PESHAWAR: Noted Pashto folk artist Mehnaz alias Gul Panra has received widespread popularity for releasing Punjabi song ‘Dil Diyan Gallan’ (talks of the heart) earlier sung by famous singer Atif Aslam.

The Peshawar born 28-year-old, Gul Panra, has recently released a video on Instagram redoing a popular Punjabi song sung by Atif Aslam.

She shot to fame when ‘Za lalparee yem’ (I am a fairy), her maiden Pashto song was released in 2011 while her first album ‘Zama Ghazal’ proved a record breaker on Pashto albums charts. Since her career launch in music she has become the most sought after artist for film, stage and private radios and TV channels.

Gul Panra, a melodic Pashto folk singer had sung a Persian duet ‘Man Amadeh Am’ (I have come to you) with Atif Aslam in season eight of ‘Coke Studio’ released in August 2015 and had garnered her great appreciation from her fans and audience in Afghanistan.

Gul Panra has good command over English, Urdu, and Persian in addition to Pashto and even sang numbers in different lingos. Her debut song in Punjabi gave her yet another boost.

The artist has rated ‘Dil Diyan Gallan’ as one of her favourite songs that she redid live on stage at an unspecified event. Dil Diyan Gallan’ was one of my favourite songs, she captioned on her Instagram account.

“My dream was to reach out to large audience through my multiple talents and a penchant for singing in different languages and it came true as I won over hearts of fans across the country. I have received an overwhelming response from my fans in Punjab and also other parts of the globe. I love this song because it reflects true feelings and its composition is also quite melodic,” she told Dawn.

Despite being very selective, Gul Panra gets instant popularity on releasing every number and has mastery over both traditional and modern music. She said that flavour of poetry in any language forced her to sing it adding that folk, modern and light ghazal carrying substance could spellbind her.

“I learn from my seniors and also spend time to sing something different, unique and pleasant. I love traditional touch and content loaded with pure elegance of flavour,” the singer stated.

Rahim Dil Sati, a music-buff, while sharing his views said that Gul Panra distanced herself from public appearances but her velvety voice ruled over hearts of audiences.

He said she maintained quality in singing numbers since her first launch and never compromised on quality stuff.

“Gul Panra enjoys respect and good reputation for being a singer who recognises the sanctity of words. Her educational background helped her a lot,” Mr Sati commented.

Talking about her recent experience, Gul Panra said that redoing the Punjabi song was quite unique adding that her voice was a perfect match with the content because the harmony, rhythm and feelings matched her own. “It was really a nice moment for me. The response from my fans was no surprise. However, it was stunning,” the artist maintained.

Published in Dawn, December 28th, 2019