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                        <title>Music News  - Latest Music Reviews - The Express Tribune</title>
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			<title>The politics of a punjabi song</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/2598659/the-politics-of-a-punjabi-song</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/2598659/the-politics-of-a-punjabi-song#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Sat, 21 Mar 26 14:33:43 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[Brian Bassanio Paul]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Pakistan]]></category><category><![CDATA[T-Magazine]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=2598659</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[Songs repeated on loop at celebrations, roadside stalls, and truck stops are now part of an official debate]]>
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				<![CDATA[It&rsquo;s late at night on a highway dhaba in Punjab, where music travels farther than conversation. A truck idles nearby, its cabin speakers pushing out a Punjabi track that everyone at the tea stall seems to recognise. Drivers tap their fingers on steel cups, bobbing their heads, someone hums the chorus, and the song loops again while the road waits outside. No one studies the lyrics; the beat is enough to carry the moment.

Music rarely changes overnight. What changes is how we are told to hear it. When the Punjab government released a list of 132 restricted Punjabi songs for Basant celebrations earlier this year, the shock did not come from discovering new lyrics but from seeing familiar refrains suddenly renamed as objectionable.

The moment produced confusion, a jolt created by seeing popularity suddenly translated into prohibition.

What made the list disruptive was not merely restriction but reclassification. Songs long treated as ordinary background sound were abruptly renamed as cultural problems. This piece does not argue for or against that decision, and it is not about seasonal festivals or abandoning these songs from the theatre. It asks instead why these songs exist, why people listen to them, and how the meaning forms around them.



Punjabi slang operates as a system of cultural codes rather than a catalogue of vulgarities. Words officials describe as double-meaning often function as playful metaphors embedded in everyday speech. Their resonance comes from shared social knowledge, not hidden obscenity, and they carry nuance that disappears when read outside vernacular contexts.

Language in these songs mirrors how people actually speak, tease, and joke with one another. Meaning is rarely fixed inside a word alone. It emerges through tone, timing, familiarity, and place. The same phrase can signal affection, bravado, or humour depending on who says it and who is listening.

A commonly debated lyric illustrates this tension clearly. In the line &ldquo;Kundi na kharka soniya, sidha andar aa&rdquo;, critics hear an inappropriate invitation. Read literally, the phrase appears suggestive. Within Punjabi conversational culture such expressions often operate through teasing exaggeration. The imagery draws from everyday banter where flirtation, challenge, and humour coexist.

In casual speech the line resembles a playful boast rather than an explicit proposition. Once detached from the tone and setting in which such expressions normally occur, however, the same words appear far more provocative than they are experienced in their native linguistic environment.

Many of the restricted songs function as male social soundtracks. They circulate through trucks, roadside gatherings, rural tea stalls, weddings, and informal hangouts. These are historically masculine listening spaces where group identity is affirmed through loud sound, repetition, and collective response rather than careful lyrical analysis.



Across Punjab&rsquo;s highways, truck drivers often rely on energetic Punjabi songs during long journeys. Speakers mounted inside decorated cabins project the music onto the road, turning the vehicle into a mobile listening room. At roadside dhabas the same tracks echo through parked trucks while drivers rest and talk. Choruses repeat through hours of travel until they become almost chant-like, remembered less for lyrical nuance than for the atmosphere they create. In this environment, music functions as companionship, rhythm, and endurance rather than private contemplation.

Male listening cultures shape production choices. Lyrics reward exaggeration, playful confrontation, flirtation, and humour because these qualities work inside group settings. Songs become tools for bonding and performance rather than confessional statements. Understanding their popularity requires attention to these environments, not just to isolated lines on paper.

Gendered perception plays a decisive role in how these songs are interpreted. When lyrics mention women, desire, or flirtation, public anxiety intensifies, particularly in visible performance contexts. Similar expressions in romantic films or elite music pass with little comment, revealing how perception outweighs intent.

Songs invoking female presence are often read as threats to public decorum when performed on stage. This reaction stems less from lyrical content and more from assumptions about male audiences, visibility, and control. Meaning is produced through who watches, who listens, and where the listening happens.

Punjabi popular music draws from a long lineage of folk traditions, wedding songs, harvest celebrations, and ritual performance. Humour, longing, bodily imagery, and teasing have always been present. These expressive forms predate modern pop formats and served communal functions tied to life cycles and social transitions.



Wedding songs historically referenced desire, fertility, and relational tension using metaphor and exaggeration. Festival performances often relied on wit and double entendre to engage crowds. Contemporary stage and pop songs adapt these older expressive habits into amplified, commercial forms without severing their cultural roots.

Even song titles reveal this continuity. Consider the phrase &ldquo;Nak Da Koka,&rdquo; referring to a nose ornament. Jewellery imagery appears frequently in Punjabi folk poetry where physical adornment becomes shorthand for attraction, pride, and playful admiration. Such references rarely provoke controversy in wedding contexts, where they are treated as part of a shared expressive vocabulary.

When similar imagery appears in commercial pop songs, however, the interpretive environment shifts. The language remains the same, but the setting of amplified stage performance or digital circulation changes how audiences perceive it.

Official labels like suggestive or immoral are not neutral descriptions. They operate as representational tools that collapse complexity into moral shorthand. Once a song is named immoral, its social context, linguistic play, and historical lineage vanish, replaced by a singular judgment that discourages deeper engagement.

This naming process transforms cultural expression into a regulatory category. It simplifies administration but narrows understanding. When nuance disappears, language becomes evidence rather than expression, and songs are no longer read as social artefacts but as violations requiring correction.

Musicians and commentators responding to the list have argued that these songs reflect lived social language rather than cultural decay. They emphasise that everyday speech includes humour, provocation, and metaphor. These perspectives do not defend obscenity; they question why vernacular expression is treated as contamination.

Listeners often describe these tracks as familiar, humorous, or emotionally resonant rather than shocking. Their arguments highlight how meaning emerges from shared experience. Such views form part of a wider discourse about cultural ownership, not a unified campaign against regulation.



*Hamza, a university student in Lahore described these songs as something people grow up hearing at weddings, roadside stalls, and family celebrations. &ldquo;Nobody sits down to analyse lyrics,&rdquo; he explains]. &ldquo;They&rsquo;re just part of the noise of celebration.&rdquo;

*Abdullah, a truck driver from Sheikhupura offered a similar perspective. For him, high-energy Punjabi tracks help break the monotony of long highway journeys. &ldquo;The beat keeps you awake,&rdquo; he says. &ldquo;After a few hours on the road you start singing the chorus without thinking.&rdquo; These reactions illustrate how everyday listening contexts shape interpretation more than isolated lines do.

The recurring question, can you listen to this with your family, dominates public debate. It functions as a moral litmus test, collapsing diverse listening practices into a single domestic frame. This question reveals how societies police sound by linking respectability to controlled, mixed audiences.

Rather than answering the question, it is more revealing to ask why it matters so much. The emphasis on family listening exposes anxieties about boundaries between private enjoyment and public exposure. It also suggests discomfort with plural soundscapes where different registers coexist.

Despite restrictions, these songs remain widely consumed across villages, towns, cities, and digital platforms. Their sustained popularity suggests emotional connection, humour, and familiarity. People return to them not out of rebellion but because they recognise themselves in the rhythms and references.

Popularity does not imply moral consensus, but it does indicate resonance. Songs survive because they articulate social moods, rivalries, desires, and jokes that people understand. Cultural production responds to demand as much as it shapes taste, complicating narratives of manipulation or decline.

There is no evidence of a coordinated mission to erode cultural values through music. Songs emerge, circulate, and persist through audience choice. Regulation often operates symbolically, asserting authority over visibility rather than erasing the social conditions that generate demand.

Locality plays a central role in this resonance. Punjabi songs encode regional accents, idioms, humour, and social rituals. They affirm identity by sounding like home. Dismissing them as vulgar overlooks how language anchors people to place and shared memory.

Musical spaces such as truck culture, roadside gatherings, and rural jam sessions function as masculine arenas. Collective listening shapes lyrical bravado and call-and-response structures. These contexts complicate simplistic moral readings by revealing how sound organises social belonging.

Dance and performance intensify perception. Movement, gesture, and audience reaction feed into how lyrics are read as expressive or threatening. Visibility amplifies anxiety, especially when gender norms are already strained. Performance is part of meaning-making, not merely decoration.

Fears of cultural deterioration often frame official discourse. By naming songs as harmful, authorities project a narrative of decline that privileges certain values over others. This narrative asks who represents culture and whose tastes are authorised as legitimate.

Simplistic readings of slang expose linguistic hierarchies. Elite or classical registers receive interpretive generosity, while vernacular play is dismissed as crude. This hierarchy reflects social valuation of language rather than intrinsic qualities of expression.

Comparable debates appear across South Asian popular culture. Songs containing playful double meanings have circulated for decades in mainstream cinema and commercial entertainment. Bollywood tracks such as &ldquo;Choli Ke Peeche&rdquo; or &ldquo;Fevicol Se&rdquo; generated similar waves of criticism while simultaneously becoming major hits.

These examples suggest that the tension between humour, suggestiveness, and popularity is not unique to Punjabi music but part of a wider regional negotiation between entertainment and respectability.

Generational differences sharpen these conflicts. Younger audiences often embrace humour and high-energy sound as expressions of peer culture. Older or institutional voices may read the same material as excess. The clash is about interpretation, not merely content.

Digital circulation further destabilises regulation. Even when barred from the stage or theatre, songs spread through phones, social media, and private gatherings. This reveals a gap between institutional control and lived cultural practice that regulation alone cannot bridge.

Controversy can even increase visibility. When songs are publicly labelled problematic, listeners who might never have paid attention to certain lyrics begin searching for them online. Social media discussions multiply, and the songs acquire new life as objects of debate. In this sense attempts to regulate sound sometimes produce the opposite effect, transforming relatively ordinary tracks into widely discussed cultural flashpoints.

The line between suggestive and celebratory remains unstable. Punjabi slang often sits in ambiguous territory, where metaphor slides between intimacy and humour. This slipperiness reflects cultural variability rather than fixed moral boundaries.

Many of these songs carry popular memory, tied to friendships, travel, weddings, and youth. When labelled objectionable, that memory is displaced by administrative imagination. The disconnect produces resentment and confusion rather than clarity.

Punjabi music continues to evolve, adapting folk sensibilities to contemporary life. What some hear as vulgarity may be an emergent community voice negotiating modernity. The debate ahead is not about silencing sound but about whether multiple musical registers can coexist without moral collapse.

The central question remains unresolved: who gets to define culture, and on what terms. Until that question is confronted, lists and labels will continue to circulate, naming music as a problem while the songs themselves keep playing, stubbornly embedded in everyday life.

&nbsp;

All facts and information are the sole responsibility of the writer

The writer is a music enthusiast and cultural critic. He writes about the intersection of music, society, and the human condition. He can be reached at brian.bassanio@gmail.com

&nbsp;]]>
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			<title>Meesha Shafi reveals latest collaboration with Indian singer Talwiinder</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/2582640/meesha-shafi-reveals-latest-collaboration-with-indian-singer-talwiinder</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/2582640/meesha-shafi-reveals-latest-collaboration-with-indian-singer-talwiinder#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Wed, 17 Dec 25 12:02:27 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[Life And Style Desk]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Music]]></category><category><![CDATA[Life &amp; Style]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=2582640</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[‘Sachay Loki’, a cross-border musical pairing has been revealed after days of teasing]]>
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				<![CDATA[Meesha Shafi just announced her latest musical release. The singer unveiled that her single, Sachay Loki will come out on Friday featuring a collaboration with Indian singer-songwriter Talwiinder.

&ldquo;By standing together with one another, flowers bloom like this,&rdquo; Meesha wrote in Punjabi on Instagram, coupled with the cover art of the song where she stands back-to-back with Talwiinder against the backdrop of a solar eclipse. The singer wears a sparkly chain-based headpiece while Talwiinder supports his signature face paint and bandana.





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Talwiinder has previously&nbsp;collaborated with several Pakistani artists. He teamed up with Hasan Raheem on Wishes in 2023 which&nbsp;ranked among Pakistan&rsquo;s top 10 most-streamed songs in both 2024 (second place) and 2025 (fifth place). He also appeared alongside breakout artists Afusic and Ali Soomro on a rendition of Pal Pal, which became the country&rsquo;s sixth most-streamed song on Spotify this year.

Read more: Meesha Shafi returns to Karachi stage at World Culture Festival

Meesha released her debut album Khilnay Ko&nbsp;back in May this year. Upon the album&#39;s&nbsp;success, the singer submitted the album for consideration in the Grammys in three categories for the 2026 awards.

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			<title>From pulpit to turntables: The Priest DJ drawing young crowds across Latin America</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/2582642/from-pulpit-to-turntables-the-priest-dj-drawing-young-crowds-across-latin-america</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/2582642/from-pulpit-to-turntables-the-priest-dj-drawing-young-crowds-across-latin-america#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Wed, 17 Dec 25 12:29:20 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[Reuters]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Life &amp; Style]]></category><category><![CDATA[Music]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=2582642</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[Father Guilherme Peixoto blends electronic music with spiritual messaging]]>
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				<![CDATA[Under sweeping stage lights in Monterrey, Mexico, a packed dance floor pulses as a Catholic priest in a clerical collar raises one hand from the stage, electronic beats thundering through the hall.

Photo: Reuters

Hundreds move in unison as Father Guilherme Peixoto looks out over the crowd - not from a pulpit, but from behind turntables. Peixoto, who hails from Portugal, has played at some of the world&#39;s most famous clubs. Now he&#39;s touring Latin America, filling venues from Colombia to Mexico - home to the world&#39;s second-largest Catholic population.

Each time Peixoto, a career clergyman, steps onto the stage, the moment carries weight. &quot;It&#39;s a different energy and I think in our life the balance is very important,&quot; Peixoto said backstage at the downtown Monterrey venue, packed shoulder-to-shoulder with about 300 young revelers and a few priests there to enjoy his set. &quot;We have time for silence, time to listen to the voice of God and also time to share the message of God,&quot; he added.

Peixoto is touring Latin America while promoting his latest EP, Si Tuvieras Fe, released on Dec. 5. He has gained international recognition and built a global following as a DJ, particularly among young people in Latin America, where the Church&#39;s numbers have been in decline over the past decade.

That balance between &quot;adrenaline&quot; and &quot;contemplation&quot; remains central to how he views his dual roles. His electronic tracks - heavy beats layered with spiritual messages - include hits like &quot;Lift up the fallen&quot; and &quot;Protegeme Senor&quot;.

His sets feature religious symbols glowing across the club, videos of the late Pope Francis and, in his Mexico shows, images of the revered Virgin of Guadalupe. Peixoto&#39;s unlikely rise to fame began two decades ago, when he launched a &quot;parish bar&quot; in Portugal to help pay off church debts. As popularity for the events exploded, he enrolled in DJ classes.

For Peixoto, it has never been about breaking Church rules, but about building community. If his sold-out shows are an indication, the message has resonated. &quot;For me, there is always something special in electronic music. It&#39;s the respect, there is no judgment on the dance floor,&quot; Peixoto said. &quot;As I always say, it&#39;s an amazing image for the world.&quot;

In Monterrey, Peixoto plays for a couple of hours, wrapping up around 2 a.m. The night continues, but Peixoto doesn&#39;t stay for the after party. Instead, bright and early the next morning, he stands beside Mexican Archbishop Rogelio Cabrera for mass at Monterrey&#39;s metropolitan cathedral, just three blocks from the venue of his show the night before.

Passing out the Eucharist in traditional robes, it would be hard to guess that Peixoto was behind the turntables just a few hours earlier. &quot;I know it is not normal for a priest to have this kind of opportunity,&quot; Peixoto said. &quot;So it&#39;s gratitude and a responsibility to share something special.&quot;]]>
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			<title>Jokhay returns with his second album: 33 Years Later</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/2580177/jokhay-returns-with-his-second-album-33-years-later</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/2580177/jokhay-returns-with-his-second-album-33-years-later#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Tue, 02 Dec 25 11:47:43 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[Life And Style Desk]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Music]]></category><category><![CDATA[Spotlight]]></category>
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			<description>
				<![CDATA[Soaring fan anticipation has set the stage for music producer’s newest release]]>
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				<![CDATA[Jokhaay is all set to release his newest album, 33 Years Later, this Friday. This will be his second album release and it features a long list of industry collaborations.

The songs are packed with star features, with Talha Anjum, Talha Yunus, Asim Azhar, Jani, Rap Demon, JJ47, Jevin Gill and Shareh in the list. The album has eight tracks: Spring Time, Meter 100, Way Back, Enemies, Hypnotise, Left Behind, Far Away and Rock Bottom. It is produced, mixed &amp; mastered by Jokhay. The singer credited the art cover to Umair and Omer Khan.

