Asfar Hussain is a Pakistani singer, music composer, and songwriter who is known for being the vocalist in the Pakistani rock band ‘Bayaan’ which gained recognition after appearing in the first season of the Pakistani show ‘Nescafe Basement’ in 2012.
Wiki/Biography
Asfar Hussain was born on 17 December, and he hails from Chitral, in northern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan. In Chitral, where music is an integral part of the culture, Asfar grew up witnessing musical get-togethers i.e., mehfils in which friends and relatives sang the verses of his poet father while his elder brother played the sitar. When Asfar was in middle school, he moved to Peshawar for a while, where he was introduced to Pakistani pop music that was rising in the early 2000s. In an interview, he said,
Because back then in Chitral I didn’t have cable or the internet. Over there [in Peshawar] we did. And so, I got influenced by pop music there.”
Although there was little opposition in his family regarding pursuing a career in music, his father supported his decision. After attending a local school in Chitral, he enrolled in the National College of Arts (NCA) in Lahore, Pakistan, to study musicology. Although Asfar has been singing since he was in 7th grade, he took center stage for the first time when he performed during his college days. In 2012, Zulfiqar Jabbar Khan, the producer and mentor of the show ‘Nescafe Basement’ (2012), discovered Asfar at NCA auditions for the show. For the audition, he sang the songs Raza-e-Fitna and Tau Kia Huwa. He also participated in the All Pakistan Music Conference (APMC) in which he secured the second position in the thumri (a style of Indian music) category.
Physical Appearance
Height (approx.): 6′
Hair Colour: Black
Eye Colour: Black
Family
Not much is known about his family. Unlike Asfar, who is inclined towards Urdu and pop music, his elder brother, a Chitrali sitar player, is rooted to his hometown.
Asfar Hussain with his mother
Career
Asfar Hussain is a member of the Lahore-based Pakistani rock band ‘Bayaan’. It came into the limelight after appearing in the popular Pakistani music television series ‘Nescafe Basement’ (2012). It was during the jam and recording sessions for the show that the members of the band, all college students at the time, made acquaintance and became fast friends. Consequently, their musical chemistry led to the inauguration of ‘Bayaan.’
Asfar Hussain on the show ‘Nescafe Basement’
The alternative rock/contemporary pop band consists of Asfar Hussain (vocalist), Haider Abbas (bassist), Shahrukh Aslam (guitarist), Muqeet Shahzad (guitarist), and Mansoor Lashari (drummer).
Members of the rock band ‘Bayaan’- Asfar Hussain, Haider Abbas, Shahrukh Aslam, Muqeet Shahzad, and Mansoor Lashari
In 2015, the band gained immense popularity with its first original song, Nahin Milta, which was penned by Asfar.
Cover picture of the official video of the song Nahin Milta (2015)
The song was later compiled under the extended play ‘4 Saal’ (2019), released under the record label Rearts records. Among other songs, ‘4 Saal’ also included the crowd puller songs “Farda” and “Din Dhalay.”
Cover picture of Bayaan’s EP 4 Saal (2019)
‘Nahin Milta’ was featured in the 2017 Pakistani war-epic film ‘Yalghaar,’ marking the band’s debut in Lollywood.
The band first live gig was at the Pak Media Revolution concert in Lahore. At Lahore Music Meet 2020, the band announced the release of its debut album ‘Suno,’ released under the record label Rearts records. The album consisted of the chartbuster songs “Teri Tasveer” and “Mera Musafir.” Raised in the mountainous terrain of Chitral, Asfar wrote the introductory lines of “Mera Musafir” imagining his home.
Cover of Bayaan’s debut music album ‘Suno’
In 2018, the band went on to win the Pakistani music competition TV series ‘Pepsi Battle of the Bands,’ defeating Xarb. As the winner of the show, Bayaan received a cash prize of Rs. 5o lakhs and an album contract with Pepsi.
The Pepsi Battle of the Bands winning band Bayaan with the trophy and cash prize
The renditions of the songs sung by Bayaan on the show were featured on various music streaming services.
During an interview in 2018, Asfar revealed besides working with the band, he also worked as a teacher who taught performing arts and music at a private school. While talking about his hectic schedule, he said,
We all have day jobs and beside that we just enjoy making music. Music itself is so time consuming that we hardly get any time to do something else.”
The band reappeared on Pepsi Battle of the Bands’ during its fourth season to perform with the Season 2 winners, Kashmir – The Band. Other singles by the band include Bekhabar (2019), Aaj Bazaar Mein (2020), and Faryaad (2021). All of Bayaan’s music is distributed and licensed by Rearts records. In March 2020, Asfar Hussain, among other artists, lent his voice to Pepsi Pakistan’s hit cricket promotional song “Khel Ja Dil Se.”
Following the release of the song, Asfar was also featured on the labels of limited edition cold drink bottles of Pepsi in Pakistan.
Asfar Hussain featured on the label of limited edition cold drink bottles of Pepsi in Pakistan
In February 2022, the band’s YouTube channel was awarded Silver Creator Award, for surpassing 100,000 subscribers.
Members of the band Bayaan posing with its Silver Creator Award in 2022
In 2022, in the Pakistani television programme ‘Coke Studio,’ he sang the song “Mehram,” along with Arooj Aftab.
Awards, Honours, Achievements
- LUX Style Award (2022) for Best Song of the Year for the song “Teri Tasveer”
Asfar Hussain posing with LUX Style Award (2022)
- Shaan e Pakistan Music Achievement Awards (SEPMA) (2020) in the category of Best lyrics for the song “Bekhabar”
Members of band Bayaan at Shaan e Pakistan Music Achievement Awards (SEPMA) (2020)
Favourites
- Film: Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara (2011)
- Film Series: Gangs of Wasseypur
- Singer(s): Mehdi Hassan, Kishore Kumar, and Ustaad Ghulam Ali Khan
Facts/Trivia
- Asfar Hussain is an avid dog lover. He posts various pictures with his pet dog named Roussie on his Instagram account.
Asfar Hussain with his pet dog, Roussie
- He is also known by the name Asfar Chitrali.
- Apart from singing, he is also proficient in playing the rabab, the guitar, percussions including tabla, and the Chitrali sitar.