Ali Azmat
Encyclopedia
Ali Azmat is a akistan], who gained recognition as the lead vocalist of the pop/rock band Junoon.

Ali Azmat married the TV producer Fariha Chapra (Fariha Khan) on September 10, 2011.

Music career

Early career

Azmat was born in Abbottabad and grew up in Garhi Shahu, Lahore
Lahore
Lahore is the capital of the Pakistani province of Punjab and the second largest city in the country. With a rich and fabulous history dating back to over a thousand years ago, Lahore is no doubt Pakistan's cultural capital. One of the most densely populated cities in the world, Lahore remains a...

, which he credits for his unconventional attitude. He went to Sydney, Australia for his higher studies, but due to financial difficulties, returned to 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...

 before completing university.

His first band 'Jupiters' was known for performing covers at small gigs, such as weddings, in Lahore. While with them, Azmat wrote his legendary hit song Dosti
Dosti
Dosti is a 1964 Indian Hindi film directed by Satyen Bose and produced by Tarachand Barjatya . The music is by Laxmikant Pyarelal. The film was Sanjay Khan's debut film and also had Sudhir Kumar, Sushil Kumar, Leela Mishra and Leela Chitnis...

. He later sang and recorded Dosti with Junoon, after which the song gained national fame.

He is a cousin of Mustafa Zahid
Mustafa Zahid
Mustafa Zahid is a Pakistani Rock artist who has enjoyed a lot of success since bursting into the public eye in 2006 with his hit single "Tera Mera Rishta". Mustafa is also the band leader and the lead vocalist of Roxen, an all out rock band which he formed with some of his friends in 2004...

, the lead vocalist of Roxen
Roxen
Roxen is a medium-sized lake in south central Sweden, east of lake Vättern, part of the waterpath Motala ström and the Göta Canal. South of lake Roxen is the city Linköping....

.

Junoon

Junoon was Pakistan's biggest band famous for combining traditional poetry and instruments with rock music. Azmat was the lead vocalist of the band. With Junoon, he toured extensively, doing two North American tours a year since 1992. He performed in Europe, the Middle East and China and at the European rock festival, Roskilde in June 2000. He left Junoon in 2005 to pursue a solo career.

Solo career

Ali Azmat released his first solo album, Social Circus, in March 2005 to critical acclaim. Social Circus was a massive departure from Junoon's style and won 23 awards in Pakistan, including Best Album and Best Producer. In India, Azmat was nominated for Best Soundtrack and Best Song at the Sahara Awards held in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...

, for his single "Garaj Baras" in the Pooja Bhatt
Pooja Bhatt
Pooja Bhatt is an Indian film actress and model, currently devoting time to film production and direction. She is the daughter of Indian film director Mahesh Bhatt.-Early life:...

 film Paap
Paap
Paap ) is a 2004 Bollywood film, directed by Pooja Bhatt in her directorial debut, and features John Abraham, Udita Goswami, Gulshan Grover and Mohan Agashe....

. Azmat's second album, Klashinfolk, was released in August 2008 and recorded at Mekaal Hasan Studios in Lahore. Klashinfolk also received significant critical acclaim across Pakistan, although (like Social Circus) it was not a huge commercial success.

Bollywood

Azmat made his Bollywood
Bollywood
Bollywood is the informal term popularly used for the Hindi-language film industry based in Mumbai , Maharashtra, India. The term is often incorrectly used to refer to the whole of Indian cinema; it is only a part of the total Indian film industry, which includes other production centers producing...

 music debut with the song Garaj Baras that was chosen by Pooja Bhatt
Pooja Bhatt
Pooja Bhatt is an Indian film actress and model, currently devoting time to film production and direction. She is the daughter of Indian film director Mahesh Bhatt.-Early life:...

, a close friend of Azmat. The song was picturized on John Abraham
John Abraham (actor)
John Abraham is an Indian film actor and former model. After modeling for numerous advertisements and companies, Abraham made his film debut with Jism , which earned him a Filmfare Best Debut Award nomination. This was followed by his first commercial success, Dhoom...

.

