Abida Parveen facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Abida Parveen NI HI SI PP
عابده پروين
Abida Parveen in 2016
Born	(1954-02-20) 20 February 1954 (age 71) Larkana, Sindh, Pakistan
Other names	Living legend of Pakistan Queen of Sufi music
Occupation	Singer musician entrepreneur composer
Musical career
Origin	Pakistan
Genres	Sufi kafi ghazal qawwali
Instruments	Vocals harmonium percussions
Years active	1973–present
Labels	Coke studio, PTV, etc
Associated acts	Coke Studio, Jahan-e-Khusrau, Bulleh Shah, Mobilink, Telenor, Alfllah, Pakistan Television Corporation

Abida Parveen (Sindhi: عابده پروين‎; Urdu: عابدہ پروین; born 20 February 1954) is a famous Pakistani singer, composer, and musician. She is known for her beautiful Sufi music. Abida Parveen is also a painter and a businesswoman. Many people call her the Queen of Sufi music because of her amazing voice and songs. She is one of the highest-paid singers in Pakistan.

Abida Parveen grew up in Larkana, Pakistan, in a Sindhi Sufi family. Her father, Ustad Ghulam Haider, was a well-known singer and music teacher. He taught her how to sing. She plays instruments like the Pump organ, Keyboard, and Sitar. Abida Parveen started performing in the early 1970s. She became famous around the world in the 1990s. Since 1993, she has traveled globally for concerts. She has even performed in churches. Abida Parveen has appeared on Pakistan's popular music show, Coke Studio. She was also a judge on the TV show Sur Kshetra. She has been on other music reality shows in India and Pakistan.

Abida Parveen is seen as one of the world's greatest mystic singers. She sings many types of music, including ghazals, qawwali, and Sufi rock. Her special style is called kafi. In kafi, she sings solo with percussion and a harmonium. She sings songs by Sufi poets. Abida Parveen sings in many languages. These include Urdu, Sindhi, Punjabi, Arabic, and Persian. In 2017, she was named a 'Peace Ambassador' by SAARC.

She is famous for her strong, loud voice. Two of her well-known songs are Yaar ko Humne and Tere Ishq Nachaya. The song Tere Ishq Nachaya is based on the poetry of Bulleh Shah. She has received high honors from Pakistan. In 2012, she got the Hilal-e-Imtiaz award. In March 2021, she received the Nishan-e-Imtiaz, which is Pakistan's highest civilian award.

Early Life and Musical Journey

Abida Parveen was born in Ali Goharabad, Larkana, Sindh, Pakistan. Her first music teacher was her father, Ustad Ghulam Haider. She lovingly called him Baba Sain. Her father had his own music school. This is where Abida found her love for devotional music. She and her father often sang at the shrines of Sufi saints. Her father saw her great talent. He chose her to continue his musical legacy, even over his two sons.

As she grew up, she learned a lot at her father's music school. Later, Ustad Salamat Ali Khan also taught her. Abida Parveen always says that she was never forced to sing. She sang her first complete song when she was only three years old.

Career Highlights

Parveen performing at a concert in Oslo, 2007

Abida Parveen started performing at Dargahs (Sufi shrines) in the early 1970s. Her big break came in 1973 on Radio Pakistan. She sang the Sindhi song Tuhinje zulfan jay band kamand widha. In 1977, she became an official singer for Radio Pakistan. Since then, Abida Parveen has become one of Pakistan's best singers. She has given Sufi music a new and special identity. This journey began in 1980 at Sultana Siddiqui's Awaz-o-Andaz show.

Abida Parveen travels around the world. She often performs in front of huge crowds. In 1988, her concert in Chicago was recorded. The Hazrat Amir Khusrau Society of Art and Culture released her songs on an LP. Her 1989 performance in London was shown on the BBC. Abida Parveen says she travels to spread Sufism, peace, and God's message. By doing this, she also shares Pakistani culture with the world.

In the 1990s, Abida Parveen's spiritual ghazals were used in Bollywood movies. This happened because her "spiritual brother," Khan, recorded songs for Bollywood. Abida also performed at the Sindh Festival in Thatta. This event was organized by Bilawal Bhutto Zardari.

Notable Performances and Collaborations

• In 2007, Abida Parveen worked with Shehzad Roy on a song called Zindagi. This song was about social problems faced by children.
• She also performed at the annual Oslo Mela in Norway in 2007.
• In 2010, Abida Parveen sang at London's famous Royal Albert Hall. She performed with Bollywood singer Sonu Nigam.
• She also performed at the Asia Society's Sufi Music Festival in New York City in 2010.
• Abida Parveen performs every year at the Jahan-e-Khusrau event. This event is organized by Indian filmmaker Muzaffar Ali. She is known as the main performer there.
• In 2010, she was a judge on the TV show Sur Kshetra.
• She performed at the 2013 Manchester International Festival.
• In 2013, Abida worked with composer John Tavener in Manchester. They created a piece called 'Mahamatar' for a film.
• She performed at the Holland Festival 2014 in Amsterdam.
• Abida Parveen was the main performer at the Dhaka International Folk Fest in 2015 in Bangladesh. She also received an award there.
• In 2016, she sang at the 2nd International Sufi Festival in Karachi.
• In 2016, she worked with Indian music directors Salim–Sulaiman and an orchestra in Toronto, Canada. They released a special song called "Noor e Illahi" for Eid.
• On New Year's Eve in 2017, Abida released 'Mulk e Khuda'. This patriotic song showed the beautiful places in Pakistan.
• She performed at the Alchemy Festival 2017 in London.
• In the same year, a music video for the romantic ghazal "Ahat Si" was released.
• She performs annually at the Faiz International Festival. This festival honors the poet Faiz Ahmad Faiz.

