Atif Aslam
| Atif Aslam | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Atif Aslam |
| Also known as | Aadee |
| Born | Wazirabad, Punjab, Pakistan |
| Origin | Rawalpindi, Pakistan |
| Genres | Rock, Pop, Sufi |
| Occupation(s) | Singer-songwriter, actor, guitarist |
| Instruments | Vocals, Guitar |
| Years active | 2004–present |
| Associated acts | Coke Studio Jal |
| Website | http://www.aadeez.com |
Contents
Personal life
Atif was born into a Muslim family in Wazirabad, Pakistan. He began his education in kindergarten at Kimberley Hall School, Larkana. In 1991 he moved to Rawalpindi where he continued his studies in St. Paul's Cambridge School, Satellite Town, Rawalpindi. Atif returned to Lahore in 1995 where he continued his studies in Divisional Public School, Lahore. He continued onwards to his FSC in Punjab College where he graduated with a Bachelor's degree.[4][5][6][7] He married his long-time girlfriend, educationist Sara Bharwana, in Lahore on 30 March 2013.[8]Life and career
Atif attended high School at PAF College, Lahore, where he played Cricket and became interested in music.He attended Punjab Institute of Computer Science (PICS) to do his Bachelors in Computer Science (BCs). It was at PICS, Lahore that he met guitarist and talented young composer, Gohar Mumtaz. This led to performances at their college and at various restaurants eventually pushing the pair into finding a name for their subtly formed band, which they named "Jal" – which means water.
Working together, the pair recorded the song Aadat (with the help of Salman Albert, amongst other established and accomplished Pakistani musicians). It became popular on a host of promotional Pakistani music websites. The music video for Aadat was shot one day in a warehouse in Karachi. On the basis of the popularity of this song, “Jal” began their tour of Pakistan. However, while on tour, personal problems between Atif and Gohar led to a verbal bust-up resulting in an unannounced and indefinite hiatus, during which Atif launched his solo career. Gohar continued under the band's name "Jal".
Atif Aslam, after leaving Jal, released a new solo album, Jal Pari (meaning "Mermaid") which was a big hit. The songs Woh Lamhey, Dil Haarey and few others were hits on both Pakistani radio stations and music channels. Since Jal's album, “Aadat”, and Atif’s album, Jal Pari, shared certain tracks (such as “Aadat”, “Bheegi Yaadein”, “Ankhon se”) an unofficial war over rights began which resulted in both sides claiming to possess hard proof to support their respective claims (that, they alone owned the concerned songs). The hype this feud gave to both Atif and the new Jal was extraordinary and split the musical nation with the fans of each side backing their respective favourite.[1]
While the drama of lyrics & composition ownership continued in Pakistan, Bollywood director Mahesh Bhatt called Atif Aslam to seek his consent to include "Woh Lamhey" in the soundtrack of his new motion picture, Zeher (2005). The song (especially the remix version) became a hit.
Career
Even though Atif always admired Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan and Abida Parveen,[9] his first love was for cricket and he dreamed of representing his nation as a cricketer. He was a fast bowler and his passion for the sport saw him being selected for the national Under 19 cricket team trials. At one stage Atif was training to represent his country in the U-19 World Cup.Spurred on by his friends he began to sing in public during his days in college and recorded his first single "Aadat" with his pocket money. Within a matter of weeks "Aadat" went viral online and soon he became a household name on the basis of that one song. On 17 July 2004 his first album titled Jal Pari.[10][11]
Several songs from his debut album such as "Bheegi Yaadein", "Ehsaas", "Mahi Ve", "Ankhon Sey" along with the title track "Jalpari" went on to become major hits and charted across countries in the subcontinent.
Following Jal Pari, he released two more successful solo albums, Doorie and Meri Kahani. Then, within a span of three years he recorded over two dozen chartbusters for top Bollywood films. Aslam's work on the movie Race, was nominated for the Filmfare Award. He continues to work on top productions and his growing popularity has seen filmmakers create special music videos to promote their films with his songs.
Following sold out concerts throughout his country the demand to watch Atif Aslam perform live grew across the world.
He began to tour internationally with performances in the US and Canada with RDB and Annie Khalid. Atif then made his solo debut concert in New Jersey in Summer Beats 2008 (that also featured Kailash Kher, Richa Sharma and Amanat Ali) at Sovereign Bank Arena.[12] After a sold out concert in New Jersey, Atif returned with his band and special guests to Queens Colden Center, New York to perform on 2 July 2010.[13] Taking over the production, Atif produced the event with special sound and light design to support his concert.
Atif performing in Lahore, Pakistan
The world touring continued with Atif Aslam performing with Sunidhi Chauhan for the first time at Hershey Centre, Mississauga[16] followed by another show at Oracle Arena, San Francisco, Oakland[17] in July 2011 during their USA and Canada tour. In September 2011 he performed in New York.
Atif continued to tour the world with headline performances[18] at Royal Albert Hall in London (alongside Jay Sean). He followed that with dates across major concert venues in the UK in 2010.
