Nazia Hassan
Nazia Hassan
Person from Pakistan
Genres: pakistani pop, bollywood, pakistani, pakistan, urdu
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About Nazia Hassan
Nazia Hassan (April 3, 1965 - August 13, 2000) was an iconic Pakistani pop singer and one of the most influential figures in South Asian popular music. She rose to fame at the age of 15 after singing "Aap Jaisa Koi" for the Indian film Qurbani (1980), a song that became a massive hit across India and Pakistan. The performance earned her the Filmfare Award for Best Female Playback Singer in 1981, making her the youngest-ever recipient and the first Pakistani to win the award. Born in Karachi, Pakistan, Nazia was raised between Karachi and London. She was the daughter of businessman Basir Hassan and social worker Muniza Basir, and the sister of singers Zoheb Hassan and Zara Hassan. Following the success of Qurbani, she was offered acting roles in Indian cinema, including the lead role in the 1982 film Star and a part opposite Rajiv Kapoor in Henna, but she declined, choosing instead to focus on music, education, and social work. Her debut album Disco Deewane (1981), recorded with her brother Zoheb Hassan, became a global phenomenon, charting in fourteen countries and becoming the best-selling Asian pop album of its time. Throughout the 1980s, Nazia and Zoheb helped define a modern, youth-oriented pop sound in South Asia, collectively selling over 60 million records worldwide. Beyond music, Nazia Hassan was deeply committed to humanitarian and social causes. She worked extensively with underprivileged children, youth, and women in Karachi, supported organizations such as the Inner Wheel Club of India, and co-founded the Battle Against Narcotics (BAN) organization in Pakistan. She also helped raise funds for children in Tharparkar and Rajasthan and promoted social awareness initiatives. Hassan collaborated with UNICEF and the UN system and was awarded a scholarship to Columbia University's Leadership Program, which she was unable to attend due to illness. In 2003, her parents established the Nazia Hassan Foundation to continue her charitable work, including opening schools for street children. In her personal life, Nazia married Karachi-based businessman Mirza Ishtiaq Baig in an arranged marriage on March 30, 1995. The marriage was troubled, and she divorced him three months before her death. She later accused Baig of physical abuse and neglect in a UK High Court testimony, and publicly stated that he had refused to finance her cancer treatment. The couple had one son, Arez, born on April 7, 1997. Nazia Hassan died from lung cancer in London on August 13, 2000, at the age of 35. She had been admitted to a North London hospice three days earlier and died following a sudden pulmonary embolism. After funeral prayers at Hendon Mosque, she was buried at Hendon Cemetery in London according to Islamic rites. Her brother Zoheb Hassan later reflected on her final years, stating that she endured significant personal pain before her death.
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46,920 listeners · 319,236 plays via Last.fm