Nazia and Zoheb

Nazia and Zoheb
OriginKarachi, Sindh, Pakistan
Genres
Years active1980–1992
LabelsEMI Records
Sony Music Entertainment
Saregama
Past membersNazia Hassan
Zoheb Hassan

Nazia and Zoheb (Urdu: نازیہ اور زوہیب) were a Pakistani pop duo from Karachi, Sindh formed in 1980. The group consisted of two siblings, Nazia Hassan and Zoheb Hassan (collectively known as Hassans, The Hassans or Hazan), who were considered pop icons across South Asia.[1][2] They are regarded as pioneers of the Pakistani pop scene, and were one of the most successful Asian pop duos of all time, selling more than 105 million albums worldwide.[3][4]

The duo initially gained prominence with their single "Aap Jaisa Koi" which was first featured as a soundtrack for the 1980 Indian film Qurbani. They later went on to release their debut album Disco Deewane in 1981 produced by Indian producer Biddu. Disco Deewane became the best selling Asian pop album at the time, charting in 14 countries worldwide and even becoming a hit in countries such as Brazil, Russia, South Africa, and Indonesia.[1] The iconic album helped shape pop music in Pakistan and India as it is seen today.[5] The duo released their second album Boom Boom in 1982 which was the soundtrack for the Bollywood movie Star. After two years, the band recorded their critically acclaimed album Young Tarang in 1983. It was the first album of Pakistan pre-MTV to feature music videos. Nazia and Zoheb released their fourth hit album, Hotline in 1987, which featured the duo's younger sister, Zahra Hassan. The group released their last studio album Camera Camera in 1992, which was written and produced solely by Zoheb.[5]

Before the release of their fifth studio album, Nazia and Zoheb announced that it would be their last album. It did not achieve the same level of success as its predecessors, as Nazia fell drastically ill and they could not promote the CD. Following the album's release, Nazia quit her singing career to focus on her health and personal life. Zoheb went on to pursue his career as an actor/soloist and released his debut album Kismat in 2006.[5]

The group disbanded in the early 1990s, due to the illness of Nazia Hassan. She died of lung cancer in London on the 13th of August 2000, at the age of 35.[1] After her death, Zoheb Hassan also quit his singing career before making a comeback in 2014 with hit songs "Jaana", "Chehra" and "Dheeray Dheeray" for the musical series Coke Studio Pakistan.[6]

  1. ^ a b c "The eternal legend of pop". Gulf-Times (in Arabic). 14 August 2018. Retrieved 29 September 2021.
  2. ^ "Disco Deewane singer Zoheb Hassan set to make a comeback after 10 years with new album Signature. Watch videos". The Indian Express. 12 July 2017. Retrieved 29 September 2021.
  3. ^ PTI (18 November 2005). "NRI TV presenter gets Nazia Hassan Award". The Times of India. Archived from the original on 8 March 2012. Retrieved 4 March 2011.
  4. ^ "BBC World Service - Witness History, The Pakistani teens who became disco superstars". BBC. Retrieved 3 February 2024.
  5. ^ a b c Gaekwad, Manish (20 March 2016). "The proposed biopic on Nazia and Zoheb Hassan needs to have these songs". Scroll.in. Retrieved 29 September 2021.
  6. ^ "Zoheb Hassan to release seventh album". The Express Tribune. 4 June 2015. Retrieved 29 September 2021.