Yollay - Junoon Comeback Tour - Dallas 2019

Salman Ahmad
Music
Salman Ahmad, one of South Asias most influential cultural figures, is a musician, physician and United Nations goodwill ambassador. With his wife, Samina, he launched an NGO called the Salman & Samina Global Wellness Initiative, focused on interfaith and cross-cultural dialogue, global health and wellness, and music education. Ahmad popularized a blend of Western rock music and Eastern/Islamic music that has been called Sufi rock and that has been hailed as a cultural bridge within South Asia and between the East and West. Born in Lahore, Pakistan, Ahmad spent his teenage years in New York before returning to Lahore to train as a medical doctor. Turning then to his true passion of music, Ahmad founded South Asias biggest rock band, Junoon, in 1990. The band faced death threats and harassment from religious extremists and government forces in its early years, but Junoons sweeping melodies, bhangra rock rhythms and driving guitars led it to become known as the U2 of South Asia. Junoon has sold over 25 million albums worldwide and has shared the stage with artists such as Melissa Etheridge, Alicia Keys, Sting, Earth Wind and Fire, and Wyclef Jean. Ahmad has recently co-written and recorded a song with academy award winning artist Melissa Etheridge called Ring the Bells. Ahmad led Junoon in a 2001 performance at the U.N. General Assembly Hallthe first such rock performance in that hall. In 2007 Junoon performed at the Nobel Peace Prize ceremony in Oslo. The group defied death threats from militants to perform in 2008 in the valley of Kashmir the first rock concert to be held in Srinagar. Jon Pareles of the New York Times has described Junoon as South Asias answer to Santana, and the Wall Street Journal called Junoons eclectic music a powerful combination of Led Zeppelin and traditional South Asian percussion like tabla and dholak. Ahmad has written a memoir for Simon and Schuster titled Rock and Roll Jihad (scheduled for publication in early 2010) and has written commentaries for the Washington Posts On Faith website. He is also a member of the Brookings institutes US-Islamic arts & culture panel for public diplomacy. Ahmad has appeared on major television networks such as CNN, FOX, ABC, NBC, AL-Jazeera and AL-Arabiya and has been the subject of two documentary films: The Rockstar and the Mullahs and Its My Country Too for PBS/Wide Angle and the BBC. Hollywood actress Susan Sarandon also presented a documentary on Junoon for VH1 titled, Islamabad: Rock City. Ahmad is also a professor at Queens college (CUNY) where he teaches music and poetry from Muslim culture. He received an honorary doctorate from the Claremont Graduate University in 2009.

