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Hadiqa Kiani (born 11 August 1972) is a Pakistani singer, songwriter, guitarist, actress, and social worker. She has won many national and international awards. Hadiqa has also performed at famous places like the Royal Albert Hall in the UK and The Kennedy Center in the USA. Along with Urdu and Punjabi, she has also sung songs in various local and international languages.
While studying at Viqar-un-Nisa Noon Girls High School, Kiani represented Pakistan at international children festivals in Turkey, Jordan, Bulgaria, and Greece, winning various medals. Kiani was also a part of Sohail Rana's children's program Rang Barangi Dunya, a weekly musical on PTV.
As an eighth grader, Kiani moved from her birthplace Rawalpindi to Lahore, where she continued her classical training by Ustad Faiz Ahmed Khan and Wajid Ali Nashad. Kiani went on to graduate with a bachelor's degree in psychology from Kinnaird College for Women University and her Masters in Psychology from the Government College University in Lahore.
In the early 1990s, Kiani hosted a children's TV 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 the music composer Amjad Bobby and then with music composer Khalil Ahmed. Owing to the 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, Naheed Akhtar, and Mehnaz. Kiani also appeared as a VJ for a music charts program called Video Junction on NTM.
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 (a program with an estimated viewership 16.6 million at that time). Afterwards she worked on two more shows with Bally Sagoo 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, Michael Learns to Rock, All 4 One and The Brand New Heavies, an event to celebrate Hong Kong's freedom from the United Kingdom.
By the end of the year she became the first Asian female singer ever to be signed by Pepsi Cola International.
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 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".
Capitalizing on "Dupatta's" success, Kiani went on to release two other moderate hits, "Roshni", and "Woh Kaun Hai". Her sixth single of 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. It was filmed in the Barood Khana Haveli, Lahore Back in 1998. It is one of the most famous nostalgic song of all time. Its melody and lyrics reflect love, patience, and longing, with a hopeful desire to find love in the end—no matter the cost—through prayers to the Almighty.
Roshni sold over a million copies in Pakistan alone, certifying it as "Platinum". 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 for celebrity endorsement of Lipton in 2001. In 2002, she was signed again by Unilever for Sunsilk Shampoo after the results of Unilever's national survey to find the "Most Popular Woman of Pakistan".
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" covered Kiani's self composed "Jogi Bun Kay Aa" on a leading Indian television show.
Prior to the release of the album, Kiani and Aamir Zaki 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" patient in a Pakistani mental hospital received a great response.
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.
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 Pashto 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, 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 Pashtuns 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 Pashto community in Pakistan while, what many say, cementing the song as a national treasure
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.
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 and the 2006 "Aas Pass" with Atif Aslam.
In May 2012, Kiani appeared on the 5th season of Rohail Hyatt's Coke Studio. 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, on the Hum TV drama "Udaari." The title track of the drama was sung by Kiani, featuring Farhan Saeed and production by Sahir Ali Bagga. The title track topped the music charts while the drama was critically acclaimed and an instant hit for viewers. The drama was a first for Pakistani television, tackling the taboo issues of sexual abuse and women's rights in the conservative country. It was faced with a notice from PEMRA, for the portrayal of "unethical" scenes.
In 2018, Kiani joined the cast of for the title song . The animated film was produced and directed by Pakistan's first Academy Awards winner Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy.
In 2023, Kiani released a cover of Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan's classic qawwali "Jani Door Gaye". The track was widely praised for its emotional depth and Kiani's powerful vocals.
| 2011 !scope="row" | Bol | Herself | Special appearance in the song "Hona Tha Pyaar" with Atif Aslam |
| 2012 !scope="row" | Sur Kshetra | Jury member | Guest |
| 2013–2014 !scope="row" | Pakistan Idol | Judge | |
| 2016 !scope="row" | Udaari | as a Judge of competition | Special appearance |
| 2019–20 !scope="row" | Aap Kay Sitaray | Host | Talk show |
| 2021 !scope="row" | Raqeeb Se | Sakina | Lead |
| 2021–22 !scope="row" | Dobaara | Mehrunnisa | Lead |
| 2022 !scope="row" | Pinjra | Khadija | Lead |
| 2023 !scope="row" | Hadsa | Taskeen | Lead |
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, U.A.E, Iran, Qatar, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Egypt, Sudan, Syria, Saudi Arabia, Tanzania, Turkey, Pakistan and Yemen 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 Iran, Syria, Qatar and Lebanon. 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, Laura Bush on 21 September 2006 at The Kennedy Center, in Washington, D.C. She closed the year by performing for Prince Charles of the United Kingdom and Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall 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 in Jordan for 28 Heads of States at the World Economic Forum 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 performed the first day. Among Kiani's setlist for the night was the Arabic song titled "Ah W Nos" by Nancy Ajram 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, London which was broadcast by Geo TV 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 Ali Zafar.
