Is Pashto music losing its charm?


The Pashto music industry seems to be in troubled waters as genuine
singers who took an oath to music and believed it was an art, have now
lost the spotlight. The Express Tribune spoke to Pashto artists to gain
some insight on the present anticipated state of the industry only to
discover that the passion and level of dedication to music has largely
diminished.

Pashto music has largely been inspired by folk music — there was always a
message in the lyrics, depicting real life stories which the public could
relate to. The queen of Pashto music Mashooq Sultan and many others
including Mahjabeen Qazalbash, Hidayatullah, Gulraiz Tabassum and Gulzar
Alam greatly banked on this. These artists still perform, but unfortunately,
with changing trends in the Pashto music scene where the quality of lyrical
content is evidently declining, they are left with a small audience.

Earlier on, writers like Hamza Shinwari, Ghani Khan Baba and Saadullah Jan
Burq wrote songs with deeply inspiring lyrics. Now, however, an average
lyricist has forgotten the importance of meaningful and ethical lyrics and
the fact that they have a responsibility towards society. Songs like “Za
Bottle the Black Label Ym” and “Khudkusha Dhamka” are being written
today, where the former track suggests “I am like a bottle of wine,” not
exactly portraying a wholesome or meaningful image of society.

Legendary Pashto ghazal singer Hidayatullah expresses his opinion: “Singers
prefer songs which have good poetry, today’s music might be popular but
it’s not meaningful.” He also feels the overall quality of poetry has declined.

“Common people don’t understand what good poetry is — they just want
upbeat music and this is exactly what today’s musicians are catering to,”
he regretfully adds.While older Pashto artists put their heart and soul in
composing songs, newer artists don’t seem to have the time. “We just
come to the studio, where the song is handed to us and we record it,”
says Iram Khan, a young Pashto artist. “In earlier times, artists would
rehearse for a week, before recording a song,” she adds. Current singers on
the other hand don’t put in the same effort, with computer softwares
available to edit their work through which their music is recorded.

“Today, Pashto music has adopted modern trends, which is a good sign but
emphasis should still be on our own culture,” says Hidayatullah. “Old music
was simple with a few instruments like rabab, sitar and the harmonium, now
music has become very complicated with numerous instruments,” he adds.

Along with this, Hidayatullah also disappointedly states, “Singers today are
unaware of basic surs. Majority of these singers are not professionals –
they lack experience and have adopted singing as a part-time job, whereas
music requires full dedication and spiritual devotion.”

On the other hand, another young artist, Raheem Khan, feels the music
scene has not changed much. “The same instruments are still used,” states
Khan who is not too pleased about it and would like to add a more hip hop
feel to the music.




http://tribune.com.pk/story/424823/i...ing-its-charm/

It is getting weird with this new kind of pashto music,with mostly computerized voices....and female dancers in some videos it is disgusting,it is an insult that those people associate themselves with pashtuns.

This is that i remember called music ....

Pashto new gharany sandara - YouTube

Old Afghan songs Khyal Mohammad film Topak zama Qanun - WATAN derna da WiNA Qurbani ghwarri - YouTube[/URL]


Pashtun War Drums War Cry Afghanistan Paktia - YouTube[/URL]

Gharanai sandara Song Mor jane Mara Pose Jara na po Islam jang dai - YouTube[/URL]

I cannot judge the texts of Pashtun music, but I like the music a lot(except some sheap singers that use electronic voices and sing oonly repeting 2 words with some strange dancers, but this problem is global unfortunately, and I am sure Pashtuns are aware of quality of their music).

The Pashto music industry turning in to trash is not a global problem. It started in pakhtunkhuwa and is creeping it's way in to Afghanistan. Naghma and baryalai samadi are two of the few afghan sell outs who drop their standards and abandoned their audiences for popularity amongst easy to please fans. Nothing like being stuck in a car during a road trip and having to listen to 16 versions of a song containing lyrics such as "Gul ghundey jinay yema, speena khaperay yema.. Stargay sharabi laram, husun...bla bla bla" and good old "khudkusha damaka" Makes you want to break the window, stand infront a truck and die.
Maybe toranmana can explain to us what we are missing on.

With global I meant it happens not only to Pashtuns.

well look at the singers we have... gul parna, nazia iqbal, farzana naz and all these other high pitched voices singing about what dzj was saying... gross lol & the men arent so great either :/ like all those new rahim shah songs that are so popular are awful! & it makes me mad for people making them so popular looool

Most new music is about sex,sexuality,sexism sung by some perverts.
Which leads that many girls or boys think it is like in the Bollywood movies,they run away,then shot several times by their relatives for honour (such honour killings) and buried in a place where no one will find them.

People say Old is gold,they had some meaning,it was art,poetry it was different and it had a greater effect.

About these singers i can say one thing,what Mullah Bijli Ghar said : IF you see that they are dead piss in their mouths.

Maulana Bijligar Part 2 - YouTube

i heard a pashto rock song from peshawar recently, pretty disapointed.

I think in just about every culture faced with 'modernism', tradition gives way. Not that I agree with this all the time.

Example: Bollywood. Up to about the 80s, music from Hindi cinema had a charm that was enjoyed by old and young on many different levels. Most the 80s/90s stuff was so lyrically poor, it would want to make you want to burst your eardrums. Just look at an 80s Indian film and try not to be embarrassed. Nowadays, with Bollywood going global - and even the dialogues being diluted so much with English, there has been a revival of interest both by the diaspora Indians and Indians raised in a technological age.

And what does this say about Pashto music? I remember very well, my father's stone records of Kishwar Sultan etc., when it was a voice and the poetry/music only. Nowadays they have the technology to pre-record the instrumentation, and to digitally alter vocals and to generate cheap visual entertainment.


Pop entertainment always sells more than folk or high-brow art. In places like Dubai, Nazia Iqbal sells more tickets than Abdulla Moqarai. He is still able to perform, but to much smaller audiences. In Europe there is a growing demand for Pashto performers who are 'new generation' i.e. they wear jeans and strum a guitar etc.

I do not know where this will take us - if there is a decline in standards that is probably because much of this is commercially driven and the studios and DVD houses know this. Market forces you might say - supply because there is the demand.

most traditional music i have listened to from around the world, is lovely. i like all kinds of music though, for different reasons.
young people are exploratory with music or commercial. i have friends who play in punk type bands but their end aim is to play jazz or they play their own classical guitar or creative sounds with friends.
some of those clips of rap from pashtuns, i listened to today are good.