Hadiqa Kiani (in

Punjabi Punjabi, or Panjabi, most often refers to: * Something of, from, or related to Punjab, a region in India and Pakistan * Punjabi language * Punjabi people * Punjabi dialects and languages Punjabi may also refer to: * Punjabi (horse), a British Th ...

and ur, ) is a Pakistani singer,

Songwriter A songwriter is a musician who professionally composes musical compositions or writes lyrics for songs, or both. The writer of the music for a song can be called a composer, although this term tends to be used mainly in the classical music ...

Guitarist A guitarist (or a guitar player) is a person who plays the guitar. Guitarists may play a variety of guitar family instruments such as classical guitars, acoustic guitars, electric guitars, and bass guitars. Some guitarists accompany themsel ...

composer A composer is a person who writes music. The term is especially used to indicate composers of Western classical music, or those who are composers by occupation. Many composers are, or were, also skilled performers of music. Etymology and Def ...

, actress, and philanthropist. She has received numerous local and international awards and also has performed at the

Royal Albert Hall The Royal Albert Hall is a concert hall on the northern edge of South Kensington, London. One of the UK's most treasured and distinctive buildings, it is held in trust for the nation and managed by a registered charity which receives no govern ...

and

The Kennedy Center The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts (formally known as the John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts, and commonly referred to as the Kennedy Center) is the United States National Cultural Center, located on the Potom ...

. Besides

Urdu Urdu (;"Urdu"
'' Punjabi Punjabi, or Panjabi, most often refers to: * Something of, from, or related to Punjab, a region in India and Pakistan * Punjabi language * Punjabi people * Punjabi dialects and languages Punjabi may also refer to: * Punjabi (horse), a British Th ...

, she has also sung several songs in the

Pashto Pashto (,; , ) is an Eastern Iranian language in the Indo-European language family. It is known in historical Persian literature as Afghani (). Spoken as a native language mostly by ethnic Pashtuns, it is one of the two official langua ...

language. In 2006, Kiani received the fourth-highest Pakistan civilian award, the

Tamgha-e-Imtiaz Tamgha-e-Imtiaz () also spelled as Tamgha-i-Imtiaz, is a state-organised honour of Pakistan. It is given to any civilian in Pakistan based on their achievements. While it is a civilian/military award, it can be bestowed upon officers of the P ...

, for her contributions to the field of music. In 2010, she was appointed as a

United Nations Development Programme The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)french: Programme des Nations unies pour le développement, PNUD is a United Nations agency tasked with helping countries eliminate poverty and achieve sustainable economic growth and human dev ...

Goodwill Ambassador, making her the first woman in Pakistan to a Goodwill ambassador to the United Nations.Hadiqa, becomes UNDP goodwill envoys
In 2016, Kiani was titled as one "Pakistan's Most Powerful and Influential Women" by the country's leading news group,

Jang Group of Newspapers Jang Media Group (), also known as Geo Group, is a Pakistani media conglomerate and a subsidiary of Dubai-based company Independent Media Corporation. Its headquarters is in Printing House, Karachi, Pakistan. It is Pakistan's largest group of new ...

, as part of their "Power" edition.

Early life and career

Kiani was born in

Rawalpindi Rawalpindi ( or ; Urdu, ) is a city in the Punjab province of Pakistan. It is the fourth largest city in Pakistan after Karachi, Lahore and Faisalabad, and third largest in Punjab after Lahore and Faisalabad. Rawalpindi is next to Pakistan ...

as the youngest of three siblings, her older brother (Irfan Kiani) and sister (Sasha). Her father died when she was 3 years old. Her mother, poet Khawar Kiani, was the principal of a government girls' school. Seeing her musical ability, Khawar enlisted Kiani in the Pakistan National Council of the Arts. She received early education in music from her teacher, Madam Nargis Naheed. While studying at Viqar-un-Nisa Noon Girls High School, Kiani represented Pakistan at international children festivals in

Turkey Turkey ( tr, Türkiye ), officially the Republic of Türkiye ( tr, Türkiye Cumhuriyeti, links=no ), is a transcontinental country located mainly on the Anatolian Peninsula in Western Asia, with a small portion on the Balkan Peninsula ...

Jordan Jordan ( ar, الأردن; tr. ' ), officially the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan,; tr. ' is a country in Western Asia. It is situated at the crossroads of Asia, Africa, and Europe, within the Levant region, on the East Bank of the Jordan Rive ...

Bulgaria Bulgaria (; bg, България, Bǎlgariya), officially the Republic of Bulgaria,, ) is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the eastern flank of the Balkans, and is bordered by Romania to the north, Serbia and North Macedo ...

, and

Greece Greece,, or , romanized: ', officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the southern tip of the Balkans, and is located at the crossroads of Europe, Asia, and Africa. Greece shares land borders wi ...

, winning various medals along the way and performing for thousands around the world. Kiani was also a part of

Sohail Rana Sohail Rana (born 31 March 1938) is a Pakistani music composer for films and television. He was introduced by actor Waheed Murad in Pakistan film industry and gained popularity when singer Ahmed Rushdi sang his compositions in such films as ...

's children's program ''Rang Barangi Dunya'', a weekly musical on PTV. As an eighth grader, Kiani moved from her birthplace

Lahore Lahore ( ; pnb, ; ur, ) is the second List of cities in Pakistan by population, most populous city in Pakistan after Karachi and 26th List of largest cities, most populous city in the world, with a population of over 13 million. It is th ...

, where she continued her classical training by Ustad Faiz Ahmed Khan and Wajid Ali Nashad. Kiani went on to graduate from Pakistan's top institutions, earning her bachelor's degree in Psychology from Kinnaird College for Women University and her Masters in

Psychology Psychology is the science, scientific study of mind and behavior. Psychology includes the study of consciousness, conscious and Unconscious mind, unconscious phenomena, including feelings and thoughts. It is an academic discipline of immens ...

from the historic

Government College University (Lahore) The Government College University, Lahore (colloquially known as GCU), is a public research university located in Lahore, Punjab, Pakistan. Opened as Government College, Lahore, in 1864, it became a university in 2002. Overview In 1864, Go ...

. In the early 1990s, Kiani came onto TV to host a children's music program called ''Angan Angan Taray''. In the -year-long run, she had sung over one thousand songs for children while hosting the show alongside renowned music composer

Amjad Bobby Amjad Bobby (Punjabi, ur, ; 1942 15 April 2005) was an acclaimed Pakistani music composer and director. Early life and career He was born in Amritsar, British India in 1942. His father wanted him to be a clerk but he preferred to become a f ...

and later on with music composer Khalil Ahmed. Owing to the sheer number of songs Kiani sang during this program, she was presented with the title of "A+ artist" on behalf of PTV joining the likes of

Noor Jehan Noor Jehan (Punjabi: ) (born () Allah Rakhi Wasai ; 23 September 1926 – 23 December 2000; sometimes spelled Noorjehan),Ashish Rajadhyaksha and Paul Willemen, ''Encyclopaedia of Indian Cinema,'' British Film Institute, Oxford University Press ...

