Shafin Ahmed (14 February 1961 – 24 July 2024) was a Bangladeshi rock bassist, singer-songwriter, record producer and politician. He was the lead singer, songwriter and bassist for the Bangladeshi rock band

Miles The mile, sometimes the international mile or statute mile to distinguish it from other miles, is a British imperial unit and United States customary unit of length; both are based on the older English unit of length equal to 5,280 English f ...

, where he and his elder brother Hamin Ahmed joined in 1979 and have led the band. Born in the city of

Kolkata Kolkata, also known as Calcutta ( its official name until 2001), is the capital and largest city of the Indian state of West Bengal. It lies on the eastern bank of the Hooghly River, west of the border with Bangladesh. It is the primary ...

, Shafin was the youngest son of

Bangladeshi classical music Bangladeshis ( ) are the citizens and nationals of Bangladesh, a South Asian country centred on the transnational historical region of Bengal along the eponymous bay. Bangladeshi citizenship was formed in 1971, when the permanent residents ...

singer Kamal Dasgupta and Bangladeshi singer Firoza Begum. Their family was traditionally a musical family. He started his musical career at the age of 9. They moved to

Dhaka Dhaka ( or ; , ), List of renamed places in Bangladesh, formerly known as Dacca, is the capital city, capital and list of cities and towns in Bangladesh, largest city of Bangladesh. It is one of the list of largest cities, largest and list o ...

in the late 1960s. He was exposed to

rock and roll Rock and roll (often written as rock & roll, rock-n-roll, and rock 'n' roll) is a Genre (music), genre of popular music that evolved in the United States during the late 1940s and early 1950s. It Origins of rock and roll, originated from African ...

music in the late 1970s, when he went to London for higher education. He joined Miles in 1979, first as an acoustic guitarist, and later lead singer and bassist in 1991 when many of the past members had left and Miles reestablished themselves in the 1990s Bangla rock music scene.

Early life

Shafin was born in

Calcutta Kolkata, also known as Calcutta (List of renamed places in India#West Bengal, its official name until 2001), is the capital and largest city of the Indian States and union territories of India, state of West Bengal. It lies on the eastern ba ...

on 14 February 1961. He was the youngest son of famous musicians Kamal Dasgupta and Feroza Begum. They later moved to

. He began his musical career at the age of 9 by taking lessons about

Nazrul Sangeet Nazrul Sangeet (), also Nazrul Geeti (; ), refers to the songs written and composed by Kazi Nazrul Islam, who is the national poet of Bangladesh. Nazrul Geeti incorporate revolutionary notions as well as more spiritual, philosophical and roman ...

. He was exposed to Western musical influences since he studied in England, along with his elder brother, Hamin Ahmed. They then joined the band Miles which went on to become a leading musical group in Bangladesh.

Career

''Miles'' (1979–2021)

Shafin joined the pioneering rock band

in 1979 as acoustic guitarist along with his brother Hamin and later became the lead singer and bassist. He appeared on all of the albums of Miles and wrote and composed many of their top hits. In 2009, he left Miles over problems with the other members about the ownership of Miles. But, in 2013 he returned to the band and appeared on the ninth album ''প্রতিচ্ছবি (Reflections)''. He left Miles again in 2017 after having trouble with the members again but came back in late 2018 after resolving their issues. He announced in 2021 that he would be leaving the band for the third and final time.

''Rhythm of Life'' (2010–2014)

On 12 January 2010, Ahmed left Miles citing personal differences with the band. He formed a new band group – ''Rhythm of Life''. The other members who joined were – Wasiun (guitar), Shahin (guitar), Sumon (keyboard), Shams (bass guitar), Ujjal (percussion), and Rumi (drums). But Shafin disbanded the new group and returned to Miles at the end of the year.

Death

Ahmed died in Woodbridge,

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States between the East Coast of the United States ...

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

while undergoing treatment for heart and kidney failure, on 24 July 2024. He was 63.

Discography

Solo

* ''তোমাকেই (Only You)'' (1997) * ''পাগলা ঘন্টি (Mad Bell)'' (1998) * ''ছবি আর স্মৃতি (Images and the Memories)'' (1999) * ''Best of Shafin Ahmed'' (2001) * ''কতদিন দেখিনা তোমায় (Didn't See You For Many Days)'' (2006) * ''Virus'' (2006) * ''হারানো সুখ (Lost Happiness)'' (2007) * ''My Love Songs'' (2010)

Singles

* ''L.E.G.E.N.D'' (2017) * ''Oshomomapto'' (2020) * ''Dukhi Nogori'' (2020)

Band (Miles)

* ''A Step Further'' (1986) * ''প্রতিশ্রুতি (Promise)'' (1991) * ''প্রত্যাশা (Expectation)'' (1993) * ''প্রত্যয় (Belief)'' (1996) * ''প্রয়াস (Attempt)'' (1997) * ''"প্রবাহ (Flow)"'' (2000) * ''"প্রতিধ্বনি (Echoes)"'' (2006) * ''"প্রতিচ্ছবি (Reflections)"'' (2015) Extended Play * ''"প্রবর্তন (Induction)"'' (2016)

Film scores

* '' Warning'' (2015)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ahmed, Shafin 1961 births 2024 deaths 21st-century Bangladeshi male singers 21st-century Bangladeshi singers 20th-century Bangladeshi male singers 20th-century Bangladeshi singers Musicians from West Bengal Alumni of St. Joseph Higher Secondary School Deaths from multiple organ failure