1. From the following albums, which record was produced by Mekaal Hasan?

A) Chup by Zeb and Haniya

B) Charkha by Rahat Fateh Ali Khan

C) Turbo by Talal Qureshi

D) Ronaq by Natasha Noorani

E) None of the above

2. From the following songs, which Ali Azmat song is about capitalism and not a love song as presumed by fans and critics?

A) ‘Garaj Baras’

B) ‘Ansoo’

C) ‘Ley Sambhal’

D) ‘Na Re Na’

3. From the following, which song is not by the acclaimed ‘90s music group, The Milestones?

A) ‘Aag’

B) ‘Jaan e Jan’

C) ‘Jadoo’

D) ‘Camera’

E) All of the above

4. Which artist stole the scene in 2022 with first their appearance on Coke Studio, and became the breakthrough artist of the year?

A) Zeb Bangash

B) Haniya Aslam

C) Tina Sani

D) Shae Gill

E) All of the above

Answers

1. E) None of the above, nah, we’re just messing with you. The right answer, obviously, is A) Chup by Zeb and Haniya. Zeb Bangash has openly said that without Mekaal Hasan’s professionalism and push, the iconic album might not have happened. To this day, both Zeb and Haniya remain proud of the record even though both of them are pursuing solo careers.

2. C) ‘Ley Sambhal’ from Ali Azmat’s second solo album, Klashinfolk, is not about a romantic relationship. It is about the relationship between capitalism and consumers and how we are entrapped by things that we don’t necessarily need but simply want, including and especially expensive branded products.

3. D) The Milestones, featuring Ziyyad Gulzar, Ali Tim and Candy Pereira, found critical and commercial acclaim with just two albums but they never released a song called ‘Camera’. A song by this name was first released by Nazia Hassan from her 1992 album of the same name, though.

4. D) If it isn’t obvious, then let us reassure you and confirm that Shae Gill became the breakthrough artist in 2022 when she sang ‘Pasoori’ with Ali Sethi on the 14th season of the music series. Coke Studio Pakistan didn’t come back last year and is, according to sources, waiting to return. However, since her debut, Shae Gill has sung a series of high-profile songs including the Pakistan Super League anthem for its eighth season, ‘Sab Sitaray Humaray’ with co-singer Asim Azhar and the slickest rapper in town, Faris Shafi. They also performed the single, which was produced by the prodigious Abdullah Siddiqui at the opening ceremony.