, Naheed Akhtar, and

Mehnaz Mehnaz Begum (1958 – 19 January 2013) was a Pakistani TV, radio, and film singer. She was well known as a film playback singer in the 1970s and 1980s. She was the recipient of Nigar Awards. Kiani began to sing songs as a playback singer for movies in the early 90s, most notably was the hit Pakistani movie called Sargam, which was starring and being composed by Adnan Sami Khan. The same year, she received various awards for her playback singing including the prestigious

Nigar Awards The Nigar Awards ( ur, , translit=Inʿām Negār, lit=Picture Awards) were presented in an annual award show to recognize outstanding achievement in Pakistani cinema. The honors are awarded by Nigar Magazine founded in 1948. The Nigar Awards ...

for Best Female Playback Singer.

Albums

1995: ''Raaz''

In 1995, Kiani received the "NTM Viewer's choice award" for the Best Female Singer of Pakistan. In the same Award show,

Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan Ustad Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan ( pa, ; born Pervez Fateh Ali Khan; 13 October 1948 – 16 August 1997) was a Pakistani singer, songwriter, and music director. He was primarily a singer of qawwali — a form of Sufi devotional music. Sometimes ...

was awarded as the Best Male Singer of Pakistan. The following year, Kiani released her debut album ''Raaz'' (Secret) in 1996. The album spawned a string of radio-friendly hits and received positive reviews. Some argue that the reason the album did well was because it was not common for female singers (from educated/non-musical backgrounds) to release albums in Pakistan. Also, she was the first female singer to release a pop album after the former pop singer, Nazia Hassan, gave up her musical career. Kiani's ability to sing in other dialects was also presented to the country through the hit

Kashmiri Kashmiri may refer to: * People or things related to the Kashmir Valley or the broader region of Kashmir * Kashmiris, an ethnic group native to the Kashmir Valley * Kashmiri language, their language People with the name * Kashmiri Saikia Baruah ...

folk song "Maane Di Mauj." Her increasing popularity was further highlighted in January 1997, when Kiani became the first Asian singer to perform at the British National Lottery Live on

BBC One BBC One is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network owned and operated by the BBC. It is the corporation's flagship network and is known for broadcasting mainstream programming, which includes BBC News television bulletins, ...

(a program with an estimated viewership 16.6 million at that time). Afterwards she worked on two more shows with

Bally Sagoo Baljit Singh "Bally" Sagoo (Punjabi: ਬਲਜੀਤ ਸਿੰਘ ਸੱਗੂ, born 19 May 1964) is a British-Indian record producer and DJ. Born in Delhi, India, Sagoo was raised in Birmingham, England. He entered the recording and entertain ...

for BBC and ITV before going on her first U.S. tour in 1997. Her U.S. tour covered 15 states and a few cities in Canada. The same year Kiani performed many other international events in the United Kingdom, Australia, and China. By the summer of 1997, Kiani was representing Pakistan as the only Pakistani singer to perform at "Celebration Hong Kong 97" at Happy Valley Race Course, alongside other International singers like Lisa Stansfield,

Wet Wet Wet Wet Wet Wet are a Scottish soft rock band formed in 1982. They scored a number of hits in the UK charts and around the world in the 1980s and 1990s. They are best known for their 1994 cover of The Troggs' 1960s hit " Love Is All Around", which ...

, Michael Learns to Rock, All 4 One and

The Brand New Heavies The Brand New Heavies is an acid jazz and funk group formed in 1985 in Ealing in west London. Centered around songwriters/multi-instrumentalists Simon Bartholomew and Andrew Levy, the core members of the group since its founding, Brand New He ...

, an event to celebrate Hong Kong's freedom from the United Kingdom. Kiani is the first mainstream Pakistani singer to ever perform in Hong Kong. By the end of the year she became the first Asian female singer ever to be signed by

Pepsi Pepsi is a carbonated soft drink manufactured by PepsiCo. Originally created and developed in 1893 by Caleb Bradham and introduced as Brad's Drink, it was renamed as Pepsi-Cola in 1898, and then shortened to Pepsi in 1961. History Pepsi wa ...

Cola International. She was the second international female artist in the world to be signed, the first being

Gloria Estefan Gloria Estefan (; born Gloria María Milagrosa Fajardo García; born 1 September 1957) is a Cuban-American singer, actress, and businesswoman. Estefan is a seven-time Grammy Award winner, a Presidential Medal of Freedom recipient, and has bee ...

1998: ''Roshni''

In 1998, Kiani recorded the official theme song for the

1999 Cricket World Cup The 1999 Cricket World Cup (officially known as ICC Cricket World Cup '99) was the seventh edition of the Cricket World Cup, organised by the International Cricket Council (ICC). It was hosted primarily by England, with Scotland, Ireland, Wales ...

. The

sponsored song was titled ''Intehai Shauq'', written by Kiani's mother, Khawar Kiani, and composed and produced by the famed Nizar Lalani. The song was filmed by Jami and Imran Baber and proved to be an instant success that captivated the country with what was noted as incredibly motivational imagery and lyrics. Amidst the World Cup recording, Kiani released her second album, titled ''Roshni.'' The third single from the album was '' Dupatta''. The video was inspired by the sci-fi film

The Matrix ''The Matrix'' is a 1999 science fiction action film written and directed by the Wachowskis. It is the first installment in ''The Matrix'' film series, starring Keanu Reeves, Laurence Fishburne, Carrie-Anne Moss, Hugo Weaving, and Joe Pantolia ...

. The song is listed in the Twenty Best Pop Songs Ever for Pakistan, where it is positioned at number 15. The success of the song was attributed to its quasi-bhangra rhythm with "fat, funky techno beats" and Kiani's "dreamy-meets-husky vocals" which made the results "stunning". In the wake of "Dupatta"'s, success Kiani became widely accepted as the country's leading female vocalist. Capitalizing on "Dupatta's" success, Kiani went on to release two other moderate hits, "Roshni", and "Woh Kaun Hai". Her sixth single off the album, "Boohey Barian" went on to become an even bigger hit for her than "Dupatta". To date, "Boohey Barian" is widely accepted as Kiani's best single ever and noted as one of the most prominent Pakistani songs of all time. ''Roshni'' sold over a million copies in Pakistan alone, certifying it as "

Platinum Platinum is a chemical element with the symbol Pt and atomic number 78. It is a dense, malleable, ductile, highly unreactive, precious, silverish-white transition metal. Its name originates from Spanish , a diminutive of "silver". Pla ...

