LAHORE: August 13 marks the death anniversary of Nazia Hassan, one of the most iconic figures in the history of Pakistan pop music who passed away 22 years ago today at the tender age of 35 following a prolonged battle with lung cancer.
The ultimate pop queen of the ’80s and ’90s, she was Pakistan’s, as well as the subcontinent’s, sweetheart whose songs were on everyone’s playlist.
Born on April 3, 1965, into a well-to-do Karachi family, the “Queen of Pop”, as she was called, started her career at the age of 10 as a child artist. She rose to prominence through the popular Pakistan Television programme Sung Sung.
Aap Jaisa Koi (If Someone Like You Comes Into My Life), a song she sang — as a 15-year-old schoolgirl — in Qurbani (1980), was one of the biggest hits in Bollywood film music. Young Asians in the sub-continent and the United Kingdom took to the dance floors to its tune.
She arrived as a teenager to London, where the song was recorded after she had met Bollywood filmmaker Feroz Khan at a party. She was not a trained singer, but Khan, and the London-based composer Biddu, liked the nasal quality of her voice.
Hassan’s association with Biddu brought her into the limelight on the British Asian pop scene. Together, they brought out Disco Deewane which, with its racy songs and harmonious blend of eastern rhythms and western beats, was number one for more than a year.
Overnight, Hassan became the queen of Asian pop.
Her immensely successful debut album, Disco Deewane, released in 1981, charted in 14 countries worldwide, and became the best-selling Asian pop record at the time.
Later, she and her brother, Zohaib Hassan, sang in another Bollywood film, Star. They returned to Pakistan in the early 1980s and released their first album, Young Tarang.
Another album, Hotline, followed in 1987. Hassan’s last solo album, Camera Camera, came out in London in 1992. Though some of these later albums lacked her early expressiveness, they still revealed her joie de vivre.
Hassan enjoyed widespread popularity across South and Southeast Asia. Along with her brother, she went on to sell over 65 million records worldwide.
Her English language single Dreamer Deewane made her the first Pakistan singer to make it to the British musical charts.
She was also a recipient of the country’s highest civilian award, Pride of Performance.
In addition to singing in films, Hassan was also a philanthropist and was appointed by UNICEF as its cultural ambassador in 1991.
Hassan, who had a law degree from the University of London, lived most of her life in Britain, but always returned to her roots in Pakistan. She was independent and was never afraid to speak her mind.
A lot of her money was given to charity; she also set up an organisation to help the poor, and — even at the peak of her popularity — made special appearances on television shows for children.
She spent a lot of time with young people, educating them about the dangers of drugs. Camera Camera, the album, was part of a campaign against narcotics.
Hassan passed away on August 13, 2000, in London. She was survived by her husband and son.
