Pakistani popular music

'''Pakistani popular music''' or shortly '''Pak-pop music''' refers to popular music forms in Pakistan. Pakistani pop is a mixture of traditional Pakistani classical music and western influences of jazz, rock and roll, hip hop and disco sung in various languages of Pakistan, including Urdu. The popularity of music is based on the individual sales of a single, viewership of its music video or the singer's album chart positions. Apart from within Pakistan, Pakistani pop music has also achieved an influential following and popularity in neighboring countries and is listened by members of the Pakistani diaspora, especially in the Middle East, Europe and North America.

Pakistani pop music is attributed to have given birth to the genre in the South Asian region with Ahmed Rushdi's song "Ko Ko Korina" in 1966.<ref name="CITEREFSocPolHistory">{{cite web|url=http://www.chowk.com/articles/8459|title=Socio-political History of Modern Pop Music in Pakistan|publisher=Chowk|access-date=27 June 2008|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100618091924/http://www.chowk.com/articles/8459|archive-date=18 June 2010}}</ref> Pakistani pop is thus closely related to Indian pop music, as well as Bollywood music and Bangladeshi rock. Subgenres of Pakistani pop music include Qawwali (a form of Sufi music), Pakistani rock (including Sufi rock), Pakistani hip hop, and disco (related to Bollywood disco).

Veterans like Runa Laila and Alamgir started the pop industry in Pakistan while the fifteen-years old pop sensation Nazia with her brother Zohaib Hassan ushered the birth of pop music all over South Asia tailing on the success of her British endeavours.<ref name="CITEREFNaziaLaidToRest">{{cite web|url=http://www.expressindia.com/news/ie/daily/20000907/iin07060.html|title=Nazia Hassan finally laid to rest|publisher=Express Daily, India|access-date=28 June 2008}}</ref><ref name="CITEREFMadeForNazia">{{cite news|url=http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/192704.cms|title=Made for Nazia, sung by Alisha|work=Times of India|access-date=28 June 2008|first1=Rashmee Z|last1=Ahmed|date=20 September 2003}}</ref> The Qawwali singer Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan was also a prominent influence on Pakistani pop music.

From Rushdi's pop hits to songs sung by the Hassan siblings, to bands including Junoon, Vital Signs, Jal and Strings, the Pakistani pop industry has steadily spread throughout South Asia and today is the most popular genre in Pakistan and the neighbouring South Asian countries.<ref name="CITEREFMusicalBridge">{{cite web|url=http://www.iht.com/articles/2007/08/06/opinion/edsharma.php|title=A musical bridge for India and Pakistan|publisher=International Herald Tribune|access-date=28 June 2008}}</ref> Songs sung by Pakistani pop artists are a regular feature on soundtracks of most of the Bollywood movies.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://mazaqah.wordpress.com/2008/03/31/bollywood-is-set-to-get-a-bigger-dose-of-pakistani-music-in-2008/|title=Bollywood set to get a bigger dose of Pakistani music in 2008!|date=31 March 2008 | publisher=Mazqah|access-date=28 June 2008}}</ref>

The genre has always been accepted in the mainstream youth culture but hindrances came in the form of changing governments, cultural conservatism, foreign influences and a stiff competition from neighbouring countries.<ref name="CITEREFSocPolHistory"/> Still, pop music thrived and survived with a steady growth. It was not until recent times that Pakistani pop music was to be admired throughout South Asia<ref name="CITEREFMusicalBridge"/> and the rest of the world.

==History==

=== 1960–1980: Rise and fall of playback singing === {{Main|Filmi pop}}

After the independence of Pakistan in 1947, the most popular form of entertainment in the newly created Pakistan was the medium of film. Cinemas sprouted up in various corners of the nation, especially in Lahore, Karachi and Dacca in East Pakistan and playback singing became popular. People that tended to move into the genre had to be trained in classical music, usually trained by ''ustads'' who mastered its various forms and styles. In 1966, a talented young playback singer Ahmed Rushdi (now considered as one of the greatest singers of South Asia) sang the first South Asian pop song "''Ko-Ko-Korina''" for the film ''Armaan''.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Newspaper |first=From the |date=2018-10-30 |title=Ko ko korina |url=https://www.dawn.com/news/1442345 |access-date=2025-12-25 |website=Dawn |language=en}}</ref> Composed by Sohail Rana, the song was a blend of 60s bubblegum pop, rock and roll twist music and Pakistani film music. This genre would later be termed as ‘''filmi pop''’.<ref name="CITEREFSocPolHistory" /> Paired with Runa Laila, the singer is considered the pioneering father of pop music, mostly hip hop and disco, in South Asia.<ref name=":1">{{Cite web |last=Paracha |first=Nadeem F. |author-link=Nadeem F. Paracha |date=2014-03-15 |title=Street dancing years: The golden age of Pakistani pop music |url=https://www.dawn.com/news/1093337 |access-date=2025-12-25 |website=Dawn |language=en}}</ref>

Following Rushdi's success, Christian bands specialising in jazz started performing at various night clubs and hotel lobbies<ref name="CITEREFSocPolHistory"/> in Karachi, Hyderabad and Lahore. They would usually sing either famous American jazz hits or cover Rushdi's songs. Rushdi sang playback hits along with Laila until the Bangladesh Liberation War when East Pakistan was declared an independent state. Laila, being a Bengali, decided to leave for the new-found Bangladesh.<ref name="CITEREFSocPolHistory"/><ref>{{Cite web |last=F. Paracha |first=Nadeem |author-link=Nadeem F. Paracha |date=2018-10-23 |title=Pakistani Pop Music: A Visual History |url=https://nayadaur.tv/2018/10/pakistani-pop-music-a-visual-history/ |access-date=2025-12-25 |website=NayaDaur |language=en}}</ref>

The 1980s saw a nose-dive in the progress of cinema in Pakistan as the nation was left in a state of turmoil over the changes in the government administration. The number of cinemas decreased rapidly and people preferred watching television over going to a cinema.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.sdpi.org/help/research_and_news_bulletin/Nov_Dec_2005/history_through_lens_2.htm|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060916000253/http://sdpi.org/help/research_and_news_bulletin/Nov_Dec_2005/history_through_lens_2.htm|url-status=dead|archive-date=16 September 2006|title=History through the lens|publisher=Sustainable Development Policy Institute|access-date=26 June 2008}}</ref>

==== New era and revival: (1972–1978) ====

While the cinema in Pakistan was declining, neighboring India was gaining in strength in film content and quality. People began admiring the Indian playback counterparts. And when it seemed that music in Pakistan had no hopes of surviving this foreign influence, Anwar Maqsood and Shoaib Mansoor launched the career of Nerissa, Beena and Shabana Benjamin (collectively known as the Benjamin Sisters) in 1985. The sisters filled television screens with their melodious charms and tabloids started calling it the ''Benjamin Sisters Phenomenon''.<ref name="atpatp">{{cite web |date=17 December 2006 |title=Benjamin Sisters: Silver Jubilee |url=http://pakistaniat.com/2006/12/17/benjamin-sisters-silver-jubilee/ |accessdate=2008-06-27 |publisher=All Things Pakistan |quote=''... the 1980s talk-show Silver Jubilee ... is memorable because it launched the 'Benjamin Sisters phenomenon'. This earnest trio was essentially brought in to simply re-render the great film songs related to whoever was the guest that week. Over time, it was not just the songs but the Benjamin Sisters themselves who became the sensation ...''}}, Retrieved 9 March 2019</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=saadia.qamar |date=2011-11-13 |title=Benjamin Sisters: Thank you for the music |url=https://tribune.com.pk/story/289132/benjamin-sisters-thank-you-for-the-music |access-date=2025-12-25 |website=The Express Tribune |language=en}}</ref>