". The album is listed in "The 20 Best Local Pop Albums Ever" for the country, positioned at No.15. Kiani is just one of two female singers in the entire list. Kiani's success led to her being signed by

Unilever Unilever plc is a British multinational consumer goods company with headquarters in London, England. Unilever products include food, condiments, bottled water, baby food, soft drink, ice cream, instant coffee, cleaning agents, energy dri ...

for celebrity endorsement of

Lipton Lipton is a British brand of tea, owned by Ekaterra. Lipton was also a supermarket chain in the United Kingdom, later sold to Argyll Foods, after which the company sold only tea. The company is named after its founder, Sir Thomas Lipton, wh ...

in 2001. In 2002, she is signed again by Unilever for

Sunsilk Sunsilk is a British hair care brand produced by the company Unilever. The brand was introduced in 1954 in the UK and available in most countries globally. It is a hair care brand in Southeast Asia (Malaysia, Vietnam, Philippines, Indonesia, an ...

Shampoo after the results of Unilever's national survey to find the "Most Popular Woman of Pakistan". Throughout the early 2000s, she performed live concerts in the US, Canada, UK, Middle East, Far East, Australia,

Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country in Northern Europe, the mainland territory of which comprises the western and northernmost portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula. The remote Arctic island of ...

and

2002: ''Rung''

Kiani released her third album ''Rung'' in September 2002. She returned to promote the album in June 2003, almost 10 months after she'd released "Yaad Sajan" with a new single "Ranjhan" and several stage performances and tours around the country. She then released other singles off the album throughout 2003 and 2004. These included "Jogi Bun Kay Aa", "Mahi" and "Dholan". In "Jogi Bun Kay Aa" Kiani plays various women's roles, including a traditional Japanese, an Arab, and a tribal woman. She played a vampire in her video for "Mahi" which was directed by top director Asim Raza. The video showed that it is harmful to judge people of different faiths and castes, and also bad to stereotype. It was the highest budgeted video of the year 2003. During this time, Kiani was in the midst of her first divorce, however Kiani's album sales continued to pick up through 2003 and 2004. In 2004, she received the Best Female Pop Singer Award by

Indus Music Indus Media Group (also abbreviated as, IMG) is a Pakistani company broadcasting a mix of free-to-air news and entertainment channels via satellite. IMG owns and operates the Indus brand of television channels in various global markets. It o ...

, the first 24-hour music channel of Pakistan. Asim Raza won an award for best video for directing her critically acclaimed video Mahi. Shortly after the release of ''Rung'', Kiani was mentioned in "Pakistani Pop's 10 most Influential Acts Ever", in which she was ranked ninth. She is also one of just two female singers in the list, the other being Nazia Hassan. A UK-based Magazine declared Kiani the 22nd greatest music maker of South Asia out of a total of fifty artists, also mentioning how she raised the standard of music videos in the country. Several years after the release of ''Rung'', leading Indian Sufi singer "

Harshdeep Kaur Harshdeep Kaur (born 16 December 1986) is an Indian playback singer known for her Bollywood Hindi, Punjabi,English and Sufi songs. She is popularly known as "Sufi Ki Sultana" because of her soulful Sufi renditions. After winning titles in two ...

" covered Kiani's self composed "Jogi Bun Kay Aa" on a leading Indian television show. The lyrics of the song were originally written by Kiani's mother and poet Khawar Kiani.

2007: ''Rough Cut''

In 2007, Kiani released her fourth studio album, ''Rough Cut'', a collaboration with

Aamir Zaki Aamir Zaki (April 8, 1968 – June 2, 2017) was a Saudi born Pakistani guitarist-songwriter and composer. Zaki is considered by many as one of the most influential guitarists in Pakistan's history. He is considered to be among the pioneers of Roc ...

. With the release of ''Rough Cut'', Kiani became the first mainstream Pakistani artist to release an album completely in English. Prior to the release of the album, Kiani and

Zaki Zaki (Arabic زكي ) is an Arabic male name (with female form Zakiya) and surname. Notable people with the name include: Given name *Zaki al-Arsuzi (1899–1998), Syrian politician * Zaki Tun Azmi (born 1945), Malaysian judge * Zaki Badawi (1 ...

teamed up for an Urdu song, written by Zaki, titled "Iss Baar Milo". The video was directed by Jami (director) and starred Humayun Saeed opposite of Kiani. "Iss Baar Milo"'s video production and acting performances, notably Kiani's portrayal of a "

schizophrenic Schizophrenia is a mental disorder characterized by continuous or relapsing episodes of psychosis. Major symptoms include hallucinations (typically hearing voices), delusions, and disorganized thinking. Other symptoms include social w ...

" patient in a Pakistani mental hospital received a great response. The video was a major milestone in the Pakistani music industry, winning Kiani and Jami the title of "Best Video" by

MTV Pakistan MTV Pakistan was the Pakistani subsidiary of MTV, a cable television network owned by Viacom. The Pakistan franchise was set up in collaboration with Pakistan's first satellite channel media group known as Indus Media Group (Indus TV). ''In ...

. In April 2007, Kiani released the first official single for the album, titled "Living This Lie". The same week, Kiani was named "Hotstepper of the week" for The News by Jang Group. The article also stated that ultimately, "as long as Hadiqa is around, there is still hope for women in the patriarchal music world of Pakistan." "Living This Lie" was nominated and won for "Best English Song" at "The Musik Awards" in 2007. Kiani was also nominated for Best Female Singer in the same award show.

2009: ''Aasmaan''

In June 2009, Kiani switched record labels to Fire Records and released her fifth studio album, titled ''Aasmaan''. In the album, she sang in Urdu, Punjabi, Hindko, Pashto, and Persian. The first single of the album was "Sohnya". The official video of "Sohnya" premiered a day before Kiani released the album. Following the release, the song+video stayed on the Aag top 10 Charts for over a month resulting in Kiani receiving a Shield from Aag10 for being the Artist of the Month. The album itself stayed Number One on the Vibes Charts of INSTEP Magazine for the entire year. By the end of 2009, ''Aasmaan'' was named the Best Album of 2009 according to sales volume, popularity and internet downloads. Every single released from ''Aasmaan'' reached number one. "Sohnya" was number one AAG10 Charts for over a month and was titled the best Pop Song of 2009 according to The Nation. "Tuk Tuk" was number one on Prime TV Charts. "Az Chashme Saqi" went number one on PlayTv Charts and by the end of 2009 it was declared the third best music video of 2009. In February 2010, Kiani released "Janan", for which she collaborated with relatively unknown

singer Irfan Khan. The song has become Kiani's biggest hit till date and some say that it has even topped the popularity of "Boohey Barian". The song became the first Pakistani pop song to be mentioned by the

Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' (abbreviated as ''LA Times'') is a daily newspaper that started publishing in Los Angeles in 1881. Based in the LA-adjacent suburb of El Segundo since 2018, it is the sixth-largest newspaper by circulation in the ...

