Abida Parveen – singer, composer, musician, and whatnot. She is an arresting and captivating personality. She is a powerhouse of spirituality and songs. The audience in Pakistan and the rest of the world have become spellbound by the way her voice can shift, from soft melodies to passionate declarations of praise for the divine. She has a command in Ghazal, Qawwali, and classic forms of Sufi music and poetry. She began singing as a three-year-old, encouraged by her father Ustad Ghulam Haider. As a child, she had a thirst for learning. Her father was himself a famous musician. She would often observe her father with his music students at home. She is also a painter and entrepreneur. She is one of the highest-paid singers of Pakistan. Born and raised in Larkana into a Sindhi family, she was trained by her father. She also performed in churches several times. Her first international concert was in Buena Park, California. She is among the world’s greatest mystic singers. Her specialty is ‘Kafi’, a solo genre accompanied by percussion and harmonium. She knows many languages in which she sings. She sang a famous Nepali song “Okali Orali Haruma”. She was designated a ‘Peace Ambassador’ by SAARC.
Parveen is best known for singing in loud voice especially on the song “Yaar ko humnay”, from the album “Raqs-e-Bismil” and “Tere Ishq Nachaya”. It is a rendition of “Bulley Shah’s” poetry. Parveen started performing in the early 1970s. It was in 1973, on Radio Pakistan. She achieved her first real breakthrough with the Sindhi song “Tuhinje Zulfan Jay Band Kamand Widha”. Abida has a special appearance in the movie “Zindagi”. Parveen collaborated with Shehzad Roy. She performed in the annual “Oslo” mela in Norway. Abida Parveen performed with Sonu Nigam a Bollywood playback singer. Parveen performed at Asia’s Society Sufi Music festival in New York City. She judged the Indo-Pak venture “Sur Kshetra” TV show. She performed at Manchester International Festival, in 2013. She performed 2nd international Sufi festival in Karachi. She collaborated with Indian music director Salim-o-Sulaiman. She has performed in London. She performed at the Faiz International Festival.
She started performing in the internationally acclaimed Pakistani show Coke Studio in 2010. Her famous quote includes this one, my favorite: “The songs purify the soul of a human being, the human being is so involved that he has left God. The songs bring us near to God, near the Almighty, so that the human soul should be purified and satisfied”. Abida Parveen is interested in the arts. She owns the Abida Parveen Gallery which features jewelry, paintings, and her music, etc. It is run by her daughters. She also has her own music recording studio there. She has a different clothing style. It is created by her for ease and comfort. She always wears an Ajrak dupatta. She married Sheikh Ghulam Hussain, a radio Pakistan producer who became her mentor and manager in the ’80s. After her husband passed away, their children took care of the business.