A few years later came Bengali singer Alamgir. Like all people from his generation, Alamgir was raised listening to songs by bands like ABBA and Boney M. He would do renditions of popular new wave songs in Urdu. In 1973, influenced by disco and funk, Alamgir sang ''Albela Rahi'', an Urdu song literally translated from a famous Cuban hit originally in Spanish. Alamgir brought a new form of music to Pakistan, one that blended the classical forms with a tint of modern Western music. Hit after another, he proved to be the most successful singer and musician of his time. Alongside Alamgir, Muhammad Ali Shehki also rose to fame with his renditions of the Hindustani classical forms with mediums like jazz and rock.<ref name=":1" /><ref name=":2" />

Hassan Jahangir gained fame in the '80s with hit singles such as "Hawa Hawa", "Hato Bacho", and "Shadi Na Karna Yaron". He released his first single "Imran Khan is a Superman" in 1982 and went on to release his one and only internationally famous album Hawa Hawa. It sold approximately 15 million copies in India.<ref name=":1" /><ref name=":2" />

=== New wave of music and New genres (1980–2000s) ===

[[File:Nazia Hassan.jpg|thumb|Nazia Hassan (''circa'' 1994)]]

In 1980, Nazia Hassan, a fifteen-years-old Pakistani girl residing in the United Kingdom was approached by Indian actor and director Feroz Khan along with Biddu Appaiah, an Indian music producer who asked her to sing the song "Aap Jaisa Koi" for the film ''Qurbani''.<ref name="CITEREFNaziaStar">{{cite web|url=http://www.naziahassan.co.uk/herlife.htm|title=Nazia's life as a star|publisher=Nazia Hassan Foundation|access-date=26 June 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080702054811/http://www.naziahassan.co.uk/herlife.htm|archive-date=2 July 2008|url-status=dead}}</ref> She was selected for the nasal quality of the song's delivery. The song became an instant hit in the UK and the Indian sub-continent. Influenced primarily by disco beats and hip hop, Nazia along with her brother Zohaib Hassan produced successive hits. Their songs ''Disco Deewane'' and ''Tere Qadmon Ko'' became the rage all over Asia to the extent that their very first album was declared the best selling album of the time in Asia.

The hype did not last for long as with Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq's regime came drastic decisions to Islamicise the nation. Almost all music videos were banned to air on local television.<ref name="CITEREFNaziaStar"/> The religious leaders found the two Hassan siblings dancing together on the stage most un-Islamic. When shown the videos would feature Nazia waist-up to hide her dancing feet.<ref name="CITEREFNaziaStar"/> Hence, this came as another blow to the music industry.

==== Rock music and Zia years (1980–1989) ==== {{Main|Pakistani rock}}

{{See also|Pakistan Television Corporation|Network Television Marketing}}

Despite Zia's tough rhetoric against the Western music, the 1980s era is the widely regarded times of birth and rise of Pakistan's homegrown and ingenious rock music. Immediately following the military installation of Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq as president, measures were taken to put in place to limit the distribution of music and the only source of entertainment was the government-owned television network Pakistan Television Corporation (PTV).<ref name="Dawn News, Nadeem F. Paracha"/> A state of the union speech to the public in 1979, President Zia denounced the Western culture and Western music and banned all the music videos in the country.<ref name="Dawn News, Nadeem F. Paracha"/>

Despite the hardship and problems faced by the music industry, the siblings, Nazia and her younger brother Zohaib Hassan, teamed up to produce more pop albums, but in the turmoil that Pakistan was headed through, the duo lost viewership and sales in their own country. They managed to reach UK Top 40 with the English version of their song "''Disco Deewane''" titled "''Dreamer Deewane''". The album sold over 14 million records, not only in Asia but as far as South America, South Africa and Soviet Union. Nazia Zoheb later produced many other albums in the 1980s e.g., Boom Boom (1982), Young Tarang (1984), Hotline (1987), and Camera Camera (1992) and completely dominated the Pop music scene of Asia during the 1980s.<ref name=":2" />

A new rage of Pop/ rock music, began to rise during the regime of President Zia-ul-Haq. Throughout the 1980s, there was a popular wave of cultural change and the 80's fashion hair styles and clothing was beginning to be noticed by the public.<ref name="Greenwood Press"/> The homegrown rock music bands, out of ordinary to the culture, came to be perceived by many Pakistani fans and country's cultural observers as a "promising new era of cultural revival".<ref name="Greenwood Press"/> Their enormous popularity significantly opened a new wave of music and a modern chapter in the history of Pakistan.<ref name="Greenwood Press">{{cite book|last=Malik|first=Iftikhar H.|title=Culture and customs of Pakistan|year=2005|publisher=Greenwood Press|location=Westport, Conn.|isbn=0-313-33126-X|chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=GQTABKAGaVgC&q=vital+signs+band+pakistan&pg=PA177|chapter=Performing Arts and Films}}</ref> The public generally welcomed the new hair styles and fashion wear (popular among university female and male students).<ref name="Greenwood Press"/>

During the peak and end times of Zia's conservative regime, there was a popular wave of cultural change, and the Western fashion style and music stormed the country.<ref name="Dawn News, Nadeem F. Paracha">{{cite news|last=Nadeem F. Paracha|title=Times of the Vital Sign|url=https://www.dawn.com/news/798600/times-of-the-signs|access-date=3 April 2013|newspaper=Dawn News, Nadeem F. Paracha|date=28 March 2013}}</ref> In the 1980s, various music arrangers held underground rock music concerts in the five-star hotels and university campuses.<ref name="Dawn News, Nadeem F. Paracha"/> Ironically, it was the conservative regime of President Zia-ul-Haq when the rock music exploded and underground rock music concerts were held all over the country, including Islamabad and near the residence of Zia-ul-Haq.<ref name="Dawn News, Nadeem F. Paracha"/> In 1986, the pop band, Vital Signs, released its very first singles Dil Dil Pakistan and, ''Do Pal Ka Jeevan'', which became an ultimate success in the country.<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R7Y_LSwB8Gk See the video]</ref>

The success of Vital Signs helped others to follow their suit, and the rock music in the country skyrocketed for the first time in the history of the country. In a time when there was no hope for the industry to survive, rock/pop music bands notably and much quickly filled the gap that the pop music industry had left.<ref name="Taylor & Francis Ltd."/> According to the Western observers and cultural critics, the rock music bands in the country brought the significant shift of country's transformation into modernism during the 1990s.<ref name="Three Rivers Press">{{cite book|last=LeVine|first=Mark|title=Heavy metal Islam : rock, resistance, and the struggle for the soul of Islam|year=2008|publisher=Three Rivers Press|location=New York|isbn=978-0-307-35339-9|chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=DY9TBRXDi40C&q=vital+signs+band+pakistan&pg=PT250|edition=1st|chapter=The 1980s: The rise of Heavy metal in Pakistan}}</ref> With the rise of Vital Signs and later, Junoon and others, the rock music, exploded in the 1980s and 1990s, became a vehicle for expressing patriotic nationalist spirit in Pakistan.<ref name="Taylor & Francis Ltd.">{{cite book|last=Qadeer|first=Mohammad Abdul|title=Pakistan.|year=2005|publisher=Taylor & Francis Ltd.|location=Hoboken|isbn=978-0-203-09968-1}}</ref>

