Momina Mustehsan

Momina Mustehsan
Background information
Native name مومنہ مستحسن
Birth name Momina Mustehsan
Born 1992/1993 (age 23–24) [1]
Lahore, Faisalabad, Pakistan
Origin New York City, United States
Genres
Occupation(s)
  • Singer-songwriter
  • musician
Instruments
  • Vocals
  • guitar
Years active 2010–present
Associated acts Coke Studio, Junoon

Momina Mustehsan is a Pakistani singer-songwriter. She rose to prominence as a co-singer and writer in Farhan Saeed's single "Pee Jaun",[2] and recorded her first studio song "Sajna" for Junoon's album Junoon 20.[3]

Mustehsan's claim to fame came later,[4] when in 2016 she marked her Coke Studio debut as a featured artist in season 9,[5][6] where she performed a rendition of Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan's "Afreen Afreen", with Rahat Fateh Ali Khan and received critical appraisal. Following her debut, she became one of the most sought-out media personalities in Pakistan,[2][7] and the song became one of the most viewed songs of Coke Studio.

Early life and background

Mustehsan's mother Huma Mustehsan is a doctor, and father Kazim Mustehsan is a retired brigadier and a recipient of Sitara-i-Imtiaz from Pakistan Army. They live in Nassau County, New York.[4]

Mustehsan completed her A'Level from Lahore Grammar School, and later moved to the States for higher studies and graduated with a double majors degree in Biomedical Engineering and Applied Mathematics from the Stony Brook University, New York in 2016.[1] At the time of her graduation, her name was in the Dean's list.[8]

She at first learnt to play violin and sang in public for the first time in a choir of her grade school, without any formal music training.[1] Recalling, Mustehsan told that her teacher had asked her if she had something to show and had said, "I think you sing well". She further told that she realized she had interest in music after when she had sung for the first time then.[4]

Her first encounter with the music came in 2004, when she recorded her first cover of Irish singer Damien Rice's song "The Blower's Daughter". Despite having no background of musical training she was praised at that time.[1]

Career

2011–2015: "Pee Jaun" and Ek Villian

At Junoon's twentieth anniversary, Mustehsan recorded a song "Sajna" for their album Junoon 20 in Volume I, the song was written by Ali Azmat and was a bonus track on album.[9]

In 2012, she wrote the lyrics for the song "Pee Jaun", and sung with Farhan Saeed.[10][11] The song was also featured in 2015 Nescafé Basement with Mustehsan singing along with Hamza Tanveer.[12]

In 2014, she recorded a song "Awari" for Pakistani band Soch who approached her, without telling her that they are going to use the song in Indian film Ek Villain,[13][14] she explained, "I was approached by Soch and they wanted me to feature on their track without disclosing what it was for," she recorded the song in her university dorm, "It was an extremely casual process and I never met anyone in person. I recorded the song on my own in New York. The contract was signed after the track had been lined up for release." On her future ventures she said, "I'm always working on new pieces. Music is a passion for me and not a profession. I have plenty of time on my hands… I might be working on a Pakistani project later this year. It's something that I am excited about."[10]

2016–present: Zindagi Kitni Haseen Hay and Coke Studio

In 2016, Mustehsan recorded her first song "Zindagi Kitni Haseen Hay" for a romantic drama film Zindagi Kitni Haseen Hay,[15][16] and marked her Coke Studio debut as a featured artist in season 9 later that year. Her first song "Afreen Afreen", alongside Rahat Fateh Ali Khan, broke all previous Coke Studio records by accumulating over 2.5 million views in one day.[17][18][19][20] The other songs she performed "Main Raasta", partially written by her, and "Tera Woh Pyar (Nawazishein Karam)" along with Junaid Khan and Asim Azhar respectively.[21] Commenting on her Coke Studio success she said, "it was very overwhelming for me because these are classics I am singing with very well-known singers. For me it was a great honour. I was also very nervous – I never get nervous for anything. But I got appreciated a lot once the songs were recorded."[22][23]

Revealing on her future in music Mustehsan said "I don't want to pursue music as a career. For me, it was hard to make a decision since I had no references. Maybe after me, people would come out to show their talent," and explained "I don't think releasing number of albums defines a musician. I do music for myself and not for the masses. I'm not into the idea of being a celebrity or having people know or follow me."[24]

In February 2017, she released the anthem for the Pakistan Super League franchise Islamabad United. Leading media outlets, The Express Tribune and Geo News criticized the heavy use of auto-tune and the lack of substance in the single, titled "Cricket Jorrey Pakistan" (Cricket Unites Pakistan).[25][26]

