Abida Parveen
| Abida Parveen (folk singer) | |
|---|---|
 Parveen performing in Coke Studio in 2010 | |
| Background information | |
| Native name | عابده پروين |
| Birth name | Abida Parveen |
| Also known as | Queen of Sufi music |
| Origin | Larkana, Sindh, Pakistan |
| Genres |
Kafi Ghazal Qawwali |
| Occupation(s) |
Singer musician entrepreneur |
| Instruments |
Vocals Harmonium Percussions |
| Years active | 1973–Present |
| Associated acts |
Coke Studio, Jahan-e-Khusrau, Bulleh Shah |
Abida Parveen is a Pakistani singer of Sindhi descent and one of the foremost exponents of Sufi music (Sufiana kalaam). She is held as one of the world's greatest mystic singers.[1] She sings mainly ghazals and her forte, Kafis, a solo genre accompanied by percussion and harmonium, using a repertoire of songs by Sufi poets.[2] Parveen sings in Urdu, Sindhi, Saraiki, Punjabi and Persian. She is arguably considered one of the finest Sufi vocalists of the modern era with a career spanning over four decades.[3][4][5][6] Parveen is best known for her songs Yaar ko Humne from the album Raqs-e-Bismil and Tere Ishq Nachaya which is a rendition of Bulleh Shah's poetry.[7] She was a judge on the musical show Sur Kshetra. Pakistan's second highest civilian award the Hilal-e-Imtiaz has been bestowed upon her by the President of Pakistan for 2012.[8]
Early life
Parveen was born in mohalla Ali Goharabad in Larkana, Sindh, Pakistan.[3] She received her musical training initially from her father, Ustad Ghulam Haider, whom she refers as Baba Sain and Gawwaya. He had his own musical school where Parveen got her devotional inspiration from. She and her father would often perform at shrines of Sufi Saints. Parveen's talent compelled her father to choose her as his musical heir over his two sons. Growing up, she attended her father's music school, where her foundation in music was laid.[9][10] Later Ustad Salamat Ali Khan of the Sham Chorasia gharana also taught and nurtured her. Parveen always remembers that she was never forced towards this occupation and she sang her first complete kalam when she was only 3 years old.
Career
- In early 1970s Parveen had already begun performing at Dargahs and Urs.
- Parveen embarked upon her professional career from Radio Pakistan, Hyderabad, in 1973.
- Her first hit was the Sindhi song Tuhinje zulfan jay band kamand widha.
- In 1977 she was introduced as an official singer of Radio Pakistan. From then on, Parveen has risen to exceptional prominence and is considered one of the finest vocal artists of Pakistan.
- She brought Sufi Music to a new level and gave it a new identity marking the beginning of this journey at Sultana Siddiqui's AwazoAndaz in 1980.
- Her first US tour was in 1993 and she has since traveled across the world to perform at sold-out venues. Parveen tours frequently and is highly famous in the West.[11] Parveen cites her reason for travelling is spreading Sufism, Peace and the Divine Message.
- Her fame traveled through Pakistan and across the seas, and she toured USA, UK, and France between 1985 and 1988.
- Her 1988 performance in Chicago was recorded by the Hazrat Amir Khusrau Society of Art and Culture, which issued a long-play record of her renderings.
- Her 1989 performance in London's Wembley Conference Hall was recorded by the British Broadcasting Corporation and aired for an hour.
- In the 1990s Parveen licensed her spiritual ghazals to Bollywood, since her "spiritual brother", Khan, recorded songs for Bollywood films. Recently Abida also performed at the Sindh Festival in Thatta.
- She has represented Pakistan before masses and has performed for huge audiences worldwide.[12]
- In 2007 Parveen collaborated with Shehzad Roy for a song, Zindagi, dedicated to social problems regarding children.[13]
- In 2008, Parveen performed at the Sufi Festival in New York at the Asia Society to promote Pakistani culture and mutual peace.
- Parveen performs yearly at Indian film-maker Muzaffar Ali's Jahan-e-Khusrau event and is reputed as the grand performer of the event.
- In 2010 she judged the Indo-Pak venture Sur Kshetra TV Show.
- Abida tours frequently. She always remembers that people line up early for her concert and there are already thousands of people present when there is still plenty of time left for the show to start.[14] Her famous trips include Oslo, Norway, Mauritius and Singapore. Her most recent trip is the Temporum concert in Amsterdam on 6 June 2014.