, where the newspaper said that "Janan" was what the whole country was listening to. Kiani's rendering in the Pashto language was critically acclaimed. Some Pakhtoons even started to call her "Hadiqa Pathani," Kiani is credited with bringing back a trend in Pakistan of embracing Pashto culture, girls started to wear Pashto style dresses imitating Kiani's looks on the red carpet and more mainstream singers began singing in the local language. The song's widespread popularity was credited to the fact that it broke barriers in Pakistani music, Kiani being a Punjabi singing a Pashto song and appealing to not only Pakistani Pashto audiences, but to audiences worldwide. Kiani's "Janan" has been covered by many international singers, most noticeably by the Chinese singer Hou Wei at the grand South Asia Expo in 2014. The Chinese cover was done as a tribute to Pakistani culture which elevated the

community in Pakistan while, what many say, cementing the song as a national treasure

2017: ''WAJD''

In 2017, Kiani teamed up with her brother to launch the visual album titled "Wajd." The album consisting of five renderings of folk songs was critically acclaimed and led Kiani to receive her first "Album of the Year" award from the Lux Style Awards 2018. Kiani's distinct wardrobe during this album's era were noted by the press and led her to win "Most Stylish Singer" at the Hum Style Awards 2018. Her style led her to be the muse for high street brands such as Generation and Bonanza and couturiers like Ali Xeeshan.

2022: ''VASL''

In 2022, Kiani released her album titled VASL. The album reproduced songs from Kiani's first studio album titled Raaz. The album saw three singles, each receiving critical acclaim. The album received international recognition when global streaming giant

Spotify Spotify (; ) is a proprietary Swedish audio streaming and media services provider founded on 23 April 2006 by Daniel Ek and Martin Lorentzon. It is one of the largest music streaming service providers, with over 456 million monthly active use ...

acknowledged the album as a part of their Equal Platform, presenting Kiani with her own appearance on a Times Square billboard in New York City.

Playback singing and musical contributions

In 1995, Kiani signed a string of Pakistani films as a playback singer, most notably the Adnan Sami Khan film Sargam (1995). Sargam went on to win various awards for Kiani, including that of "Best Female Playback Singer" at the prestigious

. Since Sargam however, Kiani has been mostly absent from playback singing in Pakistan. The exception came in 2011 when she became one of the primary playback singers for

Shoaib Mansoor Shoaib Mansoor (Full name, Shoaib Mansoor), ( ur, ; born 4 February 1951 Karachi) is a Pakistani television and film director, writer, producer, lyricist and musician of Muhajir origin. Active in the television industry since 1980, he first ...

's film Bol. The film featured four of Kiani's songs, two of which were collaborations with

Atif Aslam Atif Aslam is a Pakistani playback singer, songwriter, composer, and actor. He has recorded many songs in both Pakistan and India, and is known for his vocal belting technique. Aslam predominantly sings in Urdu, but has also sung in Hindi, ...

. The soundtrack of the film saw positive reviews and received four Lux Style Awards nominations for Kiani and Aslam. In 2006, Kiani was featured on UK based producer Khiza's album "Loyal To The Game"'s lead single, "Mehr Ma". The song was an instant success in Pakistan, and was seen as a great return to pop music for Kiani after her ballads in ''Rung''. In the video, Kiani was seen with different hairstyles and outfits. The reviews for the song were favorable, one source said that "Mehr Ma", which starts off the album, is easily the best track on it. With Kiani showcasing her top-notch vocals and the music, which remains hip-hopish yet very desi, thanks to the usage of sitar, tabla makes it an excellent number." Kiani also performed the song at the 2006 Lux Style Awards. Over the years, Kiani has provided vocals for a select list of TV Dramas such as the critically acclaimed 2011 Drama Zindagi Gulzar Hai's title track with

Ali Zafar Ali Zafar ( pa, ; born 18 May 1980) is a Pakistani singer-songwriter, model, actor, producer, screenwriter and painter. Zafar started out on Pakistani television before becoming a popular musician. He later also established a career in Bol ...

and the 2006 "Aas Pass" with

. In May 2012, Kiani appeared on the 5th season of

Rohail Hyatt Rohail Hyatt ( Urdu: روحیل حیات) is a Pakistani record producer, keyboardist, and composer. As record producer, Hyatt is largely credited with pioneering Pakistani pop rock music by incorporating western rock and pop influences. I ...

Coke Studio Coke Studio may refer to: * ''Coke Studio'' (Pakistan), a Pakistani television series featuring live music performances. * ''Coke Studio'' (India), an Indian television series featuring live music performances. * ''Coke Studio Bangla'', a Banglade ...

. Performing renditions of Bulleh Shah and Amir Khusro to positive reviews. In 2016, Kiani lent her voice to the character of Meeran, portrayed by

Urwa Hocane UrwaTul Wusqua Hussain, better known by her stage name Urwa Hocane (born 2 July 1991) is a Pakistani actress, model and media personality. She made her acting debut with '' Khushboo Ka Ghar'' as Rukhsana in 2012. Hocane is best known for portray ...

, on the

Hum TV Hum TV is a 24-hour Urdu General Entertainment TV channel based in Karachi, Pakistan. It was founded by Sultana Siddiqui and Duraid Qureshi. It is owned by Hum Network Limited and traded on Pakistan Stock Exchange as (HUMNL). Hum Network L ...

drama "

Udaari ''Udaari'' (title from pnb, ; lit: ''To fly'') is an Urdu and Punjabi language social Pakistani television series that was created and co-produced by Momina Duraid with Kashf Foundation for Hum TV. It focused on the social and economic margin ...

." The title track of the drama was sung by Kiani, featuring Farhan Saeed and production by

Sahir Ali Bagga Sahir Ali Bagga (born 10 April 1980) is a Pakistani singer, music director and composer from Lahore, who composes music for Lollywood and other independent singers.PEMRA Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (PEMRA) ( ur, ) is an independent and constitutionally established federal institution responsible for regulating and issuing channel licenses for establishment of the mass media culture, print a ...

, for the portrayal of "unethical" scenes. In 2018, Kiani joined the cast of 3 Bahadur: Rise of the Warriors for the title song . The animated film was produced and directed by Pakistan's first

Academy Award The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international film industry. The awards are regarded by many as the most prestigious, significant awards in the entertainment ind ...

winner Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy.

