Ali Azmat

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Ali Azmat is a popular Pakistani singer-songwriter, musician, and actor, who is known for being the lead singer of the influential Sufi Rock band Junoon. Junoon is known for the chartbuster songs ‘Sayonee’ from the album Azadi (1997) and ‘Ehtesaab’ from Kashmakash (1995).His paternal grandfather worked as a station master at the Havelian Railway Station. Later, his family relocated to Peshawar when his grandfather was posted there. Around 1972-73, his family moved to Lahore, where he grew up in the neighbourhoods of Muhammad Nagar and Garhi Shahu. Meanwhile, his maternal grandmother resided at Nisbat Road, Lahore.In an interview, he revealed that he attended a government school.Growing up in a notorious environment in Lahore, Ali was a mischievous child who was often suspended from school and college. In an interview, he said that he frequently used to engage in quarrels and was beaten up; therefore, he started carrying weapons to college.He recognised his musical instincts listening to the rock band Pink Floyd when he was in Class 10.His passion for music soon drove him from Lahore to Karachi.In 1988, he began his musical journey when he joined the Pakistani music band Jupiters. Tanvir Tafu, a guitarist of Jupiters, recognised Ali’s three-octave vocal range when he sang a song by a band called Aha. At the age of 16, he started performing gigs with Jupiters as a singer in Lahore.While talking about the initial days of his career in an interview he said that he was paid Rs 500 for performing with local bands in schools, colleges, and private events. Out of Rs 500, he would spend Rs 50 to eat Egg paratha and save the remaining amount. He also made some money by purchasing flea market goods and selling them at higher rates to his friends. Eventually, he saved up enough to buy his first bike for Rs 30,000. Unaware of the money he earned from gigs, his friends and family thought he was a robber when he first purchased a bike. While recalling the same, he said, Aside from my initial earning from Jupiters, I also purchased products from flea markets and sold them to my rich friends. When I handed the profit to my mother she thought that I had started robbing as well.”.Once, in an interview, he revealed that at the beginning his relatives forbade him from visiting their homes saying that singing wasn’t a respectable pursuit.Jupiters participated in a competition held at Alhamra Art Center, Lahore, where Ali’s parents saw him performing for the first time. Until then, his parents did not support his career choice. Jupiters came first and won a cash prize of Rs. 10,000 in the competition. That’s when his parents came on board.