacts her revenge on them — and the broader media landscape — by dropping an incredibly successful album along with a stadium tour,” she explained. “The students know this — but do they know why we like revenge? Do they know how we enact revenge? Social psychology can tell us.”

    This decision to incorporate the singer-songwriter’s ballads into academic life has long started with places like New York University, when in 2022 the Clive Davis Institute introduced their first ever course on Taylor Swift, which will explore her evolution as a songstress, country, pop and indie legend, as well discourses surrounding girlhood, sexism and trauma from her work. The course is three months long, and Swift had also been invited as a guest speaker.

    In August 2022, University of Texas at Austin introduced “Literary Contests and Contexts — The Taylor Swift Songbook”, where the 12 time Grammy award winning’s music would be studied alongside the masters of literature like Emily Dickinson, Shakespeare, Sylvia Plath.

    There are courses dedicated to dissecting some of her most critically acclaimed songs like ‘All Too Well’ (10 minute version) which Taylor had released on Red (Taylor’s Version). Stanford University announced the set up of their winter quarter course ‘All Too Well (10 week version)’ which would revolve around an in-depth analysis of Taylor’s hit.

    Berkley College of Music recently announced that the students could opt for a course that requires them to study the songs written by Taylor Swift and dissect each album and the themes it revolved around.

    And it’s not just the US now which is offering Taylor Swift courses now! Ghent University in Belgium called ‘Literature: Taylor’s Version’ which, according to the instructor Elly McCausland, would delve into how the ‘Anti Hero’ singer incoporates some of the most prominent writers of English literture like Jane Austen, Shakespeare or even Charlotte Bronte into her works.

    “The way she uses the war, like a metaphor for a relationship, made me a bit uncomfortable and it got me thinking about Sylvia Plath’s poem Daddy, which does a similar thing and also it’s very uncomfortable reading,” the academic said speaking to AFP. “Literature (Taylor’s Version)”, is a way to make literature “more accessible” and “not to create a Swift fan club”.

  • Taylor Swift announces 1989 (Taylor’s Version)

    She never goes out of style

    Taylor Swift really knows how to keep cruising. On Wednesday she announced that her next rerecorded album will be 1989, on the sixth L.A show of the Era’s tour at SoFi Stadium.

    The new rerecording comes after Speak Now (Taylor’s Version), Fearless (Taylor’s Version) and Red (Taylor’s Version)- in an effort to own the original masters of her own albums after she spoke publicly about cutting ties with her own record label when they sold it to Scooter Braun.

    Swift said the album will be released internationally on October 27, calling it a dream to own her music:

    “Since I was a teenager, I wanted to own my music and the way to do it was to re-record my albums and call them Taylor’s Version. And the way that you have embraced that, the way that you have celebrated that, you really decided that it was your fight, too, and that you were 100% behind me and that if I cared about it, you cared about it,” the ‘Anti-Hero’ singer. “I will never stop thanking you for that. It was so generous. And so now here we are at the last night of the US leg of the Eras Tour in the eighth month of the year, on the ninth day of the month.”

    “There’s something that I’ve been planning for a really, really long time… and I think instead of just like telling you about it, I think I’ll just sort of show you,” and Swift gestured to the screen which showed the album artwork for 1989, along with the release date.

    Along with a post on her social media account, Swift called this her ‘FAVOURITE re-record’ and said that the 5 From The Vault tracks are ‘insane’.

    Released in 2014, the album featured critically acclaimed tracks like ‘Blank Space’, ‘Style’ and ‘Wildest Dreams’, and had gone on to win Swift’s second Album of the year award at the Grammy’s.