Filmography

Films

Television

Notable performances

Apart from studio recordings, in 2005 Kiani was appointed by the government of

Pakistan Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 24 ...

as an official representative of the country. On 11 August 2005, Kiani performed in Nagoya for the Prime Minister of Japan Mr.

Junichirō Koizumi Junichiro Koizumi (; , ''Koizumi Jun'ichirō'' ; born 8 January 1942) is a former Japanese politician who was Prime Minister of Japan and President of the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) from 2001 to 2006. He retired from politics in 2009. He is ...

. Kiani then performed in Toronto on 14 August 2005 by request of The Pakistani Consulate. She performed in Houston on 13 August 2005. The show was at

Sam Houston Race Park Sam Houston Race Park is a horse race track, racing track located in unincorporated area, unincorporated northwest Houston, Texas, United States. The park hosts both Thoroughbred and American Quarter Horse racing each year. The track strives to b ...

, and it was attended by over 15000 people. Chief guest of the show was

Sheila Jackson Lee Sheila Jackson Lee (born January 12, 1950) is an American lawyer and politician who is the U.S. representative for , having served since 1995. The district includes most of central Houston. She is a member of the Democratic Party, and served ...

who is a member of the US House of Representatives. In the same month, she performed at the Mets

Shea Stadium Shea Stadium (), formally known as William A. Shea Municipal Stadium, was a multi-purpose stadium in Flushing Meadows–Corona Park, Queens, New York City.

New York on 18 August 2005. She closed the month of August with a performance at the Pakistan Parade in New York on 28 August 2005. On 2 October 2005, Kiani performed in

Malaysia Malaysia ( ; ) is a country in Southeast Asia. The federal constitutional monarchy consists of thirteen states and three federal territories, separated by the South China Sea into two regions: Peninsular Malaysia and Borneo's East Mal ...

at the newly built

Convention Centre A convention center (American English; or conference centre in British English) is a large building that is designed to hold a convention, where individuals and groups gather to promote and share common interests. Convention centers typica ...

in Kuala Lumpur downtown. The Honorary

Prime Minister of Pakistan The prime minister of Pakistan ( ur, , romanized: Wazīr ē Aʿẓam , ) is the head of government of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan. Executive authority is vested in the prime minister and his chosen cabinet, despite the president of Pak ...

Mr.

Shaukat Aziz Shaukat Aziz ( ur, ; born 6 March 1949) is a Pakistani former banker and financier who served as 17th prime minister of Pakistan from 28 August 2004 to 15 November 2007, as well as the finance minister of Pakistan from 6 November 1999 to 15 ...

was the chief guest of the show. The show was part of Expo 2005 in Malaysia. Important business and political personalities from both countries attended the show. Kiani sang a song in Malay to show respect to the Malaysian people. Kiani represented Pakistan on the 25th Anniversary of the Organization of Islamic Conference (OIC) Research Centre for Islamic History, Art and Culture ( IRCICA) in Turkey. Islamic Countries such as

Azerbaijan Azerbaijan (, ; az, Azərbaycan ), officially the Republic of Azerbaijan, , also sometimes officially called the Azerbaijan Republic is a transcontinental country located at the boundary of Eastern Europe and Western Asia. It is a part of th ...

, U.A.E,

Iran Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, and also called Persia, is a country located in Western Asia. It is bordered by Iraq and Turkey to the west, by Azerbaijan and Armenia to the northwest, by the Caspian Sea and Turkmeni ...

Qatar Qatar (, ; ar, قطر, Qaṭar ; local vernacular pronunciation: ), officially the State of Qatar,) is a country in Western Asia. It occupies the Qatar Peninsula on the northeastern coast of the Arabian Peninsula in the Middle East; it sh ...

Kazakhstan Kazakhstan, officially the Republic of Kazakhstan, is a transcontinental country located mainly in Central Asia and partly in Eastern Europe. It borders Russia to the north and west, China to the east, Kyrgyzstan to the southeast, Uzbeki ...

, Kyrgyz Republic,

Kuwait Kuwait (; ar, الكويت ', or ), officially the State of Kuwait ( ar, دولة الكويت '), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated in the northern edge of Eastern Arabia at the tip of the Persian Gulf, bordering Iraq to Iraq–Ku ...

Lebanon Lebanon ( , ar, لُبْنَان, translit=lubnān, ), officially the Republic of Lebanon () or the Lebanese Republic, is a country in Western Asia. It is located between Syria to the north and east and Israel to the south, while Cyprus lie ...

Egypt Egypt ( ar, مصر , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a List of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country spanning the North Africa, northeast corner of Africa and Western Asia, southwest corner of Asia via a land bridg ...

Sudan Sudan ( or ; ar, السودان, as-Sūdān, officially the Republic of the Sudan ( ar, جمهورية السودان, link=no, Jumhūriyyat as-Sūdān), is a country in Northeast Africa. It shares borders with the Central African Republic t ...

Syria Syria ( ar, سُورِيَا or سُورِيَة, translit=Sūriyā), officially the Syrian Arab Republic ( ar, الجمهورية العربية السورية, al-Jumhūrīyah al-ʻArabīyah as-Sūrīyah), is a Western Asian country loc ...

Saudi Arabia Saudi Arabia, officially the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), is a country in Western Asia. It covers the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula, and has a land area of about , making it the fifth-largest country in Asia, the second-largest in the Ara ...

Tanzania Tanzania (; ), officially the United Republic of Tanzania ( sw, Jamhuri ya Muungano wa Tanzania), is a country in East Africa within the African Great Lakes region. It borders Uganda to the north; Kenya to the northeast; Comoro Islands ...

and

Yemen Yemen (; ar, ٱلْيَمَن, al-Yaman), officially the Republic of Yemen,, ) is a country in Western Asia. It is situated on the southern end of the Arabian Peninsula, and borders Saudi Arabia to the north and Oman to the northeast and ...

took part in the celebrations. The event was organised by Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality. She performed at the AKM Opera House on 23 November 2005. Among the audience were musicians from various countries. The biggest surprise for the audience was said to be when Kiani sang "Sanalama" (Turkish song of Living Legend " Sezen Aksu"). She told the audience that as Turkey stood beside Pakistan in good and bad times, she wanted to convey the love of Pakistani people for the Turks. She also told the audience that she visited Turkey as a child star in 80s and represented Pakistan in the International Children's Festival in Turkey so she had beautiful childhood memories associated with Turkey. The audience gave her a standing ovation at the end of her performance, The Mayor of Istanbul appreciated her and presented a bouquet of flowers to her. After her performance she received invitations to participate in the upcoming Art festivals in various countries such as

and

. During her stay in Istanbul she officially visited various historical sites in Turkey and conveyed the love of Pakistan for Turkey. Her performance in Istanbul made headlines in various Turkish Newspapers. Kiani performed in China for the Chinese Premier on 21 February 2006. The following month, she performed for President George W. Bush on 4 March 2006. Commenting on her performance, Bush said "Ms. Hadiqa Kiani is extremely talented and should sing here (United States) more." She then performed for the Crown Prince of Brunei Al-Muhtadee Billah Bolkiah on 29 May 2006. Kiani performed as per the request of former

First Lady of the United States The first lady of the United States (FLOTUS) is the title held by the hostess of the White House, usually the wife of the president of the United States, concurrent with the president's term in office. Although the first lady's role has never ...

