‘Aap Jesa Koi’: Nation Remembers ‘Queen Of Pop’ Nazia Hassan

News Desk

Islamabad: It has been 23 years since popular pop singer Nazia Hassan left her fans but even today, her songs are listened to with passion.

Last year, to pay tribute to him on the occasion of her 22nd death anniversary, the music streaming website ‘Spotify’ displayed her picture for the first time on the billboards of the famous ‘Times Square’ in New York City.

Nazia Hassan was born on April 3, 1965, in Karachi. She started her career as a child artist at the age of 10 and rose to fame with the Pakistan Television programme ‘Sing Sing’. She holds the status of the queen of pop music in Asia and even today, the magic of her voice speaks volumes.

Hassan made her singing debut with a song titled ‘Aap Jesa Koi’ from the 1980 Bollywood film ‘Qurbani’. His first album ‘Disco Dewani’ was released in 1981, and was appreciated not only in Pakistan but also by fans all over the world.

Nazia was widely popular throughout South and Southeast Asia, selling over 65 million music recordings worldwide with her brother Zohaib Hassan.

Queen of Pop was the first female singer whose English-language song ‘Dreamer Deewane’ made it to the British music charts. She had won several national and international awards since the age of 15, and was the first Pakistani artist to win the Filmfare Award.

On March 30, 1995, the pop singer married businessman Mirza Ishtiaq Baig in Karachi but before the marriage, Nazia Hassan was diagnosed with lung cancer. The two also have a son, Ariz Hassan, who was born on April 7, 1997.

Later, at the age of 35, she died of cancer on August 13, 2000 but 10 days before her death, she was divorced from Mirza Ishtiaq.

Pop diva was also active in philanthropy, being appointed by United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) as its cultural ambassador in 1991. Her last album ‘Camera Camera’ was released in 1992 as part of an anti-drug campaign.

Government of Pakistan recognised her contribution towards promotion of pop music and awarded her the Pride of performance two years after her demise in 2002. In 2022 she was awarded the Lux Changemaker Award at the 21st Lux Style Awards.