| Atif Aslam | |
|---|---|
| Background information | |
| Also known as | Aatif, Aadee |
| Born | Wazirabad, Pakistan 12 March 1983 |
| Origin | Lahore, Pakistan |
| Genres | Rock, Pop (South Asian influence) |
| Occupations | Musician, Singer, Lyricist, Actor |
| Instruments | Vocals, Guitar |
| Years active | 2001-present |
| Labels | Pakistan - Fire Records India - Tips |
| Associated acts | Strings, Jal, Hadiqa Kiani, Shreya Ghoshal, Alka Yagnik, Sachin Gupta, Pritam, Alisha Chinoy, Sunidhi Chauhan |
| Website | Official Website |
Atif Aslam (Urdu: عاطف اسلم, born Mohammad Atif Aslam; 12 March 1983 in Wazirabad, Gujranwala, Pakistan) is a Pakistani pop singer and film actor by having the lead role in the film Bol. He is widely recognized in South Asia and has given several hit songs such as Aadat, Woh Lamhe, Tere Bin, Bakhuda Tumhi Ho, Pehli Nazar Mein, Tera Hone Laga Hoon, Tu Jaane Na, Tere Liye.[1] He is one of the most popular pakistani celebrity on Facebook with over 3.1 million fans. His powerful vocal belting technique and crooning voice made him popular among the industry.[2][3] In 2008, he was awarded the Tamgha-e-Imtiaz by the Government of Pakistan].[3]
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Atif Aslam was born in 1983 in Pakistan. He studied at PAF College, Lahore where he completed his F.Sc (Pre-engineering) with the class of 2001. He has represented his college cricket team and represented his college in various other cities as well. He won his first singing competition on Independence Day celebrations in the college. He then went to the University of Central Punjab and completed his Bachelors in Computer Science.[4]
Once when a singing competition was going on in his college, his friends suggested him to take part in it, as he had his own style of singing. He then presented "DOOR SE KOI AAYE" (song of Pakistani band STRINGS) in his unique style and thus he got first prize in singing.
Atif Aslam is single and lives in Lahore, Pakistan with his family. He is very religious and has a strong faith, linking his songs to Allah and saying he doesn't like singing songs that have no meaning or purpose. He plays guitar and is very passionate about helping young people, especially in Pakistan. He lives a normal middle class lifestyle and is known for keeping a low profile life in Pakistan.
He used to sing at the college canteen when his friends urged him to participate in the singing competition on Independence Day celebrations at PAF College Lahore in 1998. He performed there and won the competition. Thereafter, he also won several other college competitions.
He met Goher- a guitarist who became his future Jal band-mate, at his college. Together they practiced and started doing mini-concerts for their friends. Atif used to perform on the songs of Junoon and Strings at these concerts. They started performing in their college, McDonalds, Uncle Bubba's Rabba Dabba and other restaurants. Thus began the original line up of Jal.
Jal recorded their first song Aadat at Mekal Hassan's Studio. The song became popular on different musical websites in Pakistan and was also aired on major radio stations of Pakistan like City FM 89, FM 100, Mast FM 103, FM 105 etc. The video for this song was released on ARY Digital and The Musik and then it was played on almost all the channels.
After leaving Jal due to personal differences, Atif released his first solo album, Jal Pari on 19 July 2004, under Sound Master and IC records. Its promoters declared it to be the best-selling album of that year within just 5 months of its release.[5] Besides his native country, he also became popular in India and his career took off to fame in both the countries. In the meantime he also cleared his Bachelors in Computer Science (Hons.) from the University of Central Punjab. His second album, Doorie was released on 22 December 2006.
His first major concert was at Al Hamra Hall, Mall Road Lahore where he performed during the break of a stage drama Moulin Rouge. On 14 April 2007, Atif headlined in the Flex FX Dhamaka alongside Jay Sean at Royal Albert Hall. His first international concert was at W. StarDreamz Entertainment Group during his tour of USA and Canada with RDB and Annie.
Atif also mentioned in a press conference held in Karachi that he will be working on an international project titled The Dreamer Awakes, alongside members of American rock band Guns N' Roses.
