Sabina Yasmin (born 4 September 1954), is a

Bangladeshi Bangladeshis ( ) are the citizens and nationals of Bangladesh, a South Asian country centred on the transnational historical region of Bengal along the Bay of Bengal, eponymous bay. Bangladeshi nationality law, Bangladeshi citizenship was fo ...

singer. She is best known as a playback singer in Bengali cinema. She has won the Bangladesh National Film Award for Best Female Playback Singer a record 14 times. She has recorded more than 1,500 songs for films and more than 10,000 songs in total. Yasmin was awarded

Ekushey Padak Ekushey Padak () is the second highest civilian award in Bangladesh, introduced in memory of martyrs of the Bengali language movement of 1952. The award is given to recognize contributions in a number of fields, including culture, education, and e ...

in 1984 and the

Independence Day Award The Independence Award (), formally known as the Independence Day Award or Swadhinata Padak (), is the highest state award given by the government of Bangladesh. Introduced in 1977 by President Ziaur Rahman, this award is bestowed upon Banglade ...

in 1996 by the

government of Bangladesh The government of the People's Republic of Bangladesh () is the central government of Bangladesh. The government was constituted by the Constitution of Bangladesh comprising the executive (the president, prime minister and cabinet), the ...

Early life

Yasmin was born on 4 September 1954 in Dhaka. Her ancestral home is in Satkhira. Her father, Lutfar Rahman, worked in the Provincial Civil Service of

British Raj The British Raj ( ; from Hindustani language, Hindustani , 'reign', 'rule' or 'government') was the colonial rule of the British The Crown, Crown on the Indian subcontinent, * * lasting from 1858 to 1947. * * It is also called Crown rule ...

, and her mother, Begum Mouluda Khatun, was a vocal artist who took lessons from the musician Ustaad Kader Baksh. Yasmin is the youngest of the five sisters; her elder sisters are singers Farida Yasmin, Fauzia Yasmin, Nazma Yasmin, and Nilufar Yasmin. The first song that Yasmin learned with the household harmonium was ''Khokon Moni Shona''. In 1964, she sang regularly in ''Khela Ghar'', a radio programme. P.C. Gomez was her classical music mentor. Musician

Altaf Mahmud Altaf Mahmud (23 December 1933 – September 1971) was a musician, cultural activist, and martyred freedom fighter of the Bangladesh Liberation War. He was also a language activist of the Language Movement and composer of " Amar Bhaier Rokte Ra ...

discovered her singing voice while visiting her neighbour's house. She made her debut in playback singing through the song ''Modhu Jochnar Dipali'' for the film '' Agun Niye Khela'' (1967), directed by Zahir Raihan. As child artists, she and Shahnaz Rahmatullah won awards from President Ayub Khan.

Career

Yasmin got her first breakthrough through the song titled ''Shudhu Gaan Geye Porichoy''. She then started working under Altaf Mahmud in films including ''Anowara'', ''Nayantara'' and ''Taka Ana Pai''. She gradually performed along with Satya Saha, Subal Das,

Khan Ataur Rahman Khan Ataur Rahman (known as Khan Ata; 11 December 1928 – 1 December 1997) was a Bangladeshi film actor, director, producer, screenplay writer, music composer, and singer, best known for his role in the film '' Jibon Theke Neya'' (1970). He ...

, Alauddin Ali,

Ahmed Imtiaz Bulbul Ahmed Imtiaz Bulbul (1 January 1956 – 22 January 2019) was a Bangladeshi lyricist, composer and music director, active since the late 1970s. He was a freedom fighter who joined the Bangladesh Liberation War at the age of 15. He won Ekushey Pada ...

and Gazi Mazharul Anwar.

1960s

Yasmin has sung for films, radio, television and gramophone companies. She started her career in the Pakistan film industry and gained recognition when she sang a duet with

Ahmed Rushdi Ahmed Rushdi (; 24 April 1934 – 11 April 1983) was a versatile Pakistani playback singer and was "an important contributor to the Cinema of Pakistan#The Golden Era (1959–1977), golden age of Pakistani film music". Regarded as one of the gr ...

'' Baharon ki yeh shaam'' for film ''Anari'' (1969).

