When we think about Pakistani music, we believe that it is only listened to in India. However the truth is that it is appreciated all over the world. In 2005, three famous Pakistani bands proved this by performing in Bangladesh’s capital Dhaka to a huge crowd. The bands were Junoon, Strings and Jal and they were loved by the people in Dhaka just like in Pakistan or in any other place in the world.
Junoon
Junoon is a Sufi Rock band that was formed in 1990. It currently comprises of members Ali Azmat on lead vocals and rhythm guitars, Salman Ahmed on lead guitars and Brian O’Connell. The band has released seven albums all of them which made them gain a lot of appreciation. They are best known for their songs like Sayonee, Pappu Yaar Tang Na Kar and Talaash.
Junoon has performed at many different places such as the USA, Canada, UK, UAE, India and Bangladesh. The band has also performed in Indian occupied Kashmir. In 2001, they performed at the United Nations opening ceremony. Junoon won the Channel V Award in New Delhi in India for Best International Group beating bands like Deff Leppard and Prodigy.
In 2005, Junoon performed at the Ampfest arts festival in Dhaka. The band made their entry in a helicopter to the stage. They were the last act of the show. They performed their hit songs like Yaar Bina, Dosti and Garaj Baras.
Strings
Strings is a pop rock band that was formed in 1988 in Karachi. Its members are Faisal Kapadia and Bilal Maqsood. They gained fame through their song Sar Kiye Pahar which became the first Pakistani song to be featured on MTV Asia. They are active since 30 years and are the longest active in Pakistani music’s history.
The band is popular in Pakistan as well as internationally. In 2005, the band’s song Na Jaane Kyun was featured on the soundtrack of Spider-Man 2. They have performed for a number of Bollywood films as well such as John Day and Zinda. The band has performed in USA, Canada, UK, Qatar, UAE, India and Bangladesh. They have won many awards which include the MTV Asia Award for Best Artist – India.
In 2005, they performed at the Ampfest arts festival in Dhaka. The band entered the stage through a helicopter. They performed their popular songs like Dhaani, Chaaye Chaaye and Na Jaane Kyun.
Jal
Jal is a pop rock band from Lahore. It was famous because of their three members Farhan Saeed, Gohar Mumtaz and Aamer Sheraz. Atif Aslam and Omer Nadeem have also been a part of the band. The band gained fame through their first song Adat and has released many songs and albums since then.
The band is popular internationally. They have performed in countries like India, Bangladesh and Nepal. They received the MTV Asia Award in 2006 for Favorite Artist India. They won another MTV Asia Award for their song Moray Piya in 2009.
They performed at The Sheraton Hotel and Amazon Club in Dhaka in 2005. The band performed their popular songs such as Adat, Dil Haaray Pukaray and Woh Lamhe.
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