In a short span of time, the electronic genre in Pakistan’s music industry is not only booming but being taken seriously. There are plenty of artists such as Abdullah Siddiqui, Hasan Raheem, Talal Qureshi and many others who continue to drop tracks that fall under electronic music but aren’t always EDM (electronic dance music), which is a subgenre of electronic.

One artist who is slowly shaping the electronic scene and owning EDM as his style is Turhan James who has accomplished quite a bit. Scheduled to open for Martin Garrix at Coca Cola Arena in Dubai this weekend (which by the way is a big deal given Garrix’s popularity on a larger scale), Turhan is playing the international game as well as working with local artists.

While Garrix was ranked number one on DJ Magazine’s top 100 DJs for three years, this isn’t the first time Turhan is opening for an international act, having opened for FDVM on several occasions in Pakistan – at Solis Music Festival and Salt Arts gigs. As the world emerges from coronavirus-inflicted restrictions (by getting vaccinations, not the cure) and attempts life in the new normal, Turhan James has enough music to attract attention.

Apart from ‘chill’ tracks he has dropped, Turhan has collaborated with artist of the season, Hasan Raheem and Ansar on a song called ‘Normal Life’ as well as Taha G on a song called ‘Feel Alive’. Though Turhan has been a part of a few festivals, he is definitely part of the emerging generation of electronic musicians across Pakistan, many of whom prefer to work without parameters and prefer DIY fashion. For now though, it’s impressive for Turhan to be opening for Martin Garrix. Here’s hoping we hear more from him.

Hadiqa Kiani signs third acting gig;
teaser for Atif Aslam’s drama out

When Hadiqa Kiani joined the drama serial Rakeeb Se, no one could’ve predicted that in just her first role, she would impress fans and industry insiders. But she did just that. Given the appreciation she rightfully received for her performance, Hadiqa Kiani is appearing in her second serial, Dobara; it was not exactly serendipitous but simply a matter of time. Now adding to her resume in acting, the singer, songwriter and composer is set to appear in a third serial called Pinjra, written by the late Asma Nabeel and directed by Najaf Bilgrami.

Hadiqa isn’t the first musician to try their hand at acting. Some of the biggest names in music have found a way to balance the two mediums of the performing arts: music and acting.

In fact, a recent major move for singing sensation Atif Aslam is acting in a drama serial. While he did appear in Shoaib Mansoor’s Bol, it was more about lending star power to an issue-based film. But whether Atif Aslam can truly stand on his own in the acting arena will become clear as he appears in what is his first drama serial gig. He’s admitted in interviews that he does carry acting ambitions.

To that end, he is set to appear in Sang E Mah. Two teasers have released (at the time this piece was being written) and Atif Aslam has done a decent job of dropping his contemporary musician avatar in order to convey ominous vibes in his upcoming drama. Sporting a beard and draped in a shawl, Atif sings as he sits on an outer parlour (bethak) accompanied by men as the female actors appear in different clips followed by a scene with guns. Though the teasers feature other actors, it’s clear that the narrative is about the man Atif is playing. He’s complicated and maybe Sufi-esque, if we’re just looking at the first teaser. The story gets more interesting with the second teaser. A jirga is being called upon, the causality and consequence of it, in scenes that are shared between Samiya Mumtaz and Nauman Ijaz superbly. As for the dervish we think Atif is because of the first teaser, is not exactly his game. He is not a Sufi-lover in search of the beloved; he carries venom for others and retribution seems to be his goal.

Atif Aslam is sincere in his approach and does look like he has made an effort to go beyond the Atif Aslam imagery. How the drama unfolds remains to be seen.

With musical icons like Hadiqa Kiani and Atif Aslam taking on acting, it will create an interesting dynamic within music and make room for younger musicians.

That said, both have released new music in 2021, so their fling with television will not take away from the place they have in music. The question mark is Atif, since these are just teasers. How the narrative unfolds and whether his loyal fanbase will accept him as an actor, or not, is yet to be seen.