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Anticipation for 33 Years Later has already surged across social media. &ldquo;Can&rsquo;t wait for this!&rdquo; wrote one fan. While another pointed out that &ldquo;8 songs aren&rsquo;t enough.&rdquo; One fan said that they are still not over his previous works. &ldquo;We&#39;re still stuck on Khanabadosh and this legend is releasing a new album,&rdquo; they wrote. Many consider this album to be a milestone moment in Jokhay&rsquo;s artistic trajectory. &ldquo;I can smell the revolution,&rdquo; they wrote.

The singer has released the music video for one song from the album, Rock Bottom, on YouTube. The video features Talha Anjum and Asim Azhar and the lyrics are written by the two vocalists themself.





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This release comes after a busy period for the producer, who also worked on the EP Emotional Baggage with JANI and mixed music for Azhar&rsquo;s album, Asim Ali this year.]]>
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			<title>Meesha Shafi returns to Karachi stage at World Culture Festival</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/2579841/meesha-shafi-returns-to-karachi-stage-at-world-culture-festival</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/2579841/meesha-shafi-returns-to-karachi-stage-at-world-culture-festival#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Sun, 30 Nov 25 11:10:23 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[Qaisar Kamran]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Music]]></category><category><![CDATA[Life &amp; Style]]></category><category><![CDATA[Film]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=2579841</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[A packed musical night and 'Kamli' discussion mark the festival’s final stretch]]>
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				<![CDATA[The 30th day of the 39-day World Culture Festival at the Arts Council of Pakistan, Karachi, concluded with Mega Musical Concert 3.0 and a session with creators of film Kamli. The concert marked Meesha Shafi&rsquo;s return to Karachi&rsquo;s stage after a long time.&nbsp;

&ldquo;You have made my heart happy,&rdquo; Meesha announced to the crowd during her performance.&ldquo;I am performing in Karachi after many years, and it&rsquo;s an absolute pleasure to be here and party with you all.&rdquo; She added that such festivals are a &ldquo;much-needed and wonderful initiative.&rdquo;

The concert included several other performances featuring&nbsp;Faris Shafi, Meesha Shafi, Sahib Pashazade from Azerbaijan, Darabu, and Pakistan&rsquo;s emerging artists Gizri and Junoon Elia Lawn packing the crowd to its capacity.

Read more:&nbsp;&lsquo;World Culture Festival 2025&rsquo; set to kick off with the Arts Council of Pakistan Karachi

Earlier in the day, a discussion on Pakistani film Kamli, released in 2022,&nbsp;was held with director Sarmad Khoosat and writer Dr. Umair Ahmed in the panel. Arts Council President Muhammad Ahmed Shah and Noor-ul-Huda Shah attended the session too.

Sarmad expressed gratitude for the audience&rsquo;s appreciation of the film, saying that he is happy people connected with it. &ldquo;Art never divides; it brings us together and this festival is proof of that,&rdquo; he added.&nbsp;

He reflected on Pakistan&rsquo;s cinematic past, noting that cinema was once a thriving cultural force and stressed the importance of experimentation and music in storytelling. &ldquo;When you talk about culture and heritage, music becomes essential,&rdquo; he said. Noting that he took the ownership of including six songs for Kamli.&nbsp;

The director discussed the themes of migration and relationships. Stating that no one leaves their home without a reason. He believes decline happens because of relationships or circumstances. During the discussion, he&nbsp;added&nbsp;that cinema should move people.&nbsp;

Lastly, Sarmad mentioned his preference for personally messaging close friends rather than making public social-media posts. Announcing the release of another project in 2026 that he hopes to bring before the audience in the same lowkey manner.]]>
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			<title>Extended 'Beatles Anthology' looks beyond the mythology of the band</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/2579193/extended-beatles-anthology-looks-beyond-the-mythology-of-the-band</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/2579193/extended-beatles-anthology-looks-beyond-the-mythology-of-the-band#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Wed, 26 Nov 25 06:00:26 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[Reuters]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Music]]></category>
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			<description>
				<![CDATA[A new ninth episode arrives 30 years after the original series]]>
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				<![CDATA[A new episode of the Beatles Anthology, 30 years after the original landmark series, shows the impact on Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr of being in the biggest rock band in history, its writer and director said.

The original eight-part documentary, broadcast in 1995, spanned the band&#39;s gritty early days in Liverpool and Hamburg to the phenomenon of Beatlemania and global superstardom and the break-up in 1970.

The Anthology&nbsp;project included the single Free as a Bird, created in the 1990s from a demo recorded by John Lennon in 1977, three years before he was murdered.

The remastered series, with a ninth episode including unseen 1990s footage of McCartney, Harrison and Starr, debuts on Disney+&nbsp;(DIS.N), opens new tab&nbsp;on Wednesday.

&quot;The new episode is untethered from the chronology of the original episodes,&quot; writer and director Oliver Murray said. &quot;One to eight is the literal birth of the Beatles through to their break-up in 1970, and episode nine is able to speak to the inward-looking sense of what it was like to be a Beatle.&quot;

The film was restored by an Apple Corps production team working with Peter Jackson&#39;s Park Road Post company in New Zealand, with technology Jackson used to make The Beatles: Get Back&nbsp;documentary, which premiered in 2021.

&quot;The whole of the Beatles archive has been restored and is now digital,&quot; Murray said. &quot;Every time we went into the edit suite it was almost like stepping back in time to the mid-90s.&quot;

He said Jackson&#39;s documentary changed the mythology of the Beatles, which until then had been etched in stone. &quot;What Get Back&nbsp;did was break down those stereotypes, and we see them more as very young men,&quot; he said.

The new episode gives fans an opportunity to learn about the band from scratch, with an understanding of who they were as people, he said. &quot;The reason that the Beatles story still resonates is because it&#39;s 20th-century folklore,&quot; he said. &quot;It is a timeless story of some lads from Liverpool who share a dream and go on to conquer the world.&quot;]]>
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			<title>Kazakh collector preserves recorders that powered Soviet bootlegs</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/2579030/kazakh-collector-preserves-recorders-that-powered-soviet-bootlegs</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/2579030/kazakh-collector-preserves-recorders-that-powered-soviet-bootlegs#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Tue, 25 Nov 25 08:04:31 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[Reuters]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Music]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=2579030</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[Almaty museum keeps alive the story of how banned Western music travelled through Soviet homes]]>
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				<![CDATA[For two decades, Andrei Klimenko has been amassing a collection of Soviet-era reel-to-reel tape recorders for a small museum he runs in Almaty, Kazakhstan&#39;s largest city.

Western music was officially banned in the Soviet Union but enjoyed widespread popularity, with tape recorders used to make bootlegs of popular foreign acts of the time, from Michael Jackson to Bob Marley.

The Soviet Union, of which Kazakhstan was a part, collapsed in December 1991. Klimenko, 58, said the Soviet-era craze for tape-recorded bootlegs meant that his generation of music lovers was able to spurn the officially-approved acts on TV for more exciting foreign alternatives. &quot;It was impossible to get (Western records) legally anywhere,&quot; he said.&nbsp;But nevertheless, this music could be heard from the window of every apartment.&quot;

He added that, &quot;A single record was copied, this is actually why a tape recorder was needed - it had a recording function and could tape-record music from a phonograph record.&quot;&nbsp;

Klimenko&#39;s small museum, which is open to the public, displays more than 200 reel-to-reel tape recorders, all of them Soviet models used during the bootleg era.

He said the majority of visitors to his museum were younger people who had grown up in an atmosphere of much greater cultural openness and for whom tape recorders were a relic of a distant past. &quot;Young people are interested, although for them (tape recorders) are just an artefact,&quot; he said.&nbsp;

One older visitor, 72-year-old Yevgeny, said the museum helped him reconnect with his youthful past. &quot;This equipment has been close to my heart since I was a child,&quot; he shared.&nbsp;&quot;This museum even displays... my first reel-to-reel tape recorder, which I bought around 1969 with the money I had earned.&quot;]]>
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			<title>Asim Azhar drops his 'most honest album yet'</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/2578877/asim-azhar-drops-his-most-honest-album-yet</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/2578877/asim-azhar-drops-his-most-honest-album-yet#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Mon, 24 Nov 25 09:49:15 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[Life And Style Desk]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Music]]></category><category><![CDATA[Spotlight]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=2578877</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[Titled 'Asim Ali', the album marks a new chapter in the singer’s artistic journey]]>
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				<![CDATA[Asim Azhar has finally released his first independent album after weeks of suspense, calling it his &ldquo;most honest album yet.&rdquo; To celebrate the milestone, he shared a heartfelt snippet with his mother on social media.

&ldquo;This album has songs that were written in my most vulnerable &amp; honest state,&rdquo; he wrote on Instagram. &ldquo;I never thought you guys would listen to it because I was always made to think I had to do a certain kind of music to stay relevant. But with time I realised that music is nothing if it&#39;s not honest.&rdquo;





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The album dropped last night with 10 tracks, Asim Ali, Khabbay Sajjay, Na Ja, Changes, Lost n Found, Sugar Rush, Jind Mahi, Pari, U Got This, and Strangers, including a collaboration with Talha Anjum. All songs are written and composed by Asim, produced by Kumail Abbas, mixed by Jokhay, and mastered by Rooshan.

Azhar also shared that the project set a new national record for the most pre-saves for a Pakistani album. He reflected on how he couldn&rsquo;t sleep from excitement and thanked fans for letting him share his music and art with the world.

Ahead of the release, he deleted all posts from his Instagram and shared a single &ldquo;Khuda Hafiz&rdquo; story, causing fans on X (formerly Twitter) to worry that he might be quitting music. Soon after, he revealed his reinvention as &lsquo;Asim Ali&rsquo; and announced the album.

Asim Ali marks the singer&rsquo;s first fully independent release after years of hit singles and major-label collaborations.]]>
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			<title>Talha Anjum served legal notice for waving Indian flag at concert</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/2578299/talha-anjum-served-legal-notice-for-waving-indian-flag-at-concert</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/2578299/talha-anjum-served-legal-notice-for-waving-indian-flag-at-concert#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Thu, 20 Nov 25 07:54:19 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[Life And Style Desk]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Music]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=2578299</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[The notice claims that the singer hurt ‘national sentiment’]]>
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				<![CDATA[Talha Anjam has been served a legal notice by a Pakistani citizen after he adorned the Indian flag in a concert in Kathmandu in Nepal last week.

The notice claims that the rapper allegedly, &ldquo;Inflicted widespread outrage, mental anguish, and profound injury to the national, patriotic, and religious sentiments of millions of Pakistani citizens both domestically and abroad, exacerbating existing tensions between Pakistan and India, where diplomatic and military relations remain severely strained due to historical conflicts, border disputes, and ongoing security concerns.&rdquo;

The legal notice demands an &lsquo;unconditional public apology&rsquo; from Anjum. It warns that, &lsquo;non-compliance will result in, without further notice: Filing of FIR and criminal prosecutions.&rsquo;&nbsp;

Fans online have questioned this outrage. &ldquo;You guys loved it when Sidhu moose Wala and others waved Pakistani flag,&rdquo; wrote one user. &ldquo;What&#39;s wrong with this now?&rdquo; Another asked him to stand his ground. &ldquo;He should never apologize&hellip;&rdquo; they penned. &ldquo;It was a goodwill gesture. It didn&#39;t harm the country in any way. He should stand tall on his decision.&rdquo; However, some remained outraged and supported the notice. &ldquo;Amazing,&rdquo; one user wrote sarcastically. &ldquo;They kill our soldiers, insult our country and all the goodwill goes to them? A really amazing step.&rdquo;

The rapper sparked widespread online controversy after he caught an Indian flag from the crowd that was thrown towards him by a fan. The singer then raised and wrapped the flag around himself. After receiving backlash, the rapper was unapologetic about it. &ldquo;My heart has no place for hate,&rdquo; he wrote on social media. &ldquo;Art has no borders. If me raising an Indian flag sparks controversy so be it. I&rsquo;ll do it again. Will never care about the media, the war mongering governments and their propagandas. Urdu rap is and always will be borderless.&rdquo;

Fans from both sides of the border were divided about this act. Some called out Anjum for supporting India despite its public hostility towards Pakistan. &ldquo;India is doing everything it can to spread terrorism in Pakistan,&rdquo; wrote one X user. &ldquo;They even killed innocent Pakistanis, while Talha Anjum is busy lifting and wearing an Indian flag. India even banned his YouTube. What else can you expect from an Imran Khan supporter?&rdquo;

However, the singer&rsquo;s fans applauded his bold act too. &ldquo;What Talha Anjum has done is commendable,&rdquo; wrote one Indian fan. &ldquo;Even if he is done for views, he knows the repercussions that Pakistani people will hate for it still he did this.&rdquo;]]>
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			<title>'Urdu rap is  borderless': Talha Anjum defiant after waving Indian flag at Nepal concert</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/2577852/talha-anjum-adorns-indian-flag-at-concert-in-nepal</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/2577852/talha-anjum-adorns-indian-flag-at-concert-in-nepal#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Mon, 17 Nov 25 06:34:31 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[Life And Style Desk]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Music]]></category><category><![CDATA[Spotlight]]></category><category><![CDATA[Life &amp; Style]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=2577852</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[The rapper has the two nations divided over this act]]>
			</description>
			<content:encoded>
				<![CDATA[Talha Anjum has sparked widespread online controversy after he raised the Indian flag at a concert in Nepal. After receiving backlash, the rapper was unapologetic about it.

&ldquo;My heart has no place for hate,&rdquo; he took to social media and wrote. &ldquo;Art has no borders. If me raising an Indian flag sparks controversy so be it. I&rsquo;ll do it again. Will never care about the media, the war mongering governments and their propagandas. Urdu rap is and always will be borderless.&rdquo;





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The rapper has been on tour in Kathmandu in Nepal and videos of the concert quickly started to circulate the internet this weekend. Fans from both sides of the border were divided about this act.

Some called out Anjum for supporting India despite its public hostility towards Pakistan. &ldquo;India is doing everything it can to spread terrorism in Pakistan,&rdquo; wrote one X user. &ldquo;They even killed innocent Pakistanis, while Talha Anjum is busy lifting and wearing an Indian flag. India even banned his YouTube. What else can you expect from an Imran Khan supporter?&rdquo;

Another pointed out how unsupportive India has been in endorsing his music, &ldquo;Talha Anjum waved the Indian flag at a concert in Nepal, despite the fact that his Spotify and probably his YouTube channel as well, are blocked in India. What a pathetic nation we are, no self-respect, no shame, no spine.&rdquo; One user simply believed that Anjum lacked empathy. &ldquo;Talha Anjum, can we discuss this after your home and town gets bombed by Indians like mine did?&rdquo; they wrote. 

However, the singer&rsquo;s fans applauded his bold act too. &ldquo;What Talha Anjum has done is commendable,&rdquo; wrote one fan. &ldquo;Even if he is done for views, he knows the repercussions that Pakistani ppl will hate for it still he did this.&rdquo;Another stated that raising a certain flag is not a big deal. &ldquo;No problem buddy;&rdquo; the user penned. &ldquo;Do what you want. Raising any country&#39;s flag won&rsquo;t make you anti-Pakistan. We will always support you.&rdquo;

Despite the polarising opinions from both sides, the rapper gave the internet something to talk about. As one user put it, &ldquo;Talha Anjum is getting dragged from left, right, and center and this is why I pay my internet bills.&rdquo;

Last year in December, the rapper&rsquo;s Indian debut was cancelled. The concert had stops in Mumbai, Bengaluru, and New Delhi and its cancellation was attributed to organisational and financial disputes.]]>
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			<title>Nepali singer honours Reshma at World Culture Festival in Karachi</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/2575425/nepali-singer-honours-reshma-at-world-culture-festival-in-karachi</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/2575425/nepali-singer-honours-reshma-at-world-culture-festival-in-karachi#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Sun, 02 Nov 25 05:30:57 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[Qaisar Kamran]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Music]]></category><category><![CDATA[Life &amp; Style]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=2575425</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[Madan Gopal's cross-border melody celebrates South Asia’s shared musical tradition]]>
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				<![CDATA[Under the vibrant lights of the World Culture Festival, Nepali singer Madan Gopal mesmerised the audience with a heartfelt rendition of Lambi Judai, paying tribute to Pakistan&rsquo;s legendary folk singer Reshma.

Wearing a sparkling, boat-shaped traditional Nepali cap inspired by the Himalayas and a T-shirt adorned with cultural motifs, Madan stood out not only for his unique look but for his soulful performance that blended emotion, melody, and respect for South Asian musical heritage.

&ldquo;It was in the hills, about 15 kilometres from Kathmandu, surrounded by forests and cool winds, that this song came to me as if from the sky,&rdquo; Madan recalled. &ldquo;At that moment, I decided I would perform this song in Pakistan, in Reshma Ji&rsquo;s land.&rdquo;

This is Madan&rsquo;s second visit to Pakistan, and he says it&rsquo;s the love of the people that brought him back. Before the festival, he had reimagined Lambi Judai into a medley, adding his own musical composition to honour Reshma&rsquo;s legacy.

