Alamgir (singer)

Last updated

Alamgir
عالمگیر
Birth nameAlamgir Haq
Born (1955-08-11) 11 August 1955 (age 68)
Rangpur, East Pakistan, Pakistan (now Rangpur, Bangladesh)
Genres
Occupation(s)
  • Singer
  • musician
Instrument(s)Vocals
Years active1970–present

Alamgir Haq (born 11 August 1955) is a Pakistani singer-songwriter, guitarist, and one of the pioneers of pop music in Pakistan. His style of singing is inspired by playback singer Ahmed Rushdi and Elvis Presley.

Contents

Early life

Alamgir was born on 11 August 1955 in Rangpur, East Pakistan. His father, Farmuzal Haq, was a politician and a member of the All India Muslim League as Secretary of Treasury and later a member of Pakistan's National Assembly during the presidency of Ayub Khan. He also studied in Mirzapur Cadet College, Tangail, in the province of East Bengal. He briefly studied at Shaheen School [1] in Dacca. In 1971 at the age of around 15, he moved to Karachi, West Pakistan to continue his studies at the University of Karachi before immigrating to the USA.

Career

He settled in the PECHS area of Karachi and started singing in the evenings, around 1971, at a small café called 'Globe Hotel' on Tariq Road, Karachi. He was promised Rs. 350 per month plus free dinner. The café was famous for its intellectual gatherings and that is where his potential talent was spotted. Someone from the audience in the hotel liked his style of singing and playing the guitar. So that person told him about a programme on the Pakistan Television Corporation station called Ferozan where the program host Khushbakht Aliya was conducting a show for the youth. He gave his audition, Khushbakht liked his singing and the guitar playing but she had already selected someone else. It just so happened that renowned Pakistani music composer Sohail Rana was also sitting in the same room who later asked someone to call Alamgir to his car outside the TV station. Sohail Rana said, he liked his (Alamgir's) guitar playing and asked if he would like to perform as a guitarist for his children's programme Hum Hi Hum. This is how Alamgir entered in the formal world of music.

He started singing on the Pakistan Television Corporation TV channel at the beginning of the 1970s, when the people in Pakistan were not yet familiar with the modern Urdu pop music and when western music was generally considered as modern music in Pakistan. Shair Siddiqui hired him for the first pop musical program Sunday Ke Sunday, a TV series of Karachi Television in 1971, and introduced Alamgir with the song Albela Rahi. It proved to be a hit in 1972 among the youth of the 1970s. There was a time during the 1970s when the music loving boys and girls gathered regularly on the streets near the Karachi Jheel Park to get a glimpse of this new pop singer as he used to travel along in his red sports car in the evening. Alamgir's second pop song, Pyar Hai Zindagi Ka Gehna, was also an Urdu translation of a foreign song. He soon became popular among the younger generation in the country. Alamgir is also known for his many renditions of Bengali music. The most notable Bengali song he is known to sing is Aamay Bhashaili Rey, which he sung on season 6 episode 4 of Coke Studio Pakistan. [2]

Alamgir quickly made his mark on the Pakistani music scene. He sang for the Pakistani television in the very beginning of his career, but later as the time passed, he started singing for the Pakistani music industry. He also performed abroad. Alamgir inherited polycystic kidney disease (PKD) from his mother, and underwent kidney dialysis three times per week and required a kidney transplant. He currently resides in Atlanta, Georgia, United States and still performs in live concerts in America.

In 2012, Alamgir visited Pakistan and performed in various shows. [3] He returned to Pakistan to make a comeback on the TV screen specially for his fans who grew up with him. In April 2013, Alamgir joined Meesha Shafi, Strings, Ali Azmat, and Shahzad Hasan as a judge on the singing talent show Music Icons which aired on ARY Digital TV channel. [2] He gave a live interview at a morning show on PTV channel named Subh-e-Nau on 6 January 2014.

Awards and recognition

Film songs

Some playback songs of Alamgir are: [5] [6]

Discography

The songs and albums of Alamgir which have been released are as follows:

Upcoming biographical film

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Noor Jehan</span> Pakistani singer and actress

Noor Jehan, sometimes spelled Noorjehan also known by her honorific title Malika-e-Tarannum, was a Pakistani playback singer and actress who worked first in British India and then in the cinema of Pakistan. Her career spanned more than six decades. Considered to be one of the greatest and most influential singers in the Indian subcontinent, she was given the honorific title of Malika-e-Tarannum in British India. She had a command of Hindustani classical music as well as other music genres.

Shoaib Mansoor, is a Pakistani television and film director, writer, producer, lyricist and musician of Muhajir origin.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sajjad Ali</span> Pakistani Classical singer

Sajjad Ali is a Pakistani semi-classical, pop and rock singer, poet, actor, film director as well as a film producer from Karachi, Pakistan.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ahmed Rushdi</span> Pakistani playback singer

Ahmed Rushdi was a versatile Pakistani playback singer and was "an important contributor to the golden age of Pakistani film music." Regarded as one of the greatest singers in South Asia who could sing high tenor notes with ease, he is best known for his versatility and distinctive voice, with complex and dark emotional expressions. 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.

<i>Aina</i> (1977 film) 1977 film

Aina, also known as The Mirror, is a 1977 Pakistani romantic drama film directed by Nazar-ul-Islam and starring Nadeem and Shabnam. Singers are Mehdi Hassan, Mehnaz, Nayyara Noor and Alamgir. The film was a major box-office success primarily due to its music which was composed by Robin Ghosh. It became the longest-running Pakistani film at the cinemas. The movie is based on the 1973 Hindi movie Aa Gale Lag Jaa and went on to be remade in Hindi in 1985 as Pyar Jhukta Nahin.