Philanthropy

In December 2016, Mustehsan became the goodwill ambassador of a cricket team, Islamabad United for the Pakistan Super League.[27]

She is planning a distant education program for children in rural Pakistan along with a polio campaign. On a T.V interview, she said, "I plan introducing distant education plans for children in rural areas where there are no schools or a learning environment. We'll introduce learning videos which, along with projectors, would be provided to the mosques in different areas to enable children to learn. From making roties [bread] to learning physics, they'll get it all."[24]

Personal life

In September 2016, Mustehsan confirmed and announced her engagement on twitter to Ali Naqvi, a US based banker in California.[28] However, their relation ended in early 2017.[29][30]

Discography

Soundtracks

Year Song Title Composer Language Co-singer(s)
2014 "Awari"[31] Ek Villain Rabbi Ahmed, Adnan Dhool Hindi Adnan Dhool
2016 "Zindagi Kitni Haseen Hay" Zindagi Kitni Haseen Hay Adnan Dhool Urdu
2017 Al-Burda (rendition) A-Plus TV Ramazan Kalam[32] Shiraz Uppal

Coke Studio Pakistan

Year Season Song Co-singer(s) Ref
2016 9 "Aye Rahe-e-Haq Ke Shaheedo" Season's featured artistes [33]
"Afreen Afreen" Rahat Fateh Ali Khan [34]
"Main Raasta" Junaid Khan [35]
"Tera Woh Pyar (Nawazishein Karam)" Asim Azhar [36]
2017 10 "Qaumi Taranah" Season's featured artistes [37]
"Muntazir" Danyal Zafar [38]

Singles

Year Song Co-Singer Notes
2011 "Sajna" ft. Moen Jo Daro from album Junoon 20
2012 "Pee Jaun" Farhan Saeed [39]
2015 Hamza Tanveer Nescafé Basement S3E6 track 1[12]
2016 "Mirchi Ko Sprite Kar" Sprite TV commercial[40][41]
2017 "Cricket Jorray Pakistan" Islamabad United official theme song[25]