During his performance, Madan also sang a Nepali folk piece and a special Urdu-Nepali fusion song composed by Pakistani musician Imad Rehman. &ldquo;When Madan told me he wanted to pay tribute to Reshma Ji, I was thrilled,&rdquo; said Imad. &ldquo;She is a treasure of our region, her voice carries the spirit of our soil.&rdquo;

Madan described his philosophy of music: &ldquo;There are two kinds of singers, the trained ones and the mitti ke singer (singers of the soil). The latter sing not from technique but from the heart.&rdquo;

Accompanying him on stage was emerging Pakistani singer Mah Rukh, who recently won first place in a music competition at the Karachi Arts Council. She described the collaboration as both an honour and a challenge. &ldquo;Reshma Ji is a legend &mdash; it&rsquo;s impossible to match her voice, but I tried to give my best while also representing my culture,&rdquo; she said.

The performance evoked memories of the 1980s for the crowd, when Indian filmmaker Subhash Ghai included Reshma&rsquo;s Lambi Judai in his film Hero, propelling her to international fame.]]>
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			<title>NAPA revives radio drama with Aawaaz Audio Theater Project</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/2574764/napa-revives-radio-drama-with-aawaaz-audio-theater-project</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/2574764/napa-revives-radio-drama-with-aawaaz-audio-theater-project#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Wed, 29 Oct 25 06:51:40 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[Hina Ahmed]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Music]]></category><category><![CDATA[Spotlight]]></category><category><![CDATA[Life &amp; Style]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=2574764</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[The project celebrates the launch of three audio plays that reimagine storytelling through sound]]>
			</description>
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				<![CDATA[The National Academy of Performing Arts (NAPA) on Tuesday celebrated the completion of its Aawaaz Audio Theater Project, held in collaboration with the British Council, the English-Speaking Union of Pakistan, and the Peoples Palace Project (through Queen Mary University of London) at NAPA&rsquo;s Zia Mohyeddin Theater.

The project produced two versions of three audio plays &mdash; Baldia, Sammul, and Mentally Controlled &mdash; one each in Urdu and English. The plays were launched during a packed ceremony where the audience listened to the Urdu versions. The initiative aimed to revive Pakistan&rsquo;s rich tradition of radio drama.

One of the plays, Baldia, was based on the tragic 2012 factory fire in Karachi. It tells the story of a mother mourning the loss of her two sons in the blaze. &ldquo;It was a huge opportunity for us to execute this project as there were a lot of challenges involved,&rdquo; said Areeb Ali Khan, audio producer for Baldia, while speaking to The Express Tribune. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s like a short film &mdash; but in film, we have visuals that cover a lot of what can&rsquo;t be conveyed through sound. Here, the challenge was to make the listener feel the experience through sound.&rdquo; He revealed that every sound effect was created by the cast and crew themselves. &ldquo;The sound of the fire? My wife helped me make it using bubble wrap,&rdquo; he added with a laugh.

The plays covered a wide range of subjects. Mentally Controlled imagines a futuristic 2040 Pakistan where mental illnesses take center stage, while Sammul tells a simpler story about a girl with a passion for pottery. &ldquo;I have always been drawn to telling the stories of ordinary people,&rdquo; said Samina Sehar, lead actor and writer of Sammul, in conversation with The Express Tribune. &ldquo;The work of people like shoemakers, woodworkers, or potters inspires me. Whenever I have the opportunity to create something, I choose these kinds of stories.&rdquo;

Read More:&nbsp;&#39;Broken Images&#39; turns the mirror back on all of us

The event opened with speeches. British Council&rsquo;s Deputy Director in Pakistan, Ben Lawton, noted that the partnership with NAPA was part of the Council&rsquo;s broader efforts in culture and heritage. He said such collaborations were central to the organization&rsquo;s work in Pakistan.

NAPA Board of Directors member Senator (retd) Javed Jabbar praised the Aawaaz team for rekindling the spirit of radio drama. Reflecting on his youth in the 1960s, he recalled how his generation was inspired by Radio Pakistan&rsquo;s programs. &ldquo;Listening to cricket commentary by Omar Kureishi and Jamshed Marker was more vivid than any TV coverage,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;Radio&rsquo;s magic came only second to that of books &mdash; far ahead of TV or film.&rdquo;

Agreeing, Areeb added that there are many reasons radio should be revived. &ldquo;People like me are the audience,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;I barely have time to turn on my television and search for a movie. I&rsquo;d rather put on headphones in my car and listen to an entire story. I can drive and still be immersed in it.&rdquo;

The speeches were followed by a panel discussion featuring the writers, directors, and audio producers of the three plays, who shared their creative journeys. Behind-the-scenes videos showcasing the production process were also screened.]]>
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			<title>Samar Jafri's latest single 'Chalo Door Kahin' is a love song years in the making</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/2574451/samar-jafris-latest-single-chalo-door-kahin-is-a-love-song-years-in-the-making</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/2574451/samar-jafris-latest-single-chalo-door-kahin-is-a-love-song-years-in-the-making#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Mon, 27 Oct 25 12:02:17 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[Life And Style Desk]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Music]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=2574451</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[In this track, Jafri revisits a song that has journeyed with him since his early performer days]]>
			</description>
			<content:encoded>
				<![CDATA[Singer-songwriter Samar Jafri has returned with his latest single, Chalo Door Kahin, released last week. The song is a ballad that captures the quiet yearning to escape the noise of the world and find peace with someone who feels like home.

Blending stripped-down acoustic melodies with Jafri&rsquo;s vocals, the track evokes a sense of nostalgia that has become synonymous with his sound. The song&rsquo;s progression mirrors the emotional pull between closeness and distance.

The music video is set in a beach house that follows Jafri as he drifts between moments of solitude and creative reflection, writing, erasing, and revisiting his thoughts as the sea stretches before him. The black and white intercuts add to the video&rsquo;s dreamlike quality.





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For Jafri, Chalo Door Kahin is a song that&rsquo;s been part of his journey since the beginning. He performed it live at several shows before ever recording it. Most recently during his Abbottabad concert in September, where he sang all his originals live on stage for the first time and announced its upcoming release. Written years ago, the track was initially meant to be his debut single, but Jafri chose to wait for the right moment, one shaped by growth and the love he&rsquo;s received from his listeners.

This release follows his original singles Meri Ho and Hoor, along with his contributions to the hit drama Parwarish. Earlier this month, Spotify announced Samar Jafri as its RADAR Pakistan artist for Q4 2025, aiming to release a mini-documentary exploring his creative journey, inspirations, and the moments that have defined his artistic identity.

Chalo Door Kahin has been written, composed, and performed by Jafri, with music production by Alistair Alvin and video direction, editing, and cinematography by Arqam Junaid Ghani.]]>
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			<title>Jon Bon Jovi announces comeback tour after vocal cord surgery</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/2574136/jon-bon-jovi-announces-comeback-tour-after-vocal-cord-surgery</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/2574136/jon-bon-jovi-announces-comeback-tour-after-vocal-cord-surgery#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Sat, 25 Oct 25 08:21:16 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[Reuters]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Music]]></category><category><![CDATA[Life &amp; Style]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=2574136</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[The rock legend feels 'grateful and humble' to return to the stage after three years of rehabilitation]]>
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				<![CDATA[US rocker Jon Bon Jovi says he is &quot;grateful and humble&quot; to be able to return to the stage again following vocal cord surgery as the band that carries his name announced a comeback tour this week.

The 63 year-old singer underwent surgery in 2022 and needed three years of rehabilitation to regain the strength to sing live again. &quot;I&#39;m excited. I&#39;m also grateful and humble,&quot; Bon Jovi told Reuters on the sidelines of a press conference for the 2026 tour at Wembley Stadium on Friday.

&quot;(It) has taken a lot of rehabilitation. It&#39;s sort of like an athlete because you&#39;re retraining (like) a leg break for a footballer on this field. You have to slowly walk until he can run.&quot;

The band, which Bon Jovi founded in 1983 and is known for hits like Livin&#39; on a Prayer, Always&nbsp;and It&#39;s My Life, announced its Forever Tour on Wednesday, saying it would kick off on July 7 at Madison Square Garden in New York.

Bon Jovi will then play at Edinburgh&#39;s Murrayfield Stadium and Dublin&#39;s Croke Park in August before wrapping the tour at London&#39;s Wembley stadium on September 4.

The European leg marks Bon Jovi&rsquo;s first shows in Britain and Ireland since 2019. &quot;The inspiration was not to get back on the stage. The inspiration when you write a song and you feel that resonance between the sound waves of that music and the band and that resonance between you and the band and the audience,&quot; Bon Jovi said of his decision to tour again.

The tour announcement coincides with the release of Forever (Legendary Edition), a new version Bon Jovi&rsquo;s 2024 album, featuring collaborations with the likes of Robbie Williams, Bruce Springsteen and Avril Lavigne.

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			<title>From John Lennon’s Glasses to Noel Gallagher’s Guitars, music icon's items sell in London</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/2573613/from-john-lennons-glasses-to-noel-gallaghers-guitars-music-icons-items-sell-in-london</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/2573613/from-john-lennons-glasses-to-noel-gallaghers-guitars-music-icons-items-sell-in-london#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Wed, 22 Oct 25 07:09:05 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[Reuters]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Music]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=2573613</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[Over 550 pieces of rock history headline Propstore’s two-day music auction]]>
			</description>
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				<![CDATA[From John Lennon&rsquo;s round-framed glasses to Noel Gallagher&rsquo;s guitars, music history goes under the hammer this week in London. Propstore, an auction house specialising in entertainment memorabilia, is offering more than 550 lots in a two-day music auction taking place in London on Thursday and Friday. The sale is expected to raise more than 3 million pounds ($4.03 million).

Among those are more than 150 Oasis items, led by Noel Gallagher&#39;s 1960 red Gibson ES-355 guitar, which he said his brother Liam smashed during an argument on the night the band broke up in 2009.

The instrument, which has since been repaired and has an estimate of 250,000 - 500,000 pounds, was damaged at a Paris festival just before Oasis were due to perform in one of the brothers&#39; well-publicised feuds. Hours later Noel quit the band. More than 16 years on, the brothers put the acrimony behind them in July when they kicked off a reunion tour.

Other memorabilia includes Noel Gallagher&#39;s Takamine FP460SC acoustic guitar used to record Wonderwall&nbsp;and his handwritten lyrics for every song on Oasis&#39; seven studio albums.

&quot;It&rsquo;s the biggest Oasis collection of music memorabilia to ever come to market anywhere in the world. And that&#39;s over 1 million pounds,&quot; Propstore&#39;s music specialist Mark Hochman told Reuters, adding he expected huge&nbsp;demand for Oasis items at the sale.

&ldquo;Oasis has literally taken over; the fan base is huge. I think Oasis (memorabilia) is going to do very well.&quot; Other sale highlights include Lennon&#39;s tinted prescription glasses, worn in 1973-74 during his 18-month &quot;lost weekend&quot; period when he had a relationship with employee May Pang. The glasses have an estimate of 150,000 - 300,000 pounds.

Also on offer are a white fedora Michael Jackson wore for his Smooth Criminal&nbsp;music video and Jimi Hendrix&#39;s handwritten lyrics for Straight Ahead&nbsp;among other memorabilia.

&ldquo;There&#39;s Oasis items which start at 200 pounds, we&#39;ve got photographs from some of the leading rock photographers starting at 300 pounds,&quot; Hochman said. &quot;I like to think there is something for everyone.&quot;

($1 = 0.7451 pounds)]]>
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			<title>Cold War tunnel turns into concert hall in Taiwan</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/2573610/cold-war-tunnel-turns-into-concert-hall-in-taiwan</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/2573610/cold-war-tunnel-turns-into-concert-hall-in-taiwan#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Wed, 22 Oct 25 06:43:22 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[Reuters]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Music]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=2573610</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[The tourist destination echoed with Mozart and Beethoven at Kinmen Music Festival]]>
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				<![CDATA[Built during the height of the Cold War to shelter supply boats from Chinese shells, one of Taiwan&#39;s most well-known wartime attractions last weekend echoed with a different sound - cellos and violins for the annual Kinmen Tunnel Music Festival.

The Zhaishan Tunnel on Kinmen, which sits on the Chinese coast next to the cities of Xiamen and Quanzhou, was hewn by hand out of tough granite in the 1960s and originally designed for military purposes, sitting right on Taiwan&#39;s frontline with China.

Kinmen has been controlled by Taiwan since the end of the Chinese civil war in 1949, and was regularly bombarded with artillery by China&#39;s military, though today Kinmen is a popular tourist destination. Over two days last weekend, the tunnel hosted six shows with 200 people attending each one, the 17th year in a row the festival has been held.

Performers sat on a small boat which was gently paddled around the tunnel, itself lit up in bright colours, playing a selection of music that included Mozart and Beethoven as well as traditional Taiwanese and Chinese tunes.

Photo: Reuters

&quot;The music tells the story of this tunnel, music that speaks of the preciousness of peace, and music that carries its message to the world,&quot; festival art director and cellist Chang Chen-chieh said.

Tickets for this year&#39;s festival, in one of Kinmen&#39;s most dramatic locations, sold out in just two minutes, organisers said.

Martial law in Kinmen only ended in 1992, five years later than Taiwan itself. Kinmen retains a heavy military presence, though many sites, like the tunnel, have long since been retired and made part of the national park which covers much of the island.

Audience member Cheng Kai-hsiang said he was moved by the performance. &quot;Not only by the sound and the echo from the tunnel, but also because I could hear the waves coming from outside,&quot; Cheng said. &quot;That powerful, overwhelming feeling is really hard to put into words. It&#39;s something you can only experience by being there in person.&quot;]]>
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			<title>Liam Payne's fans mark the first anniversary of his death</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/2572897/liam-paynes-fans-mark-the-first-anniversary-of-his-death</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/2572897/liam-paynes-fans-mark-the-first-anniversary-of-his-death#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Fri, 17 Oct 25 07:38:41 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[Reuters]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Music]]></category><category><![CDATA[Life &amp; Style]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=2572897</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[Mourners leave flowers outside hotel where late pop star’s life ended, in Buenos Aires]]>
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				<![CDATA[Fans of the late pop star Liam Payne gathered on Thursday in Buenos Aires to mark the first anniversary of the artist&#39;s death. A makeshift shrine with flowers, images of the singer and candles was placed outside the Hotel CasaSur, in the Palermo district.

Photo: Reuters

Fans gathered to share their memories and mourn the 31-year-old British songwriter. &ldquo;It brings me a lot of memories,&quot; said Marianela Lucero, a fan of the artist. &quot;He had always been sweet and with hits, songs that fill your soul and touch you. So it was this, the joy in his smile, everything was a joke, he put his best into all he did. This is his legacy.&rdquo;

The former One Direction member fell from his hotel balcony in Buenos Aires on October 16, 2024.

Photo: Reuters

One Direction were catapulted to global fame in the 2010s after appearing on the talent show X Factor and they went on to become one of the best-selling boy bands of all time.

Payne, who was still a teenager when One Direction found global success, struggled with the pressures of fame, and he later spoke about his problems with alcohol.

&ldquo;It&rsquo;s super painful when they judge him without knowing him because it&rsquo;s really difficult,&quot; said Yaquelin Perez, another fan of the musican. &quot;There are a lot of people who obviously say things like he killed himself and this and that. But they don&rsquo;t know what&rsquo;s behind a mental health process. Depression is so difficult because I&rsquo;ve also been through a depression. Then it hits me harder as we couldn&rsquo;t save him. He didn&rsquo;t have the support to comfort him. Yes, there was his family but many people around him harmed him.&rdquo;

He launched a solo career after One Direction split in 2016 and released a debut album in 2019.

In February, an Argentine court cleared three of the five people accused of their alleged involvement in Payne&#39;s death.

&nbsp;]]>
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			<title>Love, lure and life lessons - Jani reflects on new EP Emotional Baggage</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/2571461/love-lure-and-life-lessons-jani-reflects-on-new-ep-emotional-baggage</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/2571461/love-lure-and-life-lessons-jani-reflects-on-new-ep-emotional-baggage#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Thu, 09 Oct 25 07:27:38 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[Shahmeer Khan]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Music]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=2571461</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[Karachi rapper's chemistry with hip hop producer Jokhay is fiery]]>
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				<![CDATA[&quot;We have all fallen in love at some point in our lives,&quot; says Jani. His new EP Emotional Baggage walks us through the process.

Karachi rapper Muhammad Ali Khan, commonly known as Jani, has collaborated with celebrated hip hop producer Jokhay for Emotional Baggage, and is currently working on another album due to release in the first half of 2026. The new EP comprises of four fresh tracks and features Karachi artist Shareh.

