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Nazia and Zoheb

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Nazia and Zoheb
Nazia Hassan in an interview with Dhanak TV, c. 1990s
Nazia Hassan in an interview with Dhanak TV, c. 1990s
Background information
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 the 1980. The group consisted of two siblings, Nazia Hassan (born on 3 April 1965; died on 13 August 2000) and Zoheb Hassan (born on 18 November 1966) (collectively known as Hassans, The Hassans or Hazan).[1][2] They are often credited with contributing to the growth of the Pakistani pop scene and achieved significant commercial success, 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 the 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 becoming a hit in countries such as Brazil, Russia, South Africa, and Indonesia.[1] The 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 album Young Tarang in 1983. It was the first album from Pakistan pre-MTV to feature music videos. Nazia and Zoheb released their fourth 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 final album. However, it did not achieve the same level of success as their previous albums, as Nazia fell severely ill, preventing them from promoting the album. After its release, Nazia decided to retire from her singing career to focus on her health and personal life. Zoheb went on to pursue his career as an actor and solo artist, releasing 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 13 August 2000 at the age of 35.[1] After her death, Zoheb Hassan also stepped away from 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]

History

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Early years (1975–1981)

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Nazia and Zoheb spent their childhood in Karachi as well as London. In the late 1970s, both siblings participated in "Sang Sang Chalien" and "Kaliyon Ke Mala"; musical shows for children, hosted by Sohail Rana. In 1976, Nazia and Zoheb both made a cameo appearance in the Pakistani film Beyond the Last Mountain as extras in a musical scene. Nazia's professional career started at the age of fifteen, when she provided lead vocals for the song "Aap Jaisa Koi" from the 1980 film Qurbani. Nazia was introduced to the film's director, Feroz Khan, by his friend Biddu, an Indian music producer based in the United Kingdom. The song was a success in India. In 1981, Nazia won the Filmfare Award for Best Female Playback Singer for "Aap Jaisa Koi."

Breakthrough era (1981–1983)

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After the success of "Aap Jaisa Koi", Qurbani became a big hit, and Nazia once again collaborated with Biddu and her brother, Zoheb. In 1981, Nazia and Zoheb became the first teen singers to release a pop album. The album was titled "Disco Deewane". The album broke record sales in Pakistan, India, Bangladesh, South Africa and even topped the charts in the West Indies, Latin America and Russia. Zoheb composed 6 out of the 10 tracks on the album.

After the release of "Disco Deewane", Nazia and Zoheb were offered the chance to act in the movie Star by Biddu, but they declined, preferring to focus on their music career. However, Nazia's second album Star/Boom Boom was used as the soundtrack for the movie, released in 1982. While the film was not successful at the box office, the album was very well received.

Continued success (1983–1989)

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Nazia's third album, Young Tarang, was released in 1983.[7]

Over thirty years later, an India Today article titled "Nazia makes a lovely comeback" celebrated Nazia Hassan's music appearing in the cult 2012 film, Miss Lovely, which had premiered at the Cannes Film Festival: "The film has made the audience nostalgic over Ahluwalia's use of the song "Dum dum de de" from Hassan's 1984 album, Young Tarang."[8] Miss Lovely director, Ashim Ahluwalia, described keeping the original track untouched: "The song symbolises the '80s and the lyrics of the song were in sync with the mood of the film. [We] retained the original voice of Nazia. We didn't want to remix this song because the original was perfect."[8]

Retirement (1990–1995)

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In 1991, Nazia and Zoheb recorded their fifth album, Camera Camera. Before the album's release, Nazia and Zoheb announced it would be their last album. The album was released in 1992 and featured tracks like the Punjabi classic "Taali Dey Thalay." Camera Camera failed to match the success of their previous albums, potentially suffering from a lack of promotion, as Nazia was diagnosed with cancer and they decided not to promote the album.

Nazia's death and beyond (2000–2003)

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Nazia Hassan died of lung cancer in London on 13 August 2000 at the age of 35.[9] In 2003, Nazia's family established the Nazia Hassan Foundation, a charitable organization, in her name.

Discography

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Albums

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Year Album title
1982 Star / Boom Boom
1983 Young Tarang
1987 Hotline
1992 Camera Camera

Film soundtracks

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Year Album title
1982 Star
1986 Dilwala
1986 Ilzaam
1987 Sheela
1989 Saaya
Year Title Note
2003 Gaye Ge Dunia Geet Mere Geo TV
2006 Kismet Show Geo TV
2007 Hum Morning Show Hum TV
2007 Marina Morning ARY Digital
2007 Baat Niklay Gee Tu ARY Digital
2008 Tribute to Nazia Hassan Play TV
2008 Nazia Hassan Ke Salgirah MTV
2008 Subah Sawaire with Shaista ARY OneWorld

See also

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References

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  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.
  7. ^ "Pakistan Hotel and Travel Review". Pakistan Hotel and Travel Review. 6–8. Syed Wali Ahmad Maulai: 45. 1983.
  8. ^ a b Priyanka Srivastava (19 January 2014). "Nazia makes a lovely comeback". India Today.
  9. ^ Jai Kumar (23 August 2000). "Obituary: Nazia Hassan". guardian.co.uk. The Guardian. Retrieved 18 May 2008.
  10. ^ "Beyond disco: The Pakistani Brummie siblings who made a lost 80s synth-pop classic". TheGuardian.com. 9 February 2021.
  11. ^ "Beyond Disco: Nermin Niazi and Feisal Mosleh". 4 June 2019.
  12. ^ "Nermin Niazi / Feisal Mosleh: Disco Se Aagay". Pitchfork.
  13. ^ "Nermin Niazi and Feisal Mosleh's 1984 Pakistani synth-pop LP reissued". 25 November 2020.
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