Apart from that, Azmat gave his song Naina and Teri Perchahian, from Klashinfolk and Social Circus
Social Circus
Social Circus refers to the growing movement toward the use of circus arts as mediums for social justice and social good. It uses alternative pedagogical tools to work with youth who are marginalized or at social or personal risk.-Purpose:...

 respectively, to the film Tera Kya Hoga Johnny
Tera Kya Hoga Johnny
Tera Kya Hoga Johny is a 2008 Bollywood film directed by director Sudhir Mishra, starring child actor Sikander in the lead role. Actors Neil Nitin Mukesh, Kay Kay Menon, Soha Ali Khan and Karan Nath are also part of the film...

. The film only recently made it to the limelight after a leaking controversy.

Discography

  • Social Circus (2005)

  • Klashinfolk (2008)

  • Josh-E-Junoon (2010)

  • Bum Phatta (2011)

  • Chalta Mein Jaaon (2011)

Band

Azmat often plays rhythm guitar, besides singing, during concerts. He also plays the drums but rarely in concerts. The current lineup of Ali Azmat's band for live performances and albums worked with him on Klashinfolk and has remained since. It includes Omran "Momo" Shafique (of Mauj) on lead guitar, Kamran "Mannu" Zafar on bass guitar and Louis J. "Gumby" Pinto on drums.

Television

Azmat has also acted in Pakistani television series. He also sang the title songs of many series. He played the role of a con artist in a Pakistani tele film. Azmat also wrote the theme song for a children television series, 'The Magic Tent'. Azmat also hosted a show called "Pappu Yar Tang Na Kar" for Aag television
AAG TV
AAG TV is a youth entertainment channel in Pakistan, owned by Independent Media Corporation . The Urdu word "aag" means "fire."...

. He also starred in a telefilm, "ChaalBaz" in 2006 which was aired on ARY Digital
ARY Digital
ARY Digital, a subsidiary of the ARY Group, is a popular Pakistani television network available in Pakistan, the Middle East, North America and Europe. The ARY Group of companies is a Dubai-based holding company founded by a Pakistani businessman, Abdul Razzak Yaqoob . The network caters to the...

. He has also worked with local pop musicians such as Omran Shafique from Mauj and Gumby, the former drummer of Noori. Azmat also co-hosted the political television show "Iqbal Ka Pakistan" with controversial political analyst Zaid Hamid
Zaid Hamid
Syed Zaiduzzaman Hamid, better known as Zaid Hamid, is a Pakistani security consultant and political commentator. His byline in newspaper articles has been Zaid Zaman.-Early life and education:...

.

Awards and nominations

First Indus Style Awards (2006)
Indus Media Group
Indus Media Group is Pakistani company broadcasting a mix of free-to-air news and entertainment channels via satellite.IMG owns and operates the INDUS brand of television channels in various global markets.-Company:...

  • Won - Best Sound of Style Award.


3rd Jazz IM Award (2006)
Indus Media Group
Indus Media Group is Pakistani company broadcasting a mix of free-to-air news and entertainment channels via satellite.IMG owns and operates the INDUS brand of television channels in various global markets.-Company:...

  • Won - Best Pop Male Artist.


The Music Awards - T.M.A (2006)
  • Won - Best Song Award for Na Re Na
  • Won - Best Video Award for Na Re Na
  • Won - Best Lyrics Award for Na Re Na
  • Won - Best Music Producer Award
  • Won - Best Album Of The Year Award - Social Circus


5th Sony Ericsson Lux Style Awards (2006)
  • Won - Best Album Of The Year Award - Social Circus
  • Won - Best Video Award for Na Re Na - Saqib Malik


8th Annual Lux Style Award (2009)
  • Nominated - Best Music Album - Klashinfolk
  • Nominated - Best Music Video - Gallan
  • Nominated - Song of the Year - Gallan


MTV Brrrr Music Awards (2009)
MTV Pakistan
Music Television Pakistan is the Pakistani subsidiary of MTV, a cable television network owned by Viacom Inc. headquartered in New York. The Pakistan franchise has been set up in collaboration with Pakistan's first satellite channel media group known as Indus Media Group . Indus TV is Pakistan's...

  • Nominated - Best Music Album - Klashinfolk


The Nestle Fruita Vitals Pakistan Style Awards (2010)
  • Won - Stylish Singer Male.

External links

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