Aaroh
Encyclopedia
Aaroh was an alternative rock
band from Karachi
, Sindh
, Pakistan
, formed in 1998. The band was founded by lead guitarist Nabeel Nihal Chishty
and vocalist Farooq Ahmed, who were joined by keyboardist Kamran Khan, bassist Khalid Khan and drummer Adnan Hussain.
The band achieved fame with their exuberant live performances backed up with thought provoking lyrics, and also, their performance in the Pakistani rock scene in 2002, most notably at the Pepsi Battles of the bands, helped them leave a trail for themselves. Soon, after the success of the battle of the bands, Hussain was replaced by drummer Jason Anthony and then the band went on releasing their critically acclaim debut album, Sawaal
, in September 2003. Singles from the album like "Sawaal", "Na Kaho", "Jalan" and "Jeeyay" were a success and topped several local music charts. In 2004, band members, Ahmed and Chishty went into a dispute that who owns the rights for the band's name. This saw Chishty and Kamran Khan leaving as the band officially announced their split up. The band then recruited Haider Hashmi on lead guitars as a replacement for Chishty. Aaroh, with their new lead guitarist, then went on releasing their second studio album Raag Neela in 2006, receiving too much criticism and critical acclaim. Singles like "Raag Neela", "Pyaar Ka Jaal" and "Janay Kyun" did well at the local music charts.
After the release of their second studio album, Aaroh disbanded as band members concentrated on their personal projects. Farooq Ahmed, vocalist and Haider Hashmi, lead guitarist, went on to pursue a career as a solo singer, while bassist Khalid Khan went on performing as a session player for the band Fuzön
.
started out as a session player working with many major artists around Pakistan
, but soon, according to him, he was "tired of playing sessions for other artists" and felt that he wasn't getting around to doing what he "wanted to do." Thus in 1998, after completing his education from the United States
, Nabeel started to work on his own project and looked for collaboration with someone, which ended up working with keyboardist Kamran Khan; who previously worked with former Vital Signs
, vocalist Junaid Jamshed
. The duo, Chishty and Kamran, then went on recruiting Farooq Ahmed on vocals and Khalid Khan on bass, who at the time was also a full time member of Mizraab
, along with drummer Adnan Hussain. After recruiting members to the band the concept of Aaroh began to form.
Farooq had an unreleased solo album under his belt. "It's good but it's not Aaroh!" he says. Where as, before the formation of the band, Chishty had secured himself two record deals for an instrumental album that he was working on. "That was a little while before the Battle Of The Bands. When I met Farooq I thought that we should try this Battle Of The Bands, the big shebang; we all know what happened there. We were as shocked as our friends. We didn't expect to clinch it. I mean we were hoping for a good showing. It went way beyond expectation that's for sure."
The name of the band was conceived by Shoaib Mansoor
, which derived from the word 'aarohi' which in musical terms means 'to ascend.' This was followed by the band's participation in Pepsi Battle of the Band held in Karachi
, Sindh
in 2002.
Battle of the Bands
advertisement began to air on television; the competition called upon entries of aspiring bands from all over Pakistan
. This saw the band taking participation in the competition by the name "Aaroh", given by Shoaib Mansoor
. It was during this time Aaroh officially came into being. Aaroh band members got together for the Battle of the Bands and went to perform at the competition. The band first took part in the digital round of the competition, where the band went on head to head with twenty hundred bands from across the four provinces of Pakistan. The competition included bands like Entity Paradigm, Mekaal Hasan Band
and Mizmaar, which also later on became well known popular mainstream rock bands coming from the underground music
scene. During the competition, the band performed songs "Sawaal", "Aag Ki Tarhan" and also covering the Vital Signs
song, "Ajnabi".
After a sixteen months hiatus, during which the competition was being aired on national, cable and satellite television programmes, viewers polled for their favourite band in the competition. By then the results of the Battle of the Bands came out and it was told that two bands who made to the finals were Aaroh along with Entity Paradigm. The band went on perform to compete at the finals of the competition held in Karachi
, Sindh
. The band won the competition by a narrow margin to Entity Paradigm, who came runners-up, in front of an audience of around 4,000 at the NRA Golf Club, where the finals were held.
