Daily Times

Exactly at midnight, Google started displaying this brand new doodle paying tribute to original pop diva of Pakistan Nazia Hassan. The late pop icon would have turned 53rd today.

Google honours prominent personalities and occasions with special logos that it calls ‘doodles’. This doodle is not only being showed to users in Pakistan but also to those in Canada, Iceland, Australia and New Zealand.

Describing the doodle, Google writes:

“When young Pakistani girls in the 1980s closed their eyes and clutched a pretend mic in their hands, swaying and singing, a major inspiration was Nazia Hassan. Hassan, sometimes referred to as the “Princess of Pop”, was a sensation the likes of which hadn’t been seen in the region in years. Young and graceful, with long flowing hair, she charmed the country by belting out favorite songs “Disco Deewane” and “Boom Boom” alongside her brother Zohaib.

Born on April 3, 1965 in Karachi, she met London producer Kumar at the age of 15 and recorded a Bollywood hit, “Aap jaisa koi” for the blockbuster “Qurbani.” The song catapulted her into the stardom and won her a Filmfare award. From there, Hassan and her brother released a number of albums, including “Boom Boom” in 1982 and “Young Tarang” in 1984. She was the first Pakistani singer to reach the British charts with her English version of “Disco Deewane”, called “Dreamer Deewane.”

Hassan was not only a talented singer, but also a devoted scholar and humanitarian. Using her law degree, she worked at the U.N. as well as for UNICEF. She was passionate about the rights of young people, and often took the time to visit impoverished schools in Pakistan. Her life was tragically cut short by lung cancer at the age of 35.

Our Doodle today imagines her performing with her famous flowing hair and dupatta (traditional Pakistani scarf), and the disco balls of the 80s glinting behind her.

Happy 53rd birthday, Nazia Hassan!”