Showing posts with label Mehdi Hassan. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Mehdi Hassan. Show all posts

Thursday, July 26, 2012

The Sufi Queen Singer Abida Parveen


 Abida Parveen, a Sindhi, was born in 1954 in  mohalla Ali Goharabad in Larkana Pakistan
She was imparted her initial training in the art of music from her father, Ustad Ghulam Haider, and later from Ustad Salamat Ali Khan of Sham Chorasia gharana.
Her father, whom she refers to as reverently as Baba Sain, was also a singer and had his own small music school where he taught only male pupils.
He was devoted to the Sufi poets and that is from where Abida gets her devotional inspiration.
For her the Sufi poets of Sindh and Punjab are the ones who speak of the inner truths of the self and in their poetry, where she finds solace and peace.
As she was growing up, Abida attended her father’s music school and that was where her foundation in music was laid.

She is considered one of the most prominent contemporary exponents of the great ghazal and kafi musical styles from the Indian subcontinent.
Rooted in the intense encounter between sensitivity and spirituality that is Sufism.
She never ceases to sing her fiery love for the Divine.
The earliest memories of her childhood are all linked to her passion for music and her desire to sing.
Hyderabad Radio first introduced her in 1977. She is today the most popular and well-known folk and ghazal singer of Pakistan who breathed a new life into ghazal and semi-classical music.
She holds an audience of thousands spellbound.
Her appearance is a complete reverse of many other stage performers. 
She begins each number as solemnly as the previous one as the evening progresses, sinking deeper and deeper into her kafi’s and Sufiana kalam of the mystic poets.
She is a woman of very few words and asks to be judged only by her music.
This folk phenomenon, called Abida Parveen, is deeply religious and profoundly humble.
Abida Parveen is the finest singer of ghazal, geet and sindhi, seraiki and punjabi kafees. “While khayal and thumri became a part of her childhood training, her effective rendering of folk and traditional music with great sophistication and without losing the basic characteristics of the regional music of sindh has made her a versatile singer.”
She has performed almost in all parts of the world and performed before international audiences and placed the name of the country high up I the field of music.
Abida Parveen performed in Chicago in 1988. 
Her fist performance was based on classical and semi-classical art, the second was comprised of ghazals of prominent poets and the third rested on folk singing and different varieties of sindhi music. Her performance was recorded by the renowned organization Hazrat Amir Khusrau Society of Art and Culture, which issued a long play recording of her renderings.
After that, she performed in July of 1989 for three hours in a Wembly conference in London and was recorded by the BBC for a one hour telecast.
Recently, Abida with her magical voice created a mystical environment in the Fez Festival held in Fez, Morocco in June, where she entranced an audience of 10,000. She performed at Royal Festival Hall in London on September 15, 2001 and captured the hearts of listeners. 

 
 

 










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Interwiew with Amanat Ali Singer


Well Amanat Ali is someone who does not believe in competing with the other competitors I think I should be the competitor of myself and beat the previous Amanat, that is the first thing I think of everyday I wake up in the morning.

You have a great profession singing, how you started it?
I have a musical family background so it was in my blood, I started learning music from my dad (Nazakat Ali) and uncle (Hassan Sadiq) when I was 6 years old but my dad made me to do my first Alaap when I was only 2 years old. lolz

What and who did really inspire you to get into field music?
As I told earlier that I have a musical family background so it was my responsibility to keep up my family’s name. I was into music since my childhood and no matter what I had to be in this field.

What problems did you face to achieve your career?
Luckily I didn’t have to face any problems because I had full support from my family, I am the eldest child in third generation of my family so it was my responsibility to work hard and keep up my family’s name so I started learning music since my childhood, when I finished my college I got an offer from one of the biggest musical bands of Pakistan “Mekaal Hassan” to work with them as a lead vocalist, it was like a dream come true because I was already learning classical music and Mekaal Hassan was a classical band so it was a great beginning for me and a great opportunity to begin my career with classical music while I was working with this band I gave auditions for Sa Re Ga Ma Pa Pakistan Middle East challenge which was taking place in Dubai, I got selected and won this competition then I was called to India for Sa Re Ga Ma Pa world cup of singers which was a turning point that changed my life totally and made me what I am today. This is how my journey started so I don’t think I had to face any hurdles (except the struggle I did day and night in my music room which we call Riyaz). It was Alhamdullilah not very hard for me to get where I am now. Thanks to Allah.

Who have you worked with?
Well it’s a long list probably I can’t name everyone but I have worked with almost everyone in India and Pakistan.

What are results of your achievements?
Hmmm you can see my achievements as I am an establish singer now, doing events all over the world and Pakistan. I released my first album in 2009 and got best indipop song of the year from my first album song “Thumri” in Music Mirchi Awards India 2010. Overall I have got very good results as I have a huge fan following all over the world and I thank to Allah and my parents for their blessings.

How do you see the work nowadays in your field Easy or difficult?
It has become very difficult now because there is a lot of competition and as I always say that in Pakistan to become a singer you don’t need to have the ability to sing. Just finish your study and grab a guitar and make a music video if you have got money, you are singer that’s all. This is what happening in Pakistan so for the singers who are from musical families and they are properly learned singers, but they lack of money, they are not promoted properly, it has become very difficult to get acknowledgment these days.

What are your plans for the future in your field?
After I am satisfied with my singing career I would like to get into acting and I am already done with it, have recently done a drama serial for TV One which is airing these days. Though TV serials won’t be my aim in acting I would rather get in to movies.

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