Haroon (singer)
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Haroon is a Pakistani singer, composer, musician and producer. His website states that he has sold nearly three million CDs and tapes worldwide.
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[edit] Early life
Haroon began playing the guitar and composing songs at the age of 13. He formed his first band, Idiosyncrasies, in school at the age of 14.
[edit] Awaz
After graduating with a degree in Business Administration from the George Washington University in the United States in the early 1990s, he formed the band Awaz with a couple of musician friends.
Haroon and the band made a video for "Janeman", a song which Haroon had composed when he was 16. Their budget was just 15,000 rupees, and local TV stations were not impressed with the result. However, Haroon also sent it to MTV Asia, and the song became the first Urdu/Hindi pop song to air on MTV.
At their peak, Awaz was the biggest band in Pakistan, and released three successful albums and two big singles between 1993 and 1999. Awaz was one of the pioneering bands in Pakistani pop music, and influenced many future musicians.
[edit] Solo career
Haroon's first solo album, Haroon Ki Awaz, which he produced, engineered and recorded, was successfully released in October 2000.
The songs "Yara", "Pyareya", "Jeekay Dekha", "Chan vergay" from the album Haroon Ki Awaz were released as singles with music videos. Other songs such as "Fire Inside" and "Paisa" commented on the socio-economic and political situation in south Asia at the time.
In 2001 and 2002, Haroon toured the UK and USA. In 2001, Haroon received the "Outstanding contribution to Asian music" Award from the BBC Asia Awards show.
Haroon's second solo album was the melodic Lagan. This included "Mahbooba", a fusion of Asian and Arabic music with Lebanese singers accompanying Haroon. The song was a major hit, with a music video shot at the Pyramids of Giza.
Following this success, Haroon embarked on a world tour from early 2003 to mid 2005, performing in Oslo, Copenhagen, Glasgow, New York, Toronto and smaller cities such as Calgary and Oakland.
Some of his performances draw crowds in the tens of thousands, and he boasts a strong fan base in the UK, US, and Dubai. He performed several times in front of sellout audiences at Wembley Arena, London, and at the BBC Asia awards (Birmingham, NEC) watched by two million on television.
Haroon released his third solo album, Haroon ka nasha, in March 2007, again composed, recorded, produced, engineered and mixed by himself at his personal studio.
[edit] Discography
[edit] Albums
- Haroon ki awaz
- Lagan
- Haroon ka nasha
[edit] Singles
His singles hits in Pakistan include "Mr. Fraudiay", "Ay Jawan", "Main Na Manoo Haar", "Jadoo Ka Chiragh", "Mahbooba", "Mehndi", "Dil Se", "Pyareya", and "Yara".
