Momina Mustehsan

Momina Mustehsan
Mustehsan at Islamabad Airport in 2019
Born (1992-09-05) 5 September 1992 (age 32)
Quetta, Balochistan, Pakistan
Alma materStony Brook University
Occupations
  • Singer
  • songwriter
Years active2010–present
Musical career
Genres
Instrument(s)Vocals, guitar

Momina Mustehsan (Urdu: مومنہ مستحسن; born 5 September 1992) is a Pakistani singer.[1][2] In 2017, BBC named her one of the 100 most influential women, and the following year, Forbes featured her among its "30 Under 30" Asia list along with nine other Pakistani individuals.[3][4] That same year, Mustehsan was honored by Stony Brook University, which named her among their "40 most successful graduates."[5]

Born in Quetta and raised in Islamabad, Mustehsan earned her degrees in Biomedical Engineering and Applied Mathematics after double majoring at Stony Brook University.[6][7] Mustehsan rose to prominence as a co-singer and writer in Farhan Saeed's single "Pi Jaun", and later sang the acclaimed song "Awari" for the Indian thriller film Ek Villain (2014).[8][9][10] Her claim to fame came later, when in 2016 she made her Coke Studio debut as a featured artist in season 9, with the ghazal song "Afreen Afreen" and "Tera Woh Pyar." Following her debut, she became one of the most sought-out media personalities in Pakistan, and the songs became two of the most viewed songs of Pakistan, both garnering over 400 million views.[2][11]

Mustehsan's next three singles, "Aaya Na Tu" (2018), "Baari" (2019) and "Uchiyan Deewaran" (2020) peaked on YouTube within 24 hours upon their releases and all of them have since gained more than 200 million views collectively, and received critical compliment for her voice in the original soundtrack of the television series Alif (2019).[12] Alongside her singing career, Mustehsan is vocal about issues such as the role of women in Pakistan and feminism.[13][14][9]

  1. ^ Feras Ismail (18 September 2016). "New Yorker Momina Mustehsan takes South Asia by storm with 'Afreen'". The American Bazaar. Retrieved 30 September 2016.
  2. ^ a b Talha Ahmed (23 August 2016). "Momina Mustehsan might completely transform the idea of stardom in Pakistan". The Nation. Retrieved 30 August 2016.
  3. ^ Leung, Hannah. "Momina, Resham named in BBC's 100 most influential women list". The News International. Retrieved 28 March 2018.
  4. ^ Leung, Hannah. "The Pakistanis Who Made Forbes' 30 Under 30 Asia 2018 List". Forbes. Retrieved 28 March 2018.
  5. ^ "Momina Mustehsan honoured by Stony Brook University in New York". Daily Times. 15 January 2018. Retrieved 28 March 2018.
  6. ^ Nida Raza (19 July 2016). "Momina Mustehsan". The News. Retrieved 24 July 2016.
  7. ^ Iman Zia (6 September 2017). "So Basically, Momina Mustehsan Just Celebrated Her 10th Birthday". MangoBaaz. Retrieved 6 September 2017.
  8. ^ "Junoon completion of band's 20 years". The Express Tribune. 21 August 2011. Retrieved 23 July 2016.
  9. ^ a b "Top 9 Momina Mustehsan Songs You Need to Hear!". Folder. Retrieved 28 March 2018.
  10. ^ "Momina Mustehsan on Why She Doesn't Want to be Called a Singer | Rewind with Samina Peerzada NA1G". YouTube.
  11. ^ Arka Sengupta (17 June 2016). "'Coke Studio Pakistan' undergoes major revamp in Season 9; artiste line-up revealed". International Business Times. Retrieved 25 June 2016.
  12. ^ "Afreen singer Momina Mustehsan and Arjun Kanungo release single Aaya Na Tu". Firstpost. 20 June 2018. Retrieved 20 June 2018.
  13. ^ "Why Momina Mustehsan is on our radar". Daily Times. Retrieved 28 March 2018.
  14. ^ ""My style statement is homeless!" Momina Mustehsan talks about music, math and life in a Brunch exclusive". Hindustan Times. 6 January 2018. Retrieved 28 March 2018.