Breaking down the album for The Express Tribune, Jani said in the song Miracles he wrote about losing oneself in love. &quot;...the experience of love without any ego or consideration for the self can sometimes be detrimental for us.&quot;

This brings up to step two, Two of Us, in which Jani evokes selfworth and raps about realising one&#39;s value despite suffering in the depths of feeling.

In Nazna, he reflects on the bigger picture, the lessons love leaves us with no matter its end. &quot;Kahin nazar nahi aana mujhe ab tum,&quot; he raps, nonchalantly.

The last track, Fall Apart, brings the protagonist home. Or rather, above and beyond, with a deeper understanding of being in love, falling out of it, being apart, and yet in love with what once was. The song hits as a waypoint, as if the protagonist has undertaken an ardous journey and is now appreciative of the view from the top. The track touches on the blessings and limitations of poetic expression as well.

Jani&#39;s current monthly listeners on spotify surpass 365,000 and his stream count stands at 73 million. In this album he creates a riveting character arc, relatable for many, and supplemented well by Jokhay&#39;s moody and nocturnal trap production.

The rapper&#39;s creative universe is rooted in local language and Karachi&#39;s street culture. His music comes to life through nuanced storytelling and visual flair.

Miracles is the standout track on this EP. Jokhay gives us a wavy jersey club style beat laced with some emotional vocal samples and rolling his hats. &ldquo;The bar count on jersey club beats is slightly different, flow switches sound very smooth over instrumentals in this style,&rdquo; says Jani. &ldquo;Miracles is great, but my personal favourite song on the EP would probably be Nazna.&rdquo;

Read: In Umair&#39;s expanding universe, hip hop stars align for &#39;String Theory&#39;

The rapper&#39;s chemistry with Johkay is undeniable in this album. The drums, hi-hats and background melodies often transition as Jani&#39;s flow switches. Each instrument appears tailored to the lyrical composition on the record.

&ldquo;There were no hip hop producers before [Johkay] him, he opened the door for everyone in Pakistan,&rdquo; says Jani. &ldquo;Umair, Superdupersultan, he taught all of them how to produce. He is a mentor figure for everyone in the industry, I have learned a lot from him myself.&quot;

When asked about branching out into different genres, styles and other languages, Jani says he has been considering adding Punjabi lyrics in his new album though it is not his first language.

Jani prefers to keep his creative process as authentic as possible. &quot;Oftentimes, I leave lyrics unfinished before going to the studio,&rdquo; he says. &ldquo;This helps me keep the bars raw, honest and unfiltered. People relate more to that anyways.&rdquo;

Overthinking or spending too much time on one idea can get in the way of this, says Jani, insisting that you have to let your creativity, your ideas flow. Preserving authenticity is crucial for both audiences and artists, he adds.

Reflecting on his early days in Karachi&#39;s music scene, Jani recalled that he had never shied away from experimenting. &ldquo;Back when I first started out, people used to doubt me for using autotune. &rdquo;Now look around, everyone in Pakistan is using it,&rdquo; says Jani proudly.

New artists must be patient and persistent, said the rapper. They should focus on their craft and build connections instead of chasing monetary success if they want to make their way in today&#39;s music scene, he said.

The Express Tribune asked Jani some rapid fire questions.

If you could only listen to one album for the rest of your life, which would it be?

Justice by Justin Bieber

What is your favourite song these days?

Saturday Morning by Cordae and Lil Wayne

Who is your biggest musical inspiration? 

Probably Juice Wrld, but from a business perspective I would say Drake

Who&#39;s one artist you listen to the most these days? 

I have been listening to a lot of ghazals lately, apart from that i&rsquo;m listening to a lot of Silk Sonic&rsquo;s music as well.

&nbsp;]]>
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			<title>Spotify highlights Samar Jafri as its RADAR Pakistan artist</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/2572136/spotify-highlights-samar-jafri-as-its-radar-pakistan-artist</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/2572136/spotify-highlights-samar-jafri-as-its-radar-pakistan-artist#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Mon, 13 Oct 25 06:50:24 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[Life And Style Desk]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Music]]></category><category><![CDATA[Spotlight]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=2572136</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[Singer celebrates milestone as Spotify features his musical journey in special mini-documentary]]>
			</description>
			<content:encoded>
				<![CDATA[Spotify has chosen Samar Jafri as its RADAR Pakistan artist for the fourth quarter of 2025.

Expressing gratitude over this selection, Samar said, &ldquo;As an independent artist, this truly feels like the beginning of something I&rsquo;ve been dreaming about for years. I&rsquo;ve been making music for over six years now, but it took a lot of time and courage to finally start putting out originals.&rdquo;

The singer has growing worldwide listeners from Bangladesh, the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, and the UAE. His audience leans towards the younger demographic and Spotify data shows that over half his listeners are aged between 18 and 24.

Samar further shared that seeing that music connects with so many people, especially on a platform like Spotify, means everything to him. It&rsquo;s overwhelming in the best way for him and he is grateful for the love and support. &ldquo;I&rsquo;ve always believed that God is with the patient, and this moment feels like a reminder of that,&rdquo; he said.

As part of this global artist development program, Spotify will feature Samar&rsquo;s story in a special mini-documentary, exploring his creative evolution, the inspiration behind his music, and the moments that have shaped him into one of Pakistan&rsquo;s most exciting emerging artists.

Samar reflected on this development and said that being able to tell his story through Spotify RADAR is one of the highlights of this year for him. &ldquo;There&rsquo;s so much more to come, and I can&rsquo;t wait to share it all with you,&rdquo; he said.

Rutaba Yaqub, Spotify&rsquo;s Artist &amp; Label Partnerships Manager for Pakistan and UAE said that Samar Jafri is a remarkable talent and a fitting choice to close out RADAR Pakistan Season 2025. Adding that they are excited to spotlight his journey and share his music with even more listeners through this platform.

The singer has been making waves with singles Main Rahun and Guzaarishein, which have together surpassed 23.3 million streams, with Main Rahun alone recording over 14 million plays.]]>
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			<title>Taylor Swift’s ‘Life of a Showgirl’ storms UK charts, sets new records</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/2571823/taylor-swifts-life-of-a-showgirl-storms-uk-charts-sets-new-records</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/2571823/taylor-swifts-life-of-a-showgirl-storms-uk-charts-sets-new-records#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Sat, 11 Oct 25 06:32:16 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[Reuters]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Music]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=2571823</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[In under two weeks, the singer-songwriter has dominated streaming, downloads and vinyl sales]]>
			</description>
			<content:encoded>
				<![CDATA[Taylor Swift set records and topped the UK music charts on Friday, with her new album The Life of a Showgirl&nbsp;powering straight to No.1 and three of its tracks also taking the top spots.

The U.S. singer-songwriter&nbsp;released her 12th studio album&nbsp;last week and in less than 11 hours, it became Spotify&#39;s most-streamed album in a single day in 2025.

Despite mixed reviews, Swift&#39;s latest offering has been lapped up by her huge global fan base.

In Britain, it became her 14th No.1 album, &quot;securing the biggest opening week of the year in just three days, (and ending) the week on a staggering 423,000 combined chart units&quot;, the Official Charts Company said.

Its first week of release was the biggest in Britain since Ed Sheeran&rsquo;s Divide in 2017 and the biggest opening week for an international album in Britain this century, it added.

The Life of a Showgirl&nbsp;set records for different formats, including the most first-week album downloads in 2025 and the most UK album streams in a week, with streaming contributing 84,000 stream-equivalent sales.

For vinyl, it became the UK&rsquo;s fastest-selling album this century with 126,000 sales, and the biggest one-week vinyl sale since modern chart records began in 1994.

The album&#39;s opening track The Fate of Ophelia&nbsp;topped the UK singles chart, followed by songs Opalite&nbsp;and Elizabeth Taylor&nbsp;at No.2 and No.3 respectively.

&quot;Her list of achievements this week is extraordinary, not least the fact that The Life of a Showgirl&nbsp;has just registered comfortably the biggest first week in the UK of her career,&quot; Martin Talbot, Chief Executive of the Official Charts, said in a statement.

In Australia, Swift set another record, with the album&#39;s 12 songs taking the top 12 positions on the ARIA singles chart. She also topped the ARIA albums chart.

Swift is expected to break more records and top charts elsewhere, including in the United States.]]>
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			<title>I have never promoted violence or alcohol: Talha Anjum</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/2570918/i-have-never-promoted-violence-or-alcohol-talha-anjum</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/2570918/i-have-never-promoted-violence-or-alcohol-talha-anjum#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Mon, 06 Oct 25 12:04:22 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[Life And Style Desk]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Music]]></category><category><![CDATA[Spotlight]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=2570918</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[Rapper responds to fan’s query about his influence on youngsters]]>
			</description>
			<content:encoded>
				<![CDATA[Talha Anjum wants people to know that he does not condone&nbsp;violence and alcohol. In a recent interview with Raftar, Anjum was asked by a sixteen year old audience member about the influence his lyrics have on young people, especially when they include references to alcohol. The rapper chose to deny ever promoting such things during the Q&amp;A session. &nbsp;

&ldquo;I don&rsquo;t think I have ever preached violence or alcohol,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;I have talked about it but I&rsquo;m not saying that I&rsquo;m doing it or that I love doing it. I&rsquo;m not promoting it.&rdquo;&nbsp;





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The fan further said that whatever the singer does becomes cool and everyone copies it. &ldquo;If someone is trying to be sigma or cool, they will play your song in the background,&rdquo; the fan asked. &ldquo;What do you have to say about that?&ldquo;

To this he responded, &ldquo;I want people to copy me, but only for the good things I have done.&rdquo;&nbsp;

Anjum thinks that people in Pakistan tend to focus only on others&rsquo; flaws and rarely acknowledge the good until someone has passed away. The singer said that he has made so many songs that have touched upon social issues too.&nbsp;

The rapper admitted that he has talked about alcohol, however, other poets do that too. &ldquo;Take Ghalib for instance,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;And people call him a legend. However, when I look back, I am not reminded of any verse of Ghalib that talks about alcohol. It is all about how you perceive it.&rdquo;]]>
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			<title>Doja Cat completes her listening party look with Pakistani brand Warp’s handbag</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/2570414/doja-cat-completes-her-listening-party-look-with-pakistani-brand-warps-handbag</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/2570414/doja-cat-completes-her-listening-party-look-with-pakistani-brand-warps-handbag#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Fri, 03 Oct 25 12:07:05 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[Life And Style Desk]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Music]]></category><category><![CDATA[Fashion]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=2570414</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[Rapper joins growing list of international celebrities to style a Pakistani brands]]>
			</description>
			<content:encoded>
				<![CDATA[Doja Cat adorned a Pakistani accessory while promoting her latest album Vie at a listening party hosted by YouTube Music in New York City on Thursday. The US rapper arrived at the party carrying a Hexella Baguette bag by Lahore-based leather brand Warp.





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Doja Cat is not the first celebrity to carry a Warp handbag. Previously, actor Lupita Nyong&rsquo;o carried Warp&rsquo;s Cloud bag at a press event for A Quiet Place. Actor Nava Mau took the brand&rsquo;s Hexella Petite to a similar event as well for her miniseries Baby Reindeer. Actor Iman Vellani of Ms Marvel fame, was also seen carrying a bag from the Hexella collection at the Gold Gala in Los Angeles.

Warp is a contemporary fashion brand that makes high quality, abstract forms and minimalist everyday fashion accessories. Founded by LUMS alumna, Hirra Babar in 2015,&nbsp;it fuses innovative design methods with traditional craftsmanship to make wearable accessories for women.&nbsp;

Creating something out of the ordinary, WARP stands out with its non-conformist aesthetics that speak the mind of today&rsquo;s woman.

This event was a milestone for Pakistani fashion designers as their products slowly receive international fame.&nbsp;

Previously, designer Zain Ahmed&rsquo;s Rastah, gained international attention, with features in Vogue and its clothing worn by notable figures such as Justin Bieber, rapper French Montana, and Oscar-winning actor Riz Ahmed.

Rastah is a Lahore-based streetwear brand, in 2018. The label focuses on sustainable and artisanal fashion, with its products designed, sourced, and crafted by local artisans in Pakistan in limited runs.]]>
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			<title>Taylor Swift's 'Life of a Showgirl' receives global promotion</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/2570361/taylor-swifts-life-of-a-showgirl-receives-global-promotion</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/2570361/taylor-swifts-life-of-a-showgirl-receives-global-promotion#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Fri, 03 Oct 25 06:28:20 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[Reuters]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Music]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=2570361</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[Midnight releases, theater events and immersive pop-ups build hype for album]]>
			</description>
			<content:encoded>
				<![CDATA[Superstar Taylor Swift&#39;s latest studio album, The Life of a Showgirl, arrives&nbsp;Friday with a promotional blitz that includes&nbsp;midnight sales at Target stores, a release party at movie theaters around the globe and pop-up experiences in New York and Los Angeles.

The release follows The Tortured Poets Department, Swift&#39;s 11th studio album, which debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 album chart, and sold the equivalent of 8 million albums in the United States, according to Luminate, a firm that tracks music sales.

&quot;She occupies a very rare position in today&#39;s fragmented music landscape: she is an active superstar with a massive and loyal fan base,&quot; said Tatiana Cirisano, vice president of music strategy for MIDiA Research.

These passionate followers, who self-identify as &quot;Swifties,&quot; help the artist break through the fragmented music landscape, and rise to the top of the charts, said Cirisano.

&quot;So few can get such a massive number of people listening to the same thing at once. So, it would surprise me a lot if the new release did not reach her usual level of success,&quot; she said.

Swift has been building anticipation for the new album since August 11, when she posted a countdown on her website that kept fans waiting until 12:12 a.m. ET on August 12, when she revealed the name of her 12th album The Life of a Showgirl.

The next day, Swift appeared on the New Heights podcast hosted by her fianc&eacute;, Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce, and his brother, retired Philadelphia Eagles lineman Jason Kelce. The Top-10 rated sports and pop-culture podcast provided a friendly platform for Swift to talk about her forthcoming album, which she said had been inspired by the joy she felt while performing around the world on her record-setting Eras Tour. The August 13 episode has surpassed 23.4 million views on YouTube.

Swift has emerged as a cultural and economic force. Her globe-trotting Eras Tour was the highest-grossing tour of all time, surpassing $2 billion in ticket sales by the time it concluded in December 2024, according to Pollstar, a trade publication that tracks the concert industry. That figure does not include the boost to hotel and Airbnb rentals, restaurant tabs and merchandise sales.

Academics have said Swift rivals other pop icons, like Elvis or Michael Jackson, in terms of her cultural impact -- whether it&#39;s driving tune-in to NFL gamesor leading voter registration drives.

Business partners have been eager totap into the phenomenon that&#39;s been dubbed &quot;Swiftonomics.&quot;

AMC Theatres announced plans to distribute &quot;The Official Release Party of a Showgirl,&quot; an 89-minute film that features the first music video from the album, The Fate of Ophelia, behind-the-scenes footage from the making of the music video, and Swift&#39;s reflections on songs from the album. The film will be in limited release, from Friday through Sunday, in more than 50 markets.

Retailer Target plans to open some stores at midnight Friday to sell a limited-edition vinyl pressing of the album with a &quot;gold shimmer,&quot; and three CDs featuring exclusive album and poster art.

Music streaming service Spotify opened a three-day pop-up in New York City on Tuesday, to let Swift fans step into the world of the album, with song lyrics hidden among displays that included a dressing room and other trappings of a concert tour. On Friday, TikTok opened its own Life of a Showgirl installation in Los Angeles.

Taylor Nation, the artist&#39;s promotional team, released a schedule of promotional appearances to tout the new album, including stops on The Graham Norton Show on Friday, The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon on Monday and Late Night with Seth Meyers on Wednesday.]]>
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			<title>‘KPop Demon Hunters’ lead vocalists reveal Kendrick Lamar as source of inspiration</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/2570355/kpop-demon-hunters-lead-vocalists-reveal-kendrick-lamar-as-source-of-inspiration</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/2570355/kpop-demon-hunters-lead-vocalists-reveal-kendrick-lamar-as-source-of-inspiration#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Fri, 03 Oct 25 06:02:38 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[Reuters]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Music]]></category><category><![CDATA[Life &amp; Style]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=2570355</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[Singers of chart-topping act adopted Lamar's storytelling and flow]]>
			</description>
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				<![CDATA[While the lead vocalists in animated film KPop Demon Hunters are largely inspired by the work of other K-Pop artists, EJAE, Rei Ami and Audrey Nuna said they also admire Black American hip-hop stars like Kendrick Lamar, Missy Elliott and Doechii.

&ldquo;I think I discovered West Coast rap in high school, and I learned a lot about storytelling, lyricism and rhythm,&rdquo; Korean American rapper and singer Rei Ami said.

