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Available for over a year

Farah Karim presents seven new musical talents from Pakistan in genres ranging from rap to qawwali, and from folk to rock. Pakistan’s musical scene is thriving, and becoming increasingly diverse. Sponsorship by major brands such as Coke, Nescafe and Levis has given the country’s music a real boost, as up and coming musicians are given the chance to perform on TV supported by superb house bands and some of best musical directors. A ripple of excitement has also been caused by the reforming of Junoon, Pakistan’s most successful rock band of all time. Artists featured in this programme include Natasha Baig, one of Pakistan’s freshest and best singer song writers; Lyari Underground, rappers from Karachi’s Lyari district, known as the Compton of Pakistan; and Garam Anday, a brand new female duo whose first song is a brazen, humorous attack on men behaving badly. Then there's Meesha Shafi, a successful model and actress, whose beautiful, sultry voice finds expression in her first solo release, Mein; Jimmy Khan, who cooks up a feel-good Americana-influenced storm with traditional Pakistani instruments; and Zain & Zohaib Ali, brothers in their twenties, which is very young to be already gaining a reputation in the world of qawwali, Islamic devotional music. Last but not least, Mehdi Maloof is famous for just one highly original song. It’s called ‘A Dirty Building’ and it’s about the dilapidated Karachi apartment block he used to live in. Photo: Zohaib Ali. Credit: ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½