Afreen Afreen

Song performed by Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan

"Afreen Afreen"
Song by Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan
from the album Sangam
LanguageUrdu
Released1996
GenreGhazal
Length10:00
Composer(s)Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan
Lyricist(s)Javed Akhtar

"Afreen Afreen" (Urdu: آفریں آفریں transl. Praise to her Creator! Praise to her Creator!) is a nazm (song) performed and composed by Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan with lyrics written by Javed Akhtar.[1][2] It first featured on their collaborative album Sangam in 1996.[3] In 2016, it was covered by Rahat Fateh Ali Khan (Nusrat's nephew) and Momina Mustehsan during season 9 of Coke Studio.[4]

1996 version

"Afreen Afreen" was first released during the IndiPop and fusion music wave of the mid-1990s as a non-film music video. The music video featured Lisa Ray.[5]

2016 version

"Afreen Afreen"
  • Rahat Fateh Ali Khan
    Rahat Fateh Ali Khan
  • Momina Mustehsan
    Momina Mustehsan
Single by Rahat Fateh Ali Khan and Momina Mustehsan
from the album Coke Studio S9E2
Released19 August 2016 (2016-08-19)
GenrePop
Length6:45 (Video)
6:40 (Audio)
LabelCoke Studio (Pakistan)
Composer(s)Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan (original)
Faakhir Mehmood (director)
Lyricist(s)Javed Akhtar (original)
F K Khalish (additional)
Producer(s)Coca-Cola and Strings
External media
Audio
audio icon "Afreen Afreen" on SoundCloud
Video
video icon "Afreen Afreen" on YouTube

It was later rendered by Rahat Fateh Ali Khan with Momina Mustehsan, during season 9 episode 2 of Pakistani musical TV show Coke Studio. The music was directed by Faakhir Mehmood.[6]

Personnel

  • Lyricist: Javed Akhtar
  • Artists: Rahat Fateh Ali Khan & Momina Mustehsan
  • Music director: Faakhir Mehmood
  • Produced & directed By: Strings
  • Guest musician: Joshua Keith Benjamin (keyboards)
  • House band: Imran Akhond (guitars), Aahad Nayani (drums), Kamran 'Mannu' Zafar (bass), Kashan Admani (guitars), Haider Alo (keyboard/piano), Abdul Aziz Kazi (percussions)
  • Backing vocalist: Rachel Viccaji, Shahab Hussain, Nimra Rafiq[7]

Popularity

As of February 2022, it has garnered over 341 million views on YouTube,[8] it is currently third on the list of most viewed YouTube videos of Pakistani-origin, just after Atif Aslam's rendition of "Tajdar-e-Haram" having 342 million views.[9] It was the most-watched Pakistani music video of 2016.[10] According to Google, its lyrics were one of the most searched lyrics for the year 2017.[11] Momina Mustehsan became the fifth-most googled person in Pakistan in 2016.[12]

Version listings

1996 version
No.TitleLength
1."Afreen Afreen"10:00
2016 version
No.TitleLength
1."Afreen Afreen"6:45

Table of contents

Year Film/Album Genre Language(s) Length Singer Composer Ref(s).
1990 Sangam Ghazal Urdu 10:00 Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan
2016 Coke Studio S9E2 Pop 6:45 Rahat Fateh Ali Khan & Momina Mustehsan Fakhar Mehmood [7]

See also

References

  1. ^ "Loved Rahat Fateh Ali Khan's Afreen? Meet the People Behind the Song". News18. 27 August 2016. Retrieved 25 February 2022.
  2. ^ Tamta, Devesh (13 October 2021). "Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan Birthday Special: 10 Latest Best Songs recreated in Bollywood". JanBharat Times. Retrieved 25 February 2022.
  3. ^ Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan & Javed Akhtar - Sangam, retrieved 25 February 2022
  4. ^ Vengurlekar, Ankit (20 August 2016). "Rahat Fateh Ali Khan Brings Back 'Afreen Afreen' To Coke Studio 9". TheQuint. Retrieved 25 February 2022.
  5. ^ Desk, India com Entertainment. "Lisa Ray, happy birthday! The Afreen Afreen hottie turns 43 | India.com". www.india.com. Retrieved 25 February 2022.
  6. ^ "A tale for the time being | Instep | thenews.com.pk". www.thenews.com.pk. Retrieved 25 February 2022.
  7. ^ a b "Afreen Afreen – Episode 2 – Season 9 – Coke Studio Pakistan". www.cokestudio.com.pk. Retrieved 14 May 2020.
  8. ^ Coke Studio Season 9| Afreen Afreen| Rahat Fateh Ali Khan & Momina Mustehsan, retrieved 25 February 2022
  9. ^ Ramsha Soofi (7 November 2017). "Coke Studio's Afreen Afreen crosses 100 million views on Youtube". Daily Pakistan. Retrieved 11 November 2017.
  10. ^ Dawn.com (8 December 2016). "YouTube releases list of Pakistan's most watched videos". DAWN.COM. Retrieved 25 February 2022.
  11. ^ "Afreen Afreen Lyrics | Rahat Fateh Ali Khan | LyricsMarket". Lyrics Market. 26 November 2019. Archived from the original on 21 December 2019. Retrieved 21 December 2019.
  12. ^ "The most 'googled' people in Pakistan in 2016". The Express Tribune. 14 December 2016. Retrieved 25 February 2022.