Nazia Hassan Pakistan’s ‘Queen of Pop’ remembered on her 23rd death anniversary

Nazia Hassan Pakistan’s ‘Queen of Pop’ is being remembered on her 23rd death anniversary!

She passed away at the age of 35 on August 13, 2000, in London, following a prolonged battle with cancer.

Born April 3, 1965, in Karachi, she began her career in the 1980s along with her brother Zoheb Hassan.

She rose to prominence through the popular Pakistan Television program Sung Sung.

Nazia Hassan’s debut album, Disco Deewane, released in 1981, charted in 14 countries worldwide and it went on to become the best-selling Asian pop record at the time.

Her English language single Dreamer Deewane made her the first Pakistani singer to make it to the British musical charts.

Nazia’s big break came at the age of 14 when she was introduced by Zeenat Aman to Bollywood filmmaker Feroz Khan and actor Vinod Khanna at a party in London.

Nazia went on to make her singing debut with the track ‘Aap Jaisa Koi’ in 1980, which became an instant hit.

She won a Filmfare Award in 1981 at 15, the Best Female Playback Singer, for the track and to date remains the youngest person to retain the honour.

Her other album ‘Boom Boom’ came out in 1982, part of which was featured in another Bollywood film, ‘Star’, leading to further popularity in India.

Another album ‘Young Tarang’ was released in 1984, followed by ‘Hotline’ in 1987. The track ‘Dum Dum Dede’ from ‘Young Tarang’ was featured in the closing scene of the 2012 Indian film, ‘Miss Lovely’.

Nazia Hassan’s last album, ‘Camera Camera’ released in 1992, was part of a campaign against drugs. Along with her brother Zoheb, she also appeared in several television programs.

She received many national and international awards, including Pakistan’s highest civilian award, Pride of Performance.

Aside from being a singer having a career spanning over 15 years, Nazia Hassan was also a dedicated philanthropist and activist.

In 1991, she joined the United Nations Security Council at the United Nations Headquarters in New York City and worked there for two years.

In her third year, she offered her services at UNICEF.

She was also involved in philanthropic projects in Pakistan, especially geared toward children, youth, and women in distress.

Nazia Hassan established the organization BAN (Battle Against Narcotics) and became an active member of organizations such as Voice of Women and the National Youth Organisation. She owns a credit for the introduction of mobile clinics in Lyari Town as well.

And rest is the history now.

Music fans recall the iconic pop-pop singer as she left the world today.