Ahmed Rushdi | |
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Background information | |
Birth name | Syed Ahmed Rushdi |
Also known as | |
Born | Hyderabad Deccan, British India | 24 April 1934
Origin | ![]() |
Died | 11 April 1983 Karachi, Pakistan | (aged 48)
Genres | |
Occupation(s) | Urdu and regional playback singer |
Instrument | Vocalist |
Years active | 1951–1983 |
Ahmed Rushdi SI PP (Urdu: احمد رشدی; 24 April 1934 – 11 April 1983) was a versatile[2] Pakistani playback singer and was "an important contributor to the golden age of Pakistani film music."[3] Regarded as one of the greatest singers in South Asia[4][5] who could sing high tenor notes with ease,[6] he is best known for his versatility[7] and distinctive voice, with complex and dark emotional expressions.[8][9] Considered as the first pop singer of South Asia, he sang South Asia's first pop song, "Ko Ko Korina", in the 1966 film Armaan.[10]
Born in Hyderabad Deccan, he migrated to Pakistan following partition. In 1954, he recorded the official National anthem of Pakistan with several other singers.[11] Rushdi has recorded the highest number of film songs in the history of Pakistani cinema in Urdu, English, Punjabi, Bengali, Sindhi and Gujarati and found unprecedented success as a playback artist from the mid-1950s to early 1980s.[12] He was also known for his stage performance.[13] He suffered from poor health during the latter part of his life and died of a heart attack at the age of 48, after recording approximately five thousand film songs for 583 released films. Besides popular music, Rushdi also helped popularize the ghazals of Naseer Turabi.[14] He was awarded five Nigar Awards, the "Best Singer Of The Millennium" title, "Life Time Achievement Award", "Legend Award" and Lux Style Award.[15]
In 2003, 20 years after his death, Pakistani president Pervez Musharraf awarded him the Sitara-e-Imtiaz, the "star of excellence", for distinguished merit in the field of arts.[16] According to the 2016 survey of Asian Woman Magazine, Rushdi is declared as a darling singer of all time.[17] In 2022, his song Ko Ko Korina featured in the opening scene of American series Ms. Marvel (miniseries) and won top ratings.[18]
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