Abrar-ul-Haq
Encyclopedia
Abrar-ul-Haq (born July 21, 1968) is a Pakistan
i pop
, bhangra and folk
singer. On his first album "Billo De Ghar
" his name appears as simply "Abrar". Before becoming a singer, he was a geography teacher at the Aitchison College
in Lahore
.
. He has often claimed that 'he was still young and not that old' and 'was born in the 60s
'. He got his initial education from Gujrat
and Rawalpindi
. Took his Bachelor's degree
from Sir Syed College (Rawalpindi) and acquired Master's degree
in social sciences from Quaid-i-Azam University
, (Islamabad
).
He joined Aitchison College
’s permanent faculty in 1996. He had to quit teaching to pursue his career in pop music
; although he considers the day he joined Aitchison College the proudest day of his life but being the pop singer is also the proudest thing he has ever done.
He primarily sings in Punjabi
which is the main language of bhangra genre, language of most populated province of Pakistan
and Abrar's native language. He sings in Urdu
too. His popular single "Sanu Tere Nal" is in English
and Punjabi
.
Abrar's first single "Billo De Ghar
" was an instant hit along with his album. That song is still remembered today even though it was one of his oldest songs. According to his website more than 16 million copies of his debut album have been sold.
Abrar states " I was very secure in my formative years because of the tremendous love and support my parents gave me. I always idolized my father but my mother was my main anchor in my life. Her tremendous encouragement and faith in me was the driving force behind everything I did. I could talk every thing with her and therefore it was with great pride that I went and presented her my appointment letter. She held me close and said "I knew that you will get this job, I prayed for you"".
About singing he is quotes "I was always fond of singing. While studying in Islamabad I organized fund raising concerts. I still remember trying to sell the tickets of my functions. I use to tell the people that there is an excellent singer who will perform at this concert. I am sure that they use to be surprised at seeing me on the stage. However, It never bothered me, as the money I collected from these concerts would go to help the needy students. When I joined as teacher in Aitcheson, I could not get over my love for singing and it was here that I composed my song "Billo Day Ghar". My popularity as a singer grew, but I always looked for approval from my mother. No success was complete till my mother approved. I was really my mother's boy."
Recently, Abrar Ul Haq was asked to play a lead role in a Punjabi movie along with Gurdas Maan. Gurdas had been asking Abrar for a long time but Abrar refused because of personal issues.
He belongs to Jat clan of Kahloon
based in District Narowal. His elder brother Maj (R) Israr ul Haq Kahloon is an active politician in Narowal District
.
His first cousin Jawad Kahloon is also a singer, Jawad revealed that in a TV interview but he never used Abrar's popularity as a support for his music career. Jawad's debut song was 'Udeekan' featuring Shahzaman, which was a hit, he reportedly has released an album named 'Lyallpur Kare Aashiqi'. However, in late 2011, Kahloon and Shahzaman collaborated with Abrar to launch a new public service song entitled, 'Ki Karan Dai Ho' (meaning, what are you doing?) regarding the events unfolding in Pakistan.
wrote a column in protest of Abrar's song when Javaid received a letter from a girl name Parveen on the effects of the song on her life. The girl claimed that she had stopped attending college in Lahore
because of harassment from male students. The case was taken to Pakistan's Supreme Court, which ordered Abrar to change the lyrics. He stated that he would abide by the court's decision.
Abrar-ul-Haq has collaborated with Khiza on the album titled "Turning Point" by Khiza. Abrar has also collaborated with ADH which will NOT release on the album 'Taubah Taubah' but as a single. Veronica's album 'Sanam' will be releasing soon which will feature Abrar-ul-Haq produced by Rishi Rich. Abrar-ul-Haq's latest album called Sar Uthaaq Kay will be released in October 2010.
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
Pop music
Pop music is usually understood to be commercially recorded music, often oriented toward a youth market, usually consisting of relatively short, simple songs utilizing technological innovations to produce new variations on existing themes.- Definitions :David Hatch and Stephen Millward define pop...
