Zoe Viccaji jazzes up Islamabad

Pop sensation rivets crowd with upbeat numbers and power-packed performance.

ISLAMABAD: A glamorous crowd of diplomats and other dignitaries enjoyed stellar performances by the vivacious Zoe Viccaji and The Band along with other exciting activities. Organised by the Asian Study Group (ASG), the event was held at a local hotel.

The night was packed with various amusements to ensure an enjoyable experience for the guests. From trivia contests to good food and finally, the most anticipated of the night — a performance by rising pop star Zoe Viccaji.

Sassy, independent and quirky are words that instantly hit you when you see Zoe Viccaji live in action. No façade of grandiosity and no air of pretense. In fact, when you visit her Facebook profile, you’d discover that Zoe is on the lookout for a kaam waali, whose services wouldn’t cause a hole in her pocket.

But Zoe has a lot in her pocket, at least in terms of talent that is taking her places — at ASG’s end of the year event at the Serena Hotel in Islamabad in this case. Zoe made her way on stage in a silk kimono top as she moved sideways, getting the crowd to groove.

Opening song for the night was her Coke Studio hit, ‘Ishq Kinara’ followed by Nina Simone’s ‘Feeling Good’, Elvis’ ‘Jailhouse Rock’, The Rolling Stones, ‘No Satisfaction’ and Nazia Hasans’ classics, including ‘Disco Deewane’ and ‘Boom Boom’ to which audiences erupted on the wooden dance-floor, right in front of the stage.

“I always scan through the audience to see what kind of music they’d like — and this table over here seems like they’d enjoy this jazz number that I’m about to throw,” shouted Zoe and to everybody’s surprise, she performed an Indian jazz number ‘Kesi Paheli Zindagani’ from Indian film Parineeta.

The rest of the night encompassed a speech by Parveen Malik, president of Asian Study Group, as she bid farewell to Australian High Commissioner in Pakistan, Peter Hayward.

Peter held a trivia contest with questions that reflected the cultural heritage of Pakistan, such as “What asteroid is recently named after a Pakistani lady?” and “Name three mountainous peaks higher than 800 metres.”

The competition became heated as multiple candidates raised their hands in anticipation. Prizes included dinner packages at upscale restaurants and gift coupons from multi-brand stores.

Currently going in its fourth decade, the Asian Study Group will continue to carry out such events with the aim of keeping culture and heritage alive in the country.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 2^nd, 2015.

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