In 1990, the first privately owned television station, the Network Television Marketing (NTM) opened up introducing shows aimed at the younger generation. Prior to that, in 1989, Shoaib Mansoor produced a show for PTV called ''Music '89'' and took the Hassan siblings as the show's host. This show is responsible for single-handedly creating legends out of bands like Vital Signs, Junoon, Ali Haider, Sajjad Ali and Jupiters also including underground alternative rock bands like Final Cut and The Barbarians.<ref name="CITEREFBusinessMusic">{{cite web|url=http://www.newsline.com.pk/newsJan2007/cover2Jan2007.htm |title=The Business of Music |publisher=Newsline Pakistan |access-date=28 June 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080919011029/http://www.newsline.com.pk/newsJan2007/cover2Jan2007.htm |archive-date=19 September 2008 }}</ref> According to the editorial written in ''The Express Tribune'' in 2011, the "Vital Signs and Pakistan's ingenious rock music was the only "arsenal" the country had against India's encroaching entertainment industry."<ref name="The Express Tribune">{{cite news|last=Hani Taha|title=Catching up with Shahi|url=http://tribune.com.pk/story/144373/catching-up-with-shahi/|access-date=3 April 2013|newspaper=The Express Tribune|date=6 April 2011}}</ref> It was during the midst of Zia times, when Dil Dil Pakistan was released on television and on a short time period, it became a huge success in the country.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2024-08-15 |title=Dil Dil Pakistan: The Beat Of Pakistan's Cultural Evolution And Identity Crisis |url=https://thefridaytimes.com/15-Aug-2024/dil-dil-pakistan-the-beat-of-pakistan-s-cultural-evolution-and-identity-crisis |access-date=2025-12-25 |website=The Friday Times |language=en}}</ref><ref name=":1" />

===The heyday of Pakistan pop music (1990–onwards): emergence of bands and popular singers=== {{See also|Music Channel Charts|Pakistani rock|Sufi rock|Qawwali|Ghazal|Pakistani hip hop}}

[[File:Etihad Runway - Strings Performance.jpg|left|250px|thumb|In the 1990s, the Strings gained a lot of publicity for their rock/pop music genre.]] With the success of Vital Signs and other bands, pop/rock music significantly helped to list pop music as well. The primetime reception on NTM in Lahore, Karachi and Islamabad as NTM broadcast a show titled Music Channel Charts. The rock music continued to be appreciated by the public and an hour-length show that showcased music videos for various artists in a countdown format. When people started getting acquainted with the show's format, amateur bands and singers taped their own videos and sent them to be aired. With competition rising and only a few minutes dedicated to a single video, pop and rock musicians from all over the country were being recognised for their work.<ref name=":2" />

The show made upcoming artists such as rapper Fakhre Alam, Danish Rahi, Fringe Benefit (the debut album ''Tanhai'' was recorded and mixed by Tahir Gul Hasan at his recording studios in Karachi), Strings, Junoon, Aamir Saleem, Aamir Zaki, and Haroon Rashid and Faakhir Mehmood from Awaz household names.The show became the trailblazer and many followed its footstep. Video Countdown (which later became Video Count Down Zabardast Zabar Duss/10) started on PTV and Video Junction (VJ) was one of its kind on NTM which started after the closure of MCC. As PTV became international in 1992 with the launch of PTV2, it opened the international arena for Pakistani Pop artists. More and More International TV channels (especially from across the borders) became visible in Pakistan through satellite. Pakistani artists started making their ways to MTV India and Channel V in the late 1990s.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.sundaytimes.lk/961208/plus3.html|title=Do your own thing|publisher=The Sunday Times|access-date=27 June 2008}}</ref> and overshadow every effort the Pakistani counterpart would make to highlight the talents within.

The beginning of FM radio in the mid-90s made Pakistani pop more available. People started enjoying the shades of Paki Pop n rock in their cars.

Recording companies like EMI Pakistan, Pepsi Pakistan Inc. and Sound Master started taking note of the new and rising stars. They started signing contracts with bands including Strings, Vital Signs, Junoon, Benjamin Sister, and Awaz who would later become iconic pop-rock bands. At this time, various rock/pop bands earned a lot of recognition abroad after Vital Signs made its debut international concert in the United States in 1993.<ref name=":1" /><ref name=":2" />

Abrar-ul-Haq, since his debut with ''Billo De Ghar'' (1995), became known as the "King of Pakistani pop and bhangra", having sold over 40.3{{nbsp}}million albums worldwide.<ref>{{cite journal |date=2000 |title=India Today International |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=u7IaAQAAIAAJ |journal=India Today International |publisher=Living Media India Limited |volume=25 |issue=40–52 |page=16 |quote=King of Pakistani Pop Arad Al Hukh}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last= |first= |date=2024-04-05 |title=We started the global Punjabi song trend: Abrar ul Haq |url=https://tribune.com.pk/story/2461732/we-started-the-global-punjabi-song-trend-and-we-should-be-proud-of-it-abrar-ul-haq |access-date=2025-12-04 |website=The Express Tribune |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |date=26 April 2024 |title=Abrar Ul Haq gets emotional recounting the loss of his mother |url=https://www.bolentertainment.com/abrar-ul-haq-gets-emotional-recounting-the-loss-of-his-mother/ |work=BOL Entertainment}}</ref>

Hadiqa Kiani made her debut in Adnan Sami & Zeba Bakhtiar starrer "Sargam" in 1995 which became a phenomenal hit and the music album of the movie was a chartbuster in Lollywood Top 10 (PTV), Yeh Hai Filmi Dunya (NTM) and FM channels. But Hadiqa continued her music career more as a pop artist instead of a playback. Her albums "Raaz, Rung and Roshni" sold millions and made her an ultimate female pop star after Nazia Hassan.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Instep Magazine {{!}} Fashion {{!}} Beauty {{!}} Entertainment {{!}} The News on Sunday |url=http://jang.com.pk/thenews/jun2012-weekly/nos-10-06-2012/instep/article1.asp |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160113070212/http://jang.com.pk/thenews/jun2012-weekly/nos-10-06-2012/instep/article1.asp |archive-date=13 January 2016 |access-date=6 January 2016 |website=jang.com.pk}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last= |first= |date=2022-05-02 |title=Buhe Bariyan row: Kanika denies Hadiqa's plagiarism claims |url=https://tribune.com.pk/story/2355090/buhe-bariyan-row-kanika-denies-hadiqas-plagiarism-claims-says-song-is-completely-original |access-date=2025-12-25 |website=The Express Tribune |language=en}}</ref> In 1997, Hadiqa became the second international female singer in the world to be signed by Pepsi. In 1999, Junaid Jamshed Dubbed the "King of South Asian Pop" released his second solo pop album Us Rah Par. release in 1999, the album Us Rah Par achieved massive commercial success, peaking at number 3 on the Asian Music Chart where it ranks alongside high-charting releases such as Himesh Reshammiya's Aap Kaa Surroor (album) and the Young Tarang by Nazia and Zoheb Hassan. The album became one of the best-selling South Asian solo projects It one of the first albums by a South Asian artist to be ranked among the top 10 best-selling albums globally. As of 2002, over 30 million copies of Us Rah Par have been sold globally making it the third best selling South Asian music albums. Following the Kargil War, all Indian channel broadcasts were limited or banned in Pakistan and after Pervaiz Musharraf's coup d'état, the media was privatised. To cater to the needs of thousands who watched the Indian channels with regularity, programmes were broadcast to match the Indian content. Seeing this as an opportunity, bands returned on the music scene and started producing videos with much richer content. In 2002–03, Ghazanfar Ali, producer and CEO of the Indus Media Group started his very first venture into the music industry with Indus Music, a channel dedicated to music following the formats used by Western Music Channels. The channel started as a part of the Indus Vision channel and was later started as a separate channel in 2003.<ref name="CITEREFBusinessMusic" /> With nothing much to watch than a few Pakistani channels, the youngsters in the country would settle in for Indus Music and would become interested in music once again. In 2006 Indus TV Network in an agreement with MTV Intn;l converted Indus Music into MTV Pakistan which continued till 2011 to again become Indus Music.

