Pakistan

Nazia Hassan: A disco queen remembered

The birth anniversary of legendry pop singer Nazia Hassan was marked today.

Express April 03, 2011

The birth anniversary of legendry pop singer Nazia Hassan was marked on Sunday.

Hassan was born in 1965 in Karachi. She began her singing career during the late 70s, when she appeared on several television shows on PTV as a child artist.

Her professional career started at the age of 15 when she provided the lead vocals for the song Aap Jaisa Koi from the 1980 film Qurbani.

In 1981, Hassan won the Filmfare Award for Best Female Playback for Aap Jaisa Koi. Her albums including Disco Dewane, Young Tarang, Hotline and Sang Sang earned huge appreciation.

Nazia died of lung cancer on August 13, 2000 at the age of 35.

She was given the Pride of performance award by the government of Pakistan in 2002.

Remembering Nazia

Pakistani celebrities reminisce about Nazia Hassan and their favourite songs by the iconic singer - read here.

Nazia Hassan our disco queen - read here.

COMMENTS (24)

Ahmad Haseeb | 13 years ago | Reply Correction : There was no Album Sang Sang it was Camera Camera and @ fareedi Nazia died due to Lung Cancer not by blood cancer she never had it. She was suffering for carcoma type cancer which spread very quickly. She died in Finch Ely Memorial Hospice.

Bhutto | 13 years ago | Reply She was one of the great lady singer. May Allah place her in Jannah..

VIEW MORE COMMENTS

Riya | 13 years ago | Reply @Vin:And one more thing which touched my heart is that she was not a thankless Pakistani dear.. she donated money even in our country... she did charity for some charity organization called Inner wheel club in India. This thing reallly touched my heart! She got her first success in our country and she tried paying it back!! She was not selfish!!

Riya | 13 years ago | Reply @Vin: She was not a bigoted Pakistani...she said that by singing 'Made in India' she would not like to hurt some Pakistani's feelings! She only wanted to avoid any kind of controversy... infact though I am myself an Indian, I feel that Biddu shouldn't have offered her that song as he knew the relations between the two countries and plus no matter what ' If an Indian singer is asked to sing a song-Made in Pakistan..he/she too shouldn't sing it! Just my personal opinion! But she was a LEGEND! Biddu and Nazia/Zoheb were incomplete without each other!

Anam | 13 years ago | Reply She had a unique and beautiful voice! A true legend!

Neha | 13 years ago | Reply Nazia was truly an icon. I grew up around time Disco Deewane was released and still enjoy listening to the album. She had every right to choose what she wanted to sing what she did not want to. And yes Biddu was instrumental in her attaining the kind of fame which she would not have attained in Pakistan with a Pakistani composer. She was ahead of her time and not only beautiful to look at but a good human being which is a rare combination. If I achieve even a fraction of what she had achieved in her short life then I consider myself very lucky. And Indians are not extremists as India gives a chance to talent from across the border which Pakistan does not.

DIG | 13 years ago | Reply May ALLAH grace her with Jannatul Firdaus, Aameen!

DIG | 13 years ago | Reply Indians grow up, out of extremism!!

Saira | 13 years ago | Reply @Vin. Biddu did not make most of her songs. It was Nazia and her brother Zoheb who made most of their songs. It was always Nazia and Zoheb Hassan, never Nazia and Biddu. There was not even a picture of Biddu in any of Nazia Hassan's albums and he was no where in Nazia Hassan's music videos. Neither Nazia or Zoheb Hassan mentioned Biddu's name in Pakistan. Yea in her albums there was a small print in the bottom that said music by Zoheb Hassan and Biddu, but her albums always said Nazia and Zoheb Hassan, never Nazia and Biddu.