All three vocalists told Reuters that rapper and record producer Lamar&rsquo;s music had particularly impacted their musical styles. &ldquo;His (Lamar&rsquo;s) flow is insane, cadence, his way of writing, his way of vocal producing, I learned a lot from that,&rdquo; Korean American singer and songwriter EJAE said.

KPop Demon Hunters, directed by Maggie Kang and Chris Appelhans and available on Netflix, is trending around the world. Its soundtrack has dominated the charts this summer, boasting more than 3 billion global streams to date, and breakout hit Golden reached No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, Netflix reported in August.

The streaming platform reported on Tuesday that the movie was currently its most popular English-language film.

A sing-along version of KPop Demon Hunters topped the domestic box office during its opening weekend on August 23 and 24, in what appeared to be a historic first for Netflix.

The action-packed movie received 2.1 billion on-demand audio and video streams in the U.S. across all platforms and earned a total of 5.4 billion minutes watched on Netflix in the U.S. by late September, according to Luminate.

Luminate added it was the most-consumed soundtrack in the U.S. so far this year when looking at album sales and streaming equivalents.

First live performance will be on The Tonight Show

On October 7, the singers will perform Golden on The Tonight Show, marking their first-ever live performance together. &quot;It&#39;s official,&quot; the singers said in unison, confirming their upcoming live performance debut.

&quot;These girls, it&#39;s an honor being on stage with them,&quot; Rei Ami said, noting that for her, this history-making moment is &quot;overdue.&quot;

The movie, which came out on June 20, follows a K-pop girl group called HUNTR/X, comprised of Rumi, Mira, and Zoey, who are also a trio of demon hunters that perform K-pop music to impress fans and combat demons.

EJAE, who co-wrote and performs Golden, provides the singing voice of the group&#39;s lead Rumi, while Rei Ami sings as Zoey and Audrey Nuna is the vocalist for Mira.

The film was produced by Sony Pictures Animation.

With the musical movie continuing to trend, directors Kang and Appelhans said they are considering what the future may hold. Both said they are thinking about a potential sequel, but right now, they are just trying to take their busy schedules day by day.

They are also appreciative of the Oscar and Grammy awards buzz they have received. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s an honor to be even recognized, to be potential nominees,&rdquo; Kang said.]]>
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			<title>Aga Khan Music Awards announce three Pakistani nominees</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/2570219/aga-khan-music-awards-announce-three-pakistani-nominees</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/2570219/aga-khan-music-awards-announce-three-pakistani-nominees#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Thu, 02 Oct 25 12:17:22 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[Life And Style Desk]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Music]]></category><category><![CDATA[Spotlight]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=2570219</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[Dedicated to supporting exceptional creativity, the awards include a financial reward and professional development]]>
			</description>
			<content:encoded>
				<![CDATA[The finalists for the Aga Khan Music Awards (AKMA) 2025 have been announced. The global list includes three Pakistanis: Juman Latif, Ustad Noor Bakhsh, and Ustad Naseeruddin Saami.

The nominees are each maestros in their own fields.

The first nominee, Ustaad Naseeruddin Saami is a classical singer. He is one of the world&rsquo;s most revered living masters of Khayal, the oldest form of classical South Asian singing, rooted in the Delhi Gharana musical tradition.

Similarly, Juman Latif is a 48-year-old Sufi singer who has been teaching and singing Shah Abdul Latif Bhitai&rsquo;s raag outside Bhitai&rsquo;s shrine for around 32 years. He teaches the raag at two schools, supervises the same tradition at the shrine and in between takes care of his family and goes across the world to spread Bhitai&rsquo;s message of love and peace.

Ustad Noor Baksh has also been playing the Benju since he was a child but gained fame as a soloist in 2022. His work is deeply rooted in Balochi musical forms but enriched by his knowledge of South Asian Ragas, which he also renders in his own, experimental style. He also renders popular and folk tunes in all the major languages spoken across Pakistan.

Read:&nbsp;Classical music&rsquo;s pull: why it still hits home

This year&rsquo;s winners selected by the Awards Master Jury will be announced on November 4 and honoured at an award ceremony on November 22 at London&rsquo;s Southbank Centre. The ceremony will be the centrepiece of four days of events from November 20 to 23.

The winners will share a prize fund of $500,000 and gain access to professional opportunities such as commissions, recordings, management contracts, and support for educational and preservation initiatives.

The Aga Khan Music Awards were established by His Late Highness Prince Karim Aga Khan IV in 2018. The Awards recognise and support exceptional creativity, promise, and enterprise in music performance, creation, education, preservation and revitalisation in societies across the world in which Muslims have a significant presence.]]>
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			<title>Diljit Dosanjh defends the release of 'Sardaar Ji 3'</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/2569258/diljit-dosanjh-defends-the-release-of-sardaar-ji-3</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/2569258/diljit-dosanjh-defends-the-release-of-sardaar-ji-3#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Sat, 27 Sep 25 07:25:30 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[Life And Style Desk]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Film]]></category><category><![CDATA[Music]]></category><category><![CDATA[Spotlight]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=2569258</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[Singer points out how Hania Aamir starrer was banned while Indo-Pak cricket is still being played]]>
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				<![CDATA[Diljit wants to make sure his voice does not go unnoticed. In a recent video circulating on X, the singer spoke out against the hypocrisy to have Indo-Pak cricket matches after banning his film Sardaar Ji 3 from release in India because it had a Pakistani actor in the cast.&nbsp;

Providing justifications for his decision to cast Hania Aamir in the film, Diljit said, &ldquo;My movie was shot in February when the matches were being played,&rdquo; he said at a concert in Kuala Lumpur on Wednesday. &ldquo;After that, the Pahalgam terror attack happened. At that time, and even now, we have always prayed that the terrorists should receive strict punishment. The difference now is that a match is being played after the attack.&rdquo;&nbsp;

The singer further reminded the audience that the Sikh community is loyal. &ldquo;The national media tried their best to portray me as anti-national, &ldquo; he said, &ldquo;But Punjabis and the Sikh community could never go against the nation.&rdquo;

The decision to skip Indian cinemas followed rising political tensions between India and Pakistan in the aftermath of the Pahalgam attack back in April. Due to the attack, Sardaar Ji 3&rsquo;s release was halted in India. It then had a worldwide release and did not release in India, causing the production house to suffer huge investment losses.&nbsp;]]>
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			<title>Classical music’s pull: why it still hits home</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/2568657/classical-musics-pull-why-it-still-hits-home</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/2568657/classical-musics-pull-why-it-still-hits-home#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Wed, 24 Sep 25 07:50:29 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[Hina Ahmed]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Music]]></category><category><![CDATA[Life &amp; Style]]></category><category><![CDATA[Art and Books]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=2568657</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[The 15th Tehzeeb Festival packed the house this month — here’s why it matters]]>
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				<![CDATA[Walk into the Zia Mohyeddin Theatre on festival night, and you&rsquo;ll see it: a full house, heads swaying, phones tucked away, ears tuned in. For two evenings (Sept 13&ndash;14), the 15th Tehzeeb Festival at NAPA proved that classical music, with all its ragas and rhythms, is far from a fading art.

From Mehak Rashid&rsquo;s soulful khayal to Ustad Mumtaz Ali Sabzal blending Baloch folk with classical ragas, the performances weren&rsquo;t just music, they were lessons in how a centuries-old tradition keeps finding new ways to stay alive.So what keeps audiences, many of them young, coming back to a form often dismissed as &ldquo;too serious&rdquo; or &ldquo;too niche&rdquo;?

&ldquo;Classical music is our strongest link to who we are and where we&rsquo;ve come from,&rdquo; says Sharif Awan, founder of the Tehzeeb Foundation. &ldquo;Without that, it&rsquo;s impossible to imagine the future.&rdquo;

Ethnomusicologist Arsalan Pareyal puts it more simply: &ldquo;It&rsquo;s in our DNA. Our great-grandfathers listened to it. We carry it with us, whether we know it or not.&rdquo;

For Niloy Ahsan Zulqarnain, a dhrupad musician who performed at the festival, the appeal runs even deeper: &ldquo;Classical music nurtures compassion, empathy, self-reflection. It gives clarity and balance. In a noisy world, that&rsquo;s rare.&rdquo;

Old roots, new energy

Classical music here goes back a thousand years. Mughal courts gave rise to gharanas, schools of music that built distinct identities through patronage. While that culture has faded, the music has kept evolving.

Take khayal, for instance. Once a branch of dhrupad (originally devotional), it grew into a freer, more improvisational style that even influenced film songs and ghazals. Or the alap section of dhrupad, an unhurried, wordless exploration of a raag, that still feels radical in its simplicity.

&ldquo;Western musicians are moving towards our traditions,&rdquo; says Sharif. &ldquo;Eastern music will shape the future.&rdquo; Niloy agrees, noting how dhrupad is finding new listeners abroad.

More than nostalgia

The Tehzeeb Festival itself, running since 2009, is part of a wider wave. From the All Pakistan Music Conference to the upcoming World Culture Festival, classical music is carving out space in a fast-paced, pop-driven city.

And maybe that&rsquo;s the secret: in Karachi&rsquo;s chaos, this music offers something rare: a pause, a connection, a reminder that not everything meaningful has to be fast, flashy, or trending.

Note: Reporting was supplemented by AI editing for clarity and brevity]]>
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			<title>Abdul Hannan to headline ‘The Rowdown’ at AKU sports center</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/2568656/abdul-hannan-to-headline-the-rowdown-at-aku-sports-center</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/2568656/abdul-hannan-to-headline-the-rowdown-at-aku-sports-center#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Wed, 24 Sep 25 07:49:31 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[Our Correspondent]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Music]]></category><category><![CDATA[Life &amp; Style]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=2568656</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[Both standard and VIP tickets are listed for the event]]>
			</description>
			<content:encoded>
				<![CDATA[Abdul Hannan, one of Pakistan&rsquo;s most prominent young singers and songwriters, is set to perform live at the Aga Khan University Sports &amp; Rehabilitation Center in Karachi on 28 September 2025. The concert is scheduled to begin at 8:30 pm and is being presented through Ticketwala, which is promoting the event and handling ticketing.

Hannan has quickly become a household name in the country&rsquo;s music industry with a string of widely heard tracks such as Iraaday, Bikhra, and Siyah. Known for his soulful lyrics and modern pop sound, he has established a strong following among younger audiences. His collaborations with other independent artists have also helped him emerge as a leading figure in Pakistan&rsquo;s growing indie-pop scene.

The chosen venue, the AKU Sports &amp; Rehabilitation Center, is a large open-air space known for hosting campus gatherings and cultural events. Its spacious setting is expected to provide an expansive atmosphere for the live concert, accommodating a significant crowd in an outdoor environment.

The event listing provides key details such as the date, time, and location, though further specifics like supporting acts, setlist, and performance duration have not been disclosed. Information about parking, entry procedures, and on-ground arrangements has also not been mentioned in the ticketing announcement.

Tickets have been categorized into standard and VIP sections. Attendees are encouraged to contact the official helpline for queries.&nbsp;

Abdul Hannan&rsquo;s upcoming live show at AKU marks another milestone in his career as he continues to build his reputation as one of the country&rsquo;s most sought-after performers. The event adds to the growing trend of independent Pakistani artists moving from digital platforms into large-scale live performances, reflecting their growing reach and audience demand.

&nbsp;]]>
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			<title>Farhan Saeed and Urwa Hocane’s love story sizzles in music video for ‘Andron Kha Jana’</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/2568457/farhan-saeed-and-urwa-hocanes-love-story-sizzles-in-music-video-for-song-andron-kha-jana</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/2568457/farhan-saeed-and-urwa-hocanes-love-story-sizzles-in-music-video-for-song-andron-kha-jana#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Tue, 23 Sep 25 07:41:41 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[Our Correspondent]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Music]]></category><category><![CDATA[Life &amp; Style]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=2568457</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[The singer lives out his fairytale dream with wife in latest Urdu-Punjabi love song]]>
			</description>
			<content:encoded>
				<![CDATA[Farhan Saeed and Urwa Hocane are well aware of the magic of their on-screen chemistry. The two are back to give the fans what they want in a dreamy music video for Farhan&rsquo;s recent Urdu Punjabi song Andron Kha Jana, released last week.





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A post shared by URWA TUL WUSQUA HOCANE (@urwatistic)





The song is composed by Asad Chauhan and produced by Adrian David and the lyrics have been written by Farhan and Asad themselves. The music programming is done by Umair Hassan and the song is mixed by Adrian. It is mastered by Sufiscore Studios and presented by Shooting Star Studios.

Farhan provides his usual soft Punjabi vocals at the backdrop of guitar strumming and a violin beat. The title of the song means &lsquo;getting eaten away from inside&rsquo; and the lyrics talk about a love that eats the poet from within. The music video features a distressed hero(Farhan) trying to save the princess(Urwa) in fairytale-like settings.

The video reached a million views in less than 24 hours and currently has more than two million views on YouTube. It received positive feedback from fans. One social media comment praised the duo and wrote, &ldquo;Farhan&#39;s voice and urwa&#39;s beauty stole the show&rsquo; while another penned, &ldquo;Farhan pours his soul into every line and then the music video comes in with visuals that literally break and heal you at the same time.&rdquo;

The two have previously starred together in romantic film Tich Button in 2022 and hit drama serial Udaari in 2016. They won the Hum Award for Best On-Screen Couple for their performance in Udaari. 

The song is out on all streaming platforms and the music video has been released on YouTube.

&nbsp;]]>
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			<title>Burberry takes inspiration from music festival fashion for summer collection</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/2568434/burberry-takes-inspiration-from-music-festival-fashion-for-summer-collection</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/2568434/burberry-takes-inspiration-from-music-festival-fashion-for-summer-collection#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Tue, 23 Sep 25 05:55:19 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[Reuters]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Fashion]]></category><category><![CDATA[Music]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=2568434</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[The crochet-heavy summer collection focuses on outerwear with a rock and roll edge]]>
			</description>
			<content:encoded>
				<![CDATA[Burberry&nbsp;BRBY.L&nbsp;presented hippie-inspired crochet dresses, fringed jackets, and tailored suits in acid green, yellow and pink on Monday, drawing on counterculture fashions from the British music scene for its spring/summer 2026 collection.

A Black Sabbath soundtrack gave a rock&#39;n&#39;roll edge to the catwalk in a huge tent in London&#39;s Kensington Palace Gardens, with models&#39; boots and sandals crunching on a brown sand floor - evoking the mud of music festivals, a theme Burberry has riffed on this summer.

The show, closing London Fashion Week, was the sixth collection by creative director Daniel Lee and the third since Joshua Schulman became CEO and overhauled the British brand&#39;s strategy to bring sales back to growth.

Fashion buyers saw in it further evidence of the changes Schulman has made: making sure the marketing - from social media campaigns to the biannual runway shows - tells a coherent story about British culture, and focusing on recognisable Burberry products like outerwear.

&quot;Burberry has sharpened its focus on its most powerful assets - the trench, the check, and outerwear,&quot; said David Thielebeule, fashion director at U.S. department store Bloomingdale&#39;s.

&quot;This season Daniel carried that momentum forward, infusing the classics with a modish rock-and-roll edge through updates in crochet, fringe, mirrored detailing, and metallic finishes,&quot; Thielebeule added.

Lee took inspiration from the connection between fashion and music, Burberry said in a press release after the show.

Under Schulman, Burberry&#39;s advertising has drawn on Britain&#39;s outsized influence on music, featuring artists from Oasis frontman Liam Gallagher to 90s producer and DJ Goldie and hip hop musician Loyle Carner.

Burberry&#39;s check pattern featured on chainmail mini dresses in black and silver, and pink and neon green, and on trench coats, which also came in snakeskin and a tarot card print.

&quot;Burberry&#39;s collection felt like a confident embrace of a younger client, rooted firmly in British culture and the energy of music festivals,&quot; said Simon Longland, director of fashion buying at Harrods.]]>
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			<title>Peshawar artists seek posthumous recognition for folk music legends</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/2568275/peshawar-artists-seek-posthumous-recognition-for-folk-music-legends</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/2568275/peshawar-artists-seek-posthumous-recognition-for-folk-music-legends#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Mon, 22 Sep 25 10:06:31 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[Our Correspondent]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Music]]></category><category><![CDATA[Life &amp; Style]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=2568275</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[Farooq Ustad and Khalid Malik Haider remembered for their lasting contributions to Pashto and Urdu music]]>
			</description>
			<content:encoded>
				<![CDATA[In Peshawar, artists have urged the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government to posthumously honour two recently deceased folk musicians, Farooq Ustad and Khalid Malik Haider, whose contributions to Pashto and Urdu music were remembered at a gathering this week.

