Haroon Bacha
Haroon Bacha (born July 27, 1972) is a musician who sings mostly in Pashto and Urdu languages.[1] Since starting his professional career in 1992, he has released 50 albums.[2]
Haroon Bacha | |
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حارون باچا | |
Haroon Bacha performing at AVT Khyber's "Sparle Suroona" in Peshawar in 2017. | |
Born | |
Nationality | Pakistani & American |
Education | Master's degree in social work at University of Peshawar, 1994 |
Occupation |
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Years active | 1992–present |
Employer | Mashaal Radio |
Home town | Panjpir, Swabi, Pakistan |
Musical career | |
Origin | Peshawar, Pakistan |
Genres | |
Instruments | |
Early life
Haroon Bacha was born on May 20, 1972 in Panjpir Swabi KP Pakistan. He received his early education at Govt. High School Panjpir and followed with his matriculation from Govt. High School No. 1 Peshawar. Bacha completed his F.Sc. and B.A. from Edwardes College in 1992 and his master's degree in Social Work was taken from the Department of Social Work, University of Peshawar.[3]
Career
Bacha's professional music career started in 1992 with a live television performance in Peshawar, Pakistan. His first album, "Da Rangoono Makhaam", was released in 1996, with "Ghunchakoona" being released shortly after. Since then, he has released 48 other albums along with one single, "Speena Kaotara", which was released in the United States in 2011. Some of his albums include: "Heele", "Ulas Janaan Kra" and "Darman".
Bacha's career came to a standstill in 2007 when he began receiving text messages and phone calls from the Pakistani Taliban. The Taliban asked him to quit music and threatened to kill him and his family. These death threats lasted approximately one year until on 14 August 2008, Bacha fled his home and went to Brooklyn, New York, where he was granted political asylum.[4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15]
In 2009, Bacha became Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty's Mashaal Radio branch's first employee as a broadcaster.[16]
In July, 2012, he was transferred by RFE/RL from Washington D.C. to Prague, Czech Republic.
References
- Shinwari, Sher. "Haroon Bacha's Biography". last.fm. Last.fm. Retrieved 5 February 2017.
- Khan, Karan. "Haroon Bacha Life, Work and Career, Interview by Karan Khan". YouTube. Retrieved 5 February 2017.
- Shinwari, Sher. "Haroon Bacha". Khyber.org. Khyber Gateway. Retrieved 5 February 2017.
- Sisario, Ben. "U.S. Refuge for Singer Fleeing the Taliban". The New York Times. The New York Times Company. Retrieved 5 February 2017.
- Mashal, Mujib. "Taliban Silence Pakistani Musicians". The Wall Street Journal. Dow Jones & Company. Retrieved 5 February 2017.
- Shinwari, Sher. "Pashto singer mesmerises audience with his velvety voice". Dawn. Dawn. Retrieved 5 February 2017.
- "In the loop: 'I am a couplet of Ghani (Khan), I am Pakhtun'". Dawn. Dawn. Retrieved 5 February 2017.
- "Another prominent Pashto comedian set to quit showbiz". The News. Retrieved 5 February 2017.
- "Another artiste says goodbye to singing". The News. Retrieved 5 February 2017.
- "Entertainment industry of Frontier hangs in the balance". The News. The News International. Retrieved 5 February 2017.
- "Popular comedian quits showbiz". The News. The News International. Retrieved 5 February 2017.
- "Music Freedom Day: What does censorship sound like? Listen to Freemuse on Spotify". Freemuse. Freemuse. Retrieved 5 February 2017.
- Khan, Javed. "Taliban losing their 'war on music'" (PDF). Music Freedom Day. Retrieved 5 February 2017.
- "Music Is a Human Right: A Performance by Haroon Bacha". buhbOmp. WordPress. Retrieved 5 February 2017.
- Shinwari, Sher. "Pakistan: The undeclared ban on playing music lingers on". artsfreedom. WordPress. Retrieved 5 February 2017.
- Sohail, Khattak. "Pashto music: Bacha steps forward". The Express Tribune. The Express Tribune. Retrieved 5 February 2017.