Asim Azhar dropped from a music show for not being old enough to endorse nicotine

Singer had recorded two tracks for the pop music showcase produced by Bilal Maqsood

KARACHI:

A recent pop music platform in Pakistan made waves for its endearing renditions, limited but enticing originals, and exciting performances.

Irrespective of its token attempt at inviting originality, none could deny it pushed the envelope with a few numbers and an exceptional finale featuring Takatak. So with all its hits and misses, what did the first season of this brand new show really not have? Perhaps a dark-haired, brown-eyed, pop sensation who ticked all the boxes but wasn’t old enough.

Turns out, Asim Azhar, who started his career as a singer on YouTube and became one of the most relevant pop artistes of Pakistan, could not be a part of this brand new branded show, despite recording two songs for it.

Sources involved in the making of the show told The Express Tribune that Azhar was initially going to be a part of the platform until he was told he could not endorse a nicotine product. “Azhar recorded two songs for the outlet but the company decided not to release his tracks, excluding him because of his age, which is 24,” the source said.

“Apparently you have to be 25 or above to promote nicotine as per their internal legal requirement, albeit, the government allows 18 and above,” they added. Could this be a result of a lack of planning on the brand and producer’s end that the songs were dropped after being recorded and shot?

Another source close to Azhar went on to relay that his age wasn’t going to be a problem, but right before the show was about to launch, the singer was told otherwise. Perhaps next year we will see the singer spell magic on the platform’s floor, but for now, his fans have to wait.

Both Azhar and the Executive Producer of the show Bilal Maqsood refused to comment on the matter.

The Jo Tu Na Mila singer is the fourth Pakistani artiste to have his songs cross 100 million views on YouTube after Atif Aslam, Rahat Fateh Ali Khan, and Momina Mustehsan. His performance in Coke Studio season 9 garnered him immense fame, following which he was even roped in by Universal Music India and inches away from making his Bollywood debut.

His track titled Humraah for Malang, a film starring Disha Patani and Aditya Roy Kapur was about to release when Indo-Pak relations worsened. So Azhar released his own version of the track on his YouTube after it made its way into the film in the voice of Sachet Tandon.

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