1970s

When Yasmin entered the film industry, her co-eval Shahnaz Rahmatullah was the number one singer. In 1970, the film Jibon Theke Neya was released. It contained the song "Eki Sonar Aloy" which elevated Yasmin as the leading singer. She sang some patriotic songs: "Sob Kota Janala", "Swajan Harano Diner Samarane", "Sei Railliner Dhare", "Swadhinata Tumi", etc. She garnered fame with the song "Sudhu Gaan Geye Porichoy" in the 1972 film 'Abujh Mon'. She sang "Tumi Je Amar Kobita", "Tumi Achho", etc. duets with Mahmudunnabi. She received the first Bangladesh National Film Award for Best Female Playback Singer in 1975 for her songs in ''Sujon Sokhi''. She received three consecutive National film awards: in 1978 for Golapi Ekhon Train E; in 1979 for Sundari; and in 1980 for Kosai.

1980s

She sang numerous such hits as "Koto Sadhonay Emon Bhagyo Mele", "Shoto Jonomer Sadh", "E Jibone Tumi Ogo Ele" and many more. Her rising popularity dragged her to Indian cinema. In 1985, she sang "Cherona Cherona Haat" and "Jalpari" with

Kishore Kumar Kishore Kumar (born Abhas Kumar Ganguly; ; 4 August 1929 – 13 October 1987) was an Indian playback singer, musician and actor. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest, most influential and dynamic singers in the history of modern India ...

in the Indo-Bangladesh joint production Anyay Abichar which had music by R. D. Burman.

1990s

Yasmin earned National Awards in 1991 for '' Danga'' and 1992 for ''Radha Krishna''. In 1994, Kanak Chapa came to the music scene with the film Tomakei Chai.

2000s

By the year 2000, Kanak Chapa was already the most sought-after playback singer. Yet Yasmin got to sing numerous hit songs composed by top-notch music directors. She achieved a National Film Award for her rendition of "Boroshar Prothom Dine" in Dui Duari (2000). In 2004, her song "Preme Poreche Mon" in 'wrong number' topped the music top charts. She achieved her 12th and last National Film Award for 'Dui Noyoner Alo'.

2010s

Yasmin sang a duet with the winner of ''Channel-I Sera Kontho'', Imran. In these years she sang for a new generation of actresses like Apu Biswas,

Sahara The Sahara (, ) is a desert spanning across North Africa. With an area of , it is the largest hot desert in the world and the list of deserts by area, third-largest desert overall, smaller only than the deserts of Antarctica and the northern Ar ...

, Racy and others. Her song "Premiker Buk Jeno Sukher Nodi" featured in top charts for many weeks.

Personal life

Yasmin has married three times. She has a daughter, Fairooz Yasmin (Badhon), a singer, from her first marriage with Anisur Rahman, and a son, Srabon, from her second marriage with Amir Hossain. In 1998, she met Kabir Sumon, an Indian-Bengali musician and political activist, and later the couple got married. In July 2007, Yasmin was diagnosed with

non-Hodgkin lymphoma Non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL), also known as non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, is a group of blood cancers that includes all types of lymphomas except Hodgkin lymphomas. Symptoms include enlarged lymph nodes, fever, night sweats, weight loss, and tiredn ...

. She was admitted to Labaid Hospital on 12 June. Doctors found that she was suffering from an infection of the spleen. An emergency operation took place on 21 June. But her health didn't improve. She flew to Singapore for better treatment on 11 July. After having treatment for three and a half months, she returned to Bangladesh.

Works

;Popular songs ;Filmography

Awards

; Bangladesh National Film Award for Best Female Playback Singer * 1975 – ''Sujon Sokhi'' * 1978 – ''Golapi Ekhon Traine'' * 1979 – ''Sundari'' * 1980 – ''Kosai'' * 1984 – '' Chandranath'' * 1985 – ''Premik'' * 1987 – ''Rajlakshmi Srikanto'' * 1988 – ''Dui Jibon'' * 1991 – '' Danga'' * 1992 – ''Radha Krishna'' * 2000 – ''Aaj Gaye Holud'' * 2005 – ''Dui Noyoner Alo'' * 2012 – ''Devdas'' * 2018 – '' Putro'' ;Others * 1984 –

* 1996 –

* 2016 – Firoza Begum Gold Medal

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Yasmin, Sabina 1953 births Living people University of Dhaka alumni Bangladeshi playback singers 20th-century Bangladeshi women singers 20th-century Bangladeshi singers Best Female Playback Singer National Film Award (Bangladesh) winners Recipients of the Independence Award Recipients of the Ekushey Padak Honorary Fellows of Bangla Academy Best Female Singer Bachsas Award winners 21st-century Bangladeshi women singers 21st-century Bangladeshi singers