On 22 April 2012 Atif Aslam became the first man from his country to perform in London's O2 Arena[19] a concert spectacular[20] to promote love, peace and unity among India and Pakistan. Atif performed for four hours. This was followed up by shows in Manchester[21] and Glasgow.[22]
In 2012 he was invited for three concerts at the World Trade Centre in Dubai. This was followed with his debut concert in Bangkok at the Centara Convention Centre on 6 October 2012.[23] Atif Aslam then returned to performing in 10 major cities of Pakistan during his Jazz Jazba Generation Tour[24] where backstage footage of Atif Aslam during the tour, his interactions with his fans, and intimate look at the man behind the star was filmed for the first time. On 2 November he performed his first public concert in Malaysia.
In December 2012, Atif was named among top performers of Dubai for 2012 alongside Pitbull, Enrique Iglesias, Il Divo, Gotye, Evanescence and Swedish House Mafia.[25] A few weeks earlier, Atif Aslam became the first man from Asia, and the second artist after Bryan Adams, to be permitted to perform inside the Dashrath Rangasla National Football Stadium in Kathmandu, Nepal. With 25,000[26] in the crowd this concert was a great success.[27] Atif once again returned to Dubai for multiple concerts in 2013 at the world famous Atlantis resort. He also earlier shared stage with upcoming talent Shalmali Kholgade in Dubai.
In April 2013, Atif performed for the first time at the LG Arena in Birmingham[28] following which he became the first artist from Asia to perform twice at London's O2 Arena. Also in concert at the O2 were Bollywood stars Shaan, Malaika Arora Khan & Bipasha Basu. The show was produced by Naz Choudhury and Flex FX.[29] In November 2014 Aslam performed at the Leisure Valley grounds in Gurgaon alongside Arijit Singh in front of thousands. The Pakistani Atif, as popular here as the Indian Arijit, both Bollywood 'hit machines', showed that when it comes to music, art and people-to-people contact, there really are no boundaries.[30]
In August 2015, Atif performed at London's O2 Arena for the third time, in which his fans witnessed him perform Tajdar-e-Haram from Coke Studio (Pakistan) Season 8 for the first time ever.
Hollywood
Atif has three songs featured in the American independent film Man Push Cart which has won international awards and was praised by critics. He then sang two songs in Mira Nair's film The Reluctant Fundamentalist.[31] His two other songs 'Doorie' and 'Maula' from his second album Doorie were picked up in 2010 for the soundtrack of the Hindi version of the Mexican film La mujer de mi hermano, directed by Ricardo de Montreuil.[32]Acting career
Atif made his acting debut in the 2011 Pakistani movie Bol.[33] He has also made special appearances in film songs.Television
Aslam with the Sufi Queen on Sur Kshetra sets.
Public image and influences
Atif felt that his passion for singing is the biggest influence in the music career.His singing style is compared with that of Arijit Singh. Regarding the comparison made with Atif Aslam, Singh stated; "I respect [Aslam] as I do every individual musician and artist".[35] Though Atif is being inspired by many artists,he named Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan as his favourite singer. His favourite songs are My Confession" by Richard Marx, "Where were you" by Pink Floyd,"Tere bin nahin lagta dil mere" by Ustad Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan[36]Impact and recognition
Atif's work has received praise from several artists. Actor Suyyash Rai affirmed that he "developed an interest in singing" because of Atif Aslam. Mika Singh praised Atif's singing as well.[37] Ranbir Kapoor likes Atif Aslam.[38] Ranbir Kapoor said on Atif "I want to share success of Ajab Prem Ki Ghazab Kahani with him He is really popular in India because of his voice. He is a wonderful singer."[39] Singer Alamgir thanked Atif for keeping pop music alive in Pakistan. He said "I’m thankful to Atif for keeping pop alive. It’s because of them that I feel my music still has a place in today’s music scene."[40] Varun Dhawan is a big fan of Atif. Actor Varun Dhawan always wanted Atif Aslam to sing his tracks in a film. He said " I am a fan of Atif's voice and really wanted him to sing for me. I didn't know it will happen so soon!"[41] Mohit Chauhan is all praise for Atif."I love this guy and I love his songs," he said.[42] Bipasha Basu admitted of being A big Atif fan she said in an interview "I am his number one fan. Music is the best vehicle to promote understanding and our music brings people together." She also tweeted "Starting my day with Atif Aslam's best songs, playing loudly in my car on my way to location, wish he would sing all these songs just for me".[43][44] Vivek Oberoi also loves the way Atif sings. Mahira Khan a close friend of Atif believes he is the most popular person and best singer of Pakistan.[45]Discography
