Asfar Hussain is a Pakistani singer, composer and songwriter, best known as the vocalist in the Pakistani rock band ‘Bayan’, who gained recognition after appearing in the first season of the Pakistani show ‘Nescafe Basement’ in 2012.
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Wiki/Biography
Asfar Hussain was born on 17 December and hails from Chitral, North Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan. Their zodiac sign is Sagittarius. In Chitral, where music is an integral part of the culture, Asfar grew up watching musical gatherings at home, in which his friends and relatives would sing his poet father’s verses while his elder brother played the sitar. When Asfar was in middle school, he moved to Peshawar for a while, where he was introduced to Pakistani pop music that was emerging in the early 2000s. In an interview he said,
Because at that time I did not have cable or internet in Chitral. there [in Peshawar] we did. And so, I became influenced by pop music there.
Although there was some opposition in his family to him pursuing a career in music, his father supported his decision. After studying at a local school in Chitral, he enrolled at the National College of Arts (NCA) in Lahore, Pakistan to study musicology. Although Asfar has been singing since 7th grade, he first took center stage during his college days. In 2012, Zulfikar Jabbar Khan, producer and mentor of the show ‘Nescafe Basement’ (2012), discovered Asfar at the NCA auditions for the show. For the audition, Asfar sang the songs Raj-e-Fitna and Tau Kiya Huwa. He also participated in the All Pakistan Music Conference (APMC) in which he stood second in the Thumri (a genre of Indian music) category.
Physical Appearance
Height (approx): 6′
Hair Color: Black
Eye colour: black
Family
There is not much information about his family. Unlike Asfar, who is inclined towards Urdu and pop music, his elder brother, Chitrali sitar player, is connected to his hometown.
Asfar Hussain with his mother
livelihood
Asfar Hussain is a member of Lahore-based Pakistani rock band ‘Bayan’. The band came into limelight after appearing in the popular Pakistani TV series ‘Nescafe Basement’ (2012). It was during the jams and recording sessions for the show that the band members, all college students at the time, were introduced and became fast friends. As a result, their musical chemistry led to the opening of ‘Bayan’.
Asfar Hussain on the show ‘Nescafe Basement’
The alternative rock/contemporary pop band consists of Asfar Hussain (vocalist), Haider Abbas (bassist), Shahrukh Aslam (guitarist), Mukeet Shahzad (guitarist), and Mansoor Lashari (drummer).
Members of Rock Band ‘Bayan’- Asfar Hussain, Haider Abbas, Shahrukh Aslam, Mukeet Shahzad and Mansoor Lashari.
In 2015, the band gained immense popularity with their first original song, Nahi Milta, which was written by Asfar.
Cover image of the official video of the song Nahi Milta (2015)
The song was later compiled as part of the extended play ‘4 Years’ (2019), released under the record label Rearts Records. Among other songs, ‘4 Saal’ also includes the crowd pullers “Farda” and “Din Dhale”.
Cover photo of Bayan’s EP 4 Years (2019)
‘Nahi Milta’ featured in the 2017 Pakistani war-epic film ‘Yalghar’, marking the band’s debut in Lollywood.
The band’s first live performance was at the Pak Media Revolution Concert in Lahore. At Lahore Music Meet 2020, the band announced the release of their debut album ‘Suno’, released under the record label ReArts Records. The album included the chartbuster songs “Teri Tasveer” and “Mera Musafir”. Growing up in the hilly areas of Chitral, Asfar wrote the introductory lines of “Mera Musafir” imagining his home.
Cover of Bayan’s first music album ‘Suno’
In 2018, the band won the Pakistani music competition TV series ‘Pepsi Battle of the Bands’ by defeating a band named Zaraab. As the winner of the show, Bayan received a cash prize of Rs. 50 lakhs and an album contract with Pepsi.
The winning band of Pepsi Battle of the Bands with the Byan trophy and cash prize
The songs performed by Bayan in the show were shown on various music streaming services. During an interview in 2018, Asfar revealed that in addition to working with the band, he also worked as a teacher, teaching performing arts and music at a private school. Talking about the busy schedules of all the band members, he said,
We all have daily jobs and besides that we enjoy making music. Music in itself is so time-consuming that we hardly get time to do anything else.”
The band reunited on Pepsi Battle of the Bands during its fourth season to perform with season 2 winners, Kashmir – The Band. The band’s other singles include Bekhabar (2019), Aaj Bazaar Mein (2020), and Fariyad (2021). All of Bayan’s music is distributed and licensed by ReArts Records. In March 2020, Asfar Hussain, among other artistes, lent his voice to PepsiCo Pakistan’s hit cricket promotional song “Khel Jaa Dil Se”.
After the release of the song, Asfar was also featured on the labels of PepsiCo’s limited edition cold drink bottles in Pakistan.
Asfar Hussain was featured on the labels of Pepsi’s limited edition cold drink bottles in Pakistan
In February 2022, the band’s YouTube channel was awarded a Silver Creator Award for surpassing 100,000 subscribers.
Bayan Band members pose with the Silver Creator Award in 2022
In 2022, on the Pakistani television program ‘Coke Studio’, she sang the song “Mehram” with Brooklyn-based Pakistani singer Arooz Aftab.
Awards, Honors, Achievements
- Lux Style Award for Best Song of the Year for the song “Teri Tasveer” (2022)
Asfar Hussain posing with the Lux Style Award (2022)
- Shaan-e-Pakistan Music Achievement Awards (SEPMA) in the Best Song category for the song “Bekhabar” (2020)
Members of the band Bayan at the Shaan-e-Pakistan Music Achievement Awards (SEPMA) (2020)
Favorite
- Film: Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara (2011)
- Film Series: Gangs of Wasseypur
- Singer: Mehdi Hassan, Kishore Kumar, and Ustad Ghulam Ali Khan
Facts/General Knowledge
- Asfar Hussain is an avid dog lover. He posts various photos with his pet dog named Russian on his Instagram account.
Asfar Hussain with his pet dog Russian
- He is also known as Asfar Chitrali.
- Apart from singing, he is also proficient in playing Rabab, Guitar, Tabla and Chitrali Sitar.
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Categories: Biography
Source: vcmp.edu.vn