Nayyara Noor

( Nov 03 1950 - Aug 20 2022 )

Other Detail

Achievements

Nayyara Noor (3 November 1950 – 20 August 2022) was a Pakistani playback singer, considered one of subcontinent's most popular singers. She was known for performing in live ghazal singing concerts in Pakistani TV shows and in concert halls around the country. Nayyara Noor was born on 3 November 1950 in Guwahati, Assam. Her family and ancestors belonged to a merchant class. Her father was an active member of the All-India Muslim League, and had hosted Pakistan's founding father Muhammad Ali Jinnah during his trip to Assam before the partition in 1947. In 1957 or 1958, Noor with her mother and siblings migrated from India to Pakistan, settling in Karachi. However, her father stayed back in Assam until 1993 to look after the family's immovable properties. As a child, Nayyara is said to have been inspired by the bhajans of Kanan Devi and Kamla as well as the ghazals and thumris of Begum Akhtar. Although Nayyara had no formal musical background nor formal training, she was discovered by Professor Asrar Ahmad at the Islamia College in Lahore after hearing her sing for her friends and teachers at an annual dinner at the National College of Arts in Lahore in 1968. Soon thereafter, she was asked to sing for the university's Radio Pakistan programs. In 1971, Nayyara made her public singing debut in Pakistani television serials and then beginning with films like Gharana (1973) and Tansen. She has since sung ghazals penned by the famous poets like Ghalib and Faiz Ahmed Faiz and has performed with legends like Mehdi Hassan and Ahmed Rushdi. She was married to Shehryar Zaidi. Her younger son Jaffer Zaidi is the lead vocalist of Kaavish music band, while the elder son Naad-e-Ali has started his debut as a solo singer. She died on 20 August 2022 in Karachi after a brief illness at the age of 71.

Profession

Playback singer

Address

Guwahati, Assam.