, bhangra and folk
Folk music
Folk music is an English term encompassing both traditional folk music and contemporary folk music. The term originated in the 19th century. Traditional folk music has been defined in several ways: as music transmitted by mouth, as music of the lower classes, and as music with unknown composers....
singer. On his first album "Billo De Ghar
Billo De Ghar
Billo De Ghar is début album of Pakistani pop singer Abrar-ul-Haq. It was written, composed and sung by the artist himself and became a best selling album in South Asia at the time of its release in 1995. To date, more than 16 million copies of this song have been sold...
" his name appears as simply "Abrar". Before becoming a singer, he was a geography teacher at the Aitchison College
Aitchison College
Aitchison College, Lahore, is one of the most prestigious educational institutions of its kind in South Asia. Established in 1886, it has retained its character over the years, maintaining the public school tradition of providing an education that uses academics, sports and co-curricular activities...
in Lahore
Lahore
Lahore is the capital of the Pakistani province of Punjab and the second largest city in the country. With a rich and fabulous history dating back to over a thousand years ago, Lahore is no doubt Pakistan's cultural capital. One of the most densely populated cities in the world, Lahore remains a...
.
Life
Abrar has kept the year of his birth a secret, so as to not reveal his age. Recently, in an interview, Abrar claimed he was born in 1968 at NarowalNarowal
Narowal is a city in the northeast of the Punjab province of Pakistan. The city is the capital of Narowal District and tehsil. It is situated on the banks of Ravi River about 4–5 km from the Indian border.-Etymology:...
. He has often claimed that 'he was still young and not that old' and 'was born in the 60s
60s
-Significant people:* Boudicca, rebellious British queen* Gaius Suetonius Paulinus, Roman general* Julius Civilis, leader of the Batavian rebellion against the Romans...
'. He got his initial education from Gujrat
Gujrat
Gujrat is a city in Pakistan. It is the capital of Gujrat District and the Gujrat Tehsil subdivision in the Punjab Province. People living in Gujrat refer to themselves as Gujratis, which sometimes leads to confusion with people from the Indian state of Gujarat which adjoins Pakistan...
and Rawalpindi
Rawalpindi
Rawalpindi , locally known as Pindi, is a city in the Pothohar region of Pakistan near Pakistan's capital city of Islamabad, in the province of Punjab. Rawalpindi is the fourth largest city in Pakistan after Karachi, Lahore and Faisalabad...
. Took his Bachelor's degree
Bachelor's degree
A bachelor's degree is usually an academic degree awarded for an undergraduate course or major that generally lasts for three or four years, but can range anywhere from two to six years depending on the region of the world...
from Sir Syed College (Rawalpindi) and acquired Master's degree
Master's degree
A master's is an academic degree granted to individuals who have undergone study demonstrating a mastery or high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional practice...
in social sciences from Quaid-i-Azam University
Quaid-i-Azam University
The Quaid-i-Azam University is a public, research university in Islamabad Capital Territory of Pakistan. It was initially founded as the "University of Islamabad" in July 1967...
, (Islamabad
Islamabad
Islamabad is the capital of Pakistan and the tenth largest city in the country. Located within the Islamabad Capital Territory , the population of the city has grown from 100,000 in 1951 to 1.7 million in 2011...
).
He joined Aitchison College
Aitchison College
Aitchison College, Lahore, is one of the most prestigious educational institutions of its kind in South Asia. Established in 1886, it has retained its character over the years, maintaining the public school tradition of providing an education that uses academics, sports and co-curricular activities...
’s permanent faculty in 1996. He had to quit teaching to pursue his career in pop music
Pop music
Pop music is usually understood to be commercially recorded music, often oriented toward a youth market, usually consisting of relatively short, simple songs utilizing technological innovations to produce new variations on existing themes.- Definitions :David Hatch and Stephen Millward define pop...