The Hunari Tolana Welfare Society organised a reference on Sunday at a local music studio where participants paid tribute to the two composers, both of whom died in the past week following health complications. Speakers described them as central figures in the evolution of folk music in the region, credited with creating original works that reflected cultural and social themes while inspiring younger generations.

Dr Rashid Ahmad Khan, chief of the Hunari Tolana Welfare Society, told the gathering that both artists had played a significant role in promoting folk traditions at the provincial and national levels. He said their contributions to radio, television and film had been immense, though often underappreciated. Despite living quietly, both composers trained many vocalists and instrumentalists and introduced new tunes to folk symphonies.

Senior folk artist Ahmad Gul Ustad highlighted Farooq Ustad&rsquo;s training with the Patiala Gharana and his ability to combine classical techniques with modern Pashto music. Known also by the name Gul Ji, Farooq Ustad was born in 1948 and spent parts of his career in Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, including serving as a music master at Fazle Haq College in Mardan. Colleagues and admirers remembered him as both a composer and singer with a velvety voice and a talent for weaving poetry into song.

Fazal Wahab Dard, a vocalist, said Farooq Ustad&rsquo;s work carried mastery over all shades of Pashto folk music, adding that his humility and artistry had earned him wide respect.

The reference also commemorated Khalid Malik Haider, born in 1945, who passed away recently at his residence in Peshawar. In addition to his music direction, he was the author of three Urdu books on music,&nbsp;Sur Bahar, Sur Singhaar and Mosiki ki Pehli Kitab. Attendees said his writings would continue to guide new musicians, while his compositions had been appreciated well beyond Pakistan.

Participants called the deaths of the two musicians a major loss for the world of folk music. They urged the provincial culture department to recognise their lifelong service by awarding them posthumous commendations and certificates.]]>
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			<title>Global music publishers accuse top AI firms of exploiting copyrighted songs</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/2568238/global-music-publishers-accuse-top-ai-firms-of-exploiting-copyrighted-songs</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/2568238/global-music-publishers-accuse-top-ai-firms-of-exploiting-copyrighted-songs#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Mon, 22 Sep 25 05:58:24 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[Our Correspondent]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Life &amp; Style]]></category><category><![CDATA[Music]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=2568238</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[ICMP warns music income may drop as firms like OpenAI, Suno and Udio used unlicensed music to train models]]>
			</description>
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				<![CDATA[The global music industry has raised serious concerns over the practices of leading artificial intelligence companies, accusing them of large-scale copyright infringement. The International Confederation of Music Publishers (ICMP), which represents music publishing rights worldwide, recently released the findings of a two-year investigation that claims major AI firms have been training their models on copyrighted songs and lyrics without permission. The publishers argue that these companies are using vast amounts of unlicensed material taken from online platforms, effectively exploiting the work of artists for commercial gain.

The ICMP alleges that firms such as OpenAI, Suno, Udio and Mistral are harvesting lyrics, melodies and even distinctive vocal styles from well-known artists ranging from the Beatles to Mariah Carey. The concern is that this scraped content, gathered through web-crawlers from platforms like YouTube and other licensed services, is being repurposed to generate music outputs that closely mimic the originals. Publishers argue that this amounts to clear copyright violation, as no licensing agreements were sought and no royalties have been paid.

The accusations follow a wave of legal action that has already begun to reshape the relationship between AI developers and the creative industries. In June 2024, the Recording Industry Association of America filed a lawsuit against Suno and Udio, marking one of the first major legal confrontations over AI music generation. Negotiations are now underway between the biggest record labels including Universal, Warner and Sony, and AI music companies in an attempt to establish proper licensing frameworks. One firm, Eleven Music, has already signed an agreement with Kobalt Music, showing that licensing deals are possible when companies are willing to engage with rights holders.

The issue is not confined to music alone. Earlier this year, Anthropic, the maker of Claude, agreed to a settlement worth at least 1.5 billion dollars to resolve lawsuits over scraping book content. The precedent underscores the growing expectation that AI firms will be required to compensate creators when their works are used in training datasets.

Publishers warn that without clear protections, the rise of unlicensed AI-generated music could significantly undermine the livelihoods of musicians and songwriters. Industry projections suggest that artists&rsquo; incomes may fall by more than 20 percent over the next four years if current practices continue unchecked. The ICMP has urged policymakers to enforce greater transparency in how training data is sourced and to ensure that copyrighted works are only used with proper licenses. In Europe, regulators point to the recently adopted Artificial Intelligence Act as a potential model for holding companies accountable, though its global impact remains to be seen.]]>
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			<title>Saudi Arabia closes dozens of music lounges</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/2567762/saudi-arabia-closes-dozens-of-music-lounges</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/2567762/saudi-arabia-closes-dozens-of-music-lounges#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Fri, 19 Sep 25 07:26:10 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[Our Correspondent]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Life &amp; Style]]></category><category><![CDATA[Music]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=2567762</guid>
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				<![CDATA[Authorities have shut down multiple venues in Riyadh and Jeddah]]>
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				<![CDATA[Saudi authorities have recently ordered the closure of more than twenty music lounges in Riyadh and Jeddah. These venues, which became popular over the past few years, offered live performances, shisha, mixed gender spaces, and affordable entry. They symbolized the rapid social transformation taking place under the kingdom&rsquo;s modernization agenda.

Officials explained the closures by citing violations of public health and hygiene codes. Inspectors reported breaches serious enough to justify immediate shutdowns. Yet many observers believe the crackdown reflects growing pressure from conservatives uneasy with the pace of reforms. Lounges have been criticized for encouraging unrelated men and women to mingle, hosting live music, and promoting a more liberal social environment that some view as incompatible with Saudi traditions.

The rise of such spaces highlights the broader cultural opening under Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. Since 2016, restrictions on gender mixing have eased, the religious police have been stripped of much of their authority, and large-scale entertainment projects like Riyadh Boulevard have been launched. These changes have created opportunities for younger Saudis and middle-income families to enjoy new forms of social life.

Music lounges in particular gained popularity for being accessible. Entry fees, typically around 80 riyals or 21 US dollars, often included shisha and non-alcoholic drinks. Many offered discounted or free access for women and couples, making them especially appealing compared to costly concerts and festivals. For a segment of the population, they represented a rare affordable escape in the expanding entertainment scene.

But their popularity also fueled backlash. In one viral video, a conservative singer in Riyadh complained about lounges opening across from family homes, lamenting the gender mixing and claiming his repeated appeals to the police and municipal authorities were ignored. His grievances resonated with others who fear traditional values are being eroded.

The state&rsquo;s response appears to straddle two goals: sustaining its modernization drive while containing criticism from conservatives. A new Interior Ministry unit has been tasked with monitoring what it calls immoral acts, including prostitution and begging. Some see this as a partial revival of the old religious police, even if under a different guise.

The closures underscore the fragile balance in Saudi Arabia&rsquo;s social reforms. Demand for more relaxed, inclusive spaces is evident, but resistance remains strong. The government&rsquo;s approach suggests reforms will continue, yet with careful limits designed to avoid alienating the kingdom&rsquo;s conservative base.]]>
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			<title>Pakistani sound engineer reminds us of his Grammy win</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/2567551/pakistani-sound-engineer-reminds-us-of-his-grammy-win</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/2567551/pakistani-sound-engineer-reminds-us-of-his-grammy-win#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Thu, 18 Sep 25 06:49:13 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[Our Correspondent]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Music]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=2567551</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[Taurees Habib took to social media to reflect on award won back in February]]>
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				<![CDATA[Pakistani talent is making rounds all over the world. In a recent turn of events, sound engineer Taurees Habib made a post on social media on Wednesday to remind us that he won a Grammy back in February for his work on Hollywood film Dune Part 2.

&ldquo;I&rsquo;m so incredibly honored to have received this for my work,&rdquo; he wrote. &ldquo;And to be the first Pakistani to receive this for engineering and only the second Pakistani ever to win a Grammy. It&rsquo;s crazy to walk into my living room and see this thing just sitting there.&rdquo;

Habib won the award for Best Score Soundtrack for Visual Media (Including Film and Television) for his compositions on German music producer, Hans Zimmer&rsquo;s soundtrack for Dune: Part Two.

He posted a video over the weekend on social media too, where he unboxed the trophy. &ldquo;So something happened this February, and I haven&rsquo;t really talked about it,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;It felt like one of those things that&rsquo;d be better to show than tell about.&rdquo; pulling out the trophy from its packaging and pointing towards it.

The sound engineer feels grateful for getting to work on the project with the team. &ldquo;I&rsquo;m so lucky to have gotten to go along for the ride with all the people on our team who put their blood, sweat, and tears into bringing Hans Zimmer &lsquo;s vision to life,&rdquo; he wrote on social media.

Previously, Arooj Aftab was the the first Pakistani singer who won a Grammy for her song Mohabbat in 2022 in the Best Global Music Performance category.

This win reminds us how local talent is good enough to get international recognition.]]>
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			<title>Justin Bieber sets Coachella record with historic 10 million dollar payday</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/2567552/justin-bieber-sets-coachella-record-with-historic-10-million-dollar-payday</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/2567552/justin-bieber-sets-coachella-record-with-historic-10-million-dollar-payday#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Thu, 18 Sep 25 06:50:57 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[Our Correspondent]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Life &amp; Style]]></category><category><![CDATA[Music]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=2567552</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[Singer reportedly negotiated this deal without an agent]]>
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				<![CDATA[Justin Bieber is set to make a major return to the stage as the headliner for Coachella 2026, with multiple reports indicating he has secured a deal worth about 10 million dollars for the two weekends combined. That works out to roughly 5 million dollars per weekend, and some outlets describe it as the highest payment ever offered to a Coachella headliner, breaking all previous records. The deal is also reported to have been negotiated without an agent, allowing Bieber to keep the full fee rather than sharing it through the usual commission structures.

This represents a significant point in Bieber&rsquo;s career. Since stepping away from traditional management, he has taken greater control of both his creative and business decisions. His recent albums, SWAG and SWAG II, reflect that independence, with a more direct role in the process of making and shaping the music. The Coachella arrangement builds on this shift, highlighting not just a return to live performance at the highest level but also a demonstration of his ability to navigate the industry on his own terms.

The Coachella headline performance will be Bieber&rsquo;s first major live appearance in the United States since his Justice World Tour concluded in 2022. The long gap has fueled anticipation, with observers suggesting that his set is likely to go beyond a typical festival show. Early reports hint at a large-scale production designed to match both the stature of the festival and the record-breaking amount being paid to secure his performance.

From a financial perspective, the agreement significantly strengthens Bieber&rsquo;s already substantial earnings. Alongside the continued commercial success of his recent releases, the Coachella payment is expected to make a notable impact on his net worth. The fact that he will reportedly retain the entire amount further enhances its importance, underscoring a period of financial independence that mirrors his newfound creative autonomy.

While neither Bieber nor the festival organizers have confirmed the specific details, reports across major outlets are consistent about the numbers and structure of the deal. If accurate, the arrangement marks more than just a lucrative contract. It underscores Bieber&rsquo;s continued cultural influence, making Coachella 2026 a landmark event in the history of live music.]]>
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			<title>Bilal Saeed, Asim Azhar, Young Stunners and more to perform at Expo Centre</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/2567333/bilal-saeed-asim-azhar-young-stunners-and-more-to-perform-at-expo-centre</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/2567333/bilal-saeed-asim-azhar-young-stunners-and-more-to-perform-at-expo-centre#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Wed, 17 Sep 25 05:12:57 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[Our Correspondent]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Life &amp; Style]]></category><category><![CDATA[Music]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=2567333</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[Family Music Festival will include other recreational activities]]>
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				<![CDATA[The Family Music Festival and Lifestyle Expo is scheduled to be held in Karachi on Saturday, 4 October, and Sunday, 5 October 2025. The event will take place at the Expo Centre, Main University Road, Gulshan-e-Iqbal and is set to run from 6:00 p.m. onwards.&nbsp;

The announced lineup features several prominent names from Pakistan&rsquo;s music industry. Confirmed performers include Bilal Saeed, Sahir Ali Bagga, Asim Azhar, Faris Shafi, Havi, Khudgarz Band, Young Stunners, Shahnila Ali, Shaman Ali Mirali, and Arshad Mehmood. This mix of artists spans multiple genres, ranging from mainstream pop and hip-hop to regional music traditions.

The program combines a large scale lifestyle exhibition with evening music performances. Ticket categories are divided into Standard and VIP access. Organizers have indicated that the event is designed as a family oriented activity, with access for a broad range of attendees. In addition to the concert portion, the event will include a Lifestyle Expo with shopping stalls, food courts, and recreational activities. These elements are intended to provide a full day&nbsp;engagement opportunity for families, adding to the live performances scheduled for the evening.

The Expo Centre Karachi is a&nbsp;venue commonly used for exhibitions, trade fairs, and entertainment events. The venue has the capacity to host large crowds across multiple halls and open areas.

The event follows a recent pattern in Karachi of combining cultural showcases with lifestyle and retail elements, blending entertainment with commercial exhibition. With a two-day schedule and multiple performers, the Family Music Festival and&nbsp;Lifestyle Expo is positioned to be among the larger multi-activity gatherings in the city this year.]]>
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			<title>Music event 'Off The Roof' returns to Islamabad this September</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/2567128/music-event-off-the-roof-returns-to-islamabad-this-september</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/2567128/music-event-off-the-roof-returns-to-islamabad-this-september#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Tue, 16 Sep 25 06:18:40 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[Our Correspondent]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Life &amp; Style]]></category><category><![CDATA[Music]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=2567128</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[It will feature Afusic, Asim Azhar and Maanu at Rawal Marquee Lawn, Bani Gala]]>
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				<![CDATA[The upcoming edition of Red Bull&rsquo;s Off The Roof is scheduled to take place in Islamabad on Saturday, 27 September 2025. The event will be held at the Rawal Marquee Lawn, Bani Gala, with proceedings set to begin at 6:00 p.m.

According to details available on ticketing platform TicketWala, entry has been divided into two categories, including VIP and Standard tickets. TicketWala is serving as the official ticketing partner for the Islamabad edition.

The artist lineup for the event includes Afusic, Asim Azhar and Maanu, who are set to perform live. These performers represent a cross-section of Pakistan&rsquo;s contemporary music scene, covering a range of styles and audiences.

The Off The Roof series has become known for staging concerts in urban settings, often emphasizing rooftop or elevated performance spaces. The Islamabad installment is expected to follow the same format, adapted to the Rawal Marquee Lawn venue.

The Rawal Marquee Lawn, located in the Bani Gala area of Islamabad, is regularly used for large-scale gatherings and cultural programs. The timing of the event in the early evening, suggesting that it will extend into the night, accommodating multiple performances.

So far, no further details regarding stage scheduling, security arrangements, or venue regulations have been released. Such information is expected to be shared by organizers in the period leading up to the event.

This edition of Off The Roof adds to the brand&rsquo;s series of live music showcases across Pakistan. Previous iterations have been held in other major cities, making the Islamabad program part of a continuing national circuit.

For attendees, the event will combine a structured ticketing system with a curated set of performances from recognized and emerging acts. The lineup and format position the show as one of several large-scale cultural activities scheduled in the capital during September.

&nbsp;]]>
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			<title>OpenWav launches new music app to re-empower artists</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/2566930/openwav-launches-new-music-app-to-re-empower-artists</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/2566930/openwav-launches-new-music-app-to-re-empower-artists#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Mon, 15 Sep 25 06:10:32 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[Our Correspondent]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Life &amp; Style]]></category><category><![CDATA[Music]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=2566930</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[Wyclef Jean backs this initiative to challenge the current industry model]]>
			</description>
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				<![CDATA[OpenWav has launched a new app, which positions itself as an artist-centric platform that aims to give musicians greater control over their careers. Rather than relying on traditional streaming services and intermediaries, the app offers a direct-to-fan model where artists can release music, sell merchandise, host pop-ups, organize listening parties, and build communities in one place. The goal is to create a space where artists own both their content and their audience, while also keeping a larger share of revenue.

The company was formally introduced at the Fortune Brainstorm Tech conference in September 2025 by CEO Jaeson Ma and Grammy-winning musician Wyclef Jean, who now serves as OpenWav&rsquo;s chief music officer. Both argued that the current music industry is weighted against artists, particularly newcomers who struggle to generate fair earnings through streaming alone.

Speaking in an interview at the Fortune Brainstorm Tech event, Wyclef Jean described the current system as unsustainable. &ldquo;If you&rsquo;re a new artist, the amount of streams that you have to [accumulate] to get $10,000 is literally a rip-off. So now you have a constant revolt,&rdquo; he said. Jean pointed to a recent example from Cardi B, who promoted her latest album by selling physical CDs and vinyl records on the street in a TikTok video. While many viewers took the clip as a joke, Jean said it underscored the frustration even established artists feel with streaming economics.