Rock music continued to gather popularity in the country, as more singers and bands enter the genre. But the law and order situation in Pakistan had limited the number of concerts and artists are not heavily promoting their albums. New musical talent emerged in Pakistan in the decade of 2000. Entity Paradigm, Aaroh, Mizraab, Mizmaar, Fuzon, Raeth, Noori, Mechal Hassan Band, Jal, Roxen, etc. made their name by producing quality music.<ref name=":3">{{Cite web |date=2010-01-10 |title=Music in the Naughties: A turbulant soundtrack |url=https://www.dawn.com/news/922288/music-in-the-naughties-a-turbulant-soundtrack |access-date=2025-12-25 |website=Dawn |language=en}}</ref> With the disbanding of Junoon, Ali Azmat launched his solo career, and his first solo album ''Social Circus'' became a success and gave him an iconic image. New female singers like Ainee Khalid, Abresham, and Abeer kept the music scene alive. After Indus Music, ARY Musik (The Musik) Aag (now off-air), Play, and many other music channels were launched which kept the music scene going on. Aag TV was the first-ever Youth Music Channel of Pakistan which presented many thought-provoking programmes as well on youth issues

thumb|Atif AslamThe band Jal formed in 2003, with Atif Aslam, Goher Mumtaz and others brought in a new wave of Pakistani pop music with hits like Aadat, Woh Lamhe, and their respective albums.<ref>{{Cite web |last=rafay.mahmood |date=2013-12-03 |title=10 years on: An 'Aadat' that changed the course of pop music in Pakistan |url=https://tribune.com.pk/story/640549/10-years-on-an-aadat-that-changed-the-course-of-pop-music-in-pakistan |access-date=2025-12-25 |website=The Express Tribune |language=en}}</ref><ref name=":3" /> Atif went one to become one of the best Pakistani playback singers till date and Jal went on to become the biggest names in Pakistani band music scene. Moreover, the new wave of cinema in Pakistan supported the pop/rock music scene, as most of the background scores and OSTs of new movies and dramas are generally produced by pop/rock artists.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Rehman |first=Maliha |date=2025-06-06 |title=PRIME TIME; THE SOUNDTRACKS OF OUR DRAMA LIVES |url=https://www.dawn.com/news/1915438 |access-date=2025-12-25 |website=Dawn |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Hussain |first=Sana |date=2025-08-11 |title=Why do good OSTs make dramas so much better? |url=https://images.dawn.com/news/1193932 |access-date=2025-12-25 |website=Images |language=en}}</ref>

==Television shows==

=== ''Coke Studio'' === {{Main|Coke Studio (Pakistani TV program)}}

''Coke Studio'', a popular Pakistani music television series, became Pakistan's first official venture into the collaboration of Pakistani pop music artists. Coke Studio has become phenomenal hit which has given 14 successful seasons up till now. The first 7 seasons have been produced by Rohail Hyatt a member of the veteran former Pop band of Pakistan Vital Signs. It is one of a kind which involves the fusion of oldies and news and is telecast on all the TV channels and some radio channels of Pakistan making it available for everyone at home and abroad. The platform brought forth the talents of folk and modern artists such as Arif Lohar and Meesha Shafi. The season 8 ''Coke Studio'' got immense popularity and many of its songs topped charts of most of the online music streaming websites popular in south Asia such as Taazi, SoundCloud and Patari.pk.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.brecorder.com/arts-a-leisure/63-music/253107-coke-studio-season-8-taking-pakistan-by-storm.html| title = Coke Studio Season 8 Taking Pakistan by Storm}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.thenewstribe.com/2015/09/17/coke-studio-8-episode-6-ready-to-jolt-music-charts/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150919003729/http://www.thenewstribe.com/2015/09/17/coke-studio-8-episode-6-ready-to-jolt-music-charts/ |url-status=usurped |archive-date=19 September 2015 | title = Coke Studio 8: Episode 6 ready to jolt music charts}}</ref>

Following success in Pakistan after its first launch, ''Coke Studio'' has become an international franchise. The Pakistani show has amassed a large fan following in neighboring India.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://tribune.com.pk/story/26285/if-india-boasts-about-taj-mahal-pakistan-should-boast-about-coke-studio/|title=If India boasts about Taj Mahal, Pakistan should boast about Coke Studio|work=The Express Tribune|date=7 July 2010|access-date=16 May 2012}}</ref> The success of the show prompted Coca-Cola to launch the Indian version ''Coke Studio @ MTV'', with a similar format, which has proven to be both critically acclaimed and commercially successful.<ref name="rohail-blessings">{{cite news|url=http://tribune.com.pk/story/500182/i-took-rohails-blessings-before-starting-our-coke-studio-in-india/|title='I took Rohail's blessings before starting our Coke Studio in India'|work=The Express Tribune|date=30 January 2013|first=Rafay|last=Mahmood}}</ref> The Indian version has been produced by MTV India.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://tribune.com.pk/story/176618/coke-studio-to-rock-india/|title=Coke Studio to rock India|work=The Express Tribune|date=26 May 2011|author=IANS}}</ref> In April 2012, an Arab version of the show, ''Coke Studio بالعربي'' was launched in the Middle East featuring performances by various Arabic and international music artists, produced by the songwriter Michel Elefteriades.

===''Pakistan Idol''=== {{Main|Pakistan Idol}}

The ''Idol'' franchise was launched in Pakistan in 2013 with the ''Pakistan Idol'' series, which was telecast by Geo TV. The anthem for the show was ''Awaaz Mein Teri'', composed and sang by Ali Zafar. The show was judged by Bushra Ansari, Ali Azmat, and Hadiqa Kiani. The winner of the first season was Zamad Baig.

