Daily Times

LAHORE: Singing sensation, veteran musician and truly the pride of our country, Hadiqa Kiani is a force to be reckoned with.

The seasoned crooner closed the Mystic Music Sufi Festival in Lahore recently and was met with thunderous applause, winning the audience over with her majestic performance. I caught up with the power singer on Valentine’s Day, at her Lahore residence – a day she celebrated with the people she loved the most – her family, in her hometown.

“I’ve been working on my album called ‘Wajd’ for quite some time now and now I’m gearing up for its release. It’s more than an album for me; it’s a musical journey, the beginning of a new chapter in my life! Everything you will hear in the album is truly organic and the sound is something that will be entirely different from anything else that my listeners have ever heard,” Hadiqa Kiani said, while talking exclusively to Daily Times.

Whatever she does, she does it with passion, and this upcoming album is no exception.

“The entire album has been musically arranged and produced by music maestro and a multi-instrumentalist, who is also my brother, Irfan Kiani. My heart and soul really belongs to this project and to this genre of Sufi/folk. I just can’t wait to share it,” Kiani maintains.

Her excitement is almost tangible.

The renowned singer has been known to lend her vocals for the OSTs of some of the most-watched drama serials in the country like ‘Mere Aas Pas’, ‘Zindagi Gulzar Hai’ and ‘Udaari’. She also sung the popular OST for the blockbuster hit ‘Bol’, called “Hona tha pyar”.

“I took a little break after ‘Udaari’ to focus on my own music but, I have recently sung another OST for Hum TV that should also be coming out soon,” Kiani added.

Some international shows are also in the pipeline for the artist.

Commenting on the current political climate, where a lot of Bollywood films are being banned in the country, after Pakistani artists were criticised by the Indian government for performing on their soil, Kiani said, “I don’t think art should ever be banned. There shouldn’t be boundaries on artists or expression. Freedom of art will only create growth and peace.”

It’s a known fact that in 1998, Kiani recorded the official theme song for the 1999 Cricket World Cup. She is a cricket fan and a true patriot and says it’s difficult to avoid the sport in a country like Pakistan.

“I grew up watching legends like Imran Khan, Zaheer Abbas, Ramiz Raja and others. However, my tolerance for watching a game is limited to shorter matches. This year, I am supporting Peshawar Zalmi for the Pakistan Super League. I’ve sung a song with Zeek Afridi called ‘Zalmi Taraana’ that I’ve heard some great feedback on. Of course, my support for the Pathans should come as no surprise to anyone,” she laughs.

Here’s wishing the super star all the best for her upcoming album as well as her international projects.