Music in retrograde: Our favourite cover songs of 2021

2021 was the year of new musicians taking centre stage as veterans showed the way. Many like Taha G brought their A-game to live shows that finally kicked off after several halts because of the pandemic. Everyone grooved to Hassan Raheem’s Joona while Natasha Noorani’s Choro sprinkled life over a dark and commercialised world. Danish Roomi also made room in our hearts with his Iraday while many of our established performers shined too.

Ali Suhail released White Flag and Noori went back in time with a music video for Bol. Meesha Shafi’s Hot Mango Chutney Sauce became all the rage and Abdullah Siddiqui, Aima Baig made us stop, and think with Be Myself. Asim Azhar, with his revamped live band and Bilal Maqsood’s help, had quite a few successful concerts too and Faraz Anwar teased his upcoming music ensemble, Tale of the Lunatics.

But while it’s great to see so much original music finally churning out and being appreciated in Pakistan, 2021 also brought with itself its fair share of memorable covers and one of them even nabbed a Grammy nod. Here’s a lowdown of the five best renditions we heard this year without any branded show forcing them down our throats.

‘Mohabbat’ – Arooj Aftab

Initially rendered by the likes of Mehdi Hasan and Farida Khanum, Aftab’s version of the song is quite dissimilar to its predecessors but keeps the vigour alive. Its minimalistic instrumentation and subtle brass sections remind one of Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan’s collaboration with Michael Brookes, Night Song. The harp blends in seamlessly with the acoustic strumming pattern, almost sounding like a sitar in places, creating a melancholic vibe. Aftab resorts to singing only three couplets of the nine written by Hoshiarpuri but does so with precision, heart and soul. It is a rendition that might not please a purist ghazal fan but stands on a merit of its own.

Aftab’s Mohabbat first gained more popularity after landing on former US President Barack Obama’s summer playlist of 2021, following which, Aftab nabbed Grammy nominations in the categories of Best New Artist and Best Global Music Performance, the former being a first for any singer of Pakistani origin.

‘Dil Jalane Ki Baat’ – Atif Aslam

Aslam’s Dil Jalane Ki Baat fuses South Asian Classical elements with western music, courtesy of Saad Sultan, who’s created a trance of sorts to offer us with a taste of two worlds. Released by SufiScore, the song is backed by Aslam’s soft vocals, making his interpretation of the song much sadder than the original without bringing many changes to how it is sung. Aslam also hits all the right notes, impeccably crooning the track using his signature vocal belting.

‘Paharon Ki Qasam’ – Ali Zafar

Zafar reenvisioned the song with a modern sound while retaining its core elements. His version allows the flute and rabab to create an eerie mountain atmosphere with the signature Pashto groove being brought to life using electronic percussive elements.

The video accompanying the song is also heartwarming, featuring glimpses of Sadpara from the various expeditions he went on. While some accused the Channo hitmaker of profiting from the climber’s death, others appreciated his efforts to “sing for an unsung hero.” Even Mahsud’s son threw his weight behind Zafar for using his father’s song as a vessel to reach and celebrate Sadpara.

‘Woh Kaun Thi’ – Kashmir