Ma expanded on the numbers during his own interview at the same conference, noting that &ldquo;Right now on Spotify, for $3,000 you have to hit 1 million streams.&rdquo; He explained that OpenWav&rsquo;s model is built on cultivating &ldquo;true fans&rdquo; rather than chasing massive streaming counts. According to Ma, if an artist builds an audience of 1,000 loyal listeners, each contributing $10 per month, they could generate $120,000 annually. This, he said, would allow musicians to sustain careers independently.

OpenWav&rsquo;s revenue system extends beyond music streams. Ticket sales are split so artists keep 80 percent of profits, while the platform takes 20 percent. Merchandise is offered through a dropshipping model, meaning no upfront costs for creators. Importantly, artists also retain ownership of their fan data, including contact details and community engagement channels.

Looking ahead, OpenWav plans to introduce AI-driven tools to help artists with design, promotion, and tour planning. Ma called AI &ldquo;your best friend as an artist,&rdquo; highlighting its potential to support both creative and business aspects of a musician&rsquo;s work. The app is currently available on iOS and Android, and its founders believe it can reshape how artists connect with audiences while reclaiming a fairer share of the industry&rsquo;s profits.]]>
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			<title>Atif Aslam ready for new North American tour 'Borderless 2025'</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/2566583/atif-aslam-ready-for-new-north-american-tour-borderless-2025</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/2566583/atif-aslam-ready-for-new-north-american-tour-borderless-2025#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Sat, 13 Sep 25 06:58:48 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[Our Correspondent]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Life &amp; Style]]></category><category><![CDATA[Music]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=2566583</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[Singer takes his biggest tour yet across the USA.]]>
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			<content:encoded>
				<![CDATA[Pakistani singer Atif Aslam is preparing to embark on Borderless 2025, his most extensive North American tour to date. The tour will run from late August through early October, covering a wide circuit of cities in the United States and Canada. Organizers have described it as a 13-city schedule, though details released so far confirm 12 stops, with one more date expected to be announced.

Aslam has built a large following across North America over the years, regularly performing in major cities, but this will be his longest continuous run in the region. In statements shared as part of the announcement, he pointed to the strong response he receives from audiences there, describing the experience of performing abroad as energizing and noting that the enthusiasm of fans often feels like a return home.

The tour is expected to showcase a range of music from his catalogue. Songs such as Woh Lamhey and Tu Jaane Na, which brought him recognition in South Asia, are likely to feature alongside later tracks including Dil Diyan Gallan, which became an international success. By incorporating both early and recent material, the concerts are being positioned as a reflection on the two decades of his career as well as a reaffirmation of his connection with audiences abroad.

The choice of the title Borderless has been framed as a statement on music&rsquo;s ability to cross boundaries, both geographic and cultural, while also underscoring the wide reach of the tour itself.

With concerts planned in cities across both coasts of the United States as well as key Canadian locations, Borderless 2025 will give a broad base of listeners the chance to attend his live performances. For Aslam, it signals a further expansion of his international presence while marking a new chapter in his ongoing career.]]>
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			<title>FKA Twigs, PinkPantheress and more nominated for 2025 Mercury Prize</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/2566188/fka-twigs-pinkpantheress-and-more-nominated-for-2025-mercury-prize</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/2566188/fka-twigs-pinkpantheress-and-more-nominated-for-2025-mercury-prize#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Thu, 11 Sep 25 07:22:23 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[Reuters]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Life &amp; Style]]></category><category><![CDATA[Music]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=2566188</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[CMAT, Fender, Pulp and Wolf Alice also make the list]]>
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			<content:encoded>
				<![CDATA[Bands Pulp and Wolf Alice as well as singers FKA Twigs, CMAT and Sam Fender are among the nominees for the 2025 Mercury Prize, a British music award, organisers said on Wednesday.

First handed out to rockers Primal Scream in 1992, the annual 25,000 pounds ($34,000) prize shortlists 12 albums released by British and Irish acts in the United Kingdom in the past year.

Considered less mainstream than Britain&#39;s pop music honours the BRIT Awards, the Mercury Prize is open to all music genres.

Rock band Wolf Alice, who previously won the award in 2018, secured a nod for The Clearing, becoming the first act to be nominated for all of their first four albums.

Fellow past winners Pulp were nominated for More, their first album in 21 years.

Joining the list are Irish post-punk group Fontaines D.C., in the running for its fourth album Romance, and singers FKA Twigs and Sam Fender, who received nods for their respective third studio albums Eusexua&nbsp;and People Watching.

Rapper Pa Salieu was recognised for mixtape Afrikan Alien, as were jazz pianist Joe Webb for Hamstrings &amp; Hurricanes&nbsp;and folk singer and guitarist Martin Carthy for Transform Me Then Into A Fish, who at 84, becomes the oldest ever Mercury Prize nominee.

Fellow contenders include PinkPantheress&#39; mixtape Fancy That, singer Jacob Along&#39;s In Limerence&nbsp;and musician and DJ Emma-Jean Thackray&#39;s Weirdo. Irish musician CMAT&#39;s third studio album CMAT&nbsp;completes the list.

&quot;I think it is fantastic to see such an eclectic mix of genres, but also the diversity of artists, including careers that spanned decades to artists who are emerging,&quot; Jo Twist, CEO of the British Phonographic Industry, the body behind the Mercury Prize, told Reuters of the nominees.

This year&#39;s ceremony will for the first time take place outside of London. It will be held on October 16 at the Utilia Arena in Newcastle.

Rock band&nbsp;English Teacher won the prize&nbsp;last year for debut album &quot;This Could Be Texas&quot;, beating the likes of singer-songwriter Charli XCX and rapper Ghetts.]]>
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			<title>David Bowie archive opens in London with 90,000 rare items</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/2566002/david-bowie-archive-opens-in-london-with-90000-rare-items</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/2566002/david-bowie-archive-opens-in-london-with-90000-rare-items#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Wed, 10 Sep 25 08:31:52 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[Reuters]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Life &amp; Style]]></category><category><![CDATA[Music]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=2566002</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[It contains contains photographs, costumes, musical instruments and more]]>
			</description>
			<content:encoded>
				<![CDATA[From glittery &quot;Ziggy Stardust&quot; costumes and handwritten song lyrics to fan letters and notes on an unfinished musical, a new archive of David Bowie&#39;s life and career is to open its doors to the public in London.

From Saturday, fans and researchers interested in the late British music legend will be able to access some 90,000 items by appointment at the David Bowie Centre at V&amp;A East Storehouse in east London.

Hailed as the &quot;chameleon&quot; of rock music for continually reinventing his artistic persona, Bowie straddled the worlds of music, fashion, drama and art, leaving behind an extensive collection of items from a five-decade career.

He died of cancer in 2016 aged 69, just two days after the release of his final album, &quot;Blackstar&quot;.

Curators said the archive includes 70,000 photographs, 400 costumes, 150 musical instruments and personal notebooks. A separate display of 200 items also explores Bowie&#39;s creativity. &quot;We also have displays that chart Bowie&#39;s evolution as a multi-dimensional creative, and speak to his enduring influence on popular culture and how artists like Bowie transform creative practice and have the power to change our worlds,&quot; lead curator Madeleine Haddon told Reuters, describing the artist as a &quot;true polymath.&quot;

The archive also features ideas Bowie scribbled on to Post-it notes, found in his New York office following his death, for a potential musical set in the 18th century called &quot;The Spectator,&quot; that he was working on towards the end of his life.

The ideas for the musical are drawn from figures of the era including the painter William Hogarth and the London thief Jack Sheppard. &quot;We can only speculate as to what final idea he had for that project,&quot; Harriet Reed, curator of contemporary performance at the V&amp;A museum, said. &quot;It&#39;s a really fascinating look at how Bowie worked as an artist, but (also) as a human being,&quot; Reed said of the archive. &quot;He can be used as an inspiration to anyone.&quot;]]>
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			<title>Do not tell Atif Aslam what to do</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/2565364/do-not-tell-atif-aslam-what-to-do</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/2565364/do-not-tell-atif-aslam-what-to-do#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Sat, 06 Sep 25 10:20:06 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[Entertainment Desk]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Music]]></category><category><![CDATA[Spotlight]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=2565364</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[Singer responds to backlash about performing two days after his father’s passing on Independence Day concert]]>
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				<![CDATA[Atif Aslam does not feel the need to explain his decisions to the world. In a recent interview with journalist Faridoon Shahryar on YouTube show Connect Cine this week, the singer opened up about the backlash he received over performing just two days after his father&rsquo;s death. In the same interview, he recalled his journey as an artist and acknowledged the love he has received from Bollywood.

&ldquo;I heard people saying that my father passed away and I was still performing the next day,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;They were trying to make their channel run at my expense, making commentary about if I should have gone or not.&rdquo;

The singer&rsquo;s father passed away in August and he shared a heartfelt tribute on Instagram. Requesting everyone to remember him and his family in their prayers, he posted a picture kissing his father on the cheek and wrote, &ldquo;A final goodbye to my Iron Man. Rest in peace Abu jee.&rdquo;

He took the stage at Karachi&rsquo;s National Stadium for a packed Independence Day concert just two days after. Many praised his professionalism and ability to perform under personal loss. However, the singer received criticism for going ahead with the show despite the circumstances.

&ldquo;Atif Aslam has enough influence to cancel any show if he truly wanted. This is not a sacrifice for Pakistan, it&rsquo;s a choice and it&rsquo;s clearly for money, not for the nation.&rdquo; wrote one Instagram user, echoing the voice of many others.&nbsp;

Responding to this backlash, Atif said in the interview, &ldquo;My job is not to tell the haters not to do it. I can&rsquo;t build a relationship with the whole world. I can&#39;t explain to each and every person what my circumstances were. My job is to make art. Like me for my art, hate me for my music. Don&rsquo;t tell me what to do.&rdquo;

The singer remembered the connection his father shared with his music. &ldquo;I&rsquo;ve never seen my father cry,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;But when he heard me sing Taj Dar-e-Haram on Coke Studio for the first time, he cried. I remember The Sabri Brothers version of the qawwali used to play on TV at 7am and then at 12pm and he would make us all watch it. I didn&rsquo;t understand it at that time. Later on, I realised what it is and the kind of connection he shared with it.&rdquo;&nbsp;

With classic Pakistani songs like Meri Kahani, Hum Kis Gali Ja Rahe and Hona Tha Pyar, the Dil Diyan Gallan singer made sure to acknowledge his influence in Bollywood too. &ldquo;I miss Bollywood,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;It has been eight to ten years since I last worked there. I miss performing there, I miss being in the studio, I miss my friends, the music composers. I&rsquo;m really happy that the industry has come a long way and I&rsquo;m happy to see it thriving.&rdquo;&nbsp;

Atif feels immense gratitude for the love he has received from their fraternity. &ldquo;If I talk about Pakistan, we don&rsquo;t have many stars,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;Our industry is not as big as Bollywood. But out of the few there are, God chose me and made me shine in the big jungle that is Bollywood. I can&rsquo;t thank Him enough.&rdquo;

He reflected on his journey as a musician too. &ldquo;You need to be a rebel to be an artist,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;You should know your strengths and weaknesses. You need to keep working on them. I am a stage animal, not a studio artist. When I go on stage, I forget what is happening in the world.&rdquo;

Crediting his father as his source of inspiration, the singer said, &ldquo;A person who has lost his father is not afraid of losing anything else. That&rsquo;s where the rebel in me comes from.&rdquo;&nbsp;]]>
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			<title>Your free entry is a loss for local music</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/2565023/freeriders-are-holding-back-music-events-in-lahore</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/2565023/freeriders-are-holding-back-music-events-in-lahore#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Thu, 04 Sep 25 08:58:23 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[Shahmeer Khan]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Music]]></category><category><![CDATA[Life &amp; Style]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=2565023</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[Artists and promoters call for stronger community support]]>
			</description>
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				<![CDATA[The music scene in Pakistan is on the rise. Events and concerts are popping up more frequently across cities in the country. However, people in this space are concerned with the entitlement of crowds who refuse to pay for tickets or find loopholes in attending these events without actually contributing to the culture.This has been a longstanding issue for artists and event management teams, especially in Lahore

&quot;The main issue is privilege,&quot;&nbsp;said Abdul Rehman, CMO of EVNTM, a local event management company, while speaking&nbsp;to The Express Tribune. He mentioned how people in Lahore would much rather wait till the last minute in hopes of securing a spot on the guestlist free of charge&nbsp;than actually paying for tickets. &quot;This mindset is often pushed onto others as well,&quot;&nbsp;he said. &quot;People here will be apprehensive to spend that much money on something that is unrelated to food,&quot;&nbsp;said Hassam Anwar, a local singer, producer and filmmaker. According to him, guestlists and &quot;mehman nawazi&quot;[generally referred to as hospitality, but in this case, means&nbsp;accomodation of friends and family] culture in Punjab contradicts the ethos of community support for local talent.

When audiences buy tickets instead of relying on guestlists, they contribute directly to covering production costs, which allows underground artists to keep performing. Abdul spoke about how local talent benefits the most when people in the community treat their work as something worth paying for, rather than as a favor or a free evening out. Even small acts of support, like sharing an artist&rsquo;s music or attending a low-cost gig, can help sustain a culture where creativity is valued and reinvested back into the scene.

&quot;Community support is the backbone of the entire scene,&quot;&nbsp;said Abdul. He talked about how it is crucially important for audiences to support their local artists. &quot;You can not build a prosperous network of artists without financial support from community members, not everyone has the room to incur the losses caused by freeriders.&quot;

Abdul proposed potential solutions to these problems. &quot;Promoters have to take a harder stance on saying no to people, even their friends and family.&quot;&nbsp;He mentioned the need to develop a system where even guest listers should be required to pay a small amount in the spirit of supporting and uplifting local artists.

In the midst of these issues, the artist&rsquo;s perspective is crucial. &quot;Sponsors usually allocate funds mainly for the headline act, while the rest of the budget is to be divided within the other artists,&quot;&nbsp;said Hassam. In the process, stage and artist curation is suppressed. &quot;Sometimes agencies will randomly group a bunch of artists together, get some big speakers and call it an event,&quot; he said. He described how this type of workflow can be directionless and prevents audience cross pollination, new lineups and fresh experiences, all of which are crucial for the growth of the scene.

The sentiments echoed by figures in the industry are simple. Audiences should buy tickets and support local artists in whichever way they can. More attention and effort should be allocated to curating interesting lineups, stage designs and underground artists. According to Abdul, &quot;This is the only way our music industry will flourish.&quot;]]>
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			<title>Hasan Raheem and Afusic team up for new track 'Kanwal'</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/2564856/hasan-raheem-and-afusic-team-up-for-new-track-kanwal</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/2564856/hasan-raheem-and-afusic-team-up-for-new-track-kanwal#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Wed, 03 Sep 25 12:26:42 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[Our Correspondent]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Music]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=2564856</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[The singers have also released a music video for the song]]>
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				<![CDATA[Singer Afusic is back with another single and it features Hasan Raheem. Afusic&rsquo;s lyrics contain themes of romance and his vocals have a touch of vibrato. The middle of Hasan&rsquo;s verse in the second half of the song has some triplet flows, offering a brief stylistic change that is more akin to rap than r&amp;b. The track is produced by AliSoomroMusic who gives us an instrumental featuring a guitar loop and some and some afrobeat style drum patterns laced with trap hi hats.&nbsp;

The music video of this track features an atmospheric, low-lit urban landscape. The visuals lean heavily into neon-lit alleyways and tight, moody framing, echoing the classic film-noir style in a distinctly modern, South Asian context. The video has crossed 200 thousand views on Youtube in just one day.&nbsp;

Both artists have taken a similar path through the digital age. Hasan was an early name to be featured on Spotify&rsquo;s Radar program back in 2022, while Afusic&rsquo;s breakout hit Pal Pal earned him the same spotlight in 2025.&nbsp;

Afusic&rsquo;s music has been included in nearly 270 thousand playlists worldwide. His viral track from earlier this year Pal Pal is currently sitting at 73 million streams on Spotify. The official music video for this song, which features model and actor Sania Iqbal, has amassed 256 million views in just 6 months. Pal Pal achieved and stayed on the #1 spot for nearly 11 weeks from April to June 2025 on the UK Official Asian Music Chart.&nbsp;

In the wider context, this collaboration shows how Pakistan&rsquo;s indie acts are no longer confined to niche pockets. They are demonstrating how young artists can scale globally through playlist placements and viral moments.]]>
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			<title>Asim Azhar’s twelve year mark in the music industry</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/2564659/asim-azhars-twelve-year-mark-in-the-music-industry</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/2564659/asim-azhars-twelve-year-mark-in-the-music-industry#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Tue, 02 Sep 25 12:39:02 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[Our Correspondent]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Music]]></category><category><![CDATA[Spotlight]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=2564659</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[Looking back at the singer’s career after he celebrated the milestone on IG]]>
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			<content:encoded>
				<![CDATA[Asim Azhar might only be twenty eight years old but he has proved himself in the music industry. The singer posted a childhood picture of himself on Sunday and asked his fans, &ldquo;Can u imagine this boy will be completing 12 years in the industry tomorrow?&rdquo; in the caption. The post also featured snippets from his musical life that gave us a glimpse into his journey.&nbsp;



https://www.instagram.com/p/DOBpeEJCAq2/




Looking at the musician&rsquo;s bustling life now, one wonders how he has transformed over the years.&nbsp;