=== ''Pepsi Battle of the Bands'' === {{Main|Pepsi Battle of the Bands}}

'''''Pepsi Battle of the Bands''''' is television show based on the concept of Battle of the Bands, first aired in 2002 on PTV Home. The show was revived in 2017. This season featured judges Atif Aslam, Meesha Shafi and Fawad Khan who performed Vital Signs' "Do Pal Ka Jeevan" and Alamgir's "Dekha Na Tha" as a tribute;<ref>{{Cite web|title=Pepsi Battle Of The Bands Just Launched Their First Song And It's ABSOLUTELY LIT|url=https://www.mangobaaz.com/pepsi-battle-of-the-bands-is-lit|last=Studio|first=MangoBaaz|date=22 July 2017|website=MangoBaaz|access-date=1 June 2020|archive-date=13 June 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200613235718/https://www.mangobaaz.com/pepsi-battle-of-the-bands-is-lit|url-status=dead}}</ref> {| class="wikitable sortable" |Rohail Hyatt (S1) Fifi Haroon (S1) Shahi Hasan (S1, 2) Fawad Khan (S2, 3, 4) Meesha Shafi (S2, 3, 4) Atif Aslam (S2) Farooq Ahmed (S2, S3) Strings (S3) |}

=== ''Acoustic Station'' === Kashan Admani released Pakistan's first music web series, Acoustic Station in 2019. The series was based on unplugged music and featured popular musicians in the likes of Natasha Baig, Kashmir (Pakistani band), Kami Paul, Natasha Khan (Pakistani singer), Shallum Asher Xavier, and more.<ref>{{Cite web |last=NewsBytes |title=Dream Station Productions launches Acoustic Station |url=https://www.thenews.com.pk/magazine |access-date=2023-04-03 |website=www.thenews.com.pk |language=en}}</ref>

==Bollywood== {{See also|Music of Bollywood}}

The Pakistani Qawwali musician Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan had a big impact on Bollywood music, inspiring numerous Indian musicians working in Bollywood, especially during the 1990s.<ref name=":4">{{Cite web |date=2016-06-23 |title=Top 10 Pakistani singers who have hit the right Bollywood notes |url=https://indianexpress.com/photos/entertainment-gallery/top-pakistani-singers-in-bollywood-2871635/ |access-date=2026-02-14 |website=The Indian Express |language=en}}</ref> However, there were many instances of Indian music directors plagiarising Khan's music to produce hit filmi songs.<ref name="hindu">{{cite web|url=http://www.hinduonnet.com/fline/fl1418/14181230.htm|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20011230173145/http://www.hinduonnet.com/fline/fl1418/14181230.htm|url-status=usurped|archive-date=30 December 2001|title=The stilled voice |author=Amit Baruah, R. Padmanabhan|publisher=The Hindu, Frontline|date=6 September 1997}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last1=Chaudhuri |first1=Diptakirti |title=Bioscope: A Frivolous History of Bollywood in Ten Chapters |date=2018 |publisher=Hachette |isbn=9789351952299 |page=93 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=_e9LDwAAQBAJ&pg=PT93}}</ref> Viju Shah's hit song "Tu Cheez Badi Hai Mast Mast" in ''Mohra'' (1994) was plagiarised from Khan's popular Qawwali song "Dam Mast Qalandar".<ref name="hindu"/> Pop/rock artists like Atif Aslam, Rahat Fateh Ali Khan, Ali Zafar, Shafqat Amanat Ali, Mustafa Zahid etc. are equally popular in India in Bollywood music industry.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |last= |first= |date=2025-03-01 |title=Pakistani artists winning hearts in India: Singers, actors & musicians |url=https://tribune.com.pk/story/2531670/pakistani-actors-musicians-winning-hearts-in-india |access-date=2025-12-11 |website=The Express Tribune |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Radhakrishnan |first=Manjusha |date=2025-07-06 |title=From Fawad Khan to Mahira Khan: Pakistani stars who made their mark in Bollywood |url=https://gulfnews.com/entertainment/from-fawad-khan-to-mahira-khan-pakistani-stars-who-made-their-mark-in-bollywood-1.500188754 |access-date=2026-02-14 |website=Gulf News: Latest UAE news, Dubai news, Business, travel news, Dubai Gold rate, prayer time, cinema |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Shakeel |first=Madiha |date=2015-05-02 |title=Pakistani singers who made it big in Bollywood |url=http://www.brecorder.com/news/240550 |access-date=2026-02-14 |website=Brecorder |language=en}}</ref><ref name=":4" /><ref>{{Cite web |title=Music by numbers {{!}} Instep {{!}} thenews.com.pk |url=https://www.thenews.com.pk/tns/detail/1259115-music-by-numbers |access-date=2026-02-21 |website=www.thenews.com.pk |language=en}}</ref>

==Lists== {{See also|Music of Pakistan}}{{Dynamic list|multiple=yes}}

===Best-selling artists=== {| class="wikitable sortable" |- ! scope="col" | Rank ! scope="col" | Artist(s) ! scope="col" | Sales ! scope="col" | Years ! scope="col" | {{Abbr|Ref|Refefence(s)}} |- | 1 | Nazia Hassan and Zoheb Hassan | 60,000,000 | 1980–1992 | <ref name=times-nh-award>{{cite news |title=NRI TV presenter gets Nazia Hassan Award|url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/indians-abroad/NRI-TV-presenter-gets-Nazia-Hassan-Award-/articleshow/1299893.cms|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120308235816/http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2005-11-18/indians-abroad/27850544_1_presenter-awards-indian-high-commission|url-status=live|archive-date=8 March 2012|access-date=4 March 2011|author=PTI|work=The Times of India|date=18 November 2005}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Abdurab |first=Adi |date=2015-03-13 |title=Biddu – the (un)sung hero of Pakistan |url=https://www.dawn.com/news/1169338 |access-date=2026-02-14 |website=Dawn |language=en|quote=...They sold a combined total of 60 million records worldwide...|archive-date=14 March 2015|url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150314163631/http://www.dawn.com/news/1169338}}</ref> |- | 2 | Abrar-ul-Haq | 40,300,000 | 1995–2004 | <ref>{{Cite web |last= |first= |date=2023-05-31 |title=Singer Abrar-ul-Haq 'apologises' over performance shortly after exiting PTI |url=https://www.brecorder.com/news/40245224 |access-date=2025-12-06 |website=Brecorder |language=en |quote=...His very first album ‘Billo De Ghar’ debuted in 1995 and sold over 40.3 million albums worldwide....}}</ref> |- | 3 | Junoon | 30,000,000 | 1990–2010 | <ref>{{cite news|url=http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/pakistan/Salman-Ahmad-From-Junoon-to-Rock-and-Roll-Jihad/articleshow/6014865.cms|title=Salman Ahmad: From Junoon to Rock and Roll Jihad|work=Times of India|date=5 June 2010|access-date=23 March 2014|first=Purnima|last=Sharma|archive-date=7 June 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100607153740/https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/pakistan/salman-ahmad-from-junoon-to-rock-and-roll-jihad/articleshow/6014865.cms}}</ref> |- | 4 |Strings |25,000,000 |1988–2021 |<ref>{{Cite web |last=Sultan |first=Asfa |date=2021-03-27 |title=Strings break after scaling mountains |url=https://tribune.com.pk/story/2291645/we-did-not-split-up-just-made-a-mutual-decision-to-close-this-chapter-bilal-maqsood |access-date=2025-12-07 |website=The Express Tribune |language=en |quote=....The band has sold over 25 million albums worldwide....}}</ref> |- | 5 | Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan | 19,650,000 | 1996–2007 |{{efn|See {{Section link|Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan discography|Sales}}.}} |- | 6 | Atif Aslam | 11,000,000 | 2004–2008 |{{efn|Includes sales from his debut solo album ''Jal Pari'' and contributions during his tenure with the band Jal.}}<ref>{{Cite web |title=Atif Aslam wins top award |url=https://www.indianweekender.co.nz/pages/articledetails/7/1903/new-zealand/atif-aslam-wins-top-award?hs_amp=true |access-date=2026-02-15 |website=www.indianweekender.co.nz|archive-date=5 January 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110105192557/https://www.indianweekender.co.nz/pages/articledetails/7/1903/new-zealand/atif-aslam-wins-top-award}}</ref> |}