XX | 13 years ago | Reply @Vin: So if Biddu was a Pakistani man, and Nazia was Indian, and he wanted her to sing a song called "Made in Pakistan", especially just when the two states just had a nuclear standoff -- then that would have been perfectly reasonable for him to ask as well? And it would've been unreasonable for the Indian Nazia to not sing that song? I think it would be Pakistani Biddu who would be the one not "rising beyond country and religion" in that case. Really, "Vin"... why are you even here man? You'd expect that with all the economic and educational growth in India today, Indians would display a little more intellect in these forums than they seem to.

Kan | 13 years ago | Reply Kudos to her talent...She was a legend...Nazia refused to sing "Made in India" thats when Biddu found Alisha Chenoy... thats why I brand her as not being a true artist..... she was also ungratetful at that cause she was not only launched in bollywood film but by a bollywood composer Biddu and most of her famous songs that she sang were composed by Biddu...

deep | 13 years ago | Reply Huge fan of her!! Knew all her songs. Was the voice of a generation of Indians (and Pakistanis).

Vin | 13 years ago | Reply By the way my salute to her talented voice despite my doubts over her credentias of a TRUE ARTIST who are expected to rise beyond country and religion especially when the person who spotted her and made her famous by makin her sing his songs (BIDDU) was an Indian and Hindu for that matter.....

Vin | 13 years ago | Reply The article neatly avoids mentioning BIDDU the music composer whose songs made her popular..... disco devane, aap jaisa koi, boom boom, etc were all Biddu's songs.....and when Biddu wanted Nazia to sing the song "Made in India" she refused and showed that she wasnt a true artist but a bigoted Pakistani first....thats when Biddu got another golden voice and this time in Alisha Chenoy... I think Indian composers should look within India before trying to look for thankless talent in pakistan...

Sara | 13 years ago | Reply May Nazia's soul rest in peace. Amin

irfan urfi | 13 years ago | Reply Salute to Great Artist !

ikhan | 13 years ago | Reply Nazia truly is The Pride of Pakistan. All prayers for her & we all miss her very very much.

Suresh | 13 years ago | Reply @adnan aziz: Fully agreeing with all that you said, I would like to further add, that she is the only "brave man" Pakistan had ever seen. Besides a great singer, she was a great philanthropist even at her young age at that time, far advanced in her thinking, pop but virtuous lady. She may be an inspiration for captive Pakistani youths under Zia's rule, but in India, she was not less a liberator, as she inspired one whole generation to become "disco diwane". The article has not chronicled her life properly and given a less dignified title.

Fareedi | 13 years ago | Reply She had Blood Cancer Not Lung Cancer....! Please make a note.

AHZ | 13 years ago | Reply "The birth anniversary of legendry pop singer Nazia Hassan was marked on Sunday" seems we will have a AAM TATEEL on her birth anniversary from next year and onwards.... She is a good singer and earn a lot of respect, but the words used in the post is highly unsuitable for the occassion and personality.

Nael | 13 years ago | Reply Nazia's was the only poster I ever put up in my room when I was young. :-). Miss her.

asif akhlaq | 13 years ago | Reply @adnan aziz: More women need to stand up against the husbands,fathers,brothers telling them what they can & what they can't do.The men in our society think that it is their god given right to make all the decisions for the women in their lives,that women are not intelligent enough to make decisions for themselves. our women also abdicate all responsibility for decisionmaking to their fathers,brothers or husbands.it is time that our wome started to demand their right to make their own decisions & not allow the men in their lives to dictate terms to them,only then will the condition of our women improve.

adnan aziz | 13 years ago | Reply Nazia hassan was a true trailblazer,a very brave woman who didn't surrender before the propaganda of the religious barbarians who abused her,insulted her for appearing in music videos & who used all the regular tactics used by men to subjugate women. she ignored all the abuses hurled her way by mullahs who wanted her to remain trapped behind the chaar diwari as every woman should be in their diseased minds. she did what she wanted & pakistan was better off by that.she may have gone but her beautiful songs still bring joy to millions. Nazia, you may be gone,but you'll never be forgotten.

Irfan Shams | 13 years ago | Reply Legend is all i can say about her.....

Replying to X