Nazia Hassan

Nazia Hassan
PP
نازیہ حسن
Hassan c. 1990s
Born(1965-04-03)3 April 1965[1]
Karachi, Pakistan
Died13 August 2000(2000-08-13) (aged 35)[1]
London, England
Resting placeHendon Cemetery and Crematorium, London
Other namesQueen of South Asian Pop[2]
Alma mater
Occupations
  • Singer
  • songwriter
  • lawyer
  • political analyst
  • philanthropist
Years active1980–1992
Spouse
Ishtiaq Baig
​
​
(m. 1995; div. 2000)​
Children1
RelativesZoheb Hassan (brother)
AwardsPride of Performance (2002)
Musical career
Genres
InstrumentVocals

Nazia Hassan (3 April 1965 – 13 August 2000)[1] was a Pakistani singer-songwriter, lawyer and social activist. Referred to as the "Queen of South Asian Pop",[4][5] she is considered one of the most influential singers in Pakistan and India as well.[6] Starting in the 1980s, as part of the duo Nazia and Zoheb, she and her brother Zoheb Hassan, have sold over 65 million records worldwide.[7][8][9]

Hassan made her singing debut with the song "Aap Jaisa Koi", which appeared in the Indian film Qurbani in 1980.[10] She received praise for the single, and won the Filmfare Award for Best Female Playback Singer at the age of 15 in 1981, becoming the first Pakistani to win and currently remains the youngest recipient of the award to date. Her debut album, Disco Deewane, was released in 1981, and charted in fourteen countries worldwide and became the best-selling Asian pop record up at the time.[11] The album included the English-language single "Dreamer Deewane" which led her to be the first Pakistani singer to make it to the British charts.[12]

Hassan followed up with the albums Boom Boom in 1982,[13] part of which was used as the soundtrack of the film Star (1982), Young Tarang in 1984,[14] and Hotline in 1987. The track "Dum Dum Dede" from Young Tarang was used in closing scene of the 2012 Indian film, Miss Lovely by Ashim Ahluwalia.[15] Her last album, Camera Camera in 1992, was part of a campaign against drugs.[16] Along with her brother, she also appeared in several television programs. In 1988 she appeared in Sung Sung with music maestro Sohail Rana. They also hosted the first-ever pop-music stage show, Music '89, produced by Shoaib Mansoor.[17] Her success played a key role in shaping Pakistani pop music scene.

Throughout her singing career spanning over 15 years, Hassan became one of Pakistan's most popular celebrities. She was a recipient of Pakistan's civilian award, Pride of Performance. In addition to singing, she also engaged in philanthropic activities, and was appointed by UNICEF as its cultural ambassador in 1991.[18] On 13 August 2000, Hassan died of lung cancer in London at the age of 35.

  1. ^ a b c Jai Kumar (23 August 2000). "Obituary: Nazia Hassan". guardian.co.uk. London: The Guardian. Retrieved 18 May 2008.
  2. ^ "What made Nazia Hassan the ultimate 'Queen of South Asian Pop'". Telegraph India. 20 October 2023.
  3. ^ a b "Pop Diva Nazia Hassan Music Playlist: Best MP3 Songs on". Gaana.com. Retrieved 19 August 2022.
  4. ^ "A toast to the queen of pop: Faraz Wakar's musical tribute to Nazia Hasan". Retrieved 10 February 2016.
  5. ^ "Women Year Book of Pakistan". Women Year Book of Pakistan. 8. Ladies Forum Publications: 405. 1990.
  6. ^ "TV presenter gets Nazia Hassan Award". The Times of India. Archived from the original on 8 March 2012. Retrieved 2 June 2017.
  7. ^ PTI (18 November 2005). "NRI TV presenter gets Hassan Award". The Times of India. Archived from the original on 8 March 2012. Retrieved 4 March 2011.
  8. ^ "NRI TV presenter gets Nazia Hassan Award". The Times of India. Archived from the original on 8 March 2012. Retrieved 2 June 2017.
  9. ^ "BBC World Service - Witness History, The Pakistani teens who became disco superstars". BBC. Retrieved 3 February 2024.
  10. ^ "12 x 12: The 12 best Bollywood disco records". The Vinyl Factory. 28 February 2014.
  11. ^ Cite error: The named reference gopal_moorti was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  12. ^ Desk, APP | Entertainment (13 August 2014). "Aap Jaisa Koi: Remembering Nazia Hasan". www.dawn.com. Retrieved 10 February 2016. {{cite web}}: |last= has generic name (help)
  13. ^ "India Today". India Today. 7 (13–16). Thomson Living Media India Limited: 34. 1982.
  14. ^ "Pakistan Hotel and Travel Review". Pakistan Hotel and Travel Review. 6–8. Syed Wali Ahmad Maulai: 45. 1983.
  15. ^ Cite error: The named reference IndiaToday was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  16. ^ "Nazia Hassan, our disco queen – The Express Tribune Blog". blogs.tribune.com.pk. 11 August 2010. Retrieved 10 February 2016.
  17. ^ Desk, Entertainment (3 April 2015). "In memoriam: Nazia Hassan was born 50 years ago today". www.dawn.com. Retrieved 10 February 2016. {{cite web}}: |last= has generic name (help)
  18. ^ "Nazia Hassan, our disco queen – The Express Tribune Blog". blogs.tribune.com.pk. Archived from the original on 15 August 2010.