Music masters

The 10 musicians from Pakistan, both emerging and established, to watch out for

Pakistan’s music scene is thriving, having undergone a facelift with shows such as Coke Studio. Up–and-coming artists have now found a platform to make their soulful voices heard. From alternative to R&B and indie to ghazal, there’s a whole kaleidoscope of musical acts that are changing the face of Pakistani music.

Here’s taking a look at some budding and established artists/bands bursting with pizzazz.

E Sharp

Formed in Karachi, Pakistan, E Sharp is a rock band that blossomed in the city’s underground music scene, before rising to fame with Pepsi’s Battle of the Bands. The band comprises members Ahmed Zawar, Anwaar Ahmed, Qumber Kazmi and Rajil Anthony. Their music strikes a chord with the youth and will captivate all those who love great alternative rock.

The Tamashbeens

The indie band consisting of a quartet of stalwarts from Lahore, namely Jamal Abbas, Ali Hassnain, Talaal Khan and Shehenshah Bukhari, rose to prominence with their song Koi Toh Miley Ga. The childhood friends turned bandmates mainly focus on acoustic Indie, with heavy inspiration from western artists. Their songs Lighter Machis and Duniya Re are chartbusters that merit to be played on loop.

Janoobi Khargosh

Janoobi Khargosh is a synth pop band spearheaded by Waleed Ahmed. Waleed self-produced and composed his 2014 album Billi Khamba Aur Urantashtari entirely on his own. He began his musical career in death metal band Dionysus, then decided to make indie music with Urdu lyrics under a new name. The artist, who lives in Karachi, released a new album, Survivors, in autumn 2019. The album’s inspiration comes from the 90s music scene, particularly the rock band Vital Signs.

Natasha Noorani

Singer, songwriter, ethnomusicologist, and co-founder of Lahore Music Meet (LMM), Natasha Noorani is a name to look out for. She recently released the album Ronaq that channels a new-wave pop. She was one of 10 artists selected for the 2019 Goethe Talents Programme in Germany. One of the music acts that put her in the spotlight has been Apocolypse How?, from her debut album Munaasib. The video features her singing the haunting neo-soul/indie rock tune against a backdrop of Lahore’s sunset.

Khumariyaan

The folk-instrumental band from Peshawar, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, have played their Pashto tracks across Pakistan, Kenya and the UK. With Farhan Ali Bogra on the rabab, Hammad Baig on the keyboard, Sparlay Rawail on lead guitar, Aamer Shafiq on rhythm guitar and Shiraz Khan on percussion, the band is a wizard of instrumental tunes. While Khumariyaan may have flirted with mainstream music in the recent past, at their heart they will always be indie.

Laqeer Ke Faqeer

Bayaan won over music lovers with strong performances during the third season of Pepsi Battle of the Bands. The band not only proved themselves to the judges but also to the rest of the world. Originality, devotion and expression through music has been the band’s ethos, with hits like Nahi Milta and Farda proving to be crowd pleasers. It comprises of six members — guitarists Muqueet Shahzad and Shahrukh Aslam; lead vocalist Asfar Hussain; Haider Abbas on bass and Mansoor Lashari on drums. Their hard-hitting lyrics with soft music and vocals have earned them success.