Tag: Music

  • In celebration of World Music Day, here are our top picks

    In celebration of World Music Day, here are our top picks

    June 21 is celebrated as World Music Day. The world music day calls for—music, of course.

    Possibly the ubiquitous form of art is music:  you hear it blaring at rallies, long marches, softly playing in the background at restaurants, and in the shower as a family member pretends to be a rockstar.

    The Current has compiled a list of ten songs to honor Pakistani music and the many forms, from qawwali to rap, that our country has produced.

    1. Ye Jo Halka Halka Suroor Hai by Ustaad Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan

    2. Boohey Bariyaan by Hadiqa Kiani

    3. Mahiya Tere Pyar Nai by Fariha Pervez

    4. Kaho Ek Din by Ahmed Jehanzaib

    5. Kameez Teri Kali by Attaullah Khan Esakhelvi

    6. Aankhon ke Sagar by Shafqat Amanat Ali

    7. Baaghi by Shuja Haider

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tPD82TLfIR4

    8. Kana Yaari by Kaifi Khalil, Eva B and Wahab Bugti

    9. Pasoori by Shae Gill and Ali Sethi

    10. Joona by Hassan Raheem

    Happy listening!

  • VIDEO: Justin Bieber reveals he is suffering from facial paralysis

    VIDEO: Justin Bieber reveals he is suffering from facial paralysis

    Canadian popstar Justin Bieber revealed that he is suffering from facial paralysis after cancelling a series of shows on his latest tour. He was on his Justice tour in North America but cancelled performances in New York, Washington DC and Toronto.

    In a video posted on his Instagram page, the 28-year-old singing sensation said he had been diagnosed with Ramsay Hunt syndrome after a virus had damaged the nerves in his ear.

    Justin Bieber revealed: “As you can see, this eye is not blinking. I can’t smile on this side of my face. This nostril will not move, so there’s full paralysis on this side of my face.”

    According to the BBC, the Ramsay Hunt syndrome is when a shingles outbreak affects the facial nerve near someone’s ears.

    Bieber asked his fans to understand as he will be using this time rest and relax.

    “I hope you guys understand, and I’ll be using this time to just rest and relax and get back to 100 per cent so I can do what I was born to do. But in the meantime, this ain’t it.”

    READ MORE: By 20 I made every bad decision you could have thought of: Justin Bieber

    Bieber’s last album, Justice, released in March 2021, has been certified platinum in the US, and got to second in the UK album charts. Bieber’s Justice World Tour began in February.

  • ‘I felt so powerless, a nightmare’: Billie Eilish opens up about dark side of glamorous fame

    ‘I felt so powerless, a nightmare’: Billie Eilish opens up about dark side of glamorous fame

    American Singer and songwriter Billie Eilish sheds light on the fear she felt after being slingshot into fame.

    Eilish addressed her personal worries while speaking with V Magazine. She began by telling the outlet just how scared she got when a stampede of people started recognizing her in public.

    While recalling the emotions of that moment Eilish added, “It was a nightmare and it scared the living hell out of me, because I was just turned into this prop I’ve never been so scared.”

    Billie Eilish unfollows almost 600 people on Instagram | English Movie News - Times of India

    She even added, “It was like, a huge stampede. In those three months, I’d gotten bigger, but I didn’t know it until I was in that situation.”

    “There’s no sign that a famous person exists within 200 feet of this area. I mean, it’s really funny. I have to remind myself what my life actually is to the outside world because I just forget sometimes.”

    Because of the emotions, “From that day on, I didn’t go anywhere. I didn’t do anything. I was so flipped out by what had happened and how powerless I felt.”

    The main reason was that, while “I was the level of fame that needs security, but also the level of fame where you don’t really have the resources .”

    Before concluding Eilish said, “I haven’t thought like, ‘What am I gonna do when I grow up?’ since I was, I think, 15. Because I was doing the thing that I’m gonna be doing forever.”

  • Coke Studio announces all-star line-up for season 14

    Coke Studio announces all-star line-up for season 14

    Coke Studio has announced its line-up for their 14th season. Music composer Xulfi and his team of musicians are all set to be coming up with a new age melody.

    As per Express Tribune, there will be 12 songs this year with all different directors for each song.

    This time Xulfi is working with a few ‘associate producers’: Abdullah Siddiqui of ‘Resistance’ and Peshawar Zalmi anthem fame, and Zain Ali, who has an extensive catalogue ranging from ‘Red Blood Cat’ to ‘Epiphany Productions’ and touring with Atif Aslam, along with the ‘EDM’ artist Talal Qureshi. Xulfi himself is completely producing only a handful of songs.