===Best-selling albums=== {{see|List of best-selling albums by country}} {| class="wikitable sortable" |- ! scope="col" | Rank ! scope="col" | Year ! scope="col" | Album ! scope="col" | Artist(s) ! scope="col" | Sales ! scope="col" | {{Abbr|Ref|Refefence(s)}} |- | 1 || 1984 || ''Young Tarang'' || Nazia Hassan and Zoheb Hassan || 40,000,000 || <ref>{{Cite web |last=Chakraborty |first=Debdutta |date=2024-10-12 |title=Ratan Tata had a disco link with Pakistan. He made Zoheb & Nazia Hassan global superstars |url=https://theprint.in/go-to-pakistan/ratan-tata-had-a-disco-link-with-pakistan-he-made-zoheb-nazia-hassan-global-superstars/2308894/ |access-date=2026-05-09 |website=ThePrint |language=en-US|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20260509072804/https://theprint.in/go-to-pakistan/ratan-tata-had-a-disco-link-with-pakistan-he-made-zoheb-nazia-hassan-global-superstars/2308894/|archive-date=9 May 2026}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2018-04-06 |title=Remembering NAZIA HASSAN |url=https://magtheweekly.com/detail/2308-remembering-nazia-hassan |access-date=2025-12-07 |website=magtheweekly.com |publisher=MAG THE WEEKLY |language=en |quote=...The third album Young Tarang, was the first of its kind in Pakistan to feature music videos. It sold over 40 million copies...}}</ref> |- | 2 || 1995 || ''Billo De Ghar'' || Abrar-ul-Haq || 16,000,000 || <ref>{{cite news |title=Abrar Ul Haq is back with a bangra |url=https://tribune.com.pk/story/1094214/back-with-a-bangra/ |work=The Express Tribune |date=29 April 2016}}</ref> |- | 3 || 1987 || ''Hawa Hawa'' || Hassan Jahangir || 15,000,000 || <ref>{{cite web|title=Hassan Jahangir's 'Hawa Hawa' in CHAALIS CHAURAASI|url=https://www.yahoo.com/news/hassan-jahangirs-hawa-hawa-chaalis-chauraasi-064501412.html|website=Yahoo News|date=20 December 2011|quote=..'Hawa Hawa' in the 80's, it was a sleeper hit and had sold 15 million copies..}}</ref><ref name=":2">{{Cite web |last=InpaperMagazine |first=From |date=2012-10-13 |title=Flashback: The pop cycle |url=https://www.dawn.com/2012/10/13/flashback-the-pop-cycle/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140602220237/https://www.dawn.com/news/756444/flashback-the-pop-cycle/ |archive-date=2014-06-02 |access-date=2025-12-11 |website=Dawn |language=en}}</ref> |- | 4 || 1981 || ''Disco Deewane'' || Nazia Hassan and Zoheb Hassan || 14,000,000 || <ref>{{cite web|title=Disco Deewane, Nazia Hassan with Biddu and His Orchestra|url=http://lapelanga.com/2010/09/disco-deewane-nazia-hassan-with-biddu-and-his/|website=La Pelanga|date=19 September 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160310195828/http://lapelanga.com/2010/09/disco-deewane-nazia-hassan-with-biddu-and-his/|archive-date=10 March 2016}}</ref> |- |5 |1997 | ''Only One''|| Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan and Mahmood Khan |6,000,000|| <ref name="thenews">{{cite news |title=Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan's 'lost tape recordings' found |url=https://www.thenews.com.pk/print/214544-Nusrat-Fateh-Ali-Khans-lost-tape-recordings-found |work=The News International |date=5 July 2017 |language=en}}</ref> |- | rowspan="2" |6 || 2003 || ''Huqa Pani'' || Ali Zafar || rowspan="2" | 5,000,000 || <ref>{{cite news |title=6 Ali Zafar songs that prove he is as melodious as dreamy|url=https://www.indiatoday.in/lifestyle/music/story/ali-zafar-coke-studio-birthday-hot-crush-romance-pakistan-lifest-977826-2017-05-18 |work=India Today |date=18 May 2017|quote=..Huqa Pani which was a big hit and success for Zafar whose five million copies were sold worldwide.. |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last= |first= |date=2023-05-22 |title=Singer Ali Zafar celebrates 20 years of musical career with lo-fi version of 'Chal Dil Mere' |url=https://www.brecorder.com/news/40243503 |access-date=2025-12-06 |website=Brecorder |language=en |quote=...Huqa Pani’ sold over five million copies worldwide, according to reports...}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last= |first= |date=2018-06-10 |title=Geo Films coming up with Ali Zafar's 'Teefa in Trouble' |url=https://www.thenews.com.pk/print/328064-geo-films-coming-up-with-ali-zafar-s-teefa-in-trouble |access-date=2025-12-06 |website=www.thenews.com.pk |publisher=The News International |language=en-US |quote=... He started his career as a music composer and gained popularity by his single “Channo” from his debut album Huqa Pani which sold over five million copies worldwide.....|archive-date=10 June 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180610233937/https://www.thenews.com.pk/print/328064-geo-films-coming-up-with-ali-zafar-s-teefa-in-trouble}}</ref> |- |2004 |''Jal Pari'' |Atif Aslam |<ref>{{Cite web |last=Mahmood |first=Arfa |date=2012-12-08 |title=15 Interesting Facts About Atif Aslam's Jal Pari - PakiUM.com |url=https://pakium.pk/2012/12/08/15-facts-atif-aslam-jalpari |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190321150340/https://pakium.pk/2012/12/08/15-facts-atif-aslam-jalpari |archive-date=2019-03-21 |access-date=2025-12-08 |language=en-US}}</ref> |- | rowspan="2" | 7 || 1997 || ''Vande Mataram'' || A. R. Rahman and Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan || rowspan="2" | 2,000,000 || <ref>{{Cite book |last=Mathai |first=Kamini |title=A. R. Rahman: The Musical Storm |title-link=A. R. Rahman: The Musical Storm |date=2009 |publisher=Penguin Group |isbn=9788184758238 |page=160}}</ref> |- |2006 |''Doorie'' |Atif Aslam |<ref>{{Cite web |last=Story |first=Music |author-link=Music Story |title=Atif Aslam Discography |url=https://www.qobuz.com/us-en/interpreter/atif-aslam/595592 |access-date=2025-12-07 |website=Qobuz |language=en-US |quote=...before his second album 'Doorie' in 2006 sold over two million copies ....|archive-date=1 September 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240901131434/https://www.qobuz.com/us-en/interpreter/atif-aslam/595592}}</ref> |- | rowspan="4" | 8 | 1989 || ''Vital Signs 1'' || Vital Signs || rowspan="3" | 1,000,000 || <ref name="Annan">{{cite web|url=http://www.iaac.us/music_festival/junoon/s_ahmad.htm|title=Salman Ahmad – Junoon Band|website=Indo-American Arts Council|access-date=23 March 2014}}</ref> |- | 1996 || ''Sangam'' || Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan and Javed Akhtar || <ref>{{cite book |last1=Kumar |first1=Keval J. |title=Mass Communication in India |date=2000 |publisher=Jaico Publishing House |isbn=9788172243739 |page=320 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ECF7hjnZWfcC&pg=PT320|edition=4th }}</ref> |- | 1997 || ''Azadi'' || Junoon || <ref>{{cite journal|title=Bulle Shah's Boys|journal=Outlook|volume=44|date=26 July 2004|url=https://www.outlookindia.com/magazine/story/bulle-shahs-boys/224616|access-date=23 December 2018}}</ref> |- |1998 |''Roshni'' |Hadiqa Kiani |1,000,000 |<ref>{{Cite web |last= |first= |date=2022-04-30 |title=Companies have illegally claimed my songs: Hadiqa Kiani |url=https://tribune.com.pk/story/2354896/companies-have-illegally-claimed-my-songs-hadiqa-vows-to-take-action |access-date=2025-12-06 |website=The Express Tribune |language=en |quote=......Boohey Barian is Hadiqa’s first ever Punjabi-language song and it was written by her mother Khawar Kiani for her Platinum-selling second album, Roshni, released in 1998.....}}</ref> |}

