Junaid Jamshed, pop pioneer turned preacher, dead at 52­­­­­­­­­­

AFP, ISLAMABAD: Junaid Jamshed, a pioneer of Pakistani pop who renounced music to become a Muslim evangelist and started one of the country’s most successful clothing boutiques was among 47 people killed in a plane crash Wednesday.
He died alongside his second wife, Nahya, and is survived by his first wife Ayesha as well as four children.
Born in Karachi on September 3, 1964, he shot to fame in the late 1980s as lead singer of the boy-band “Vital Signs”, where his dashing looks and brooding vocals made him a style icon and heartthrob for a generation emerging from the harsh Islamist rule of military dictator Zia-ul-Haq.
The band’s fusion of Western guitar-driven pop set to traditional Tabla beats inspired the creation of a new genre—Sufi Rock—that is hugely popular throughout South Asia today.
Their greatest hit, “Dil Dil Pakistan”, an upbeat ode to the homeland with a synthesizer-heavy 1980s sound, remains an unofficial national anthem.

Junaid Jamshed, pop pioneer turned preacher, dead at 52­­­­­­­­­­

AFP, ISLAMABAD: Junaid Jamshed, a pioneer of Pakistani pop who renounced music to become a Muslim evangelist and started one of the countrys most successful clothing boutiques was among 47 people killed in a plane crash Wednesday. He died alongside his second wife, Nahya, and is survived by his first wife Ayesha as well as fourchildren. Born in Karachi on September 3, 1964, he shot to fame in the late 1980s as lead singer of the boy-band Vital Signs, where his dashing looks and brooding vocals made him a style icon and heartthrob for a generation emerging from the harsh Islamist rule of military dictator Zia-ul-Haq. The bands fusion of Western guitar-driven pop set to traditional Tabla beats inspired the creation of a new genreSufi Rockthat is hugely popular throughout South Asia today. Their greatest hit, Dil Dil Pakistan, an upbeat ode to the homeland with a synthesizer-heavy 1980s sound, remains an unofficial national anthem.