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Hotstepper
of the week
Hadiqa Kiani |
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She's
hip and happening, an energetic live act, the modern woman and a mother
- Hadiqa Kiani is the only female musician who has been able to stick
around in the pop music industry for over a decade. That in itself
is reason enough to be celebrated. But that is not why she is Instep's
chosen hotstepper of the week.
These days, Hadiqa is flying high as her latest collaborative effort,
'Living This Lie' with guitar genius Aamir Zaki is out and is all
over the airwaves. It is this effort of hers that caught our attention.
Hadiqa has consciously strayed away from her folky-pop sound and gone
for a mature, moody sound with Aamir. |
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she has had the courage to experiment – she has sung in English
on the entire album – is a commendable fact. More so because
she has had a successful career singing in Urdu with bits of Punjabi
thrown in. English is an about face and it is this turn that proves
that Hadiqa is not afraid of reinvention. To evolve constantly is
essential and Hadiqa understands this. |
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For music aficionados,
Hadiqa has pulled a music coup that no other musician has been able
to in a very long time. And that is getting Aamir Zaki to do a full-fledged
album after a decade. Had Hadiqa not agreed to sing in English, it
may never have happened.
For a long time, long before Annie and Rabi Peerzada came onto the
music scene, Hadiqa has been the sole woman in the local pop music
world, collaborating throughout her career. She was the only woman
singer in the new version of Najam Shiraz's 'In Say Nain' video and
similar was the case with the anti-terrorism song, 'Yeh Hum Nahie'
where she teamed up with Ali Zafar, Strings, Haroon and Ali Haider.
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Last year at
the Lux Style Awards, Hadiqa rocked the house with her performance.
It may not have been live, but as far as lip-syncing goes (it really
is an art to pull it off), she is as good as it gets.
Over the years, Hadiqa has taken Pakistani music to various parts
of the world via her rigorous tours to USA, Canada, UK, Middle East
and Norway. She is the first Asian woman singer to get signed by Pepsi
International (the second in the world after Gloria Estefan), she
is the only female singer to have performed at international events
with other musicians like Lisa Stanfield and Michael Learns to Rock
featured. And hey, she can act too! The 'Iss Baar Milo' video is a
prime example.
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And
Hadiqa is our answer to Angelina Jolie. In October 2005, after Pakistan
was hit with a devastating earthquake, she went ahead and adopted
a boy! And has admitted to Instep that it was the best decision of
her life.
For aspiring female musicians, Hadiqa remains an example. Ultimately,
as long as Hadiqa is around, there is still hope for women in the
patriarchial music world of Pakistan. |
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