) , native_name_lang = ur , birth_name = , alias = , birth_date = , origin =

Punjab Punjab (; Punjabi: پنجاب ; ਪੰਜਾਬ ; ; also romanised as ''Panjāb'' or ''Panj-Āb'') is a geopolitical, cultural, and historical region in South Asia, specifically in the northern part of the Indian subcontinent, comprising a ...

, Pakistan , instrument = Chimta , genre = Punjabi

Folk music Folk music is a music genre that includes traditional folk music and the contemporary genre that evolved from the former during the 20th-century folk revival. Some types of folk music may be called world music. Traditional folk music has b ...

, occupation = Vocalist, musician , years_active = , label = Internalmusic UK , associated_acts =

Mukhtar Sahota Mukhtar Sahota is a British Punjabi music composer and producer, associated with the group Sahotas. After the 2004 tsunami in Asia and the 2005 Kashmir earthquake The 2005 Kashmir earthquake occurred at on 8 October in Pakistani-administer ...

Rohail Hayat Rohail Hyatt (Urdu: روحیل حیات) is a Pakistani record producer, keyboardist, and composer. As record producer, Hyatt is largely credited with pioneering Pakistani pop rock music by incorporating western rock and pop influences. I ...

, website = http://www.internalmusic.co.uk Arif Lohar (born 18 April 1966) is a Pakistani

Punjabi folk Punjabi folk music (Shahmukhi alphabet, Shahmukhi: پنجابی لوک موسیقی pa, ਪੰਜਾਬੀ ਲੋਕ ਸੰਗੀਤ or Punjabi Folk) is the traditional music on the traditional musical instruments of the Punjab region of the Indian ...

singer. He became popular in

Pakistan Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 243 million people, and has the world's second-lar ...

as well as in

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

after his famous song "Jugni" with Nooran Lal in 2006. He usually sings accompanied by a native musical instrument resembling tongs (called a ‘Chimta’). His folk music is representative of the traditional folk heritage of the

. He is the son of the renowned folk singer Alam Lohar.

Early life

Arif

Lohar Lohar is a social group in India, Nepal and Pakistan. They are associated with iron smelting work. They form part of a loose grouping of traditionally artisanal castes known as Panchals. Lohars worship Lord Vishwakarma and other Hindu gods and ...

was born in 1966 in

Lalamusa Lala Musa (; ur, , pa, ), is a city located in the Gujrat District of the Punjab province, Pakistan with a population of 91,500 in 2018. History Toponymy Lala Musa is a combination of two nouns which mean Brother Musa with ''Lala'' (from v ...

, Pakistan. His father was Alam Lohar, who belonged to the village of Achh in Lalamusa nearby

Gujrat Tehsil Gujrat Tehsil ( ur, ) is a tehsil located in Gujrat District, Punjab, Pakistan Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's List of countries and de ...

, and was a prominent folk singer.

Career

Arif Lohar has performed in more than 50 foreign tours around the world during the last 20 years, including tours to the UK, United States and

UAE The United Arab Emirates (UAE; ar, اَلْإِمَارَات الْعَرَبِيَة الْمُتَحِدَة ), or simply the Emirates ( ar, الِْإمَارَات ), is a country in Western Asia (The Middle East). It is located at th ...

. In 2004, he performed in China for the opening of the Asian Games, which had a crowd of close to 1 million. He once performed in

North Korea North Korea, officially the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), is a country in East Asia. It constitutes the northern half of the Korean Peninsula and shares borders with China and Russia to the north, at the Yalu (Amnok) and T ...

for the late General Secretary Kim Jong-il as part of an international delegation of peace and goodwill. He has also played multiple lead roles in Punjabi movies, and produced three songs for the soundtrack of

Syed Noor Syed Noor (Punjabi, ur, ) (born Syed Ghulam Mohyuddin Noor) is a Pakistani film director based in Lahore. In 1970 Syed Noor joined the Pakistani film industry as an assistant to director S. Suleman. Noor assisted S. Suleman for 18 feature f ...

's film ''

Jugni Jugni is an age-old narrative device used in Punjabi folk music. It is the traditional music of the Punjab region of the Indian subcontinent. Jugni is sung at Punjabi weddings in India, Pakistan, US, Canada, Australia and UK. In folk music, i ...

'' (2012), the highest-grossing Pakistani film of 2012. In 2005, Arif Lohar was awarded the

Pride of Performance The Pride of Performance ( ur, ), officially known as Presidential Pride of Performance, is an award bestowed by the Islamic Republic of Pakistan to recognize people with "notable achievements in the field of art, science, literature, sports, an ...

Award by the

Government of Pakistan The Government of Pakistan ( ur, , translit=hakúmat-e pákistán) abbreviated as GoP, is a federal government established by the Constitution of Pakistan as a constituted governing authority of the four provinces, two autonomous territorie ...

