If we say this year was Pakistan’s year in terms of music then it won’t be inaccurate. Whether sad or happy, the Pakistani music industry gave us many things to remember.
From Arooj Aftab being nominated for Grammy twice a year to Pasoori winning hearts across the globe, here’s what Pakistanis witnessed this year in the music industry:
Arooj Aftab and Grammy
Arooj Aftab, who made history last year by becoming the first Pakistani to win a Grammy, has once again managed to secure a Grammy nomination in the Best Global Music Performance category for her track Udhero Na featuring Anoushka Shankar.
The 37-year-old, who has lived in the US city of New York for some 15 years, has been steadily gaining global attention for her work that fuses ancient Sufi traditions with folk, jazz and minimalism.
Most streamed song of 2022 ‘Pasoori’
‘Pasoori’ became the most streamed Pakistani song on Spotify. The Ali Sethi and Shae Gill soundtrack from Coke Studio 14 has been winning hearts across the oceans since its release.
‘Pasoori’ featuring Ali Sethi, Shae Gill, and Sheema Kermani picked up 100 million views in approximately three months.
Pakistani songs featured in ‘Ms. Marvel’
‘Ms. Marvel’ gave Pakistani music a global platform after 14 songs were streamed in the international series.
‘Peechay Hutt’ ft. Hasan Raheem, Justin Bibis, and Talal Qureshi from the music series found space in Disney’s Marvel universe.
Apart from that, famous songs included ‘Ko Ko Koreena’, ‘Sohniye I Love You’, ‘Pasoori’, ‘Disco Deewane’, ‘Doobne De (Reprise)’, ‘Mera Laung Gawacha’, and ‘The Sibbi Song’.
Coke Studio 14
One of the most notable features of this year’s Coke Studio was it featured a wide range of musical influences, including classical, Sufi, Folk, Qawwali, Ghazal, Bhangra, Pop, Rock, Rap, and Hip Hop.
Bilal Maqsood’s ‘Naya Naya’
Bilal Maqsood released his first single after 33 years of Strings retirement titled ‘Naya Naya’, a pop tune, reminding us what an accomplished musician he is to this date.
Meesha Shafi’s ‘Rajkumari’
Celebrating women in all their glory, Meesha Shafi dropped the anthemic ‘Rajkumari’ on International Women’s Day 2022.
Asim Azhar’s ‘Habibi’
‘Habibi’ from Asim Azhar was another notable favorite this year. The catchy beat and the laidback vibes of the song also managed to cross the borders and was featured on the playlists of many international artists and actors.
‘Kana Yaari’ becomes global
Song ‘Kana Yaari’ featuring Kaifi Khalil, Eva B, and Abdul Wahab Bugti rose to international fame after gaining the attention of the famous international dance group ‘The Quick Style’ who choreographed the song.