Aslam has began work on his fourth album. There were rumors circulating online that it is titled Shabnam. This was rubbished off by Atif. “Right now, my entire focus is on this project (The Dreamer Awakes). I may be singing with Chris Martin or John Mayer… we’re trying to bring a lot of people together.”[6]
Atif sung frequently for Bollywood films, like Pehli Nazar Mein in Race, Tere Bin in Bas Ek Pal, Bakhuda Tumhi Ho in Kismat Konnection, Tera Hone Laga Hoon and Tu Jaane Na in Ajab Prem Ki Ghazab Kahani, Tere Liye in the film Prince and etc. All of which have been very well-received by the Indian and Pakistani audiences.[7]
He also performed background vocals for scenes in Prince. His recent Indian song was Le Ja Tu Mujhe from movie F.A.L.T.U. His latest song 'Piya O Re Piya' with Shreya Ghoshal will be in the movie 'Tere Naal Love Hogaya' which will be released in February 2012."Tu mohabbat hai" is also a song in this film he sang. He is now doing a musical show with Himesh Reshammiya.
Atif's two songs featured in the Hollywood film Man Push Cart.[8] Aadat, Ehsaas and Yakeen are the three tracks. These songs are taken from his debut album Jal Pari. Atif is the 3rd Pakistani singer after Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan and Strings to be featured in any Hollywood movie.[9]
In 2010, Atif also diversified as an actor and took up the challenge to star in a movie called “BOL”. The movie is directed by acclaimed Pakistani director Shoaib Mansoor and provides a deep moralistic insight into the most sensitive issues prevailing in Pakistan. The aim of the movie is to convey a meaningful message to the audience and that is the main reason that Atif Aslam chose this particular role over all the offers he had received. He wanted to portray a character that would be of some use to the society and would also challenge his limits as an artist.
Atif had received offers for various projects in India, but he chose to begin his acting career in a Pakistani movie because he wanted to return to his roots. His music career took off in Pakistan and he wanted to do his first movie project in a Pakistani venture as well. Atif Aslam sang two songs for the movie. The first song was called “Kaho (Aj Bol Do)” and the second song was called “Hona Tha Pyaar” that was composed by Atif Aslam himself. Both songs received a great response.
The movie released all over Pakistan on 24th June, 2011 and is set to release worldwide later this year. The response in Pakistan was phenomenal as the movie created box office history in its very first week. The rave reviews from the critics were accompanied by a record breaking business of Rs. 25 million approximately by the end of first week. The response of the movie goers in Pakistan solidified the reputation of Atif Aslam as the most charismatic personality in recent history.
After the release of the song Aadat by Jal, there were disputes within the band about Atif's brother being the band's manager. At this point Atif broke off from the band to do his own solo album. His solo album was released a few weeks before the release of the Jal's album Aadat. As both the albums shared certain tracks such as Aadat, Woh Lamhein, Rangon Mein and Dil Harey, an unofficial war over rights began between both the groups. Goher Mumtaz sued Atif Aslam for using the name Jal in his album title cunningly Jal Pari.
