Each season of Pakistan Super League - a Twenty20 cricket tournament featuring a blend of seasonal, emerging, and international cricketers brings with it an anthem, as well as songs from the teams in many instances. With the sixth PSL season resuming in the U.A.E. in 2021, with the smashing ‘Groove Mera’ behind it as well as team anthems; a new but similar initiative has emerged.

Titled Kashmir Premier League (KPL), it is meant to be a platform that will highlight the talent of Kashmir above all else, as well as “uplift the spirits of the people” in these uncertain times. With the involvement of several Pakistani cricket players, the announcement first made its mark with an Azadi anthem.

This is where things get interesting in terms of what it presents. With music composed by Kamran Akhtar, choreography by Pappu Samrat and the music video directed by Shaan Shahid, it is a smorgasbord of celebrity appearances that go way beyond beloved cricketers like Pakistani cricket star Shahid Afridi.

The song’s a typical Rahat Fateh Ali Khan song, and quite unlike songs that have pushed the envelope such as ‘Groove Mera’ and ‘Kingdom’ (Peshawar Zalmi anthem for 2021).

However, it does consist of a massive star cast that comprises Shaan Shahid, Nadeem Baig, Mehwish Hayat, Iman Ali, Fiza Ali, Juggan Kazim, Ayesha Omar, Sahiba, Jan Rambo, Gul Panra, and Neelam Munir. In addition, it also includes sportspersons such as Shahid Afridi, Wasim Akram, Imran Nazir, Jahangir Khan, sports anchor Mirza Iqbal Baig, wrestlers Inam Butt & Shafique Chisti, Samiullah, and Muhammad Waseem Boxer.

The effort is certainly there and though Shahid Khan Afridi steals the show, what we’d like to know most is why Wasim Akram is trying to channel a rapper from the ‘90s. Expanding his repertoire with an upcoming acting project, he is dressed in a baseball cap, a red hoodie and sporting gold chains as if he transported straight out of Compton, LA. Check out the music video to see for yourself. As for the single if you’re a fan of RFAK’s vocals, it’s definitely for you. Otherwise, not so much.

Asim Azhar forms a music group

With Strings no longer a music group and Noori on a hiatus, the space for a mainstream music group is wide-open. Bands such as Auj, Tamaasha, Kashmir, Bayaan, Mekaal Hasan Band, The Sketches, Mughal-e-Funk, Rushk, Chand Tara Orchestra, Poor Rich Boy and Janoobi Khargosh are just some names who have the musical goods.

However, in terms of sheer popularity, Asim Azhar does eclipse many – if not all of them. So, it isn’t surprising that the former solo artist has formed a music group called the Asim Azhar Band. Announcing the news on social media, Asim later revealed that the newest person to join his band is former Strings and Coke Studio drummer, Aahad Nayani.

Apart from Aahad, the Asim Azhar Band includes veteran bass player Kamran ‘Mannu’ Zafar as well who was attached to Coke Studio since it first began and was previously a bass player for Ali Azmat. With ‘Mannu’ and ‘Aahad Niyani’, Asim has nabbed two very seasoned and talented session players. The bigger question - at the moment - is whether these significant developments will change Asim Azhar’s sound, both in the studio and as a live performer or not.

Talal Qureshi, Maanu, Hasan Raheem join forces for ‘Sweetu’

Singer, composer and music producer Talal Qureshi is one of the flag bearers of electronic music and has been for years. He consistently releases music while collaborating with a range of artists including Natasha Noorani, Adil Omar and Faris Shafi. In recent months, he has also worked with the likes of Maanu and Hasan Raheem - two emerging artists offering enormous talent and new dimensions to the music ecosystem. With that in mind, our eye was caught by the trio coming together for a new song called ‘Sweetu’.

All three artists have written, composed and performed the single, which is accompanied by a music video. Talal has also produced the track. The track, comprised of multiple languages, shows just how talented these artists are as they mix rap, soul and electronic. The lyrical wordplay speaks of being intoxicated, relationship gone toxic to the very clever diss to those who expect artists to give their songs for free. “Ab sab ko doon mein hit pe hit aakhir free kyun? Set against rugged mountains and opening with the trio walking across a beautiful, empty road, it touches upon many subjects and also shows strong camaraderie between Talal, Maanu and Hasan. Though the artists have collaborated in some form before, the three coming together is a first-timer. ‘Sweetu’ is yet another single that is an example of electronic music dimensions and clears up the notion that it’s all about EDM. Highly recommended!