From Lyari to Manhattan: Eva B’s musical talent makes it to Times Square

There’s nothing that women can’t do, even if society tells you otherwise, and Eva B proved that by becoming the first veiled woman rapper in Pakistan. Defying stereotypes and norms from within her hometown in Lyari and becoming an inspiration for many veiled musicians, the Kana Yari singer has now made it to Times Square.

After Arooj Aftab, Hadiqa Kiani, Nazia Hassan and Natasha Baig, Eva B is the latest face to be featured on the digital billboard at Times Square in New York, as EQUAL Pakistan’s Ambassador for the month of October. As per a press release, her track Mukhtasir Baatein will be featured on Spotify as part of her accreditation on EQUAL’s local and global playlists.

"I feel super excited and I’m happy to be a part of Spotify's EQUAL program. I feel very proud. Initiatives like these aren’t just important but they are really required - they are the need of the hour," she said excitedly.

Eva finds pride in her veil being an integral part of her identity as an artist. Coming from a conservative background and being raised in Lyari, a neighbourhood of Karachi that is gaining a reputation for the rise of hip hop, producing iron chin boxers, and top footballers lately, Eva has set a great example for the young generation, especially women, that nothing can stop you if you have the resilience, hard work and persistence to achieve what you want.  

Hailing from Balochistan, Eva Baloch, who goes by her pseudonym, Eva B, has been taking the industry by storm dropping hit after hit, with her monthly listeners nearing 400,000 on Spotify and her Coke Studio hit track Kana Yari, clocking more than 10 million streams on the audio streaming platform.

Taking inspiration from the legendary rappers Eminem and Queen Latifah, Eva started her career in 2014. It all began by writing lyrics and sharing them on social media and the rest was history. Now, she has not only collaborated with leading names like Ali Gul Pir, Muhammad and Anas Baloch but her song Rozi was also featured in the first episode of Disney’s Ms. Marvel.