Women’s Day just went by but all of March feels like a woman celebration month, doesn’t it? And why shouldn’t it, women in Pakistan are making great strides and excelling in their fields, breaking glass ceilings and challenging the status quo on the daily. The music industry isn’t far behind, and we’re celebrating the brilliant work that has been pouring in lately. Here’s a quick round-up of who we’re listening to this month.
Arooj Aftab
First Pakistani to bag and a Grammy nomination for Best New Artist and also first Pakistani to perform at Coachella, a very famous American music festival, Arooj Aftab is the woman of the hour and on our radar. Arooj Aftab’s appearance on The Tiny Desk Concert by NPR Music is definitely worth listening to, as she performs a melancholic ambient version of ‘Halka Halka Suroor’, ‘Mohabbat’ and ‘Saans Lo’.
[embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZUYJ8_tBSSQ[/embedyt]
Natasha Noorani
From co-creating the Lahore Music Meet to making music for PSL, Natasha Noorani knows her way around music. She often produces music with Zahra Paracha, under the name Biryani Brothers. But she also makes music by herself, which is what we’re sharing in our list today. ‘Choro‘ is a feel-good, light-hearted song that showcases Natasha’s dreamy and soothing vocals. Ironically, the lyrics are pretty dramatic (Natasha is singing about a relationship gone wrong) but the music is so upbeat, you’ll be able to dance through whatever grief you’re feeling towards a break-up.
Meesha Shafi
It would be impossible to make a list of Pakistani women in music and not include Meesha Shafi in it. Her recently released track ‘Rajkumari’ is an ode to the women of Pakistan, serving as an encouragement for us to keep pursuing our dreams in the face of adversity. Musically, the song is pretty powerful (what else can we expect from the Meesha Shafi and Abdullah Siddiqui duo) but its also a visual treat. Featuring a range of trailblazers such as Nayab Jan and Sana Khurshid, intricately adorned with jewelry, the video is really fun to watch!
[embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YUMsNuM3MT4[/embedyt]
Natasha Baig
Natasha Baig hails from Hunza and has overcome a lot of challenges and backlash to reach where she is today. Known for her powerful vocals and energetic live performances, its only befitting that Natasha Baig did a rendition of Allama Iqbal’s ‘Wajud-e-Zan’ in such a rock-eqsue manner on Women’s Day this year. Featuring a bevy of distinguishable women, such as Zhalay Sarhadi, Frieha Altaf, Rabya Kulsoom, the video promotes sisterhood and women empowerment.
[embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PFY6nCCKBKM[/embedyt]
Maria Unera
She first caught our attention through Nescafe Basement, when the All Girl Band sang their version of ‘Will You Love Me Again’ and then stayed in the spotlight due to her strong song-writing skills (‘Strong’ is an example of that.) But we’re enjoying this very high-fashion music video, made in collaboration with the Asian Institute of Fashion Design. ‘All I Hear’ is on our playlist this month too!
[embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ksl3YYZbsmk[/embedyt]