Kiani has continued performing throughout Pakistan for various companies, including Pepsi and Samsung. 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, 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 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."
In August 2010, Kiani and her siblings worked with local Pakistanis along with the Pakistan Army to provide clothing, water, food and Structure to the flood victims of Pakistan following the devastating 2010 Pakistan floods. Kiani also appeared in Geo Tv's telethon "Pukaar" along with Celebrity Ali Zafar to appeal for donations. In collaboration with Pakistan Army, Kiani made visits to Multan Relief Camp, Basti Kalraywala, Muzaffarabad and other flood hit areas, personally distributing goods to the affectees.
On 8 November 2010, Kiani was appointed United Nations Development Programme Goodwill ambassador after being recognized for her individual philanthropic efforts. Hadiqa, becomes UNDP goodwill envoys Following being appointed, Kiani continued to construct housing facilities in Nowshera, 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 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, Reham Khan and various other women who had achieved success in their respective fields including Muniba Mazari 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. She has also campaigned and been the ambassador for Shaukat Khanum, Oxfam International, and since 2010 the United Nations.
In November 2015 it was announced that Kiani would speak at TEDXKinnaird on the role of women in Pakistani society.
After taking a stance with the award-winning project, Udaari 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 to introduce socially responsible initiatives in Pakistan regarding early childhood development.
In August 2022, Kiani launched her project titled Vaseela-e-Raah to aid victims of the 2022 Pakistan floods in Balochistan and in South Punjab. Kiani led her humanitarian efforts through the flood relief campaign and provided food, tents and medical supplies including anti-snake venoms in flood-affected areas. The campaign's social media updated the list of items needed for flood relief efforts, including waterproof tents, charpai (beds), and mosquito nets as half a million people in Pakistan were homeless by the floods impact. According to Gulf News, Kiani sent dozens of trucks with supplies to the impacted regions, supplies that were collected and packaged by Hadiqa and her team based in Lahore.
Kiani continued visiting the affected regions in the provinces of Balochistan and Punjab providing comfort and relief to the victims of climate disaster. "I am doing this as a Pakistani citizen, not as a politician, not for votes or anything else. This is my civic duty, this is your civic duty. Do your part" she stressed.
By 1 March 2023, Kiani had completed the construction of 100 homes, one maternity center, one primary school and one grocery store in Tamboo Tehsil, Naseerabad district, Balochistan.
28 September 2023, Kiani shared via social media that she had completed the construction of 370 homes, 2 mosques, 1 maternity center and 1 grocery store in the Tamboo and Kundi village districts of the flood effected regions of Naseerabad, Balochistan. Surpassing Kiani's original goal of 200 homes. In the same post, Kiani announced that all funds from the campaign were utilized with transparency and the campaign is no longer accepting any donations. As of September 2023, Kiani is advocating for clean water plants and solar panels for sustainable recovery in the region.
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 Hum TV. DAWN Images wrote that the drama was an "attempt at redefining the 'leading lady' in Pakistani dramas". The drama received critical 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 titled "Pinjra." The script was the last script written by Asma Nabeel who lost her life to breast cancer in early 2021. The drama is produced by Shazia Wajahat and Wajahat Rauf and was on-aired in 2022.
Her most recent drama titled " Hadsa" (2023) follows the story of an unfortunate yet strong woman named Taskeen who was living a happy life until a sudden tragedy hit her life. The broadcasting of this drama on Geo TV got halted due to some controversies surrounding the drama but the ban lifted afterwards and it is currently being on-aired on Geo TV again.
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 Academy Award winner Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy, Malala Yousafzai, 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 "Pop Queen" of Pakistan debuted herself as a Qawwali 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, Mindy Kaling and Atif Aslam.
In May 2022, Kiani was honoured by the global music streaming platform Spotify with a digital billboard in Times Square 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."
In 2023, Kiani made Dawn Images' 'IT LIST' for her contributions to music, television and philanthropy.
Kiani continues to serve as a role model for young women in Pakistan, artists Arooj Aftab,Shae Gill and Momina Mustehsan have cited Kiani as an inspiration for their musical ambitions and praised her artistry.