    There will be rap, there will be qawwali, there will be EDM and no covers at all. Pakistani pop musician Hassan Raheem will be seen along with the music maestros Atif Aslam and Abida Parveen.

    Meesha Shafi gets another season but her brother Faris Shafi will be with her this time. It will be the first time that the two siblings will perform on a song together, most likely produced by budding artist Abdullah Siddiqui.

    Sajjad Ali and Bohemia were a part of the season initially but both will not be a part of the show, and neither are Shamoon Ismail and Natasha Noorani.

    Meanwhile, Coke Studio and Xulfi have made some drastic changes in the show’s overall approach that was usually more Sufi and devotion-driven.

    Artist line up

    Hasan Raheem

    Abida Parveen

    Qurat-ul-Ain Balouch (QB)

    Naseebo Lal

    Atif Aslam

    Momina Mustehsan

    Misha Shafi

    Faris Shafi

    Soch the band

    Butt brothers

    Karakoram

    Talha Yunus

    Faisal Kapadia

    Justin Bibis

  • Pakistani singer Arooj Aftab makes it to Obama’s customised summer playlist

    Pakistani singer Arooj Aftab makes it to Obama’s customised summer playlist

    New York-based Pakistani singer Arooj Aftab, chartbuster song, Mohabbat, makes it to Obama’s summer playlist of 2021, which the former US president shares every year on his social media handles.

    On Saturday, Barack Obama shared his playlist on Twitter. Other notable artists alongside Aftab include Rihanna, The Rolling Stones, Bob Marley, and Jay-Z. “Here’s a playlist of songs I’ve been listening to lately, it’s a mix of old and new, household names and emerging artists, and a whole lot in-between,” he tweeted along with the list.

    Shortly after his tweet, the 36-years old singer expressed her excitement and gratitude across social media platforms.

    The former Democratic leader has been releasing his most liked songs every summer for the last few years.

    The featured song is written and produced by Aftab herself and is based on a 1921 Urdu ghazal by Hafeez Hoshiarpuri. Her album ‘Vulture Prince’, which includes Mohabbat, was released in April this year. According to sources, the album highlights the stories of people, relationships, and moments lost and is dedicated to the memory of Aftab’s younger brother.

    Arooj Aftab hails from Lahore and attended Boston’s Berklee College of Music. The talented singer debuted with the album ‘Bird Under Water’ in 2015.

  • Alka Yagnik praises Imran Abbas’ singing skills

    Alka Yagnik praises Imran Abbas’ singing skills

    Imran Abbas has earned a thumbs up from Bollywood music legend Alka Yagnik for his singing skills.

    Commenting on a video of Imran’s in which he is singing Yagnik and Udit Narayan’s Tu Mere Samnay while driving in Swat, Yagnik said: “Bohat acha gaatay hain aap (You sing very well).”

    “And what a beautiful drive,” added the Indian musician.

    In the video, Imran can be heard singing Tu Meray Samnay from the 2003 film Chori Chori featuring Ajay Devgn, Rani Mukherjee and Sonali Bendre.

    “My love for 90s film music is totally unexplainable and when it comes to Alka Yagnik and Udit Narayan, the craziness just hits the ceiling,” wrote Abbas in the caption.

    Meanwhile, this is not the first time Abbas demonstrated his singing skills for his fans and followers. Earlier a video of Imran singing Aik Pal Ki Khushi from the Pakistani film Karz with Babar Ali went viral on social media.

  • Mahira Khan, Azaan Sami Khan turn up the heat in ‘Tu’

    Mahira Khan, Azaan Sami Khan turn up the heat in ‘Tu’

    Azaan Sami Khan has released the music video for Tu, the second single from his debut album titled Main Tera. Featuring Mahira Khan, the song has been released under the banner of HUM Music.

    The music video of the song has been made like a short film and is packed with special effects which are enhanced thanks to Mahira and Azaan’s sizzling chemistry. It shows a couple’s journey from early romance and infatuation to overwhelming feelings of love. Mahira is looking like a total diva in the video and the two are turning up the heat with their dance moves. The song is very upbeat and catchy and will have you tapping your feet.

    Speaking about the song, Azaan in a statement said that the song “lyrically revolves around the stages of being in love, and the dilemma that comes with falling for somebody who you know isn’t good for you.”

    The musician shared that Micheal Jackson’s Billie Jean was the inspiration for the track and that he wanted to do a “lyrically solemn song with an upbeat tune”.