Laura Bush Laura Lane Welch Bush (''née'' Welch; born November 4, 1946) is an American teacher, librarian, memoirist and author who was First Lady of the United States from 2001 to 2009. Bush previously served as First Lady of Texas from 1995 to 2000. ...

on 21 September 2006 at

, in Washington, D.C. She closed the year by performing for

Prince Charles Charles III (Charles Philip Arthur George; born 14 November 1948) is King of the United Kingdom and the 14 other Commonwealth realms. He was the longest-serving heir apparent and Prince of Wales and, at age 73, became the oldest person to a ...

of the United Kingdom and

Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall Camilla (born Camilla Rosemary Shand, later Parker Bowles, 17 July 1947) is Queen Consort of the United Kingdom and the 14 other Commonwealth realms as the wife of King Charles III. She became queen consort on 8 September 2022, upon the ac ...

on 30 October 2006, and again in China for the Chinese president on 23 November 2006. On 19 May 2007, Kiani performed at

Dead Sea The Dead Sea ( he, יַם הַמֶּלַח, ''Yam hamMelaḥ''; ar, اَلْبَحْرُ الْمَيْتُ, ''Āl-Baḥrū l-Maytū''), also known by other names, is a salt lake bordered by Jordan to the east and Israel and the West Ban ...

in Jordan for 28 Heads of States at the

World Economic Forum The World Economic Forum (WEF) is an international non-governmental and lobbying organisation based in Cologny, canton of Geneva, Switzerland. It was founded on 24 January 1971 by German engineer and economist Klaus Schwab. The foundation, ...

on the Middle East and North Africa. Her performance took place on the second day of the three-day event while American singer

Lionel Richie Lionel Brockman Richie Jr. (born June 20, 1949) is an American singer, songwriter, record producer, and television personality. He rose to fame in the 1970s as a songwriter and the co-lead singer of funk band the Commodores; writing and recor ...

performed the first day. Among Kiani's setlist for the night was the Arabic song titled " Ah W Nos" by

Nancy Ajram Nancy Nabil Ajram ( ar, نانسي نبيل عجرم, born May 16, 1983) is a Lebanese singer, television personality and businesswoman. Dubbed by Spotify as the " Queen of Arab Pop". With the support of her father, she began performing as ...

which Kiani covered and then sang again the following year in Pakistan. In August 2007, Kiani was one of the headliners for the London Day Parade at

Trafalgar Square Trafalgar Square ( ) is a public square in the City of Westminster, Central London, laid out in the early 19th century around the area formerly known as Charing Cross. At its centre is a high column bearing a statue of Admiral Nelson comm ...

, London which was broadcast by

Geo TV Geo Television Network is a television channel based in Pakistan. It was established in May 2002 and is owned by the Jang Media Group. The channel began its test transmission on 14 August 2002, with regular transmission beginning on 1 October ...

to celebrate 60 years of Independence for Pakistan. Kiani was the only singer who sang completely live that day. She was also part of closing the show with the popular patriotic song "Jeevay Pakistan" alongside

. Kiani has continued performing throughout Pakistan for various companies, including

and

Samsung The Samsung Group (or simply Samsung) ( ko, 삼성 ) is a South Korean multinational manufacturing conglomerate headquartered in Samsung Town, Seoul, South Korea. It comprises numerous affiliated businesses, most of them united under the ...

. Most notably, in 2016 Kiani performed to positive reviews at the first Inter Provincial Games in Pakistan, initiated by President Mamnoon Hussain as a sporting event to support the male and female athletes of Pakistan. At the end of 2016, upon the Turkish President Erdoğan's arrival to Pakistan, Kiani was invited to perform at the historic

Lahore Fort The Lahore Fort ( ur, , lit=Royal Fort, translit=Shāhī Qilā, label=Punjabi and Urdu) is a citadel in the city of Lahore, Pakistan. The fortress is located at the northern end of walled city Lahore, and spreads over an area greater than ...

, performing along with folk legend Arif Lohar to welcome the world leader. Kiani's performance was noted as "enthralling" and "melodious." In 2022, Kiani took the stage at Expo 2020 Dubai at the DEC Arena to represent Pakistan to a sold-out crowd. ''

Gulf Business __NOTOC__ ''Gulf Business'' is a weekly magazine published from Dubai, United Arab Emirates, and focusing on Middle East business news, especially in GCC countries. It was launched in 1996. It is published in Motivate Media Group. The magazine ...

'' noted Kiani's performance as a musical highlight of the Expo. Kiani was presented with a tour of the Pakistan Pavilion at the world event in which she was quoted as saying, "It's about time that we need to show the world who we are and where we are heading. We are people full of love and we have our rich cultural background and people need to see that."

Philanthropy and social causes

In March 2007, Kiani was one of the many artists featured in a widely popular track called " Yeh Hum Naheen". In this song, various Pakistani artists joined to send out a message that the stereotype of Pakistanis is not correct and that they oppose

terrorism Terrorism, in its broadest sense, is the use of criminal violence to provoke a state of terror or fear, mostly with the intention to achieve political or religious aims. The term is used in this regard primarily to refer to intentional violen ...