.Arif Lohar's Profile and Pride of Performance Award info on asiasociety.org website
Retrieved 20 March 2018 To date, he has more than 150 albums (including many Singles – LP's) to his credit and recorded more than 3,000 songs, mostly in the Punjabi language. In 2006, he made headlines in the Punjabi music world by releasing his album "21st Century Jugni", with music produced, arranged, and mastered by

in Wolverhampton, UK, which was released by Internalmusic UK. In June 2010, Arif Lohar participated in Coke-Studio (a Pakistani live session programme by

). During Coke-Studio season 3, Arif Lohar performed "

Alif Allah (Jugni) Alif Allah (Jugni) ( pa, ), also known as Alif Allah Chambe Di Booti ( pa, ) is a popular Punjabi Sufi song that was composed and sung by Arif Lohar and Meesha Shafi in Coke Studio Pakistan. The lyrics of the song were based on the works of 17t ...

" with upcoming musician

Meesha Shafi Meesha Shafi ( ur, ) is a Pakistani-born Canadian singer, actress and model.Coke Studio Coke Studio may refer to: * ''Coke Studio'' (Pakistan), a Pakistani television series featuring live music performances. * ''Coke Studio'' (India), an Indian television series featuring live music performances. * ''Coke Studio Bangla'', a Banglade ...

featured two other songs: "Mirza" and "Alif Allah Chambey Dey Booti/Jugni", the latter a collaboration that became an international success.Profile of Alam Lohar on urduwire.com website
Retrieved 20 March 2018 Filmmaker

Saif Ali Khan Saif Ali Khan (; born Sajid Ali Khan Pataudi; 16 August 1970) is an Indian actor and film producer who works in Hindi films. Part of the Pataudi family, he is the son of actress Sharmila Tagore and cricketer Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi. Khan ...

bought the rights to "Jugni" for use as a feature song in his

Bollywood Hindi cinema, popularly known as Bollywood and formerly as Bombay cinema, refers to the film industry based in Mumbai, engaged in production of motion pictures in Hindi language. The popular term Bollywood, is a portmanteau of "Bombay" (fo ...

movie '' Cocktail''. Other versions of "Jugni" have also been featured in Bollywood movies, including an adapted version that first appeared on "21st Century Jugni" album in the film ''

Diary of a Butterfly ''Diary of a Butterfly'' is a 2012 thriller drama film directed by Vinod Mukhi and written by Asad Ajmeri. The film stars Udita Goswami as a female protagonist. The film is produced by Anil Kumar under the banner of Bhaggyashri Production. Stor ...

''. He also sang in the Bollywood film ''

Bhaag Milkha Bhaag ''Bhaag Milkha Bhaag'' () is a 2013 Hindi-language biographical sports drama film directed by Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra from a script written by Prasoon Joshi. The story is based on the life of Milkha Singh, an Indian athlete and Olympian who w ...

'' (2013). He has also sung in multiple Punjabi Films in

and

Lohar's Charity

In 2004, Arif's eldest brother, Dr Arshad Mahmood Lohar, formed Alam Lohar Memorial Trust (ALMT) in honour of their father. An affiliate of the trust was a production studio which was created to design and raise awareness for health campaigns in the UK, including the ''Stop Smoking'', and ''Healthy Mothers and Healthy Babies'' campaigns on behalf of the

National Health Service The National Health Service (NHS) is the umbrella term for the publicly funded healthcare systems of the United Kingdom (UK). Since 1948, they have been funded out of general taxation. There are three systems which are referred to using the " ...

. These campaigns targeted mainly Pakistani and other South Asian communities with health problems, and Arif performed concerts around the UK to promote it. In September 2010, Arif Lohar began actively campaigning to help victims of the

2010 Pakistan floods The floods in Pakistan began in late July 2010, resulting from heavy monsoon rains in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Sindh, Punjab and, Balochistan regions of Pakistan, which affected the Indus River basin. Approximately one-fifth of Pakistan's tot ...

. He appeared on national television to help encourage local and international fundraising, and also performed at special concerts throughout Pakistan.

Discography

* Ek Pal * Bol Mitti Diya Baawiya * Sher Punjab Da * Soniye * Aakhian *

(2013) *

Punjab Bolda Punjab (; Punjabi: پنجاب ; ਪੰਜਾਬ ; ; also romanised as ''Panjāb'' or ''Panj-Āb'') is a geopolitical, cultural, and historical region in South Asia, specifically in the northern part of the Indian subcontinent, comprising a ...

* Paar Langadey Veh * Yaara Kaulu Yaar Gwanchan * Koka Saat Rang Dah * Sianyah * Ik Din Pyaar Da * Mirza * Jugni * Panj Dariyah * The Legend * Kamlee Yaar dee Kamlee * 21st Century Jugni (

)

Awards and recognition

Award by the President of Pakistan in 2005 * Lifetime Achievement Award at Brit Asia TV Music Awards 2018

References