Coke Studio
Abida performed on the internationally acclaimed Pakistani show Coke Studio Season 3, in 2010 on which she sang three songs: Ramooz-e-Ishq, Nigah-e-Darwaishaan, and Soz-e-Ishqin Episode 1(Reason), 3 (Conception) and 5 (Realization) respectively. Parveen said she admired it a lot as it offered a Dargahi Environment.
"This project which Rohail Hyatt has started is indeed great and I would like to be a part of it for a long time. The music that comes out of this project reaches both the heart and soul and it always compliments the lyrics without overriding the true message of the kalams. This platform builds on those messages of our Sufi elders." Parveen in an interview.[15]
She was invited by the Coke Studio for season 7 in 2014. She sang "Mein Sufi Hoon" with Ustaad Raees Khan and performed "dost" as a solo. In coke studio season 7, she also performed "Chaap Tilak" (A popular Sufi poem by renowned Sufi poet Amir Khusro) in a duet with Rahat Fateh Ali Khan.
Personal life
Marriage
In 1975, Abida married Ghulam Hussain Sheikh, senior producer at Radio Pakistan, who had retired from his job in the 1980s to manage and mentor Parveen's career. After he died of a heart attack on an international flight in the early 2000s, their daughter Maryam took up that role. There is a sense that Parveen's career has taken a more commercial route as a result of it.[11] The couple has two daughters Pereha Ikram, who has an MBA college degree and Marium Hussain and a son Saranj. All 3 kids act as her advisors.[12] Her family understands her need for riyaz ( daily vocal music practice) and its required space to do that practice.[14]
Abida Parveen Gallery
Parveen also owns a business Abida Parveen Gallery which features jewellery, arts, her music CDs and garments and is run by her daughters.[16] Its first anniversary was marked by the launch of Parveen's latest album Ru-e-Ali.
Clothing style
Parveen has a distinct clothing style which she has created out of ease and comfort. She wears long simple frocks buttoned up to the top covered with a coat. She is always accompanied by an ajrak, a sindhi duppatta,which she claims comes from the dargah (mausoleum) of Sufi saint Shah Abdul Latif Bhittai and her wardrobe is full of it. Parveen always wears her curly hair untied and natural.
Other
- Parveen is a huge fan of paintings.
- Parveen has taken Bayyat and became a disciple of Najeeb Sultan, her spiritual master.
- Parveen became a heart patient after suffering from a heart attack during a performance in Lahore on 28 November 2010. Angiography and angioplasty were performed on her. She regained her health soon after.
Awards and recognitions
- Pride of Performance Award (1984) by the President of Pakistan
- Gold Lal Shahbaz Qalandar Medal (1984)
- Shah Bhitthai Award (twice)
- Sindh Graduate Association Award
- Pakistan Television Award
- Sachal Sarmast Honor
- Sitara-e-Imtiaz Award (2005) by President Pervez Musharaff
- Hilal-e-Imtiaz Award (2012) by President Asif Ali Zardari[17]
- Lifetime Achievement Award at the Kaladharmi Begum Akhtar Academy of Ghazal in India (2012).[18]
- Honored at the 16th Pakistan Television Awards Ceremony-PTV Award
- Nominated for Best Original Sound Track (OST) for Yaar Ko Hamne Jabaja Dekha at 12th Lux Style Awards.
- Wonder Woman of the Year 2013
- 1st ARY Film Awards for Best Playback Singer for the film Ishq Khuda (2014).
- Gold Crown Award on glorious 40 years in the Music Industry by the Sindhi Singers Association in Larkana. (2014)
- Tributed at the 17th PTV Awards in the category of 'Legends'.
Laurels
- Atif Aslam paid tribute to Parveen. He also declared himself her biggest fan.
- Sanam Marvi has paid tribute to her.
- Rabbi Shergill named her as his inspirational music icon.
- She has been dubbed as the Uncrowned Empress of Sufi Music and Undisputed Sufi Queen.