. The song also conveys an

anti-terrorism Counterterrorism (also spelled counter-terrorism), also known as anti-terrorism, incorporates the practices, military tactics, techniques, and strategies that governments, law enforcement, business, and intelligence agencies use to combat or ...

sentiment in the music video and supported the anti-terrorism campaign, Yeh hum naheen, which Kiani is heavily involved with. Other artists in the song include

Shafqat Amanat Ali Shafqat Amanat Ali Khan ( ur, ; ; born 26 February 1965) is a Pakistani pop and classical singer, songwriter, and composer belonging to the Patiala Gharana tradition of music. He was the lead vocalist of the Pakistani pop rock band Fuzön ...

and the Strings duo. The song was picked up by international networks such as

Fox News The Fox News Channel, abbreviated FNC, commonly known as Fox News, and stylized in all caps, is an American multinational conservative cable news television channel based in New York City. It is owned by Fox News Media, which itself is o ...

and BBC and amassed a significant number of downloads. In August 2010, Kiani and her siblings worked with local Pakistanis along with the

Pakistan Army The Pakistan Army (, ) is the land service branch of the Pakistan Armed Forces. The roots of its modern existence trace back to the British Indian Army that ceased to exist following the Partition of British India, which occurred as a result ...

to provide clothing, water, food and shelter to the flood victims of Pakistan following the devastating

2010 Pakistan floods The floods in Pakistan began in late July 2010, resulting from heavy monsoon rains in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Sindh, Punjab and, Balochistan regions of Pakistan, which affected the Indus River basin. Approximately one-fifth of Pakistan's tot ...

. Kiani also appeared in

telethon A telethon (a portmanteau of "television" and "marathon") is a televised fundraising event that lasts many hours or even days, the purpose of which is to raise money for a charitable, political or other purportedly worthy cause. Most telethons f ...

"Pukaar" along with Pop star

to appeal for donations. In collaboration with

, Kiani made visits to

Multan Multan (; ) is a city in Punjab, Pakistan, on the bank of the Chenab River. Multan is Pakistan's seventh largest city as per the 2017 census, and the major cultural, religious and economic centre of southern Punjab. Multan is one of the ol ...

Relief Camp, Basti Kalraywala, Muzaffarabad and other flood hit areas, personally distributing goods to the affectees. On 8 November 2010, Kiani was appointed

Goodwill ambassador after being recognized for her individual philanthropic efforts. Following being appointed, Kiani continued to construct housing facilities in Nowshera,

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (; ps, خېبر پښتونخوا; Urdu, Hindko: خیبر پختونخوا) commonly abbreviated as KP or KPK, is one of the four provinces of Pakistan. Located in the northwestern region of the country, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa ...

for the flood victims till she completed over 250 houses. Nowshera was one of the worst flood hit areas in the country. In the beginning of 2015, Kiani was chosen on to be one of

Pond's Pond's is an American brand of beauty and health care products, currently owned by Unilever. History Pond's Cream was invented in the United States as a patent medicine by pharmacist Theron T. Pond (1800–1852) of Utica, New York, in 1846. M ...

Miracle Mentors as an initiative to highlight and support strong women in the patriarchal Pakistani society alongside nine other renowned and influential women. Later that month Kiani stood up again to voice her views on women in leadership at the Women Leadership Summit 2015 with then wife of former cricketer

Imran Khan Imran Ahmed Khan Niazi ( ur}; born 5 October 1952) is a Pakistani politician and former Cricket captain who served as the 22nd Prime Minister of Pakistan from August 2018 to until April 2022, when he was ousted through a no-confiden ...

, Reham Khan and various other women who had achieved success in their respective fields including

Muniba Mazari Muniba Mazari Baloch ( Urdu: منیبہ مزاری; born 3 March 1987, also known as the ''Iron Lady of Pakistan'') is a Pakistani activist, anchor artist, model, singer and motivational speaker. She became the National Ambassador for UN Women Pa ...

and Nadia Jamil. The summit brought international and local voices together as an act towards shedding light to the issue of gender discrimination in the workplace. Kiani works regularly with the Edhi Foundation and has been involved with many other charitable organizations, including Muslim Hands, SOS Villages and

UNICEF UNICEF (), originally called the United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund in full, now officially United Nations Children's Fund, is an agency of the United Nations responsible for providing humanitarian and developmental aid to c ...

. She has also campaigned and been the ambassador for Shaukat Khanum,

Oxfam Oxfam is a British-founded confederation of 21 independent charitable organizations focusing on the alleviation of global poverty, founded in 1942 and led by Oxfam International. History Founded at 17 Broad Street, Oxford, as the Oxford Co ...

International, and since 2010 the United Nations. In November 2015 it was announced that Kiani would speak at TEDX Kinnaird on the role of women in Pakistani society. After taking a stance with the award-winning project,

that highlighted the social issue of sexual abuse against children in the Pakistani community in 2016, Kiani took a stance against the issue again in 2017. Kiani gained attention when criticizing actor Yasir Hussain at the 5th annual Hum TV Awards for joking about child molestation. In a statement on social media, Kiani stated that the comments made by Hussain were "disgusting," while also taking a stance against the entertainment industry for supporting the actor. In July 2017, Kiani teamed up with

Nestlé Nestlé S.A. (; ; ) is a Switzerland, Swiss multinational food and drink processing conglomerate corporation headquartered in Vevey, Vaud, Switzerland. It is the largest publicly held food company in the world, measured by revenue and other me ...

to introduce socially responsible initiatives in Pakistan regarding early childhood development.

''Pakistan Idol''

'' Pakistan Idol'' is a Pakistani reality singing competition that is part of the ''Idols'' franchise created by

Simon Fuller Simon Fuller (born 17 May 1960) is a British entrepreneur, artist manager, and film and television producer renowned for nurturing and inspiring world class entertainment talent. He is the creator of the ''Idols'' TV format, including the UK s ...

and owned by 19 Entertainment and

FremantleMedia Fremantle (; formerly FremantleMedia) is a British multinational television production and distribution company based in London. Fremantle takes its name from Fremantle International, acquired by predecessor company All American Television i ...

. It is the 50th adaptation of the familiar reality competition format introduced in the British series '' Pop Idol'' in 2001. It was developed for the Pakistani entertainment market by

. The show brought together Junoon front man

Ali Azmat Ali Azmat Butt (born 20 April 1970) is a Pakistani singer-songwriter, musician and actor. He is best known as the lead singer for the influential Sufi Rock band Junoon and for his subsequent solo career. In 2001, he became part of the first ...

, comic

Bushra Ansari Bushra Iqbal Ansari is a Pakistani actress, comedian, singer and playwright who started her career as a child performer in the 1950s. Ansari won numerous awards during her career, including the Presidential Pride of Performance Award in 1989 fo ...

, and Kiani as judges. The first season of the show was heavily controversial.

''Acting Career''

In January 2021, Kiani revealed that she will make her acting debut alongside Nauman Ijaz, Sania Saeed and

Iqra Aziz Iqra Aziz Hussain (born 24 November 1997) is a Pakistani actress who primarily works in Urdu television. She made her acting debut in 2014 with a supporting role shanzey in '' Kissey Apna Kahein''. Aziz is widely recognized for portraying the ...