; although he considers the day he joined Aitchison College the proudest day of his life but being the pop singer is also the proudest thing he has ever done.
He primarily sings in Punjabi
Punjabi language
Punjabi is an Indo-Aryan language spoken by inhabitants of the historical Punjab region . For Sikhs, the Punjabi language stands as the official language in which all ceremonies take place. In Pakistan, Punjabi is the most widely spoken language...
which is the main language of bhangra genre, language of most populated province of Pakistan
Punjab (Pakistan)
Punjab is the most populous province of Pakistan, with approximately 45% of the country's total population. Forming most of the Punjab region, the province is bordered by Kashmir to the north-east, the Indian states of Punjab and Rajasthan to the east, the Pakistani province of Sindh to the...
and Abrar's native language. He sings in Urdu
Urdu
Urdu is a register of the Hindustani language that is identified with Muslims in South Asia. It belongs to the Indo-European family. Urdu is the national language and lingua franca of Pakistan. It is also widely spoken in some regions of India, where it is one of the 22 scheduled languages and an...
too. His popular single "Sanu Tere Nal" is in English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
and Punjabi
Punjabi language
Punjabi is an Indo-Aryan language spoken by inhabitants of the historical Punjab region . For Sikhs, the Punjabi language stands as the official language in which all ceremonies take place. In Pakistan, Punjabi is the most widely spoken language...
.
Abrar's first single "Billo De Ghar
Billo De Ghar
Billo De Ghar is début album of Pakistani pop singer Abrar-ul-Haq. It was written, composed and sung by the artist himself and became a best selling album in South Asia at the time of its release in 1995. To date, more than 16 million copies of this song have been sold...
" was an instant hit along with his album. That song is still remembered today even though it was one of his oldest songs. According to his website more than 16 million copies of his debut album have been sold.
Abrar states " I was very secure in my formative years because of the tremendous love and support my parents gave me. I always idolized my father but my mother was my main anchor in my life. Her tremendous encouragement and faith in me was the driving force behind everything I did. I could talk every thing with her and therefore it was with great pride that I went and presented her my appointment letter. She held me close and said "I knew that you will get this job, I prayed for you"".
About singing he is quotes "I was always fond of singing. While studying in Islamabad I organized fund raising concerts. I still remember trying to sell the tickets of my functions. I use to tell the people that there is an excellent singer who will perform at this concert. I am sure that they use to be surprised at seeing me on the stage. However, It never bothered me, as the money I collected from these concerts would go to help the needy students. When I joined as teacher in Aitcheson, I could not get over my love for singing and it was here that I composed my song "Billo Day Ghar". My popularity as a singer grew, but I always looked for approval from my mother. No success was complete till my mother approved. I was really my mother's boy."
Recently, Abrar Ul Haq was asked to play a lead role in a Punjabi movie along with Gurdas Maan. Gurdas had been asking Abrar for a long time but Abrar refused because of personal issues.
He belongs to Jat clan of Kahloon
Kahloon
Kahlon is a surname used in Punjab in India and Punjab in Pakistan.-History of Kahlon:The Kahlon's claim descent from Raja Vikramajit, through Raja Jag Deo of Daranager, of the Lunar Dynasty.The home of the clan is Batala in the Gurdaspur District...
based in District Narowal. His elder brother Maj (R) Israr ul Haq Kahloon is an active politician in Narowal District
Narowal District
Narowal District is a district in the province of Punjab of Pakistan. Narowal city is the capital of the district. Narowal District is divided into three tehsils: Narowal, Shakargarh and Zafarwal. Before the independence of Pakistan in 1947, Shakargarh town was the headquarters of Shakargarh...
.
His first cousin Jawad Kahloon is also a singer, Jawad revealed that in a TV interview but he never used Abrar's popularity as a support for his music career. Jawad's debut song was 'Udeekan' featuring Shahzaman, which was a hit, he reportedly has released an album named 'Lyallpur Kare Aashiqi'. However, in late 2011, Kahloon and Shahzaman collaborated with Abrar to launch a new public service song entitled, 'Ki Karan Dai Ho' (meaning, what are you doing?) regarding the events unfolding in Pakistan.