Ali Azmat
Music
My guitar, my bike and my fans without them Im not me. This single quote defines the whole life circle of Ali Azmat without whom Pakistani music industry would not be standing where it is now. The rock chapter could easily go unnoticed have it not carried the brilliance of Ali. His innovative and daring infusions of rock with sufi music of the South Asia has given a whole new dimension to music. Ali is an international icon, a global identity, and world ambassador for music and peace. Pakistani music industry can never be written without a complete section dedicated to Ali Azmat. Ali Azmat has set his marks and reached unprecedented recognition in international arena. Ali stepped in Pakistani music arena when there was very little media penetration in the masses. Most of the singers who chose to pick up pop music, preferred to go solo. And they are treated as icons themselves. Ali bravely took up the challenge and used his originality to make his presence felt. Started with one of the first rock/pop bands of the country, Jupiters, Ali gave the music industry the ever green song, Dosti. In 1990, Ali started the most famous and accredited band of South Asia, Junoon, as lead vocalist. This was the actual start of legendary career of Ali. The music produced by Junoon marked a new chapter in the music industry. It was a beautiful and mesmerizing blend of rock and sufi music. Junoon also produced a few hits based on socio-political issue of the country. Over a decade, Junoon produced around 20 albums. For which 20 million copies were sold worldwide. In 1999, Junoon won the Best International Group award at the Channel [V] Music Awards in New Delhi. In 2001 Ali appeared in the VH1 News Special Islamabad Rock City, a rockumentary on Junoon hosted by Susan Sarandon. In October 2001, he sang it again, this time on the floor of the United Nations General Assembly with an Indian band. The New York, Times and the Village Voice among others wrote rave reviews of his performance, the only rock concert ever held at the UN. In 2002, Ali was nominated for an Emmy award. Untitled In 2003, Ali detached himself from Junoon to establish himself as solo singer. His first solo album Social Circus was released in March 2005. Social Circus gained a titanic triumph as it won 13 awards in Pakistan including Best album, Best producer, Best single for Na re Na, and best new video. His second album Klashinfolk hit the markets in August 2008 with Gallan being the first video to come out of the album followed by Tanha Hai Kyun and Tera Mera Milan.Since he parted ways from Junoon, the phenomenon that got Pakistan recognition on the international platform, Ali Azmat has been the centre of much speculation; however, Social Circus shines through all the supposed dents that many have tried to create in his career. It brings out the true artist in Ali Azmat, and sheds light on his music from angles which were previously unexplored. It is an honest compilation, which aims at stirring up every emotion, resurfacing every feeling, in people who have faith in art and music. Ali Azmat showers his charisma on the stage with his hypnotizing performances and quintessential emotional involvement in every second of his live singing; one of the many reasons that have kept his fans faithful to his music. His live performances have been an artistic delight which penetrated the venues on national and international stage. Adventurous by nature, Ali has toured extensively, doing two North American tours a year since 1992. He has performed in Europe, the Middle East and China and at the renowned European rock festival, Roskilde in June 2000, where Pearl Jam, Iron Maiden and Travis performed, among others. In 2003, he appeared live at the Royal Albert Hall. He stands now as a true international celebrity. On the South Asian media scene Alis new group was awarded best band by IM (Indus Music) in 2004 and later an award for promoting peace through his music at the ARY Bollywood awards in Dubai. In India, Ali was also nominated for Best Sound Track and Best Song for his single Garaj Baras for the Indian hit Paap by Pooja Bhatt at the Sahara Awards London. At the 2012 the IM Music Video Awards, Alis song Na re na won the awards for Best Video, Best Costume and Best Art Direction while Deewana won the award for Best Animation. His charismatic and successful career has earned him close affiliation with brands such as Walls, Paktel, McDonalds and Sony Ericsson, with successful ad campaigns that have explored a new spectrum of Ali Azmats various glorified definitions of art. When speaking of his aesthetic capacities, one cannot go without saying anything about his acting career as well, weve seen this multi-talented artist do a job well done in his dramas and his music videos. There are two types of successful people in the world; those who thrive for success on the basis of their talent; and those who work hard to achieve success in life. And then there is Ali Azmat! He was a naturally talented boy who worked his way up to the high notes in his life. The circumstances he has faced would not allowed him to settle for either talent or hard work. He is best as solo because nobody can match up to his standards. His norms, his style, his attitude are purely his. Ali Azmat is one of the persons, whose life is filled with struggles, dares, innovations and rewards to those struggles. This multidimensional artist has been called the Bono of Pakistan by MTV and has been christened Asias answer to Santana and U2 of South Asia by the New York Times. Today Ali Azmat is an iconic rock singer mark of excellence and distinction in global music industry. He is now reinventing the South Asian music arena, exhilarating audiences everywhere with his fervent and trademark poetic fusion of east/west musical traditions.

Brian O’Connell
Music
Brian O'Connell is an American multi-instrumentalist, composer, arranger, record producer and actor. Best known as the bassist and producer for Pakistani sufi rock band Junoon, O'Connell has since gained respect as both a musician and a producer in the Pakistani music industry.[who?] O'Connell and Salman Ahmad were friends with one another since high school. O'Connell joined Junoon when keyboardist, Nusrat Hussain, left the band and Salman Ahmad contacted and invited him to play bass on the band's second album, Talaash. He is known for harmonizing the western 5-string bass riffs with the traditional tabla and drums. After the release of the band's seventh studio album, Dewaar, O'Connell went back to his native land the United States. Since his departure, Pakistani musician Mekaal Hasan and the band's producer John Alec have been playing bass guitar for live shows. He was married to Pakistani actress and model Ayeshah Alam. Recently, he is currently residing in New York and play live concerts with former Junoon band member, Ali Azmat, that are held in the United States.

Junoon Comeback Tour - Dallas 2019

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