's drama Raqeeb Se. The drama was written by Bee Gul and directed by

Kashif Nisar Kashif Nisar ( ur, ) is a Pakistani television director, producer and screenwriter, and the nephew of Pakistani TV Director Tariq Mairaj. He is known for directing artistic drama serials. Kashif's most notable works are '' Dumpukht - Aatish- ...

while Kiani sang and produced the OST written by her mother, Khawar Kiani. Kiani starred as the lead heroine in the drama, portraying a battered mother named Sakina, and won critical and fan praise for the performance. The drama garnered Kiani her first awards in the acting field and was noted as one of "The Best Dramas of 2021" In 2022, Kiani was awarded with Best Actress Award by Critics Choice at the 21st Lux Style Awards for her performance in Raqeeb Se as Sakina. Kiani's second drama premiered in October 2021 and paired Kiani with Bilal Abbas Khan. The drama was written by Sarwat Nazir directed by Danish Nawaz and produced by Momina Duraid Productions for

. DAWN Images wrote that the drama was an "attempt at redefining the 'leading lady' in Pakistani dramas". The drama received critical and fan praise for its storyline and for Kiani's performance as Mehru. Dobara consistently topped the ratings charts and was noted of having an all-time high of 8.8 TRP rating in February 2021. In December 2021, Kiani signed her third script for

ARY Digital ''ARY Digital'' ( ur, ) is a Pakistani pay television network available in Pakistan, the Middle East, North America and Europe. The ARY Group of companies is a Dubai Dubai (, ; ar, wikt:دبي, دبي, translit=Dubayy, , ) is the List of ...

titled "Pinjra." The script was the last script written by Asma Nabeel who lost her life to breast cancer in early 2021. The drama will be produced by Shazia Wajahat and Wajahat Rauf and is expected to air in 2022.

Recognition & Legacy

Hadiqa Kiani PakistaniSinger GCU Graduate

In March 2006, Kiani was presented with the

by the Government of Pakistan, one of the highest civil awards of the country, in acknowledgement of her services in the field of music and for shining an encouraging light on the country for over a decade. The award was announced on 14 August 2005 but the ceremony was performed on 23 March of the next year. In 2015, Kiani was declared as one of "Pakistan's Most Powerful and Influential Women" of all time by

The News International ''The News International'', published in broadsheet size, is one of the largest English language newspapers in Pakistan. It is published daily from Karachi, Lahore and Rawalpindi/Islamabad. An overseas edition is published from London that cater ...

under the Jang Group umbrella. On 15 August 2015, ''Daily Times'' Kiani as the 15th part of their 30 name list of celebrated Pakistanis who have brought a great deal of pride for their country, other names on the list titled "Pride of Pakistan" included

winner Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy,

Malala Yousafzai Malala Yousafzai ( ur, , , pronunciation: ; born 12 July 1997), is a Pakistani female education activist and the 2014 Nobel Peace Prize laureate. Awarded when she was 17, she is the world's youngest Nobel Prize laureate, and the second P ...

, and national hero Abdul Sattar Edhi. In April 2015, Kiani headlined the Music Mela and introduced her new Qawwali sound at the 3-day festival arranged by the

U.S. Embassy in Islamabad The Embassy of the United States in Islamabad is the diplomatic mission of the United States in Pakistan. The embassy in Islamabad is one of the largest U.S. embassies in the world, in terms of personnel, and houses a chancery and complex of ...

. The "Pop Queen" of Pakistan debuted herself as a

Qawwali Qawwali (Punjabi language, Punjabi: (Shahmukhi), (Gurmukhi); Urdu: (Nastaʿlīq, Nasta'liq); Hindi: क़व्वाली (Devanagari); Bengali language, Bengali: কাওয়ালি (Bengali alphabet, Bengali)) is a form of Sufi Isl ...

artist to positive feedback Upon the end of the Mela, Kiani announced that she would be working on her sixth studio album titled ''Wajd''. In December 2021, Kiani was listed as one of the Top Global Asian Celebrities by Eastern Eye, a UK publication. Kiani joined the list with

Riz Ahmed Rizwan Ahmed (; ; born ) is a British actor and rapper. As an actor, he has won an Emmy Award and has received nominations for a Golden Globe and three British Independent Film Awards, and as a rapper he has won an Academy Award for the short ...

Mindy Kaling Vera Mindy Chokalingam (born June 24, 1979),Additional archive on June 25, 2015. known professionally as Mindy Kaling (), is an American actress, comedian, screenwriter and producer. She first gained recognition starring as Kelly Kapoor in the N ...

and

. In May 2022, Kiani was honoured by the global music streaming platform

with a digital billboard in

Times Square Times Square is a major commercial intersection, tourist destination, entertainment hub, and neighborhood in Midtown Manhattan, New York City. It is formed by the junction of Broadway, Seventh Avenue, and 42nd Street. Together with adjacent ...

in New York City for her contribution to the global music industry and in support of her seventh album titled VASL. Earlier in the year, Spotify stated "A trailblazer, an icon, and a champion for women's independence, Hadiqa Kiani is undoubtedly one of the most prolific names in Pakistani music history. Her career has evolved remarkably over the past three decades; always staying true to herself, she has given pre-eminent music to the industry in her soulful voice. Apart from her seven hit albums, she has performed in various languages, regionally covering almost all native local languages from the beautiful Saraiki to the complex Dogri and internationally taking on everything from Mandarin Chinese to French." Kiani continues to serve as a role model for young women in Pakistan, artists Shae Gill and Momina Mustehsan have cited Kiani as an inspiration for their musical ambitions.

Personal life

Kiani was the sole caretaker of her mother, Khawar Kiani, who was paralyzed since 2006 and passed away on October 14, 2022. Upon Khawar's passing, it was reported that the entertainment industry and the country mourned her loss as she was the writer of the "biggest songs in Pakistani music history" including Kiani's "Boohey Barian" and the Kiani &

collaboration for

titled "Aas Pass" Kiani adopted her son, Naad-e-Ali, in 2005 from the Edhi Foundation after the 2005 earthquake. Later, she married a UK-based Afghan businessman, Syed Fareed Sarwary. In 2008, she divorced Sarwary.

Discography

*''Raaz'' – 1995 *''Roshni'' – 1998 *''Rung'' – 2002 *''Rough Cut'' – 2007 *''Aasmaan'' – 2009 *''Wajd'' – 2017 * ''Vasl'' – 2022

Awards and nominations

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Kiani, Hadiqa 1974 births Punjabi people Punjabi-language singers Pakistani pop singers 20th-century Pakistani women singers Pakistani musicians People from Rawalpindi District Living people Pakistani guitarists Pakistani folk singers Pakistani humanitarians Recipients of Tamgha-e-Imtiaz Kinnaird College for Women University alumni Government College University, Lahore alumni Performers of Sufi music Nigar Award winners Folk-pop singers 21st-century Pakistani women singers