INSTEP Magzine

We predict that 2009 onwards will see the rise and rise of Atif Aslam. His performance at the Ensemble fashion show, sponsored by Pond's was just the tip of the ice berg… but what a tip it was. It showed all too clearly that the snooty attitude of "we don't follow Pakistani music" is so over. The well-heeled and the perfectly manicured let their hair and their guard down for Atif who was dressed the part in a crisp white suit with black tailored edges. Brother Shahbaz Aslam was also there and Atif invited him up on stage to give him a taste of his thunder.

But the night obviously belonged to Atif as the crowd went wild with men accompanying the women, many of whom were almost swooning with Atif fever! Atif came, he saw and he conquered and anyone who said that an Atif performance wouldn't make sense at a high fashion event had to eat their words. It made far more sense than Urmila Mantondkar's tired finale walk for Manish Malhotra's truly bad collection at the last Carnival De Couture. This year at the Ensemble show the boy not only rocked the house but he also brought it down… adding immeasurable entertainment value to the sophisticated event by giving everyone present a feeling that their paisa was truly vasool.

However, this is just one reason for us to predict that Atif's star will rise further. According to the buzz surrounding Coke Studio, Atif Aslam is going to be one to watch out for. The Coke Studio team is full of nothing but praise for the star who made himself completely at home in the studio set up throughout rehearsals and the final recording. He put in a lot of hard work, and endeared himself by eating with the staff and even playing cricket with them for a break. As one insider put it, "woh sub main ghul mil gaya tha."

It's as if we're seeing another side to Atif Aslam who is often accused of being a prima donna.

And when Instep spoke with Umber Hyatt, who is managing Coke Studio, she confirmed that Atif was not only a seasoned professional but also a joy to have on the sets. "Perhaps the nicest part about him, is that he's still learning," she said, elaborating that he was open to ideas and that the most endearing quality about him was that when he made a mistake, he would stop and acknowledge it before producer Rohail Hyatt pointed it out by saying: "Sorry, that wasn't good, I want to do it again."

It shows that Atif is not just a superstar, but a musician who realises that he's not perfect and wants to be better. It takes us back to the time when Atif had just started singing and his live shows were rather unimpressive because he was very out of tune. A couple of years later, after he tasted unprecedented success in India, we attended his shows in Karachi and Atif would insist on singing live and he did it better every time. At the Ensemble show, Atif Aslam was mindblowing. His signature alaaps have become more controlled and while he remains an entertainer who wins hearts, he's also very much a musician who realises that he still has much further to go up the learning curve.

Atif Aslam, you can take a bow! You may be a superstar already, but with this attitude, you are well on your way to enduring greatness.