Abida Parveen

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  • Years Active: 1980s, 1990s, 2000s

Albums

Biography All Music Guide Wikipedia

All Music Guide:

Abida Parveen is a rarity in the world of Sufi music, a female lead performer. She is the daughter of prominent Pakistani vocalist Ustad Ghulam Haider, who (somewhat bravely) ignored convention and allowed her to study under him, and she also accompanied him to various religious performances. After a time developing her abilities, she married Ustad Hussein Sheikh, an influential producer from Radio Pakistan, who also helped her to further her career. More time was spent in study, this time with the great Salamat Ali Khan. A number of albums, compilation appearances, and various world tours have followed, making her by far the most successful Sufi female performer, and one of the more notable performers of the form in general.

Wikipedia:

Abida Parveen (born 1954) (Sindhi: عابده پروين, Urdu: عابده پروین), is a Pakistani singer of Sindhi descent and one of the foremost exponents of Sufi music (Sufiana kalaam). She sings mainly ghazals, Urdu love songs, and her forte, Kafis, a solo genre accompanied by percussion and harmonium, using a repertoire of songs by Sufi poets. Parveen sings in Urdu, Sindhi, Saraiki, Punjabi and Persian, and together with Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan is considered one of the finest Sufi vocalists of the modern era.

Early life

Abida Parveen, a Sindhi, was born in mohalla Ali Goharabad in Larkana (Sindh province, Pakistan). She received her musical

training initially from her father, Ustad Ghulam Haider, and later from Ustad Salamat Ali Khan of the Sham Chorasia gharana. Growing up, she attended her father's music school,where her foundation in music was laid

Career

Abida Parveen embarked upon her professional career from Radio Pakistan, Hyderabad, in 1973. Her first hit was the Sindhi song “Tuhinje zulfan jay band kamand widha”.

Coke Studio

Abida performed on the internationally acclaimed Pakistani show Coke Studio, on which she sang three songs, including Ramooz-e-Ishq, Nigah-e-Darwaishaan, and Soz-e-Ishq.

Personal life

Abida was married to Ghulam Hussain Sheikh, senior producer at Radio Pakistan, who died a few years ago and who nurtured her development as a singer in her early years. The couple had a daughter Priya, an MBA who acts as her adviser, and a son Saranj.

Awards

President of Pakistan’s Award for Pride of Performance (1982), and the Sitara-e-Imtiaz (2005).