    While speaking about the music video, Azaan said: “It was basically delving into the stages of love you feel when you’re falling in love with somebody. So, you feel bigger than the world, and at times, you feel really small when the person completely controls you. You feel like you’re literally falling, and enjoying it.”

    The music video for the song has been directed by Hassan Dawar and features tonnes of visual effects by The KROOT, an animation studio that has previously worked with international artists like Billie Eilish, Coldplay, and Travis Scott.

    Meanwhile, Azaan’s debut album Main Tera includes nine songs, namely Maahiya, Dholna, Mein Tera, Jaadugari, Aashiqui, Ik Lamha, Meri Sajna Re feat. Ustaad Rahat Fateh Ali Khan, Zama, and Tu.

    Watch the music video here:

  • Grammy organisers eliminate ‘secret’ nominating committees after allegations of corruption

    The organisers of music’s Grammy Awards on Friday announced an end to the so-called “secret” committees that have led to allegations that the highest honours in the industry are open to rigging.

    The Recording Academy said that nominations for the next Grammy Awards in January 2022 will be selected by all of its more than 11,000 voting members, instead of by committees of 15 to 30 industry experts whose names were not revealed.

    The Academy was slammed last year when Canadian artist The Weeknd got zero Grammy nominations, even though his critically acclaimed album After Hours was one of the biggest sellers of 2020.

    The Weeknd, in a Twitter post last November, said “The Grammys remain corrupt. You owe me, my fans and the industry transparency.”

    The Recording Academy said in a statement on Friday that the changes were significant and were made “to ensure that the Grammy Awards rules and guidelines are transparent and equitable.”

    Allegations that the Grammy nominations process is tainted were made in a legal complaint filed in early 2019 by the former chief executive of the Recording Academy, Deborah Dugan.

    At the time, the Academy dismissed as “categorically false, misleading and wrong” Dugan’s claims that its members pushed artists they have relationships with. Dugan was later fired.

    American pop star Halsey, also shut out of the 2021 Grammys, last year called the nominations process “elusive” and said she was “hoping for more transparency or reform.”

    Former One Direction singer Zayn Malik called in March for an end to “secret committees.”

    “I’m keeping the pressure on and fighting for transparency and inclusion. We need to make sure we are honouring and celebrating ‘creative excellence’ of all,” Malik tweeted hours ahead of the 2021 Grammy Awards ceremony.

    Malik had also lashed out the awards saying: “Unless you shake hands and send gifts, there’s no nomination considerations. Next year I’ll send you a basket of confectionery.”

    The Recording Academy on Friday also said it was adding two new Grammy categories — for best global music performance, and best Latin urban music album — bringing to 86 the total number of Grammy Awards each year.

  • VIDEO: Man plays violin while paragliding to overcome fear

    VIDEO: Man plays violin while paragliding to overcome fear

    A musician who was scared to go paragliding for the first time played violin while in the air to steady his nerves.

    Fikret Eren, who teaches violin, brought his violin to distract himself from his fear and played his violin midair to soothe his first flight nerves.

    Eren’s friend Semih Er who is a professional paraglider invited him to visit the skies for the first time in a tandem paragliding session.

    Read more – Man steals car after test drive, demands money to reveal location

    Eren said he was scared about taking his first flight when his friend suggested him to play the violin to distract himself during his flight.

    Eren brought his violin along to play the instrument high over the province of Kayseri in Turkey.

    Er said Eren overcame his fear and is now ready to enroll in a class to get his own paragliding license.

  • Gomal University fines students for listening to music

    Dera Ismail Khan’s Gomal University has fined two students for listening to music on university premises.

    According to reports, the university has imposed a fine of Rs 5000 on the students of the Institute of Computing and Information Technology ( ICIT ) department for listening to the music in the department “while classes were in session.”

    Chairman of the ICIT Department Zia Ud Din said the two students had been playing music on a Bluetooth speaker in a teaching area of the university.  

    He said that “[their action] disturbed the classes ongoing in the department at the time”.

    As per details, one of the students was enrolled in a Master’s programme at the university while the other was enrolled in the undergraduate programme.

    “Music that disturbs the educational environment” is banned in the university, said Gomal University’s Vice-Chancellor Professor Dr Iftikhar Ahmed, clarifying that the administration does not have any issues if someone is listening to music without disturbing others.

    He also said that the administration has only banned smoking, drugs and political activity in the varsity.

    Earlier, a university in Lahore expelled two students for publicly expressing their love on university premises.