, through the record label Sadaf Stereo all over Pakistan
. The album was sponsored by Pepsi
, since, Aaroh won the Battle of the Bands competition which was held in Karachi
, Sindh
in 2002. The album produced and composed by Nabeel Nihal Chishty
described the concept of the album, saying “The album basically leans towards the romantic side. The lyrics deal with the different emotions a person goes through while in love. It is quite varied. There is darkness, there is subtlety and there is also forthrightness.”
Former members
Session musicians
Timeline
Alternative rock
Alternative rock is a genre of rock music and a term used to describe a diverse musical movement that emerged from the independent music underground of the 1980s and became widely popular by the 1990s...
band from Karachi
Karachi
Karachi is the largest city, main seaport and the main financial centre of Pakistan, as well as the capital of the province of Sindh. The city has an estimated population of 13 to 15 million, while the total metropolitan area has a population of over 18 million...
, Sindh
Sindh
Sindh historically referred to as Ba'ab-ul-Islam , is one of the four provinces of Pakistan and historically is home to the Sindhi people. It is also locally known as the "Mehran". Though Muslims form the largest religious group in Sindh, a good number of Christians, Zoroastrians and Hindus can...
, Pakistan
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
, formed in 1998. The band was founded by lead guitarist Nabeel Nihal Chishty
Nabeel Nihal Chishty
Nabeel Nihal Chishty is guitarist, composer and record producer. He is a founding member and was the lead guitarist of the Progressive rock band Aaroh until his departure...
and vocalist Farooq Ahmed, who were joined by keyboardist Kamran Khan, bassist Khalid Khan and drummer Adnan Hussain.
The band achieved fame with their exuberant live performances backed up with thought provoking lyrics, and also, their performance in the Pakistani rock scene in 2002, most notably at the Pepsi Battles of the bands, helped them leave a trail for themselves. Soon, after the success of the battle of the bands, Hussain was replaced by drummer Jason Anthony and then the band went on releasing their critically acclaim debut album, Sawaal
Sawaal (album)
Sawaal by Aaroh is the band's first studio album. It was produced by the band's guitarist, Nabeel Nihal Chishty. The album was sponsored by Pepsi since Aaroh won the Battle of the Bands competition which was held in Karachi...
, in September 2003. Singles from the album like "Sawaal", "Na Kaho", "Jalan" and "Jeeyay" were a success and topped several local music charts. In 2004, band members, Ahmed and Chishty went into a dispute that who owns the rights for the band's name. This saw Chishty and Kamran Khan leaving as the band officially announced their split up. The band then recruited Haider Hashmi on lead guitars as a replacement for Chishty. Aaroh, with their new lead guitarist, then went on releasing their second studio album Raag Neela in 2006, receiving too much criticism and critical acclaim. Singles like "Raag Neela", "Pyaar Ka Jaal" and "Janay Kyun" did well at the local music charts.
After the release of their second studio album, Aaroh disbanded as band members concentrated on their personal projects. Farooq Ahmed, vocalist and Haider Hashmi, lead guitarist, went on to pursue a career as a solo singer, while bassist Khalid Khan went on performing as a session player for the band Fuzön
Fuzon
Fuzon may refer to:*Fuzon , a character from The Book of Ahania by William Blake*Fuzön, a band from Pakistan...
.
Early years (1998-2001)
Nabeel Nihal ChishtyNabeel Nihal Chishty
Nabeel Nihal Chishty is guitarist, composer and record producer. He is a founding member and was the lead guitarist of the Progressive rock band Aaroh until his departure...
started out as a session player working with many major artists around Pakistan
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
, but soon, according to him, he was "tired of playing sessions for other artists" and felt that he wasn't getting around to doing what he "wanted to do." Thus in 1998, after completing his education from the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, Nabeel started to work on his own project and looked for collaboration with someone, which ended up working with keyboardist Kamran Khan; who previously worked with former Vital Signs
Vital Signs (band)
Vital Signs were a Pakistani Pop rock band that formed in Rawalpindi in 1986. The group was formed by Rohail Hyatt and Shahzad Hasan , who were soon joined by Nusrat Hussain and Junaid Jamshed...
, vocalist Junaid Jamshed
Junaid Jamshed
Junaid Jamshed is a Pakistani recording artist who gained fame as the frontman of the pop group, Vital Signs in 1987 with the hit song, "Dil Dil Pakistan", and remained in demand throughout the 1990s...
