Zeb and Haniya first Pakistani girl band to perform in India

Zeb and Haniya, Pakistan’s first all-female band, are touring Mumbai.

Zeb and Haniya's album Chup's cover

The duo from Kohat, Pakistan, who sing in Urdu with snatches of Pashto and Persian, will perform in India.

The first album of Zebunnisa Bangash and Haniya Aslam is Chup, that was released in 2008.

Haniya Aslam said, “Our visas expire in November, So despite being down with flu, we decided to come to India. I’ve been to Mumbai in the past but it is Zeb’s first visit.”

It would be interesting to see how the two fare in India. This will be the first time Pakistan female pop singers will perform in India, after Nazia Hassan, who became very popular in India, courtesy albums like Disco Deewane and the 1980 hit  Aap Jaisa Koi from the movie Qurbani.

But that was before Pakistani artistes were discouraged from performing in India. Nazia Hassan and brother Zoheb Hassan were probably more popular and influential in India than in Pakistan.

Now even Indian pop singers are struggling to find a footing in the music scene in India.

Talking about Nazia Hassan, Haniya was quoted as saying,  “We’ve heard her songs in our childhood. She managed to create an avant garde kind of  music for her time. If we manage only one quarter of what she did, we’ll be happy.’’

Haniya Aslam and Zebunissa Bangash are cousins. The two started playing together since they were six years old, but decided to take the plunge professionally when they were in college in the US.

The duo have won the Best Live Act Award at MTV Music Awards in 2009.