Pakistani Pop Icon Nazia Hassan Honored on Times Square BillBoard on Eve of 22nd Death Anniversary

She was the first global icon to emerge from the Indian subcontinent. New Yorkers got a glimpse of Pakistani singer Nazia Hassan as she graced a billboard at the iconic Times Square on the eve of her death anniversary last week. The musical sensation was featured as the Spotify female global artist for August 2022, 22 years after her death. The tribute included an EQUAL playlist dedicated to her music.  

“The Queen of Pop” ruled the charts in the 1980s, becoming Pakistan’s most popular celebrity at the time. As part of the duo Nazia and Zoheb, she and her brother Zoheb Hassan, have sold over 65 million records worldwide. 

She made her singing debut with the song “Aap Jaisa Koi,” in the Bollywood film Qurbani, a 1980 action thriller film produced, directed by and starring Feroz Khan, along with Vinod Khanna, Zeenat Aman, and others. The song won her the Filmfare Award for Best Female Playback Singer at the age of 15 in 1981, becoming the first Pakistani to win and currently remains the youngest recipient of the award.

Her debut album, “Disco Deewane,” was released in 1981, and became the best-selling Asian pop record at the time.The album included the English language single “Dreamer Deewane,” which led her to be the first Pakistani singer to make it to the British charts. Her other albums include “Boom Boom” (1982) and “Camera Camera” in 1992. She was a recipient of Pakistan’s civilian award, Pride of Performance. In addition to singing, she also engaged in philanthropic activities and was appointed by UNICEF as its cultural ambassador in 1991. On Aug. 13, 2000, Hassan died of lung cancer in London at the age of 35.

Before Hassan, Pakistani singers including Grammy Award winner Arooj Aftab, Natasha Baig, Hadiqa Kiani, and Mehak Ali made it to the Times Square billboard as EQUAL Pakistan ambassadors.