Covers

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Raza, Nida (19 July 2016). "Momina Mustehsan". The News. Retrieved 24 July 2016.
  2. 1 2 Ahmed, Talha (23 August 2016). "Momina Mustehsan might completely transform the idea of stardom in Pakistan". The Nation. Retrieved 30 August 2016.
  3. ↑ "Junoon completion of band's 20 years". The Express Tribune. 21 August 2011. Retrieved 23 July 2016.
  4. 1 2 3 Ismail, Feras (18 September 2016). "New Yorker Momina Mustehsan takes South Asia by storm with 'Afreen'". The American Bazaar. Retrieved 30 September 2016.
  5. ↑ "Coke Studio 9 artists list revealed". The News Teller. 17 June 2016. Retrieved 25 June 2016.
  6. ↑ Rehman, Maliha (4 July 2016). "Here's what to expect from Coke Studio 9". DAWN Images. Retrieved 6 July 2016.
  7. ↑ Sengupta, Arka (17 June 2016). "'Coke Studio Pakistan' undergoes major revamp in Season 9; artiste line-up revealed". International Business Times. Retrieved 25 June 2016.
  8. ↑ Ashraf, Rabiya (5 December 2011). "Momina Mustehsan Interview – A breath of fresh Air for Pakistan". aheartbeats.wordpress.com. Retrieved 25 June 2016.
  9. ↑ Khan, Sher (22 September 2011). "Junoon: Celebrating 20 years of Sufi rock". The Express Tribune. Retrieved 15 July 2016.
  10. 1 2 Waseem, Humay (28 January 2016). "Not comfortable being a public figure: Momina Mustehsan". The Express Tribune. Retrieved 15 July 2016.
  11. ↑ "Farhan Saeed: Back with a bang". The Express Tribune. 18 April 2012. Retrieved 13 April 2017.
  12. 1 2 "Pee Jaon, NESCAFÉ Basement, Season 3, Episode 6". Retrieved 20 June 2017.
  13. ↑ Prakashan, Priya (6 July 2014). "Listen to Ek Villain's original soundtrack 'Awari' by Pakistani band 'Soch'!". India.com. Retrieved 15 July 2016.
  14. ↑ "The face you know, the talent you should know – Momina Mustehsan". India.com. 17 September 2016. Retrieved 30 September 2016.
  15. ↑ Shakeel, Madiha (1 September 2016). "Aafreen Aafreen star Momina Mustehsan Charms audience with the movie song". Business Recorder. Retrieved 2 September 2016.
  16. ↑ "Sukhwinder Singh, Mustafa Zahid to sing for 'Zindagi Kitni Haseen Hai'". The News. 19 July 2016. Retrieved 30 August 2016.
  17. ↑ Afzal, Asifa (22 August 2016). "More than 'Afreen Afreen' Momina Mustehsan creating Magin All over the Pakistan". Business Recorder. Retrieved 23 August 2016.
  18. ↑ "Momina Mustehsan Is Coke Studio's Newest Singing Sensation". The News. 22 August 2016. Retrieved 23 August 2016.
  19. ↑ Lodhi, Rida (19 August 2016). "Coke Studio is bringing back the classics". Retrieved 20 August 2016 – via Aaj News.
  20. ↑ Vengurlekar, Ankit (19 August 2016). "Rahat Fateh Ali Khan Brings Back 'Afreen Afreen' To Coke Studio 9". The Quint. Retrieved 20 August 2016.
  21. ↑ Warraich, Faizan Ali (15 July 2016). "Debut singers in Coke Studio 9 to bring change". The News. Retrieved 15 July 2016.
  22. ↑ Warraich, Faizan Ali (10 September 2016). "Momina Mustehsan's new song goes viral". The News Tribe. Retrieved 30 September 2016.
  23. ↑ "Toss Up: Momina Mustehsan". The Express Tribune. 4 September 2016. Retrieved 30 September 2016.
  24. 1 2 Asad Ullah, Muhammad (21 September 2016). ""Trending on twitter for 4 days freaked me out"". Gulf Times. Retrieved 30 September 2016.
  25. 1 2 "Momina Mustehsan's Islamabad United anthem will bring you to tears -- for all the wrong reasons". The Express Tribune. 7 February 2017. Retrieved 8 February 2017.
  26. ↑ "Momina Mustehsan croons for Islamabad United, dividing our opinion". 7 February 2017. Retrieved 8 February 2017 – via Geo News.
  27. ↑ "Momina Mustehsan Named Islamabad United's Empowerment Champion". Retrieved 20 June 2017.
  28. ↑ "Momina Mustehsan gets engaged to US based banker". 25 September 2016. Retrieved 26 September 2016 – via Dunya News.
  29. ↑ "افواہیں سچ ہوگئیں، مومنہ نے خود اعلان کردیا" (in Urdu). 14 February 2017. Retrieved 14 February 2017 – via Samaa TV.
  30. ↑ "After lashing out at Daily Pakistan, Momina Mustehsan confirms she's officially single". Daily Pakistan. Hamza Rao. 14 February 2017. Retrieved 14 February 2017.
  31. ↑ T-Series (15 July 2014). "LYRICAL: Awari Song - Ek Villain - Sidharth Malhotra - Shraddha Kapoor". Retrieved 20 June 2017 – via YouTube.
  32. ↑ A Plus Entertainment (23 May 2017). "A Plus TV - Ramzan Special Naat by Momina Mustehsan - Ittehad Ramzan". Retrieved 25 May 2017 – via YouTube.
  33. ↑ Coke Studio (5 August 2016). "Aye Rah-e-Haq Ke Shaheedo". Retrieved 20 June 2017 – via YouTube.
  34. ↑ Coke Studio (19 August 2016). "Afreen Afreen, Rahat Fateh Ali Khan & Momina Mustehsan, Episode 2, Coke Studio Season 9". Retrieved 20 June 2017 – via YouTube.
  35. ↑ Coke Studio (9 September 2016). "Main Raasta, Momina Mustehsan & Junaid Khan, Episode 5, Coke Studio Season 9". Retrieved 20 June 2017 – via YouTube.
  36. ↑ Coke Studio (16 September 2016). "Tera Woh Pyar (Nawazishein Karam), Momina Mustehsan & Asim Azhar, Episode 6, Coke Studio Season 9". Retrieved 20 June 2017 – via YouTube.
  37. ↑ Coke Studio (4 August 2017). "The National Anthem of Pakistan". Retrieved 5 August 2017 – via YouTube.
  38. ↑ Coke Studio (11 August 2017). "Danyal Zafar & Momina Mustehsan, Muntazir, Coke Studio Season 10, Episode 1.". Retrieved 11 August 2017 – via YouTube.
  39. ↑ SpeedPunjabiMusic (8 April 2012). ""Pee Jaun" (Official Video Song) Ft. Farhan Saeed (Pakistani New Song 2012) HD 1080p". Retrieved 20 June 2017 – via YouTube.
  40. ↑ "What are Momina Mustehsan and Sprite up to?". Hip in Pakistan. 23 December 2016. Retrieved 25 February 2017.
  41. ↑ Sprite Pakistan (28 December 2016). "Mirchi Ko Sprite Kar - TVC". Retrieved 25 February 2017 – via YouTube.
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