<i>Maula Jatt</i> 1979 Pakistani film

Maula Jatt, is a 1979 Pakistani Punjabi-language action, musical film directed by Yunus Malik and produced by Sarwar Bhatti. The film is an unofficial sequel to the 1975 Wehshi Jatt, starring Sultan Rahi as Maula Jatt and Mustafa Qureshi as his arch-rival Noori Natt.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nazia Hassan</span> Pakistani singer

Nazia Hassan was a Pakistani-British singer-songwriter, lawyer and social activist. Referred to as the Queen of South Asian Pop, she is considered one of the most influential singers in Pakistan and India as well. 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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sohail Rana</span> Pakistani television and film music composer

Sohail Rana is a Pakistani music composer for films and television. He was introduced by actor Waheed Murad in Pakistan film industry and gained popularity when singer Ahmed Rushdi sang his compositions in such films as Armaan and Doraha. He is now based in Canada.

Pakistani popular music or shortly Pak-pop music refers to popular music forms in Pakistan. Pakistani pop is a mixture of traditional Pakistani classical music and western influences of jazz, rock and roll, hip hop and disco sung in various languages of Pakistan, including Urdu. The popularity of music is based on the individual sales of a single, viewership of its music video or the singer's album chart positions. Apart from within Pakistan, Pakistani pop music has also achieved an influential following and popularity in neighboring countries and is listened by members of the Pakistani diaspora, especially in the Middle East, Europe and North America.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Masood Rana</span> Pakistani singer (1938–1995)

Masood Rana (Urdu: مسعُود رانا), was a Pakistani film playback singer. He began his singing career in 1962 with the film Inqalab, became one of the top male singers in both Urdu and Punjabi films for more than three decades and remained a busy singer until his death in 1995.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Muzaffar Warsi</span> Pakistani songwriter and poet (1933 - 2011)

Muzaffar Warsi was a Pakistani poet, essayist, lyricist, and a scholar of Urdu. He began writing more than five decades ago. He wrote a rich collection of na`ats, as well as several anthologies of ghazals and nazms, and his autobiography Gaye Dinon Ka Suraagh. He also wrote quatrains for Pakistan's daily newspaper Nawa-i-Waqt.

Shaukat Ali, also known as Shaukat Ali Khan, was a Pakistani folk singer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Akhlaq Ahmed</span> Pakistani playback singer (1946 - 1999)

Akhlaq Ahmed was a Pakistani film playback singer and still considered one of the leading voices of the film industry.

Sanam Baloch Hisbani or Jatoi credited as Sanam Baloch is a Pakistani actress and television presenter. She has hosted various television shows, such as Sanam Small Room on KTN and the morning show on Samaa TV. As an actress, she has starred in critically acclaimed drama series, such as Dastaan (2010) and Durr-e-Shehwar (2012).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fawad Khan</span> Pakistani actor, producer, screenwriter, model and singer (born 1981)

Fawad Afzal Khan is a Pakistani actor, producer, screenwriter, and singer known for his work in films and television. Having received several accolades, including a Filmfare Award, two Lux Style Awards, and six Hum Awards, he is widely regarded one of the greatest contemporary artists hailing from Asia.

Mohammed Ali Shehki is a Persian-Pakistani pop singer. Shehki entered the music scene in the 1970s with his originally composed and written songs, with a touch of Persian music. He later earned a name for himself in Pakistani pop music and as a playback singer.

Humaira Channa, also known as Humera Channa, is a 6 Nigar Award winning film playback singer from Pakistan. She has won 3rd most Nigar Awards in history, ranked only after Noor Jehan and Mehnaz.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Niaz Ahmed (musician)</span> Pakistani musician (1946–2019)

Niaz Ahmed was a Pakistani television, radio, and film musician. He is known for composing classical, semi-classical, and patriotic songs for Radio Pakistan and Pakistan Television.

Naheed Niazi is a former Pakistani playback singer who performed in the Lollywood movies during the era of 1960s. She is married to musician Muslehuddin; her sister is the singer Najma Niazi. She is known for her playback songs, "Chali Re Chali Re Main To Des Piya Ke Chali Re", "Raat Saloni Ayi", and others.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bilqees Khanum</span> Pakistani singer (1939–2022)

Bilqees Khanum was a Pakistani classical music singer. She is known for singing ghazals and geets like "Kuch Din To Baso Meri Ankhon Mein", "Anokha Laadla Khelan Ko Mangay Chand", and "Mat Samjho Hum Ne Bhula Diya".

References

  1. "OP-ED: The legacy of Sheikh Kamal". Dhaka Tribune . 15 August 2020. Archived from the original on 23 July 2021. Retrieved 29 May 2024.
  2. 1 2 Mahmood, Rafay (15 October 2011). "I need your prayers: Alamgir". The Express Tribune . Retrieved 7 September 2022.
  3. 1 2 Qamar, Saadia (7 May 2012). "Alamgir: Of music and legends". The Express Tribune . Retrieved 7 September 2022.
  4. Mahmood, Rafay (22 March 2012). "Alamgir: Late honours for a legend". The Express Tribune . Retrieved 7 September 2022.
  5. "Songs of film Aina". Pak Film Magazine. Retrieved 11 November 2021.
  6. "Songs of film Bobby And Julie". Pak Film Magazine. Retrieved 11 November 2021.
  7. Alavi, Omair (5 September 2016). "Defending Pakistan through Immortal Songs". Samaa TV . Retrieved 7 September 2022.
  8. Ansari, Hasan (25 January 2016). "Alamgir to be immortalised in upcoming biopic starring Fawad Khan – The Express Tribune". The Express Tribune . Retrieved 25 January 2016.
  9. "Fawad Khan will play Alamgir in 'Albela Rahi'". The Times of India . 25 January 2016. Retrieved 25 January 2016.