January 31, 2021
Hadiqa has gone a step further by composing and releasing a qawwali that is original in design “with poetry that has been selected by Abrar Hussain
Hadiqa Kiani’s journey, from pop hits to the path of Sufi music, began some time ago. Coming together with the release of
Wajd Volume I, she followed up the Sufi elements that have come to redefine her as an artist in Coke Studio 12, produced by Rohail Hyatt.
But now Hadiqa has gone a step further by composing and releasing a qawwali that is original in design “with poetry that has been selected by Abrar Hussain and verses of numerous classic poets that have been incorporated to enrich it with ‘Girah Bundi’”.
Zeb Bangash | Paste Studios
Bibi Sanam on
Coke Studio, it resonated with people from Kabul to Kolkata and beyond, becoming one of our most-loved and celebrated numbers. Its success spawned many other versions on YouTube and it was a delight to see and hear people from all over the world engaging with the song with so much love.
In time, many classic versions were uploaded. In 2013, inspired by Ustaad Shamsuddin Masrur’s performance of the song in the 1960s, I recorded an entirely fresh version of
Bibi Sanam with my Brooklyn-based band SANDARAA. Not surprisingly, this version became a crowd-pleaser on SANDARAA tours even to predominantly Western audiences in North America.