It’s hard to miss this latest romantic number by Asim Azhar. It’s playing everywhere — in cafes, on the radio, at events and anywhere where a group of people (at least in their 20s) are gathered. Habibi, a song about both forgiveness and longing, which Asim Azhar also debuted during a recent tour of the UAE, has already garnered over eight million views on YouTube and 1.56 million plays on Spotify within the span of just over a month.

A self-made, independent artist, who started out posting covers of English language tracks online about roughly half a decade ago, Asim Azhar is now a household name and enjoys an audience that spans across South Asia and the South Asian diaspora abroad. Among his other popular releases and collaborations, his duet with Momina Mustehsan on Tera Woh Pyaar when it was remade (the original was released as a single in 2004 by Shuja Haider) for Coke Studio Season 9 in 2016, remains my absolute favourite.

On his latest romantic pop ditty, speaking to the press in Dubai, singer-songwriter describes that Habibi is about “How ego should not get in between two people who are in love.” Sound advice indeed.

With millions of plays on media platforms online, Habibi is Asim Azhar’s latest and most popular love ditty so far

This electropop number opens up with a gentle guitar riff that sets the mellow tone of the song from the start. Asim Azhar croons verses softly meant to win over a disgruntled lover, cajoling her and convincing her that she’s truly is the love of his life. There’s an intimacy in the way he’s singing as if it’s just for the person who’s listening.

This bilingual English-Urdu number is easy to sing along to, simple lyrics that appeal to our most surface-level emotions. And perhaps that’s why he’s also popular — his music is easy on the ears. Plus, who doesn’t fight with the object of their love and attention? Habibi is the perfect song to play and win them back. If they are in their mid-20s or younger, that is.

Most of Asim Azhar’s songs are love ditties that barely scratch below the surface, but they work. They speak to this newer generation in the electropop language they understand. He creates simple but catchy tunes with lyrics that are relatively easy to sing along to. And with most of his songs, there’s a rhythm you can dance along to. He could very well be the Drake of Pakistani pop music — he fits the cliché — you listen to him when you’re secretly out on a date!

Unlike rock or rap artists, Asim Azhar’s music isn’t angsty in the least. It’s light, preppy, happy. Like a much-needed easy pick-me-up after a hard day’s work. In these hard times — inflation, pandemic, climate change, all signs pointing to mankind’s imminent extinction… we could use art that helps us escape our very scary present.

Published in Dawn, ICON, August 28th, 2022