Asim&rsquo;s initial years started out by covering Western songs such as A-team by Ed Sheeran and Whistle by Flo Rida on YouTube in 2013. He got his first breakthrough on Coke Studio season eight in 2015 with Hina ki Khushbu alongside Samra Khan. He went on to do seasons nine and eleven with songs Tera Woh Pyar and Mahi Aaja alongside Momina Mustehsan.&nbsp;

Asim is one of the first four Pakistani singers to receive more than 100 million views on his Coke Studio songs with the likes of Atif Aslam, Rahat Fateh Ali Khan and Momina Mustehsan.&nbsp;



Asim has sung two&nbsp;Pakistan Super League songs called Sab Sitaray Hamaray alongside Shae Gill and Faris Shafi and Tayyar Hain with Ali Azmat, Haroon and Alif Lohar in 2022 and 2023, respectively. Being a Karachi Kings fan, he has endorsed the team and sung Yeh hai Karachi with Talha Yunus in 2022.&nbsp;



The singer has expanded his range in Velo Sound Station with tracks such as Chahay Jis Shehr, Mar Janiey and Sona Chandi in 2023.&nbsp;

Asim&rsquo;s solo career has also been successful with original songs&nbsp;such as Khwahish, Yaad and Habibi accumulating millions of views on YouTube. His Iqra Aziz starrer track Jo Tu Na Mila has garnered more than 250 million views on YouTube and won a Hum Style Award for Best non-film track. He has lent his voice to soundtracks of TV dramas such as Ehde wafa, Sinf e Aahan and Meem se mohabbat.&nbsp;&nbsp;

With the singer&rsquo;s new track, Regardless out now, Asim is putting his twelve year musical charm to use by being viral on&nbsp;IG reels and bagging&nbsp;views&nbsp;on all streaming platforms.]]>
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			<title>Hip Hop is Gen-Z’s favourite genre on Spotify in Pakistan</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/2564109/hip-hop-is-gen-zs-favourite-genre-on-spotify-in-pakistan</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/2564109/hip-hop-is-gen-zs-favourite-genre-on-spotify-in-pakistan#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Sat, 30 Aug 25 09:56:24 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[Our Correspondent]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Life &amp; Style]]></category><category><![CDATA[Music]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=2564109</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[Late evening listening and playlist curation on the rise]]>
			</description>
			<content:encoded>
				<![CDATA[August 28th was International Youth Day and World Hip-Hop Day. In the spirit of this intersection, Spotify revealed some compelling data illuminating how Gen-Z in Pakistan is transforming the way music is discovered, shared, and experienced on its platform.

According to their statistics, Gen-Z users predominantly tune into the app between 10 pm and midnight, making late evening the prime listening window. Majority of users access the streaming platform through their mobile phones which remains the central device for streaming among the youth.

Spotify also revealed that active playlist curation saw a 45% increase among Gen-Z users. This shows how the generation values creating their own unique listening experience with tracks of their choice rather than relying on recommendations or pre existing playlists. Gen-Z is not just consuming music on Spotify, they are curating, building communities, and pushing local voices onto global platforms.&nbsp;

The stats also showcase hip hop&rsquo;s meteoric rise in Pakistan. Local hip-hop streams have soared by 245% since 2022. Standout artists in this genre include Talha Anjum whose song Departure Lane&nbsp;is up 2,700% and Heartbreak Kid, which is up 500% since both tracks were released in 2024. Emerging talents with growing popularity include JJ47, Jokhay, JANI, and Umair.&nbsp; Umair notably grew 1200% since the year 2022.

These insights underscore a generation that is deeply passionate and expressive, united by music that is rooted in Pakistan&rsquo;s culture yet open to global currents. Spotify&rsquo;s launch in Pakistan is unlocking new pathways for local artists to rise and thrive beyond the local stage.&nbsp;

Spotify began operations in Pakistan (along with Bangladesh and Sri Lanka) on February 23, 2021, offering both free access and multiple subscription tiers designed to fit local needs. By making music accessible and affordable, the streaming platform helped tackle Pakistan&rsquo;s longstanding piracy issues. With its availability, users who previously relied on illegal downloads now had a legitimate and affordable alternative.&nbsp;

Pakistan&rsquo;s music industry has grown significantly as a consequence of Spotify&rsquo;s launch. Streaming culture had never been introduced in the region up until this point. This has resulted in a massive increase in music consumption, artist fanbases and events. The concept of cohesive full length albums was also solidified and made easily accessible, further contributing to the growing musical richness in the country.&nbsp;
&nbsp;]]>
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			<title>Playboi Carti’s ‘Antagonist’ tour is finally happening</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/2564096/playboi-cartis-antagonist-tour-is-finally-happening</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/2564096/playboi-cartis-antagonist-tour-is-finally-happening#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Sat, 30 Aug 25 08:06:05 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[Our Correspondent]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Life &amp; Style]]></category><category><![CDATA[Music]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=2564096</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[Rapper will hit stages across the USA with other Opium artists]]>
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				<![CDATA[Originally unveiled in 2023, Atlanta rapper Playboi Carti&rsquo;s Antagonist&nbsp;tour was scheduled for that summer and fall. It was then delayed to 2024, and later postponed indefinitely. Now, it&rsquo;s officially back on track for the fall of 2025.

This is Carti&rsquo;s first solo arena tour since 2021. It marks his return to headlining his own arena tour for the first time since his 2021 King Vamp&nbsp;tour. Carti&rsquo;s shows are known for their moshpits and extremely high energy environments. Over the years he has developed a cult like following that is infatuated with his boundary pushing music, performances, outfit choices and cryptic marketing style

The Antagonist&nbsp;tour spans 28 shows across North America, beginning October 3, 2025, in Salt Lake City and wrapping up December 1, 2025, in Atlanta.

Carti will be joined on all dates by his&nbsp;Opium labelmates Ken Carson, Destroy Lonely, Homixide Gang as well as Apollo Red. This tour marks the first time the Opium artists will hit the road together.&nbsp;

In this tour, fans can opt for upgraded experiences including premium seating, early access, VIP bars, exclusive merch, and more.&nbsp;

Carti will perform tracks from his third studio album, MUSIC, released earlier this year. It debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200, becoming his second chart-topping album.&nbsp;

MUSIC has racked up over 3 billion streams globally, marking it as the ninth-highest charting debut for a rap album in history. All 30 tracks debuted on the Billboard Hot 100, making Carti only the third artist ever to achieve that, alongside Taylor Swift and Morgan Wallen.

Rolling Stone labeled&nbsp;MUSIC a &ldquo;rap-reconfiguring album,&rdquo; Billboard referred to Carti as &ldquo;one of the most distinctive voices in rap,&rdquo; and NME dubbed him an &ldquo;untouchable force.&rdquo;&nbsp;

Carti has gone from being one of the most hated rappers in the world to becoming one of modern hip hop&rsquo;s most influential voices. His unorthodox music rollout patterns often leave fans in a state of constant desire to hear what musical direction he will take next. Five years ago, Carti released Whole Lotta Red, one of the most polarising&nbsp;hip hop records of the 21st century. This album continues to influence the genre globally, with countless artists trying to offer their own take on his synth heavy, distorted intergalactic beats and unhinged raspy vocals. His producer &#39;WakeupF1lthy&#39;, was responsible for most of the production on both of his recent full length albums.&nbsp;]]>
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			<title>Lil Nas X is 'gonna be okay' after Los Angeles arrest</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/2563693/lil-nas-x-is-gonna-be-okay-after-los-angeles-arrest</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/2563693/lil-nas-x-is-gonna-be-okay-after-los-angeles-arrest#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Thu, 28 Aug 25 06:28:43 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[Reuters]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Music]]></category><category><![CDATA[Spotlight]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=2563693</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[Rapper took to social media and reflected on terrifying jail experience]]>
			</description>
			<content:encoded>
				<![CDATA[Grammy-winning musician&nbsp;Lil&nbsp;Nas&nbsp;X spoke out on Tuesday for the first time since his Los Angeles arrest last week, when authorities said he had assaulted police officers who found him walking the streets naked.

&quot;Your girl is gonna be okay, y&#39;all,&quot; the rapper said in an Instagram story on Tuesday. &quot;That was terrifying, that was a terrifying last four days,&quot; he added.

The &quot;Old Town Road&quot;&nbsp;singer was taken to the hospital for treatment for a possible overdose and then placed in jail.

Lil&nbsp;Nas&nbsp;X pleaded not guilty&nbsp;on Monday to four felony charges, including three counts of battery of a police officer and one count of resisting an officer. He was later released after paying a $75,000 bail.

He faces up to five years in prison if convicted, according to the Los Angeles District Attorney&#39;s office.

The &quot;Industry Baby&quot; singer must attend an outpatient drug rehabilitation program. Police said they believed&nbsp;Lil&nbsp;Nas&nbsp;X, whose real name is Montero Lamar Hill, was using drugs at the time of the incident.

His attorney, Christy O&#39;Connor, said there was no evidence of drug use by the 26-year-old musician. &quot;This is just an aberrant episode in an otherwise productive life,&quot; she said.

Lil&nbsp;Nas&nbsp;X was the first openly gay man to receive a Country Music Association Award, winning for his 2018 hit &quot;Old Town Road.&quot;&nbsp;He also earned two Grammys for the song.

His father, Robert Stafford, told reporters outside the courthouse that the singer was &quot;very remorseful for what happened.He&#39;s going to get the help that he needs,&quot; Stafford said. &quot;Just keep him in your prayers.&quot;]]>
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			<title>Meet Zohran Mamdani's rapper persona</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/2563687/meet-zohran-mamdanis-rapper-persona</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/2563687/meet-zohran-mamdanis-rapper-persona#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Thu, 28 Aug 25 05:57:04 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[Reuters]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Music]]></category><category><![CDATA[Spotlight]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=2563687</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[The NYC mayoral front runner chooses to embrace diversity]]>
			</description>
			<content:encoded>
				<![CDATA[Not every candidate for New York City mayor has rapped about having the same history as a chapati, or has convinced acclaimed food critic Madhur Jaffrey to perform in a video standing in a food truck, but Zohran Mamdani has.

Born in Uganda, of Indian parents, Mamdani is a former rapper and the leading candidate in the November election. His heritage could resonate in the diverse city he hopes to lead.

Mamdani took a break from music when he first ran for office, winning a seat in the state assembly in 2020 representing Queens, the New York City borough with the largest Indian population.

However, his past life in hip-hop remains a part of his official record. In his annual financial disclosures, the New York state assemblyman lists &quot;self-employed rapper&quot; as among his jobs and he still earns negligible royalties from performing under the names Young Cardamom and Mr. Cardamom.

Early in his music career, Mamdani performed as part of a duo with his childhood friend Hussein Abdul Bar at a music festival in their birthplace of Uganda in 2016.

Queen of Katwe,&nbsp;directed by Mamdani&rsquo;s mother, award-winning Indian filmmaker Mira Nair, had also just been released, along with a video for a song contributed by Mamdani.
The Disney (DIS.N), opens new tab movie recounts the true story of a girl from a Ugandan slum who becomes a top chess player. Lupita Nyong&rsquo;o and young actors from the movie appear in the music video.

&quot;He would go on TV for interviews, or on radio for interviews, when his music video was going around on TV,&rdquo; said Derek Debru, a co-founder of the festival known as Nyege Nyege, which translates from Luganda as &quot;urge to dance.&quot;

After meeting a hip-hop producer during the shooting of the movie, Mamdani recorded a few songs of his own.

Bilingual rap&nbsp;

One of them about a flatbread popular in India and East Africa includes the lyric: &quot;I got the same history as chapati, origins of India, but born in UG. Rock brown skin, but I&#39;m Ugandan. I can rap both in English and Luganda.&quot;&nbsp;

Mamdani did not respond to a request for an interview.

Another of his projects featured renowned Indian culinary writer and actress Madhur Jaffrey.

Jaffrey, as a cool grandmother in a yellow hoodie, rapped with her middle fingers up, cursed and danced in a street food cart alongside Mamdani, who wore an apron with no shirt underneath.

&quot;I have to make a murder as Lady Macbeth... so what&#39;s a few dirty words between us?&quot; Jaffrey said about her role in the video on the talk show Good Morning Britain.

When Democratic candidate Mamdani won the mayoral primary, a friend from his years in Uganda, Magnus Thomson, initially thought that he had been elected mayor. It took him a few days to realize a general election still had to be won.

Thomson, a Dane who was the sound producer on Mamdani&#39;s song with Jaffrey, said he was happy Mamdani did not change his democratic socialist views.

&quot;It&#39;d be a different story if he was doing something wildly different or something I didn&#39;t agree with, you know,&quot; Thomson said.

In a campaign video released in July, Mamdani is seen making hip-hop legend RZA from Wu-Tang Clan laugh by referencing Wu-Tang Financial, a sketch in which the hip-hop stars played financial consultants. Their strategy was described by this line from their hit C.R.E.A.M: &quot;Get the money, dollar, dollar bill, y&#39;all.&quot;

The main point of their exchange was RZA&#39;s home in the low-income Brooklyn neighborhood Brownsville, which Mamdani said should be a place that people don&#39;t want to leave.

Debru believes that Mamdani the rapper shares something with Mamdani the politician.
&quot;We knew who he was. It was really exciting to see... a person like him from his background and also not shying away from his background,&rdquo; Debru said. &ldquo;I think this is what made him so special, that he sort of owned who he was.&quot;
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			<title>Hasan Raheem drops second track ‘EXES’ from ‘DIL KAY PARDAY’</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/2563285/hasan-raheem-drops-second-track-exes-from-dil-kay-parday</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/2563285/hasan-raheem-drops-second-track-exes-from-dil-kay-parday#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Tue, 26 Aug 25 07:21:16 +0500</pubDate>
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				<![CDATA[Entertainment Desk]]>
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			<category><![CDATA[Music]]></category><category><![CDATA[Spotlight]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=2563285</guid>
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				<![CDATA[Song features a collab with Young Stunners, coupled with a futuristic music video]]>
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				<![CDATA[The mystery behind &lsquo;D&rsquo;, &lsquo;K&rsquo; and &lsquo;P&rsquo; is out! Last week Hasan Raheem dropped two more cryptic reels on Instagram, revealing the full form of the acronyms. &ldquo;DIL KAY PARDAY is now loading,&rdquo; he announced the name of the album in the caption.&nbsp;

The singer dropped the second track from the album, &ldquo;EXES&rdquo; featuring a collaboration with the Young Stunners on YouTube last night. The first track was &ldquo;MEMORIES&rdquo; which Hasan dropped back in April. The new song has been produced by Abdullah Kasambi and presented by Hasan Raheem Studios and FT.WA STUDIO.&nbsp;

The song starts with an electronic beat at the backdrop of Hasan&rsquo;s low pitched vocals. It then shifts to Yunus rapping to the same beat with his trademark, &ldquo;Shehre dil main tikta nahi hun,&rdquo; lyrics. Anjum then takes the stage with his fast paced rapping style. Hasan appears on and off and finally ends the song with a &ldquo;Main to likha karta tha safar kay liye. Ye ghar mera ye sab mera nahi, kyun likhun is deewaro dar kay liye.&rdquo;

The song comes with a futuristic music video. Starring the vocalists themselves alongside Nargis Suleymanova, the video has been produced by Abdullah Kasumbi and Taimur Aamir. The cinematography has been done by Abid Rizvi and shot at Studio Shamsi.&nbsp;

It showcases a sci-fi Karachi where Hasan is going into an alternative reality to escape. He re-emerges as Yunus and Anjum in two different universes. Yunus drops his bars in a rainy mansion room whereas Anjum literally sets the same room on fire as he delivers his lines. By the end, Hasan suffers a seizure as he remembers some of the most memorable moments with his ex, played by Nargis.





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A post shared by Hasan Raheem (@hasan_raheem)





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The video has been positively received by fans with one of the top comments on YouTube reading, &ldquo;My man casually dropping the best music video in Pakistan to date.&rdquo; Another comment pointed out how fitting the title is, &ldquo;Dropping exes after shadi, valid.&rdquo; Young Stunner fans joined the chain of approval. &ldquo;Entire industry on one side and Young Stunners on the other. Talhah Yunus and Talha Anjum are giving competition to each other even now.&rdquo;

The track is available to listen to on all streaming platforms.&nbsp;]]>
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