Main article: Atif Aslam discography
Atif performing at O2 Arena London
Filmography
ActorTera Naam Doon" 2014
| Year | Film | Role | Language | Note(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006 | Bas Ek Pal | Himself | Hindi | Special appearance in song Tere Bin |
| 2008 | Race | Himself | Hindi | Special appearance in song Pehli Nazar |
| 2010 | Prince | Himself | Hindi | Special appearance in song Kaun Hoon Main & Aa Bhi Ja Sanam |
| 2011 | Bol | Mustafa | Urdu | Film debut as an actor |
| 2012 | Tere Naal Love Ho Gaya | Himself | Hindi | Special appearance in song Piya O Re Piya |
| Himself | Hindi | Special appearance in song Tu Mohabbat Hai | ||
| 2013 | Race 2 | Himself | Hindi | Special appearance in song Be Intehaan |
| Jayantabhai Ki Luv Story | Himself | Hindi | Special appearance in song Dil Na Jaane Kyun & Aa bhi ja mere mehermaan | |
| 2015 | Badlapur | Himself | Hindi | Special appearance in song Jeena Jeena |
| Zindagi Aa Raha Hoon Main | Himself | Hindi | Special appearance in song Zindagi aa raha hoon main |
Awards
| Year | Category | Song/Nomination | Result | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Indus Music Awards | ||||
| 2005 | Best Lyrics | Aadat combined awards with Jal | Won | |
| Best Song | Won | |||
| Best Composition | Won | |||
| Sahara Sangeet Awards | ||||
| 2005 | Best Playback Singer | Won | ||
| Best Debut Singer | Won | |||
| The Musik Awards | ||||
| 2006 | Most Wanted Male | Nominated | ||
| 2008 | Most Wanted Male | Won | ||
| Lux Style Awards | ||||
| 2005 | Best Album | Jal Pari | Won | |
| 2007 | Best Album | Doorie | Won | |
| 2008 | Most Well Dressed Celebrity | Police Dress | Won | |
| Best Album | Meri Kahani | Nominated | ||
| 2012 | Song of the Year | Hona Tha Pyaar – Bol | Nominated | |
| Best Original Sound Track | Hona Tha Pyaar – Bol | Won | ||
| 2013 | Music Icon of the year | Won | ||
| MTV Brrr Music Awards | ||||
| 2009 | Best Rock Song | Hungami Halaat | Nominated | |
| Best Singer (Male) | Nominated | |||
| Government of Pakistan | ||||
| 2008 | Tamgha-e-Imtiaz (Medal of Distinction) | Won | ||
| Filmfare Awards | ||||
| 2006 | Best Playback Singer (Male) | Woh Lamhe – Zeher | Nominated | |
| 2007 | Best Playback Singer (Male) | Tere Bin – Bas Ek Pal | Nominated | |
| 2010 | Best Playback Singer (Male) | Tu Jaane Na – Ajab Prem Ki Ghazab Kahani | Nominated | |
| Lycra MTV Style Awards | ||||
| 2007 | Most Stylish Person (Music) | Won | ||
| International Indian Film Academy Awards (IIFA) | ||||
| 2006 | IIFA Award for Best Male Playback | Woh Lamhe – Zeher | Nominated | |
| 2009 | IIFA Award for Best Male Playback | Pehli Nazar Mein – Race | Nominated | |
| 2010 | IIFA Award for Best Male Playback | Tu Jaane Na – Ajab Prem Ki Ghazab Kahani | Nominated | |
| Star Screen Awards | ||||
| 2009 | Best Playback Singer (Male) | Pehli Nazar Main – Race | Nominated | |
| Guild Awards | ||||
| 2014 | Best Playback Singer (Male) | Jeene Laga Hoon – Ramaiya Vastavaiya | Nominated | |
| Zee Cine Awards | ||||
| 2014 | Best Playback Singer (Male) | Jeene Laga Hoon – Ramaiya Vastavaiya | Nominated | |
| Global Indian Music Awards (GIMA) | ||||
| 2010 | Best Playback Singer (Male) | Tu Jaane Na – Ajab Prem Ki Ghazab Kahani | Nominated | |
| Big Star Entertainment Awards | ||||
| 2013 | Best Playback Singer (Male) | Piya O Re Piya – Tere Naal Love Ho Gaya | Nominated | |
| MTV IGGY | ||||
| 2011 | Best New Band in the World | Nominated | ||
| Pakistan Media Awards | ||||
| 2010 | Best Singer (Male) | Won | ||
| 2011 | Best Singer (Male) | Nominated | ||
| 2012 | Best Film Actor | Mustafa – Bol | Nominated | |
| Best Playback Singer | Hona Tha Pyaar – Bol | Nominated | ||
| The BrandLaureate International Brand Personality Award | ||||
| 2013 | Brand Personality | Won | ||
| Big Apple Music Awards | ||||
| 2014 | Best Male Artist of Pakistan | Won | ||
| Big Apple Music Awards | ||||
| 2015 | Best Male Artist of Pakistan | Won | ||
| Big Apple Music Awards | ||||
| 2014 | Most Popular Male Artist (International) | Nominated | ||
See also
References
- Torrent, Cricket. (27 May 2011) Utho Jago Pakistan With Bol The Movie (Atif Aslam & Mahira Khan) Part 3/7 – Video Dailymotion. Dailymotion.com. Retrieved on 2015-05-06.
- Official website
- Official Facebook
- Official Instagram
- Official Twitter
- Atif Aslam at the Internet Movie Database
- Atif Aslam Qmobile Ad
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
No comments:
Post a Comment