Haroon (singer)
Encyclopedia
Haroon Rashid popularly known as Haroon is a British
-Pakistan
i pop singer
, composer, musician
and producer. He has sold millions of CDs and tapes worldwide and has performed at large venues such as the Wembley Arena.
Born to a Pakistani father and a New Zealander mother, Haroon began playing the guitar and composing songs at the age of 13. He formed his first band, Idiosyncracies, in school with schoolmates at the age of 14.
in United States, he formed the band Awaz
with a couple of musician friends, Faakhir
and Assad Ahmed
.
Haroon and the band made a video of Janeman, a song which Haroon had composed when he was 16. Haroon sent it to MTV Asia, and the song became the first Urdu song to air on MTV and the first band from Pakistan.
At their peak, Awaz was the biggest musical band in Pakistan, and released three successful albums and two big singles between 1993 and 1999. Awaz was one of the pioneering bands in Pakistani pop music, and influenced many future musicians.
In 2001 and 2002, Haroon toured the UK and US. In 2001, Haroon received the "Outstanding contribution to Asian music" Award from the BBC
Asia Awards show.
Haroon's second solo album was the melodic, Lagan. This album included Mahbooba, a fusion of Asian and Arabic music with Lebanese singers accompanying Haroon. The song was a major hit, with a music video shot at the Pyramids of Giza.
Following this success, Haroon embarked on a world tour from early 2003 to mid 2005, performing in Oslo
, Madrid
, Copenhagen
, Brussels
, Glasgow
, New York
, Toronto
and smaller cities such as Calgary
and Oakland.
Some of his performances drew crowds in the tens of thousands, and he boasted a strong fan base in the UK, US, and Dubai. He performed several times in front of sellout audiences at Wembley Arena
, London, and at the BBC Asia awards (Birmingham, NEC) watched by two million on television.
Haroon released his third solo album, Haroon Ka Nasha
in March 2007, again composed, recorded, produced, engineered and mixed by himself at his personal studio.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
-Pakistan
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
i pop singer
Pop Singer
"Pop Singer" is the début single from London-based glam rockers Rachel Stamp. It was released in February, 1996 through WEA. The single was released as a 2 track CD Single and limited edition pink 7" vinyl of 1000 copies...
, composer, musician
Musician
A musician is an artist who plays a musical instrument. It may or may not be the person's profession. Musicians can be classified by their roles in performing music and writing music.Also....* A person who makes music a profession....
and producer. He has sold millions of CDs and tapes worldwide and has performed at large venues such as the Wembley Arena.
Born to a Pakistani father and a New Zealander mother, Haroon began playing the guitar and composing songs at the age of 13. He formed his first band, Idiosyncracies, in school with schoolmates at the age of 14.
Awaz
After graduating in the early 1990s with a degree in Business Administration from the George Washington UniversityGeorge Washington University
The George Washington University is a private, coeducational comprehensive university located in Washington, D.C. in the United States...
in United States, he formed the band Awaz
Awaz
Awaz were a Pakistani pop band that formed in Karachi in 1992. The group was formed by Haroon Rashid, lead vocalist, who was soon joined by keyboardist Faakhir Mehmood and lead guitarist Asad Ahmed...
with a couple of musician friends, Faakhir
Faakhir Mehmood
Faakhir Mehmood is a Pakistani singer and music composer. He started out his career in a Pakistani musical group called Awaz. However to conflicts of interest the band split and they all went to become solo artists. The band Awaz also consisted of well known musician Haroon.Faakhir has produced...
and Assad Ahmed
Assad Ahmed
Asad Ahmed is a Pakistani guitarist. His first stint was forming The Barbarians. He has been a member of the famous pop trio Awaz, has played with Junoon, Vital Signs and is currently a founding member of the rock band Karavan....
.
Haroon and the band made a video of Janeman, a song which Haroon had composed when he was 16. Haroon sent it to MTV Asia, and the song became the first Urdu song to air on MTV and the first band from Pakistan.
At their peak, Awaz was the biggest musical band in Pakistan, and released three successful albums and two big singles between 1993 and 1999. Awaz was one of the pioneering bands in Pakistani pop music, and influenced many future musicians.
Solo career
Haroon's first solo album, Haroon Ki Awaz, which he produced, engineered and recorded, was successfully released in October 2000. The songs, Yaara, Pyareya, Jeekay Dekha, Chan Vergay from that album were released as singles with music videos. Other songs such as Fire Inside and Paisa commented on the socio-economic and political situation in South Asia at the time.In 2001 and 2002, Haroon toured the UK and US. In 2001, Haroon received the "Outstanding contribution to Asian music" Award from the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
Asia Awards show.
Haroon's second solo album was the melodic, Lagan. This album included Mahbooba, a fusion of Asian and Arabic music with Lebanese singers accompanying Haroon. The song was a major hit, with a music video shot at the Pyramids of Giza.
Following this success, Haroon embarked on a world tour from early 2003 to mid 2005, performing in Oslo
Oslo
Oslo is a municipality, as well as the capital and most populous city in Norway. As a municipality , it was established on 1 January 1838. Founded around 1048 by King Harald III of Norway, the city was largely destroyed by fire in 1624. The city was moved under the reign of Denmark–Norway's King...
