Afreen Afreen

Summary

"Afreen Afreen" (Urdu: آفریں آفریں transl. Praise to her Creator! Praise to her Creator!) is a nazm (song) performed and composed by Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan with lyrics written by Javed Akhtar.[1][2] It first featured on their collaborative album Sangam in 1996.[3] In 2016, it was covered by Rahat Fateh Ali Khan (Nusrat's nephew) and Momina Mustehsan during season 9 of Coke Studio.[4]

"Afreen Afreen"
Song by Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan
from the album Sangam
LanguageUrdu
Released1996
GenreGhazal
Length10:00
Composer(s)Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan
Lyricist(s)Javed Akhtar

1996 version edit

"Afreen Afreen" was first released during the IndiPop and fusion music wave of the mid-1990s as a non-film music video. The music video featured Lisa Ray.[5]

2016 version edit

"Afreen Afreen"
Single by Rahat Fateh Ali Khan and Momina Mustehsan
from the album Coke Studio S9E2
Released19 August 2016 (2016-08-19)
GenrePop
Length6:45 (Video)
6:40 (Audio)
LabelCoke Studio (Pakistan)
Composer(s)Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan (original)
Faakhir Mehmood (director)
Lyricist(s)Javed Akhtar (original)
F K Khalish (additional)
Producer(s)Coca-Cola and Strings
External media
Audio
  "Afreen Afreen" on SoundCloud
Video
  "Afreen Afreen" on YouTube

It was later rendered by Rahat Fateh Ali Khan with Momina Mustehsan, during season 9 episode 2 of Pakistani musical TV show Coke Studio. The music was directed by Faakhir Mehmood.[6]

Personnel edit

  • Lyricist: Javed Akhtar
  • Artists: Rahat Fateh Ali Khan & Momina Mustehsan
  • Music director: Faakhir Mehmood
  • Produced & directed By: Strings
  • Guest musician: Joshua Keith Benjamin (keyboards)
  • House band: Imran Akhond (guitars), Aahad Nayani (drums), Kamran 'Mannu' Zafar (bass), Kashan Admani (guitars), Haider Alo (keyboard/piano), Abdul Aziz Kazi (percussions)
  • Backing vocalist: Rachel Viccaji, Shahab Hussain, Nimra Rafiq[7]

Popularity edit

As of February 2022, it has garnered over 341 million views on YouTube,[8] it is currently third on the list of most viewed YouTube videos of Pakistani-origin, just after Atif Aslam's rendition of "Tajdar-e-Haram" having 342 million views.[9] It was the most-watched Pakistani music video of 2016.[10] According to Google, its lyrics were one of the most searched lyrics for the year 2017.[11] Momina Mustehsan became the fifth-most googled person in Pakistan in 2016.[12]

Version listings edit

1996 version
No.TitleLength
1."Afreen Afreen"10:00
2016 version
No.TitleLength
1."Afreen Afreen"6:45

Table of contents edit

Year Film/Album Genre Language(s) Length Singer Composer Ref(s).
1990 Sangam Ghazal Urdu 10:00 Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan
2016 Coke Studio S9E2 Pop 6:45 Rahat Fateh Ali Khan & Momina Mustehsan Fakhar Mehmood [7]

See also edit

References edit

  1. ^ "Loved Rahat Fateh Ali Khan's Afreen? Meet the People Behind the Song". News18. 27 August 2016. Retrieved 25 February 2022.
  2. ^ Tamta, Devesh (13 October 2021). "Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan Birthday Special: 10 Latest Best Songs recreated in Bollywood". JanBharat Times. Retrieved 25 February 2022.
  3. ^ Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan & Javed Akhtar - Sangam, retrieved 25 February 2022
  4. ^ Vengurlekar, Ankit (20 August 2016). "Rahat Fateh Ali Khan Brings Back 'Afreen Afreen' To Coke Studio 9". TheQuint. Retrieved 25 February 2022.
  5. ^ Desk, India com Entertainment. "Lisa Ray, happy birthday! The Afreen Afreen hottie turns 43 | India.com". www.india.com. Retrieved 25 February 2022.
  6. ^ "A tale for the time being | Instep | thenews.com.pk". www.thenews.com.pk. Retrieved 25 February 2022.
  7. ^ a b "Afreen Afreen – Episode 2 – Season 9 – Coke Studio Pakistan". www.cokestudio.com.pk. Retrieved 14 May 2020.
  8. ^ Coke Studio Season 9| Afreen Afreen| Rahat Fateh Ali Khan & Momina Mustehsan, retrieved 25 February 2022
  9. ^ Ramsha Soofi (7 November 2017). "Coke Studio's Afreen Afreen crosses 100 million views on Youtube". Daily Pakistan. Retrieved 11 November 2017.
  10. ^ Dawn.com (8 December 2016). "YouTube releases list of Pakistan's most watched videos". DAWN.COM. Retrieved 25 February 2022.
  11. ^ "Afreen Afreen Lyrics | Rahat Fateh Ali Khan | LyricsMarket". Lyrics Market. 26 November 2019. Archived from the original on 21 December 2019. Retrieved 21 December 2019.
  12. ^ "The most 'googled' people in Pakistan in 2016". The Express Tribune. 14 December 2016. Retrieved 25 February 2022.