My Blog: Ali Zafar

Ali Zafar Biography

Ali Zafar is a Pakistani singer, actor and model, known as the “Prince of Pop”. He is very-well known all around South Asia for his looks, his talent, and his hit songs like, “Channo”, “Rangeen”, “Chal Dil Merey”, “Dekha” and “Sajania”.

Zafar recently won the “Youth Icon” award from the Lux Style Awards 2007, in Malaysia.

Early life

Zafar was born in Lahore, Pakistan to two professors at the University of the Punjab in 1980. He attended the C.A.A. Public School and the Beaconhouse Defence Campus. He graduated from the National College of Arts as a painter in 2002.

Music career

Ali Zafar made his debut as a musician with the album Huqa Pani, released in Pakistan in 2003 and worldwide in 2005. It was described by The Hindu as “take a Kishore Kumar-like voice , club it with yuppie Ibiza-ish electronic beats, and add a bit of nostalgic lyrics”.[4] The comparison to Kishore Kumar has been frequently made: in one interview Zafar, asked about the vocal resemblance, remarked “you’re the lucky hundredth person to tell me that”.[5]

The album was a hit, selling over five hundred thousand copies worldwide and winning the ‘Best Album’ category at the Lux Style Awards in 2004. In addition to the album’s popularity being reflected in the shops and by critics, it has been widely claimed that Himesh Reshammiya plagiarised one of the most well-known tracks from the album, Rangeen, for the song Dillagi Mein Jo Beet Jaaye. Soon Pritam too copied his track Channo Ki as Choreen ki Baatein(Fightclub).

Ali Zafar launched his second album “Masty” nationwide in Pakistan in November 2006. He has since released four tracks from the album called “Masty”, “Sajania”, “Dekha” and “Aasman”. A press conference for the release of the album was held in Lahore. The album has been released by Fire Records.

Ali Zafar released his second album “Masty” in India in February 2007. The album contains two additional remix tracks and has been launched by “FrankFinn Records”.

Ali recently released his third and long awaited single, “Dekha”, off his second album, which is a massive hit all over Pakistan. It is shot in Malaysia, produced by the Lux Company, and has the famous Pakistani actresses/models, Reema Khan, Meera, and Amina Haq, starring in it. Ali Zafar, in an interview regarding this video, said that this has to be his most expensive video yet.

Ali Zafar’s recent 2007 Canadian tour turned out to be the most successful Pakistani shows in history of the cities.

Discography

Albums

* Masty (December 1, 2006)

* Huqa Pani (November 21, 2003)

Awards

* Indus Music Awards 2005 – Best Pop Artist.

* Asian Bollywood Music Awards 2005 – Best Pop Music Album in Pakistan [Huqa Pani].

* Indus Music Awards 2004 – The Best Album [Huqa Pani].

* Indus Music Awards 2004 – The Best Debut Artist.

* Lux Style Awards 2004 – Best Music Album [Huqa Pani].

* Lux Style Awards 2007 – The Youth Icon Award.

Trivia

* Zafar also works as a model and actor: he has starred in TV commercials, such as one for Pepsi, and played the character Ramiz in the Pakistani serial Lunda-Bazar and also acted in the sitcom ‘College Jeans’.

* He was in the music video of Preeto by Abrar-ul-Haq.

* His hobbies include bowling and playing the computer game Counter-Strike.

Ali Zafar