===Music video streams===

The following are the most-viewed Pakistani music videos on YouTube:

{{Static row numbers}} {| class="wikitable sortable static-row-numbers" {| ! scope="col" |Year ! scope="col" |Song ! scope="col" |Artist(s) ! scope="col" |YouTube streams ! scope="col" |{{Abbr|Ref.|Reference(s)}} |- |2014 |Zaroori Tha |Rahat Fateh Ali Khan |1.7 Billion |<ref>{{YouTube|6-n_szx2XRE|Rahat Fateh Ali Khan – Zaroori Tha}}</ref> |- |2013 |Satisfya | rowspan="2" |Imran Khan |1 Billion |<ref>{{Cite AV media |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pfVODjDBFxU |title=Imran Khan - Satisfya (Official Music Video) |date=2013-05-10 |last=imrankhanworld |access-date=2025-09-22 |via=YouTube}}</ref> |- |2009 |Amplifier |978 Million |<ref>{{Cite AV media |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uuCFRaFWjwY |title=Imran Khan - Amplifier (Official Music Video) |date=2009-07-12 |last=imrankhanworld |access-date=2025-09-22 |via=YouTube}}</ref> |- |2022 |Pasoori |Ali Sethi, Shae Gill |964 Million |<ref>{{Citation |title=Coke Studio {{!}} Season 14 {{!}} Pasoori {{!}} Ali Sethi x Shae Gill | date=7 February 2022 |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Eqb_-j3FDA |language=en |access-date=2023-01-22}}</ref> |- |2016 |Mere Rashk-e-Qamar (Remix) |Junaid Asghar |885 Million |<ref>{{cite AV media |date=9 December 2016 |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2nBJ_FFQuLI |title=Mere Rashke Qamar Tu Ne Pehli Nazar (UNFAK) Remix By Junaid Asghar |publisher=Irfan Malik |via=YouTube |access-date=4 August 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210202183016/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2nBJ_FFQuLI |archive-date=2 February 2021 |url-status=live}}</ref> |- |2022 |Kahani Suno 2.0 |Kaifi Khalil |714 Million |<ref>{{Cite AV media |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_XBVWlI8TsQ |title=Kaifi Khalil - Kahani Suno 2.0 [Official Music Video] |date=2022-06-01 |last=Kaifi Khalil |access-date=2026-04-27 |via=YouTube}}</ref> |- |2016 |Afreen Afreen |Rahat Fateh Ali Khan, Momina Mustehsan |657 Million |<ref>{{Cite AV media |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kw4tT7SCmaY |title=Coke Studio Season 9{{!}} Afreen Afreen{{!}} Rahat Fateh Ali Khan & Momina Mustehsan |date=2016-08-19 |last=Coke Studio Pakistan |access-date=2026-04-27 |via=YouTube}}</ref> |- |2015 |Tajdar-e-Haram |Atif Aslam |638 Million |<ref>{{Cite AV media |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a18py61_F_w |title=Coke Studio Season 8{{!}} Tajdar-e-Haram{{!}} Atif Aslam |date=2015-08-15 |last=Coke Studio Pakistan |access-date=2026-04-27 |via=YouTube}}</ref> |- |2025 |Pal Pal |Afusic |611 Million |<ref>{{Cite AV media |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8of5w7RgcTc |title=Afusic - Pal Pal (Official Music Video) Prod. @AliSoomroMusic |date=2025-02-17 |last=AFUSIC |access-date=2026-04-27 |via=YouTube}}</ref> |- |2024 |Jhol |Annural Khalid, Maanu |565 Mliion |<ref>{{Cite AV media |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-2RAq5o5pwc |title=Jhol {{!}} Coke Studio Pakistan {{!}} Season 15 {{!}} Maanu x Annural Khalid |date=2024-06-14 |last=Coke Studio Pakistan |access-date=2026-04-27 |via=YouTube}}</ref> |- |2021 |Khuda Aur Muhabbat (OST) |Rahat Fateh Ali Khan, Nish Asher |471 Million |<ref>{{Cite AV media |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zNfi9ryIrxg |title=Khuda Aur Mohabbat {{!}} OST {{!}} Rahat Fateh Ali Khan {{!}} Nish Asher {{!}} Har Pal Geo |date=2021-01-29 |last=HAR PAL GEO |access-date=2026-04-27 |via=YouTube}}</ref> |- |2017 |Pehli Dafa |Atif Aslam |468 Million |<ref>{{Cite AV media |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SxTYjptEzZs |title=Atif Aslam: Pehli Dafa Song (Video) {{!}} Ileana D’Cruz {{!}} Latest Hindi Song 2017 {{!}} T-Series |date=2017-01-05 |last=T-Series |access-date=2026-04-27 |via=YouTube}}</ref> |- |2023 |Tu Hai Kahan |AUR |442 Million |<ref>{{Cite AV media |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AX6OrbgS8lI |title=Tu Hai Kahan by AUR {{!}} تو ہے کہاں (Official Music Video) |date=2023-06-10 |last=AUR |access-date=2026-04-27 |via=YouTube}}</ref> |- |2016 |Tu Kuja Man Kuja |Shirraz Uppal, Rafaqat Ali Khan |306 Million |<ref>{{Cite AV media |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZQMn5wIoAno |title=Coke Studio Season 9{{!}} Tu Kuja Man Kuja{{!}} Shiraz Uppal & Rafaqat Ali Khan |date=2016-09-23 |last=Coke Studio Pakistan |access-date=2026-04-27 |via=YouTube}}</ref> |- |2019 |Pakistan Zindabad |Sahir Ali Bagga |285 Million |<ref>{{Cite AV media |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MjxGwfa5lxw |title=Pakistan Zindabad - 23 Mar 2019 {{!}} Sahir Ali Bagga {{!}} Pakistan Day 2019 (ISPR Official Song) |date=2019-03-21 |last=ISPR Official |access-date=2026-05-09 |via=YouTube}}</ref> |- |2009 |Pata Chalega |Imran Khan |280 Million |<ref>{{Cite AV media |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JOX09U8noOE |title=Imran Khan - Pata Chalgea (Un-Official Video) |date=2014-02-14 |last=imrankhanworld |access-date=2026-04-27 |via=YouTube}}</ref> |- |2023 |Ishq Murshid (OST) |Ahmed Jahanzeb |276 Million |<ref>{{Cite AV media |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HFHl_tXSyaE |title=𝐓𝐞𝐫𝐚 𝐌𝐞𝐫𝐚 𝐇𝐚𝐢 𝐏𝐲𝐚𝐫 𝐀𝐦𝐚𝐫❤️Ishq Murshid - [ OST ] - Singer: Ahmed Jahanzeb |date=2023-11-08 |last=HUM TV |access-date=2026-04-27 |via=YouTube}}</ref> |- |2018 |Jo Tu Na Mila |Asim Azhar |271 Million |<ref>{{Cite AV media |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6DtPF9W3ejI |title=Asim Azhar - Jo Tu Na Mila {{!}} Kunaal Vermaa |date=2018-11-19 |last=Universal Music India |access-date=2026-04-27 |via=YouTube}}</ref> |- |2021 |Larsha Pekhawar |Ali Zafar, Gul Panra, Fortitude Pukhtoon Core |240 Million |<ref>{{Cite AV media |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lh6Ltp5Ew9k |title=Larsha Pekhawar {{!}} Ali Zafar ft. Gul Panra & Fortitude Pukhtoon Core {{!}} Pashto Song |date=2021-09-22 |last=Ali Zafar |access-date=2026-04-27 |via=YouTube}}</ref> |- |2025 |Pal Pal (with Talwiinder) |Afusic, Talwiinder |233 Million |<ref>{{Cite AV media |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AbkEmIgJMcU |title=Afusic - Pal Pal with @Talwiinder (Official Visualiser) Prod. @AliSoomroMusic |date=2025-04-11 |last=AFUSIC |access-date=2026-04-27 |via=YouTube}}</ref> |- class="static-row-numbers-norank" ! colspan="5" | '''As of 30 May 2026''' |}

