"Afreen Afreen" ( ) is a

nazm ''Nazm'' () is a major part of Urdu and Sindhi poetry that is normally written in rhymed verse and also in modern prose-style poems. is a significant genre of Urdu and Sindhi poetry; the other one is known as ghazal. is significantly written ...

(song) performed and composed by

Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan (, ; born Pervez Fateh Ali Khan; 13 October 1948 – 16 August 1997), also known by his initials NFAK, was a Pakistani singer, songwriter, and music director. Khan was primarily a singer of qawwali, a form of Sufi devot ...

with lyrics written by

Javed Akhtar Javed Akhtar (born 1945) is an Indian screenwriter, lyricist and poet. Known for his work in Hindi cinema, he has won five National Film Awards, and received the Padma Shri in 1999 and the Padma Bhushan in 2007, two of India's highest civili ...

. It first featured on their collaborative album ''Sangam'' in 1996. In 2003, a studio version of the song was recorded by Rahat Fateh Ali Khan for the album ''Best of Khan 3'', released by Hi-Tech Music Ltd. In 2016, it was covered by

Rahat Fateh Ali Khan Rahat Fateh Ali Khan (, ; born 9 December 1974) is a Pakistani Punjabi singer, primarily Qawwali, a form of Sufi devotional music. Khan is one of the most popular and highest paid singers in Pakistan. He is the nephew of Nusrat Fateh Ali Kha ...

(Nusrat's nephew) and

Momina Mustehsan Momina Mustehsan (; born 5 September 1992) is a Pakistani singer. In 2017, BBC named her one of the 100 Women (BBC), 100 most influential women, and the following year, ''Forbes'' featured her among its "30 Under 30" Asia list along with nine o ...

during season 9 of ''Coke Studio''.

2003 Studio Version by Rahat Fateh Ali Khan

A lesser-known yet deeply soulful rendition of "Afreen Afreen" was recorded as a studio track by

and released in 2003 by UK-based label Hi-Tech Music Ltd. This version was included in the compilation album ''Best of Khan 3''. Unlike the original qawwali by

and the later Coke Studio duet, this recording features a stripped-down musical arrangement and a solo vocal performance by Rahat Fateh Ali Khan, emphasizing emotional depth and spiritual longing. The lyrics remain largely faithful to the traditional verses, while the vocal style leans more toward romantic Sufi interpretation. Though it did not receive widespread media coverage, it remains a favorite among devoted fans of South Asian devotional and classical fusion music.

1996 version

"Afreen Afreen" was first released during the

IndiPop Indian pop music, also known as I-pop or Indi-pop, refers to pop music produced in India that is independent from filmi soundtracks for Indian cinema. Indian pop is closely linked to Bollywood, Tollywood, Pollywood, Kollywood and the Asian U ...

and

fusion music A music genre is a conventional category that identifies some pieces of music as belonging to a shared tradition or set of conventions. Genre is to be distinguished from musical form and musical style, although in practice these terms are sometim ...

wave of the mid-1990s as a non-film music video. The music video featured

Lisa Ray Lisa Rani Ray (born 4 April 1972) is a Canadian actress. She began her modelling career in India in the early 1990s, appearing for leading Indian brands like Bombay Dyeing and Lakmé. She made her acting debut in 1994 in the film '' Hanste Khe ...

2016 version

It was later rendered by

with

, during season 9 episode 2 of Pakistani musical TV show '' Coke Studio''. The music was directed by

Faakhir Mehmood Faakhir Mehmood (; born 20 April 1973) is a Pakistani actor, singer, keyboradist, composer and music producer. He started out his career with the Pakistani musical group Awaz. However, due to conflicts of interest, the band split in 2000 and ...

Personnel

*Lyricist:

* Artists: Rahat Fateh Ali Khan & Momina Mustehsan * Music director:

* Produced & directed By: Strings * Guest musician: Joshua Keith Benjamin (keyboards) *

House band A house band is a group of musicians, often centrally organized by a band leader, who regularly play at an establishment. It is widely used to refer both to the bands who work on entertainment programs on television or radio, and to bands which ...

: Imran Akhond (guitars), Aahad Nayani (drums), Kamran 'Mannu' Zafar (bass), Kashan Admani (guitars), Haider Alo (keyboard/piano), Abdul Aziz Kazi (percussions) *

Backing vocalist A backing vocalist is a singer who provides vocal harmony with the lead vocalist or other backing vocalists. A backing vocalist may also sing alone as a lead-in to the main vocalist's entry or to sing a counter-melody. Backing vocalists are u ...

: Rachel Viccaji, Shahab Hussain, Nimra Rafiq

Popularity

As of June 2024, it has garnered over 509 million views on YouTube, it is currently third on the list of most viewed YouTube videos of Pakistani-origin, just after

Atif Aslam Atif Aslam (; born 12 March 1983) is a Pakistani playback singer, songwriter, composer, and actor. He has recorded many songs in both Pakistan and India, and is known for his Belting (music), vocal belting technique. Born in Wazirabad, Waziraba ...

's rendition of " Tajdar-e-Haram" having 342 million views. It was the most-watched Pakistani music video of 2016. According to Google, its lyrics were one of the most searched lyrics for the year 2017. Momina Mustehsan became the fifth-most googled person in Pakistan in 2016.

Version listings

References

{{Rahat Fateh Ali Khan Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan songs 1996 songs Rahat Fateh Ali Khan songs Songs with lyrics by Javed Akhtar 2016 singles Songs in Urdu Pakistani songs