KARACHI: Indie artiste Hasan Raheem, who was recently announced as the first featured artiste on Spotify’s RADAR program in Pakistan, has been "championing the way forward through his music," the music platform said on Tuesday.
Hailing from Pakistan's northern Gilgit-Baltistan region, Raheem has carved a niche for himself with his mesmerizing vocals and is popular among the youth for his good looks.
The Pakistani indie popstar gained much fame through his songs 'Joona,' 'Aisay Kaisay,' 'Aarzu' and 'Peeche Hatt.'
“Indie music listenership in Pakistan is growing tremendously and Hasan Raheem being an indie artiste has been championing the way forward through his music,” Khan FM, Spotify's artiste & label partnership manager for Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh, told Arab News on Tuesday.
“He has established his presence this year, especially after appearing on Coke Studio’s hit song ‘Peechay Hutt’.”
Raheem started off as a musician in 2018, when his songs ‘Joona,’ ‘Aisay Kaisay’ and ‘Aarzu’ topped Spotify's most-streamed local songs list, as per music insights shared by Spotify this year.
“He continues to be an inspiration for newer artistes and so, we are proud to have him as our first RADAR artiste for Pakistan — where his music can now reach fans across the world unlike ever before for any Pakistani artiste,” FM said.
This undated picture shows Khan FM, Spotify's artiste & label partnership manager for Pakistan, Sri Lanka & Bangladesh. (Photo courtesy: Spotify)
Launched in 2020, RADAR is a global artiste-marketing program for Spotify that was explicitly created to support the growth of emerging artistes, helping them reach the next stage of their careers, and grow their fan base around the world.
Last week, the program was launched in Pakistan, a country with incredible talent and no limits to the potential in music.
“We are proud to be part of their journeys,” FM told Arab News.
Raheem says he is truly "blessed and honored" to be the first RADAR artiste in Pakistan.
"It all started with me posting a song almost three years ago on Spotify and here we are! I'm truly blessed and honored to be the first RADAR artiste of Pakistan," the indie artiste said in a statement last week.
"I'm excited to see how Pakistani music will evolve with programs like RADAR and how it will elevate more artistes from our country. Thank you to everyone who's been a part of this journey, you know that I truly love you all."
Spotify has also launched a mini-documentary on Raheem’s journey through RADAR, in which fans can see him up, close and personal. A doctor by qualification, Raheem shares his music journey in the documentary, calling his family his “main support.”
“We have been making and putting out music since last year. Finally, we have a final list of songs that we think is gonna complete the album,” Raheem says in the documentary, shot during a recent visit to Karachi to record his debut album.
“Coming back to this place after graduating, feels very welcoming. And I have good memories over here. I have written half of my songs in the library, my food and drink used to operate on a loan.”
Raheem has spent almost 16 years of his life in Karachi, but he has now moved to the capital Islamabad.
The documentary also features Raheem’s mother, who feels really good to see him pursuing a career in music.
Under the RADAR program, Raheem will be getting on- and off-platform marketing and promotional support, including billboard placements across Pakistan and internationally.
“His track ‘Joona’ is added to the RADAR Pakistan playlist and we will be supporting his debut album launch planned for later this year,” the Spotify partner said.
