M U S I C
P R O F I L E
Badnaam
Sufi rockstars making their way to the top
Text By Saneela Jawad
The music industry in Pakistan has been struggling
in recent years, including the decline of band culture.
Keeping the industry alive has been a task for musicians
in Pakistan. Despite the decline, one thing that remains
constant in this particular field is that emerging talent is
always supported, because who doesn’t need fresh blood
in the industry.
Lala Ahsan’s on the drums and Raheem Shahbaz’s on
bass.
Their songs like ‘Alif Allah’ which they performed during
the auditions, the cover of ‘Kala Jora,’ ‘Bismillah Karan,’
‘Sham-e-Qalandar’ and their original ‘Ishq Mein Tere’
won the hearts of not only their fans but the judges as
well. Their original compositions and their aim to make
With the revival of Pepsi Battle of the Bands, the hunt music meaningful are what make them stand out from
for the next big band started across Pakistan. The first the crowd.
season aired in 2002 which kickstarted careers for iconic
bands like Aaroh and E.P. This time around they did What’s the story behind the name ‘Badnaam’?
the same for bands like Kashmir (winner), Badnaam There is a whole lot of philosophy involved, which
(runner-up,) Pindi Boys, Madlock and so on.
eventually builds up to it, otherwise, it would not make
any sense. Why would anyone call themselves Badnaam,
We have read all about the winning team everywhere, right?
but GLOSS wanted to catch up with the Sufi rock band
Badnaam who stole the hearts of many with their unique We fetched the name from Baba Bulleh Shah’s poetry
and bold name but their amazing twist in music that and we share the same perspective, which is “Apay hoeyo
reflects the voice of the inner self and tries to free the badnaam, jinnay pita Ishq da jaam” (He who drank from
soul. The band is fronted by Ahmed Jilani’s on vocals, the goblet of love will become infamous.)
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