PESHAWAR: Popular Pashto singer Nazia Iqbal has said that her new album will attract audience at large scale because of its unique music composition and quality poetry content.

She said that her new Pashto album would be released on the upcoming Eid. She expected that it would break record of all Pashto music charts. She claimed that thousands of copies of her new album had already been booked by major music stores in Karachi, Quetta, Peshawar, Mardan, Swat, Fata and Kabul while fresh orders from Gulf States were also being entertained for advance booking.

Ms Iqbal said that conditions for artists and singers were favourable in the province and they should contribute what they could. “After a long time I got the opportunity to produce quality stuff as people are fed up with substandard so- called Pashto music and want to listen to something transporting them to sublimity to release their tension,” she told Dawn.

Nazia Iqbal hopes to break record of all Pashto music charts

Ms Iqbal said that she selected poetic pieces of a known Pashto poet, Sirajuddin Mukhlis. “I wanted to render these numbers into different music compositions under the supervision of various music composers so that audience could enjoy different flavours of every piece. I am quite sure this experience will get public acceptance,” she added.

Ms Iqbal said that she had sung variety of numbers including, Pashto, Urdu, Persian and Seraiki but singing ghazal was her strong forte. She said that singing ghazal required a certain level of mastery over classical tunes and deep understanding of poetry as quality music went with quality poetry.

The singer said that producing quality music needed hard work, fair selection of poetry and skillful composition. “Senior music composers Shakir Zeb, Master Ali Haider, Ustad Nazeer Gul and Mass Khan are on my list and I am trying to catch up with them. I hope their compositions will lend an added beauty to my album,” she added.

Sirajuddin Mukhlis on the occasion said that his numbers had been sung by prominent Pashto singers like Khial Mohammad, Aqal Meena, Gulzar Alam, Wagma Bibi and Ahmad Gul Ustad. He said that he composed poetry according to the mood of the audience, who had good taste for quality music.

“Nazia Iqbal new album will attract Pakhtun audience because of three things: velvety sound of the singer, best composition and quality poetic stuff,” said Mr Mukhlis.

Published in Dawn, August 30th, 2016