Filmography
Although Parveen is a highly acclaimed singer, she has never rendered her voice to films. Her pre-recorded songs have been used in films, however. Now she has agreed to lend her voice to films on insistence of her fans and Farooq Mengal. Parveen appears less and less in interviews and television morning shows due to her shy personality. Parveen confesses that she keeps getting offers from Bollywood film-makers namely Subhash Ghai and Yash Chopra but she keeps declining them as she has immersed herself in Sufism and it is time consuming to spread the Divine Message.[19] She even got offers from Shah Rukh Khan for Ra.One and renowned music director A.R.Rehman has offered her some songs, too.[20]
Television
| Year | Show | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1980 | Awaz-o-Andaz | Performer | aired on PTV |
| 2009 | Nara-e-Mastana | Performer | Concert sponsored and aired by Hum |
| 2010 | Chotte Ustad | Guest Judge with Ghulam Ali | Eid Celebration |
| 2012 | Sur Kshetra TV Show | Judge | Representing Pakistan in India |
| 2012 | Shehr-e-Zaat | OST Singer for Yaar ko Humne | Pre-recorded from album Raqs-e-Bismil |
| 2012 | Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa | Special appearance with Runa Laila | To promote Sur Kshetra TV Show |
| 2012 | 1st Hum Awards | Performer | Sang Naraye Mastana |
| 2014 | Pakistan Idol TV Show | Guest Judge | Grand Finale |
| 2014 | Zee Channel | TV Singer | Upcoming New Channel |
| 2014 | Sama-e-Ishq | Performer | Concert aired on Hum TV |
Films
| Year | Film | Song | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | Zill-e-Shah | Sajjan de Haath | Pre-recorded |
| 2013 | Ishq Khuda | Title Track | Pre-recorded Winner-1st ARY Film Awards for Best Playback Singer |
| 2014 | Hijrat | Announced | Farooq Mengal debutante directorial |
| 2015 | Raabta | Announced | Farooq Mengal Film |
| 2015 | Bin Roye | Maula Maula |
Discography
References
- ↑ Madhumita Dutta (2008). Let's Know Music and Musical Instruments of India. p. 56. ISBN 9781905863297.
- ↑ Singer with the knock-out effect: Abida Parveen is one of the world's great singers – even if you can't understand her, By Peter Culshaw, The Telegraph, 15 Sep 2001.
- 1 2 The Hypnotic Voice of Abida Parveen The Daily Star, 16 July 2004.
- ↑ Ecstasy In Songs Of the Sufi By Neil Strauss, New York Times, 15 October 1996.
- ↑ MYSTICAL SINGER'S MUSIC IS THE MESSAGE By Mary Talbot, Daily News, 11 October 1996.
- ↑ Abida Parveen World music: the basics, by Richard Nidel. Routledge, 2005. ISBN 0-415-96800-3. p.247.
- ↑ Anna S. King, J. L. Brockington (2005). The Intimate Other: Love Divine in Indic Religions. Orient Blackswan. p. 358. ISBN 9788125028017.
- ↑ http://tribune.com.pk/story/525517/recognition-president-zardari-confers-top-civil-awards/, Abida Parveen's Hilal-i-Imtiaz Award (2012), The Express Tribune newspaper, Retrieved 22 Feb 2016
- ↑ Begum Abida Parveen sings dil se TNN, The Times of India, 17 June 2003.
- ↑ Mughal. "SINDHI MUSIC". sindhiaudio.blogspot.com. Retrieved 18 January 2015.
- 1 2 Nosheen Iqbal. "Abida Parveen: 'I'm not a man or a woman, I'm a vehicle for passion'". the Guardian. Retrieved 18 January 2015.
- 1 2 "Abida Parveen". travel-culture.com. Retrieved 18 January 2015.
- ↑ "Shehzad Roy and Abida Parveen Collaborate for a Cause". Sonya Rehman's Archive. Retrieved 18 January 2015.
- 1 2 "An Exclusive Interview with Abida Parveen- The Reigning Queen of Sufi Music". Fuchsia. Retrieved 18 January 2015.
- ↑ "Abida Parveen - profile, interview & pictures". forumpakistan.com. Retrieved 18 January 2015.
- ↑ "A store that’s jewellery will ‘set it apart’". tribune.com.pk. Retrieved 18 January 2015.
- ↑ "Recognition: President Zardari confers top civil awards". tribune.com.pk. Retrieved 18 January 2015.
- ↑ "India honours Abida Parveen with life time achievement award". dawn.com. Retrieved 18 January 2015.
- ↑ http://www.thaindian.com/newsportal/south-asia/bollywood-can-wait-abida-parveen-interview_100456305.html>
- ↑ http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/hindi/music/news-and-interviews/Abida-Parveen-and-Runa-Laila-to-spread-love-in-India/articleshow/16049861.cms
External links
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