Rawalpindi: If there is one silver lining for Pakistan in 2020, the year of the coronavirus pandemic, it was the music scene, with new releases, new platforms and new collaborations. Here are the moments that stood out the most:
The experiments of Meesha Shafi:
Meesha Shafi has had a phenomenal year in music, with back to back hits, multiple appearances on Coke Studio, including it’s season opener “Na Tutteya Ve,’ which has raked in nearly 7 million views, two appearances on the newly launched Velo Sound Station, and powerful collaborations with fellow Pakistani artists Abdullah Siddiqui on “Magenta Cyan,” and Mughal-e-Fun on “Sakal Ban.”
Corporate platforms, old and new:
Coke Studio, the long running musical platform returned in 2020 with a new season and a new look, with many of the recordings taking place in the artists’ own homes or in smaller studios to protect against the coronavirus. The return of rapper Bohemia, and duets between Meesha Shafi and Ali Pervez Mehdi, which has been viewed over 4 million times, and Rahat Fateh Ali Khan and Zara Mardani, were some of the top Coke Studio moments of the year.
Another breath of fresh air was Velo Sound Station, the newest entry into Pakistan’s music industry format of corporate backed platforms, with releases by Atif Aslam, Umair Jaswal, Shamoon Ismail and Natasha Noorani, which has 4.8 million views. VSS also provided a platform for newer artists including Lahore based progressive metal band Takatak who released “Phantom,” on the platform.
Atif Aslam - Atif Aslam performs "Kadi Te Hans" on Velo Sound Stations first episode on November 20, 2020 (Photo courtesy: Velo Sound Station)
Natasha Noorani - Natasha Noorani performs "Baby, Baby" on Velo Sound Station's premiere episode on November 20, 2020 (Phot courtesy: Velo Sound Station)
Shamoon Ismail - Shamoon Ismail performs "Confetti" on Velo Sound Station's second episode on November 27, 2020 (Photo courtesy: Velo Sound Station)
Uzair Jaswal - Uzair Jaswal performs "Gagar" on Veloo Sound Station's first episode on November 20, 2020 (Photo courtesy: Velo Sound Station)
Collaborations home and abroad:
Natashi Noorani, the founder of Lahore Music Meet, released a much loved unplugged edition of UK-based Pakistani singer Imran Khan’s “Amplifier,” and collaborated with artist Talal Qureshi on the hit “Constant Summer.” The All Girl Band (Tag) released a cover of Taylor Swift’s “The Man,” which has become a staple on radio, Haniya Aslam released the catchy “Ayi Re,” with an illustrative video, and Abdullah Siddiqui, who has fast become one of the most sought after artists and producers in the country, dropped his album Heterotopia featuring the high energy tracks “Be Myself” with Aima Baig and “Frontline” with Noorani.
Notable mentions:
Some of the other notable mentions of the year are: Ali Noor of Noori releasing the solo album Pagal, Natasha Humera Ejaz putting out EP Extra on Time, Taha G releasing a capsule of songs including Bhool Diye, and Ghalib, and Natasha Baig droping her album Zariya.