In December 2024, Hadiqa Kiani was included on the BBC's 100 Women list. The list recognized 100 women BBC deemed "inspiring and influential" from around the world. Kiani was included for her contributions to pop music and her dedication to philanthropic efforts during the 2022 floods.
| Nigar Awards | |||
| 1995 | Best Playback Singer | Sargam | |
| Waheed Murad Award | |||
| 1995 | Best New Talent | – | |
| Best Singer (Female) T.V. | – | ||
| NTM Awards | |||
| 1995 | Best Female Singer by Viewers' Choice | Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan awarded "Best Male Singer" at same show. | |
| Pakistan Music Industry Awards | |||
| 1996 | Best Female Singer | – | |
| Best Selling Album | "Raaz" | ||
| PTV Awards | |||
| 2000 | Best Female Singer | – | |
| 2010 | – | Honoured for contributions to PTV Global and to Pakistani music | Honoured |
| Indus Music Awards | |||
| 2004 | Best Female Singer | – | |
| 2005 | Best Female Singer | – | |
| Women's Excellence Awards | |||
| 2005 | Excellence in Pop & Light Music | – | |
| Government of Pakistan | |||
| 2006 | Tamgha-e-Imtiaz (Medal of Distinction) | – | Awarded |
| The Musik Awards | |||
| 2008 | Best English Song | "Living This Lie" feat. Aamir Zaki | |
| Most Wanted Female | – | ||
| Aag TV | |||
| 2009 | Artist of the Month | – | |
| Pakistan Style Awards | |||
| 2010 | Stylish Singer Female | – | |
| MTV Pakistan Awards | |||
| 2009 | Best Video | "Iss Baar Milo" (Awarded to Director, Jami) | |
| 2012 | Best Music Act | – | |
| Best Song of the Year | "Dil Janiya" from Shoaib Mansoor's "Bol" | ||
| TV ONE | |||
| 2009 | Best Female Singer | – | |
| Brit Asia Music Awards | |||
| 2010 | Best Female Act | – | |
| Best International Act | – | ||
| Indus Style Awards | |||
| 2010 | Most Innovative Singer | – | |
| Most Stylish Female Pop Singer | – | ||
| Lux Style Awards | |||
| 2002 | Best Live Act | N/A | |
| 2012 | Song of the Year | "Hona Tha Pyar" feat. Atif Aslam | |
| Best Original Soundtrack | "Bol" Soundtrack | ||
| 2017 | Best Original Soundtrack | Udaari (Hum TV) | |
| 2018 | Album of the Year | "WAJD" | |
| 2022 | Best Emerging Talent - Critics Choice | Raqeeb Se | |
| 2022 | Best TV Actress - Critics' Choice | Raqeeb Se | |
| 2023 | Best TV Actress - Critics' Choice | Dobara (TV Series) | |
| Big Apple Music Awards | |||
| 2014 | Best Female Singer of Pakistan | – | |
| 2015 | Best Female Singer of Pakistan | – | |
| Most Popular Female Singer (International) | First Pakistani singer to ever be nominated in this category. | ||
| 2016 | Best Female Singer of Pakistan | ||
| Pakistan Media Awards | |||
| 2010 | Best Female Singer | – | |
| 2014 | Best Drama Original Soundtrack | "Zindagi Gulzar Hai" | |
| HUM Awards | |||
| 2013 | Best Solo Artist | ||
| 2014 | Best Original Soundtrack | "Zindagi Gulzar Hai" | |
| 2017 | Best Original Soundtrack | Sajna ve Sajna – Udaari | |
| 2022 | Best New Sensation (Female) | Raqeeb Se | |
| International Dynamic Women's Day Award | |||
| 2015 | The Dynamic Award | – | |
| Daily Times Pakistan | |||
| 2015 | Pride of Pakistan | – | Awarded |
| Hum Style Awards | |||
| 2018 | Most Stylish Performer – Female | – | |
| IDEAS Pakistan | |||
| 2018 | Icon Singer of the Year | – | |
| International Shaan-e-Pakistan Music Awards (SEPMA) | |||
| 2020 | Best TVC | – | |
| Hello! Pakistan Annual Awards | |||
| 2021 | Acting Debut Award (Female) | Awarded for role as Sakina in Raqeeb Se | |
| Eastern Eye | |||
| 2021 | Top Global 50 Asian Celebrities | Placed number 30. | Awarded |
| 2022 | Top Global 50 Asian Celebrities | Placed number 40. | Awarded |
| 2023 | Top Global 50 Asian Celebrities | Placed number 38. | Awarded |
| Government College University | |||
| 2022 | Lifetime Achievement Award | Recognized for contributions to music and philanthropy. | Awarded |
| People's Choice Awards 2023 | |||
| 2023 | Best Female Singer | For song Jani Door Gaye | |
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