. The duo, Chishty and Kamran, then went on recruiting Farooq Ahmed on vocals and Khalid Khan on bass, who at the time was also a full time member of Mizraab
Mizraab
Mizraab is a progressive rock band from Karachi, Sindh, Pakistan, formed in 1997...
, along with drummer Adnan Hussain. After recruiting members to the band the concept of Aaroh began to form.
Farooq had an unreleased solo album under his belt. "It's good but it's not Aaroh!" he says. Where as, before the formation of the band, Chishty had secured himself two record deals for an instrumental album that he was working on. "That was a little while before the Battle Of The Bands. When I met Farooq I thought that we should try this Battle Of The Bands, the big shebang; we all know what happened there. We were as shocked as our friends. We didn't expect to clinch it. I mean we were hoping for a good showing. It went way beyond expectation that's for sure."
The name of the band was conceived by Shoaib Mansoor
Shoaib Mansoor
Shoaib Mansoor , PP, SI, is an acclaimed Pakistani film and television producer, director, writer, lyricist and composer.-Career:...
, which derived from the word 'aarohi' which in musical terms means 'to ascend.' This was followed by the band's participation in Pepsi Battle of the Band held in Karachi
Karachi
Karachi is the largest city, main seaport and the main financial centre of Pakistan, as well as the capital of the province of Sindh. The city has an estimated population of 13 to 15 million, while the total metropolitan area has a population of over 18 million...
, Sindh
Sindh
Sindh historically referred to as Ba'ab-ul-Islam , is one of the four provinces of Pakistan and historically is home to the Sindhi people. It is also locally known as the "Mehran". Though Muslims form the largest religious group in Sindh, a good number of Christians, Zoroastrians and Hindus can...
in 2002.
Formation (2002)
In early 2002, during this time Pepsi'sPepsi
Pepsi is a carbonated soft drink that is produced and manufactured by PepsiCo...
Battle of the Bands
Battle of the Bands
Battle of Bands is a contest in which two or more bands compete for the title of "best band". The winner is determined by a panel of judges, the general response of the audience, or a combination. The winning band usually receives a prize in addition to bragging rights. Traditionally, battles of...
advertisement began to air on television; the competition called upon entries of aspiring bands from all over Pakistan
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
. This saw the band taking participation in the competition by the name "Aaroh", given by Shoaib Mansoor
Shoaib Mansoor
Shoaib Mansoor , PP, SI, is an acclaimed Pakistani film and television producer, director, writer, lyricist and composer.-Career:...
. It was during this time Aaroh officially came into being. Aaroh band members got together for the Battle of the Bands and went to perform at the competition. The band first took part in the digital round of the competition, where the band went on head to head with twenty hundred bands from across the four provinces of Pakistan. The competition included bands like Entity Paradigm, Mekaal Hasan Band
Mekaal Hasan Band
Mekaal Hasan Band, sometimes shortened to MHB, is a sufi rock band formed in Lahore, Punjab, Pakistan in 1999 by composer-songwriter, guitarist Mekaal Hasan...
and Mizmaar, which also later on became well known popular mainstream rock bands coming from the underground music
Underground music
Underground music comprises a range of different musical genres that operate outside of mainstream culture. Such music can typically share common values, such as the valuing of sincerity and intimacy; an emphasis on freedom of creative expression; an appreciation of artistic creativity...
scene. During the competition, the band performed songs "Sawaal", "Aag Ki Tarhan" and also covering the Vital Signs
Vital Signs (band)
Vital Signs were a Pakistani Pop rock band that formed in Rawalpindi in 1986. The group was formed by Rohail Hyatt and Shahzad Hasan , who were soon joined by Nusrat Hussain and Junaid Jamshed...
song, "Ajnabi".
After a sixteen months hiatus, during which the competition was being aired on national, cable and satellite television programmes, viewers polled for their favourite band in the competition. By then the results of the Battle of the Bands came out and it was told that two bands who made to the finals were Aaroh along with Entity Paradigm. The band went on perform to compete at the finals of the competition held in Karachi
Karachi
Karachi is the largest city, main seaport and the main financial centre of Pakistan, as well as the capital of the province of Sindh. The city has an estimated population of 13 to 15 million, while the total metropolitan area has a population of over 18 million...