| Year | Album | Note |
|---|---|---|
| 2004 | Jal Pari | Songs used for Hollywood movie Man Push Cart and also for Bollywood |
| 2006 | Doorie | First international album of Atif Aslam |
| 2008 | Meri Kahani | Few songs from this album was leaked on websites by unknown user but removed with in 24 hours |
| 2011 | The Dreamer Awakes | Featuring Matt Sorum, Gilby Clarke[10] |
| Year | Film | Character Name | Film Industry | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | Bol | Mustafa | Lollywood | Debut |
| No. | Song | Co-Singer |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Meri Hamjoliyan | None |
| 2 | Yunhi | None |
| 3 | Teriyan Yaadan | None |
| 4 | Ab Khud Kuch Karna Paray Ga | Strings |
| 5 | Haath Uthao (For Flood Victims) | None |
| 6 | Lambi Judai | None |
| 7 | Dosti | None |
| 8 | Aas Paas | Hadiqa Kiani |
| Year | Song | Film | Film Industry | Co-Singer |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | Woh Lamhe | Zeher | Bollywood | |
| Woh Lamhe (Remix) | ||||
| Aadat | Kalyug | |||
| Aadat (Remix) | ||||
| 2006 | Tere Bin | Bas Ek Pal | ||
| 2008 | Pehli Nazar Mein | Race | ||
| Bakhuda Tumhi Ho | Kismat Konnection | Alka Yagnik | ||
| Bakhuda Tumhi Ho (Remix) | ||||
| 2009 | Tera Hone Laga Hoon | Ajab Prem Ki Ghazab Kahani | Alisha Chinoy | |
| Tera Hone Laga Hoon (Remix) | ||||
| Tu Jaane Na | ||||
| Tu Jaane Na (Remix) | ||||
| 2010 | O Mere Khuda | Prince | Garima Jhingoon | |
| Tere Liye | Shreya Ghoshal | |||
| Tere Liye (Remix) | ||||
| Kaun Hoon Main | ||||
| Aa Bhi Ja Sanam | ||||
| Prince Theme (Mega Mix) | Shreya Ghoshal, Alisha Chinoy, Garima Jhingoon, Monali Thakur | |||
| Rona Chaditta (Mahi Mahi) | Mel Karade Rabba | Lollywood | ||
| 2011 | Hona Tha Pyaar | Bol | Hadiqa Kiani | |
| Aaj Bol Do | ||||
| Le Ja Tu Mujhe | F.A.L.T.U | Bollywood | ||
| 2012 | Piya O Re Piya | Tere Naal Love Ho Gaya | Shreya Ghoshal | |
| Tu Mohabbat Hai | Monali Thakur | |||
| Kasam | Jannat 2 | |||
| Woh Ajnabi |
| Year | Song | Co-singer/band |
|---|---|---|
| 2009 | Allahu Akbar For Olpers Qawwali | Dawud Wharnsby |
| 2010 | Jee Le For Warid Glow | None |
| 2011 | Q Mobile Party Phone | None |
In 2009, Atif Aslam sang five songs for Pakistani music show called Coke Studio.
| Year | Episode | Song Name | Co-Singer |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | 1 | Jal Pari | None |
| 2 | Kinara | Riaz Ali Khan | |
| 3 | Wasta E Pyaar Da | None | |
| 4 | Main Ni | ||
| 5 | Humein Kya Hua |
| Year | Group | Award | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | Indus Music Awards | Best Lyrics Aadat | Won |
| Indus Music Awards | Best Song Aadat | Won | |
| Indus Music Awards | Best Composition Aadat | Won | |
| Sahara Sangeet Awards | Best Playback Singer | Won | |
| Sahara Sangeet Awards | Best Debut Singer | Won | |
| 2006 | The Musik Awards | Most Wanted Male | Won |
| Lux Style Awards | Best Album Doorie | Won | |
| Filmfare Awards | Best Playback Singer (Male) Woh Lamhe - Zeher | Nominated | |
| 2007 | Lycra MTV Style Awards | Most Stylish Person in Music | Won |
| Filmfare Awards | Best Playback Singer (Male) Tere Bin - Bas Ek Pal | Nominated | |
| 2008 | Lux Style Awards | Most Well Dressed Celebrity - Police Dress | Won |
| The Musik Awards | Most Wanted Male | Won | |
| Government of Pakistan | Tamgha-e-Imtiaz (Medal of Distinction) | Awarded | |
| 2009 | International Indian Film Academy Awards | Best Playback Singer (Male) Pehli Nazar Mein - Race | Nominated |
| Star Screen Awards | Best Playback Singer (Male) Pehli Nazar Main - Race | Nominated | |
| 2010 | Filmfare Awards | Best Playback Singer – Tu Jaane Na [11] | Nominated |
| IIFA Awards | Best Playback Singer (Male) – Tu Jaane Na[12] | Nominated | |
| GIMA Awards | Best Playback Singer (Male) – Tu Jaane Na[13] | Nominated |