Coke Studio Appearances

Abida Parveen started performing on the popular Pakistani show Coke Studio in 2010. In season 3, she sang three songs: "Ramooz-e-Ishq", "Nigah-e-Darwaishaan", and "Soz-e-Ishq". Abida Parveen said she liked the show because it felt like a Dargah (Sufi shrine) environment. She felt the music reached the heart and soul.

She returned for season 7 in 2014. She sang "Mein Sufi Hoon" with Rais Khan. She also performed "dost" as a solo song. She sang "Chaap Tilak," a famous Sufi poem by Amir Khusro, with Rahat Fateh Ali Khan.

Abida Parveen was also part of season 9. Her first song, "Ae Rah Haq K Shaheedo," was for war heroes. She then sang "Aaqa" with Ali Sethi. After that, she performed a solo song called "Maula-i-Kull".

She also sang in season 14. She performed "Tu Jhoom" with Naseebo Lal.

Abida Parveen's Thoughts

• "Pakistan might seem separate from the outside world. But it is built on the prayers of our Sufi kings. Poor and rich people, we are all God's servants. I am lucky. My audience is like my God."
• "Songs make the human soul pure. People get so busy that they forget God. These songs bring us closer to God. They help purify and satisfy the human soul."

Personal Life

Education and Languages

Abida Parveen earned her master's degree from Sindh. She also learned Urdu, Sindhi, and Persian languages.

Family Life

In 1975, Abida married Ghulam Hussain Sheikh. He was a senior producer at Radio Pakistan. He retired in the 1980s to help manage her career. After he passed away in the early 2000s, their daughter Maryam took over managing her career. Abida and Ghulam Hussain have two daughters, Pereha Ikram and Maryam Hussain, and a son, Sarang Latif. Her son is a music director. All three of her children help her with advice. Her family understands her need for riyaz (daily vocal music practice).

Abida Parveen Gallery

Abida Parveen also loves art. She owns the Abida Parveen Gallery. This gallery displays jewelry, paintings, her music CDs, and awards. It also has her clothes and accessories. Her daughters manage the gallery. She also has her own music recording studio there.

Unique Style

Abida Parveen has a special clothing style that she created for comfort. She wears long, simple dresses buttoned up to the top. They have loose sleeves. She often wears a coat over them. She always carries an Ajrak, which is a Sindhi shawl. She says her shawls come from the dargah (mausoleum) of Sufi saint Shah Abdul Latif Bhittai. Her wardrobe is full of these shawls.

Health

Abida Parveen became a follower of Najeeb Sultan, her spiritual teacher. On November 28, 2010, she had a heart attack during a performance in Lahore. She had medical procedures and recovered soon after.

Awards and Recognitions

Parveen with the Pushto singer Fazal Malik Akif in Manchester, 1994.

Abida Parveen has received many awards for her contributions to music:

• Pride of Performance Award (1984) by the President of Pakistan
• Latif Award (twice)
• Sindh Graduate Association Award
• Pakistan Television Award
• Sachal Sarmast Honor
• 9th PTV Awards for Best Singer in 1998
• Sitara-e-Imtiaz Award (2005) by President Pervez Musharaff
• Hilal-e-Imtiaz Award (2012) by President Asif Ali Zardari
• Lifetime Achievement Award at the Kaladharmi Begum Akhtar Academy of Ghazal in India (2012)
• Honored at the 16th Pakistan Television Awards Ceremony (2011)
• Nominated for Best Original Sound Track (OST) for Yaar Ko Hamne Jabaja Dekha at 12th Lux Style Awards (2013)
• Wonder Woman of the Year (2013)
• 1st ARY Film Awards for Best Playback Singer for the film Ishq Khuda (2014)
• Gold Crown for 40 years in the Music Industry by the Sindhi Singers Association in Larkana (2014)
• Pakistani Diplomat Javed Malik presented an Ambassador's Recognition Award in Dubai (2015)
• Tributed at the 17th PTV Awards in the category of 'Legends' (2012)
• 3rd Hum Awards for excellence in Music (2015)
• Awarded at Dhaka International Folk Fest 2015
• Awarded at 2nd International Sufi Conference, 2016 in Karachi
• 15th Lux Style Awards for best female singer (film) in 2016
• Saima Ajram, a presenter at BBC Asian Network, presented a lifetime achievement award to her in 2016
• PISA Lifetime Achievement Award - 2020
• Nishan-e-Imtiaz by President Arif Alvi - March 23, 2021

Film and Television Appearances

Even though Abida Parveen is very famous, she has never sung directly for movies. However, her existing songs have been used in films. She has said in interviews that she received offers from Bollywood filmmakers like Subhash Ghai and Yash Chopra. Shah Rukh Khan and music director A. R. Rahman also asked her to sing. But Abida Parveen declines these offers because of her Sufi faith and its requirements.

Television Shows

Films Featuring Her Music

Discography

See also

In Spanish: Abida Parveen para niños