=== Album streams ===

The following were the top ten most-streamed Pakistani music albums on Spotify {{as of|2025|lc=y}}.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Staff |first=Images |date=2025-12-04 |title=Talha Anjum remains undefeated as Pakistan's top artist in this year's Spotify Wrapped |url=https://images.dawn.com/news/1194522 |access-date=2025-12-06 |website=Images |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last= |first= |date=2025-12-04 |title=Pakistan's Spotify Wrapped 2025 just dropped and local hip-hop is running the show |url=https://tribune.com.pk/story/2580514/pakistans-spotify-wrapped-2025-just-dropped-and-local-hip-hop-is-running-the-show |access-date=2025-12-06 |website=The Express Tribune |language=en}}</ref>

{| class="wikitable sortable" |- ! scope="col" | Rank ! scope="col" | Year ! scope="col" | Album ! scope="col" | Artist(s) |- | 1 || rowspan="3" | 2024 || ''Safar'' || Bayaan |- | 2 || ''My Terrible Mind'' || Talha Anjum, Umair |- | 3 || ''ROCKSTAR WITHOUT A GUITAR'' || Umair |- | 4 || 2023 || ''Open Letter'' || Talha Anjum, Umair |- | 5 || 2009 || ''Unforgettable'' || Imran Khan |- |6 |2010 |''Gunkali'' |Kaavish |- |7 |2025 |''Dil Ke Parde'' |Hasan Raheem |- |8 |2011 |''Bol'' (soundtrack) |Atif Aslam, Sajjad Ali |- |9 |2025 |''thikaana'' |Maanu |- |10 |2024 |''Superstar'' |Bilal Saeed |}

=== List of notable pop artists and rock bands by decade ===  {{see|Category:Pakistani pop singers|List of Pakistani pop singers|List of Pakistani music bands}} ==== 1960s ==== {{div col|colwidth=22em}}

* Ahmed Rushdi * Runa Laila {{div col end}}

==== 1970s ==== {{div col|colwidth=22em}}

* Alamgir * Muhammad Ali Shahki * Benjamin Sisters {{div col end}}

==== 1980s ==== {{div col|colwidth=22em}}

* Nazia Hassan * Zohaib Hassan * Hassan Jahangir * Jupiters * Tehseen Javed * Vital Signs (band) * Rohail Hayat * Junaid Jamshed * Nusrat Hussain {{div col end}}

==== 1990s ==== {{div col|colwidth=22em}}

* Ali Haider * Sajjad Ali * Waqar Ali * Aamir Zaki * Aamir Saleem * Fakhr-e-Alam * Awaz * Haroon * Faakhir Mehmood * Junoon (band) * Salman Ahmad * Ali Azmat * Hadiqa Kiyani * Strings (band) * Jawad Bashir (Dr. Aur Billa) * Fariha Pervez * Komal Rizvi * Shahzad Roy * Imran Muhammad Akhoond * Najam Shiraz * Abrar-ul-Haq * Waris Baig * Rahim Shah * Karavan * Mizraab * Shani Arshad * Shiraz Uppal {{div col end}}

==== 2000s ==== {{div col|colwidth=22em}}

* Jawad Ahmad * Entity Paradigm * Zulfiqar Jabbar Khan * Noori * Aaroh * Mekaal Hasan Band * Javed Bashir * Mizmaar * Fuzön * Shafqat Amanat Ali * Ahmed Jahanzeb * Ali Zafar * Atif Aslam * Jal (band) * Goher Mumtaz * Farhan Saeed * Mustafa Zahid (Roxen (band)) * Call (band) * Overload (Pakistani band) * Humaira Arshad * Annie Khalid * Qurram Hussain (Josh (band)) * Ali Khan * Sajid & Zeeshan * Malkoo * Zeb Bangash (Zeb and Haniya) * Imran Khan * Kaavish (Jaffer Zaidi) * Nouman Javaid * Laal (band) * Rahat Fateh Ali Khan {{div col end}}

==== 2010s ==== {{div col|colwidth=22em}}

* The Sketches * E Sharp (band) * Ali Aftab Saeed (Beygairat Brigade) * Shuja Haider * Amanat Ali * Qayaas * Umair Jaswal * Uzair Jaswal * Bilal Khan * Sahir Ali Bagga * Meesha Shafi * Zoe Viccaji * Sikandar Ka Mandar * Naseer & Shahab * Leo Twins * Soch (band) * Bilal Saeed * Quratulain Balouch * Asrar * Kashmir (Pakistani band) * Nabeel Shaukat Ali * Justin Bibis * Yasir Jaswal * Jabar Abbas * Momina Mustehsan * Irteassh * Mooroo * Abdullah Qureshi * Quaid Ahmed * Natasha Baig * Natasha Noorani (Biryani Brothers) * Arooj Aftab * Nirmal Roy * Kashif Ali * Haroon Shahid * Sara Haider * Ali Sethi * Bayaan (band) * Asim Azhar * Aima Baig * Damia Farooq * Rizwan Butt * Abdullah Siddiqui * Shamoon Ismail * Talal Qureshi * Sadaat Shafqat Amanat {{div col end}}

==== 2020s ==== {{div col|colwidth=22em}}

* Azaan Sami Khan * Hasan Raheem * Annural Khalid * Danyal Zafar * Shae Gill * Kaifi Khalil * Samar Jafri * Afusic {{div col end}}

==Notes== {{notelist}}

==References== {{reflist}}

==External links==

{{DEFAULTSORT:Pakistani Pop Music}} Category:Pakistani pop Category:Popular music by country