, Madrid
Madrid
Madrid is the capital and largest city of Spain. The population of the city is roughly 3.3 million and the entire population of the Madrid metropolitan area is calculated to be 6.271 million. It is the third largest city in the European Union, after London and Berlin, and its metropolitan...
, Copenhagen
Copenhagen
Copenhagen is the capital and largest city of Denmark, with an urban population of 1,199,224 and a metropolitan population of 1,930,260 . With the completion of the transnational Øresund Bridge in 2000, Copenhagen has become the centre of the increasingly integrating Øresund Region...
, Brussels
Brussels
Brussels , officially the Brussels Region or Brussels-Capital Region , is the capital of Belgium and the de facto capital of the European Union...
, Glasgow
Glasgow
Glasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands...
, New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
, Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
and smaller cities such as Calgary
Calgary
Calgary is a city in the Province of Alberta, Canada. It is located in the south of the province, in an area of foothills and prairie, approximately east of the front ranges of the Canadian Rockies...
and Oakland.
Some of his performances drew crowds in the tens of thousands, and he boasted a strong fan base in the UK, US, and Dubai. He performed several times in front of sellout audiences at Wembley Arena
Wembley Arena
Wembley Arena is an indoor arena, at Wembley, in the London Borough of Brent. The building is opposite Wembley Stadium.-History:...
, London, and at the BBC Asia awards (Birmingham, NEC) watched by two million on television.
Haroon released his third solo album, Haroon Ka Nasha
Haroon Ka Nasha
Haroon Ka Nasha is the third album by the Pakistani pop singer Haroon, released in March 2007. The album first single is called "Jiya Jaye" and "Jua Kehla".-Track listing:#"Jua Khela"#"Nahin Hai Yeh Pyaar"#"Jiya Jaye"#"Ibtada-e-Ishq"#"Yeh Raat"...
in March 2007, again composed, recorded, produced, engineered and mixed by himself at his personal studio.
Singles/Videos
- Janeman - (1992)
- Diya - (1993)
- 'Watan Kahani' (1993)
- Jadoo Ka Chiragh - with AwazAwazAwaz were a Pakistani pop band that formed in Karachi in 1992. The group was formed by Haroon Rashid, lead vocalist, who was soon joined by keyboardist Faakhir Mehmood and lead guitarist Asad Ahmed...
(1995) - Main Na Manoo Haar - with AwazAwazAwaz were a Pakistani pop band that formed in Karachi in 1992. The group was formed by Haroon Rashid, lead vocalist, who was soon joined by keyboardist Faakhir Mehmood and lead guitarist Asad Ahmed...
(1995) - Mr. Fraudiay - with AwazAwazAwaz were a Pakistani pop band that formed in Karachi in 1992. The group was formed by Haroon Rashid, lead vocalist, who was soon joined by keyboardist Faakhir Mehmood and lead guitarist Asad Ahmed...
(1996) - Aye Jawan - with AwazAwazAwaz were a Pakistani pop band that formed in Karachi in 1992. The group was formed by Haroon Rashid, lead vocalist, who was soon joined by keyboardist Faakhir Mehmood and lead guitarist Asad Ahmed...
(1997) - Tu Hi Jeet - with AwazAwazAwaz were a Pakistani pop band that formed in Karachi in 1992. The group was formed by Haroon Rashid, lead vocalist, who was soon joined by keyboardist Faakhir Mehmood and lead guitarist Asad Ahmed...
(1998) - Yara - (2001)
- Pyareya - (2001)
- Jeekay Dekha - (2001)
- Tu Hai Kahan - with Junaid JamshedJunaid JamshedJunaid Jamshed is a Pakistani recording artist who gained fame as the frontman of the pop group, Vital Signs in 1987 with the hit song, "Dil Dil Pakistan", and remained in demand throughout the 1990s...
and StringsStrings (band)Strings are an internationally acclaimed pop rock band comprising two members from Karachi, Sindh, Pakistan. The band was initially formed by four college students, Bilal Maqsood , Faisal Kapadia , Rafiq Wazir Ali and Kareem Bashir Bhoy in 1988...
(2001) - Mehndi - (2002)
- Mahbooba - (2002)
- Dil Se - (2003)
- Jao Tum - (2003)
- Goriye - Remix (2004)
- Jiay Jaye (2006)
- Jua Khela (2007)
- Ishq Nasha (2007)
- Nahi Hai Yeh Pyar (2008)
- Big Corporation Man - (2009)
- Ibtada-e-Ishq (2009)
- "Nahin Hai' ft KOSTAL (2010)
- Go Sabjee Go' 2010
- Ghoom Ghoom' 2010
See also
- AwazAwazAwaz were a Pakistani pop band that formed in Karachi in 1992. The group was formed by Haroon Rashid, lead vocalist, who was soon joined by keyboardist Faakhir Mehmood and lead guitarist Asad Ahmed...
- Assad AhmedAssad AhmedAsad Ahmed is a Pakistani guitarist. His first stint was forming The Barbarians. He has been a member of the famous pop trio Awaz, has played with Junoon, Vital Signs and is currently a founding member of the rock band Karavan....
- List of Pakistani musicians
- List of Pakistani musical groups