Daily Times

A light went out on in the music world and in our lives when on Tuesday morning, rockstar and one of the biggest celebrities of Pakistan, Farhad Humayun passed away in Lahore owing to a long-term illness.

Many say he went too soon or his time wasn’t right to go or he died way too young, but we believe Farhad Humayun went on his time, just the way he was supposed to go – young, great looking, immensely talented, people’s person, warm and big-hearted and rocking away at his heels.

As shock, dread and disbelief enveloped us on hearing of his passing, we took time in collecting our thoughts and are proud to say that one of the many reasons why we need to celebrate his beautiful, fulfilled and highly successful life was because he gave others a chance to fulfill their own dreams by providing the popular platform of Riot Studios – a stage set for the up and coming; the aspiring musicians of Pakistan.

In a constant rat race of today, when most think of themselves before anyone else, Humayun thought of uplifting and cushioning those who dreamt of making it big or even getting noticed in the music world.

Humayun’s diagnoses of a brain tumour in 2018 shocked us, but the brave and resilient rockstar faced his illness like a warrior. He was undeterred, fearless and strong and even while abroad for his treatment, kept the world in the loop, reminding everyone that he would be back with more exciting projects – a claim that stood true. He came back and released one of our all-time favourite tracks “Murr ke dekho” that proved how strong a mettle he possessed.

In a constant rat race of today, when most think of themselves before anyone else, Humayun thought of uplifting and cushioning those who dreamt of making it big or even getting noticed in the music world

He was a singer and a producer alright, we know many who are, but Humayun was different. His music was distinct, elegant and classy. He stood out for his open and generous personality, his humble demeanour, his lack of interest in industry politics and straight up focus on what he was working on. This alone made him the star that he was.

For those who do not know, Humayun founded Overload band in 2003 for which we was the drummer also. He started his career as an underground musician and formed two bands Co-Ven and Mindriot in which he played drums. He has identified, produced and launched some of South Asia’s top acts such as Atif Aslam, Symt and Meesha Shafi. Humayun has won numerous awards and accolades for both his audio and video work and owned Riot Studios, the famous recording studio and gig venue in Lahore.

Humayun has recorded drums and toured with major Pakistani rock acts such as Noori and Fuzön and has served as the house band drummer for ‘Coke Studio’ in 2012.

Humayun’s diagnoses of a brain tumour in 2018 shocked us, but the brave and resilient rockstar faced his illness like a warrior. He was undeterred, fearless and strong and even while abroad for his treatment, kept the world in the loop, reminding everyone that he would be back with more exciting projects — a claim that stood true

Humayun remains the artist with the most number of nominations for a musician at the Lux Style Awards with 13 nominations and two wins.

One of his landmark achievements is his song “Jeet” that was played at Prime Minister Imran Khan’s rally in Washington DC. He has also performed at the launching ceremony of Pakistan Super League team Lahore Qalandars.

He has also released English singles including “Give In” produced by Richard Hilton, keyboardist of the band Chic. The songs feature iconic musicians like Tony Levin on bass, David Torn on guitars and Richy Stano also on guitars. recorded at Clubhouse Studios in Rhinebeck New York

Humayun experienced his share of career setbacks, heartbreak, some legal drama and of course the illness that took his life, but defying everything, he was invincible. He braved every storm but ultimately, took the last ride home, the one he couldn’t miss.