Controversies
Like many other famous singers Abrar's musical work also has caused public debates.Parveen
Abrar has created some controversy with his newest album's song "Parmeen." He has been criticized for the usage of Parveen, a common female name in Pakistan, in an odd way. The renowned columnist Javed ChaudhryJaved Chaudhry
Javed Chaudhry is a newspaper columnist in Pakistan. His series of columns have been published in six volumes in Urdu language. His most notable column ZERO POINT has great influence upon people of Pakistan especially Youth and Muslims of Pakistan...
wrote a column in protest of Abrar's song when Javaid received a letter from a girl name Parveen on the effects of the song on her life. The girl claimed that she had stopped attending college in Lahore
Lahore
Lahore is the capital of the Pakistani province of Punjab and the second largest city in the country. With a rich and fabulous history dating back to over a thousand years ago, Lahore is no doubt Pakistan's cultural capital. One of the most densely populated cities in the world, Lahore remains a...
because of harassment from male students. The case was taken to Pakistan's Supreme Court, which ordered Abrar to change the lyrics. He stated that he would abide by the court's decision.
Sahara for Life Trust
He is the founder and chairman of Sahara for Life Trust, a charitable organisation promoting health and education in remote areas.Musical collaborations
Recently, Abrar has teamed up with Gurdas Mann and Sukshinder Shinda in a Punjabi single called Collaborations. The song was an immediate success.Abrar-ul-Haq has collaborated with Khiza on the album titled "Turning Point" by Khiza. Abrar has also collaborated with ADH which will NOT release on the album 'Taubah Taubah' but as a single. Veronica's album 'Sanam' will be releasing soon which will feature Abrar-ul-Haq produced by Rishi Rich. Abrar-ul-Haq's latest album called Sar Uthaaq Kay will be released in October 2010.
Discography
- Billo De Ghar (1995)
- Majajani (1997)
- Bay Ja Cycle Tay (1999)
- Assan Jana Mall-o Mall (February 5, 2002)
- Nachan Main Audhay Naal (June 1, 2004)
- Naara Sada Ishq Aey (March 2007)
- Mittraan Diyaa Vajda (November 2011)
Trivia
- He has developed quite different personal image considering his field of music. He has never appeared in any elaborately fashioned dresses which are normally associated with pop musicPop musicPop music is usually understood to be commercially recorded music, often oriented toward a youth market, usually consisting of relatively short, simple songs utilizing technological innovations to produce new variations on existing themes.- Definitions :David Hatch and Stephen Millward define pop...
. He almost always appears in business casualBusiness casualBusiness casual is a popular dress code in professional and white-collar workplaces in Western countries. In the United States, 43% of non-self-employed workers commonly wear casual business attire. Casual street wear is the next most common work attire , closely followed by uniforms...
dress except for rare occasions where he wore salwar kameez, the national dress of Pakistan. - In 2000, PTV World gave him award for best folk singer: also in the category was Arif Lohar and following year he won award for best pop singer from the same institute.
- He is six years consecutive award holder for best pop singer on PTV Awards.
- He belongs to Jat clan of KahloonKahloonKahlon is a surname used in Punjab in India and Punjab in Pakistan.-History of Kahlon:The Kahlon's claim descent from Raja Vikramajit, through Raja Jag Deo of Daranager, of the Lunar Dynasty.The home of the clan is Batala in the Gurdaspur District...
of Narowal DistrictNarowal DistrictNarowal District is a district in the province of Punjab of Pakistan. Narowal city is the capital of the district. Narowal District is divided into three tehsils: Narowal, Shakargarh and Zafarwal. Before the independence of Pakistan in 1947, Shakargarh town was the headquarters of Shakargarh...
.