, Sindh
Sindh
Sindh historically referred to as Ba'ab-ul-Islam , is one of the four provinces of Pakistan and historically is home to the Sindhi people. It is also locally known as the "Mehran". Though Muslims form the largest religious group in Sindh, a good number of Christians, Zoroastrians and Hindus can...
. The band won the competition by a narrow margin to Entity Paradigm, who came runners-up, in front of an audience of around 4,000 at the NRA Golf Club, where the finals were held.
Success (2003-2005)
On September 21, 2003, the band went on releasing their debut album SawaalSawaal (album)
Sawaal by Aaroh is the band's first studio album. It was produced by the band's guitarist, Nabeel Nihal Chishty. The album was sponsored by Pepsi since Aaroh won the Battle of the Bands competition which was held in Karachi...
, through the record label Sadaf Stereo all over Pakistan
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
. The album was sponsored by Pepsi
Pepsi
Pepsi is a carbonated soft drink that is produced and manufactured by PepsiCo...
, since, Aaroh won the Battle of the Bands competition which was held in Karachi
Karachi
Karachi is the largest city, main seaport and the main financial centre of Pakistan, as well as the capital of the province of Sindh. The city has an estimated population of 13 to 15 million, while the total metropolitan area has a population of over 18 million...
, Sindh
Sindh
Sindh historically referred to as Ba'ab-ul-Islam , is one of the four provinces of Pakistan and historically is home to the Sindhi people. It is also locally known as the "Mehran". Though Muslims form the largest religious group in Sindh, a good number of Christians, Zoroastrians and Hindus can...
in 2002. The album produced and composed by Nabeel Nihal Chishty
Nabeel Nihal Chishty
Nabeel Nihal Chishty is guitarist, composer and record producer. He is a founding member and was the lead guitarist of the Progressive rock band Aaroh until his departure...
described the concept of the album, saying “The album basically leans towards the romantic side. The lyrics deal with the different emotions a person goes through while in love. It is quite varied. There is darkness, there is subtlety and there is also forthrightness.”
Awards and nominations
Aaroh's most significant achievement was winning the Pepsi Battle of the Bands in 2002. Aaroh has also been nominated at the ARY Asian/Bollywood Awards for the "Best Band" award in 2004 and received a nomination for the "Best Lyrics Award" for their song "Na Kaho" at the Indus Music Awards in 2005. Overall, Aaroh have received just two nominations but have not won any award.Band members
Final line-up- Farooq Ahmed - vocals (1998–2009)
- Jason Anthony - drumsDrum kitA drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
(2003–2009) - Haider Hashmi - lead guitarLead guitarLead guitar is a guitar part which plays melody lines, instrumental fill passages, guitar solos, and occasionally, some riffs within a song structure...
, rhythm guitarRhythm guitarRhythm guitar is a technique and rôle that performs a combination of two functions: to provide all or part of the rhythmic pulse in conjunction with singers or other instruments; and to provide all or part of the harmony, ie. the chords, where a chord is a group of notes played together...
(2004–2009) - Khalid Khan - bass guitarBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
(1998–2009)
Former members
- Kamran "Kami Jee" Khan – keyboards, backing vocalsBacking vocalistA backing vocalist or backing singer is a singer who provides vocal harmony with the lead vocalist or other backing vocalists...
(1998–2004) - Nabeel Nihal ChishtyNabeel Nihal ChishtyNabeel Nihal Chishty is guitarist, composer and record producer. He is a founding member and was the lead guitarist of the Progressive rock band Aaroh until his departure...
– lead guitarLead guitarLead guitar is a guitar part which plays melody lines, instrumental fill passages, guitar solos, and occasionally, some riffs within a song structure...
, backing vocalsBacking vocalistA backing vocalist or backing singer is a singer who provides vocal harmony with the lead vocalist or other backing vocalists...
(1998–2004) - Adnan Hussain - drumsDrum kitA drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
(1998–2002)
Session musicians
- Saeed Ahmad Mughal - drumsDrum kitA drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
(2006)
Timeline
External links
- Official website
- Aaroh at MySpaceMySpaceMyspace is a social networking service owned by Specific Media LLC and pop star Justin Timberlake. Myspace launched in August 2003 and is headquartered in Beverly Hills, California. In August 2011, Myspace had 33.1 million unique U.S. visitors....