Songwriter A songwriter is a musician who professionally composes musical compositions or writes lyrics for songs, or both. The writer of the music for a song can be called a composer, although this term tends to be used mainly in the classical music gen ...

Guitarist A guitarist (or a guitar player) is a person who plays the guitar. Guitarists may play a variety of guitar family instruments such as classical guitars, acoustic guitars, electric guitars, and bass guitars. Some guitarists accompany themselv ...

composer A composer is a person who writes music. The term is especially used to indicate composers of Western classical music, or those who are composers by occupation. Many composers are, or were, also skilled performers of music. Etymology and Defi ...

Royal Albert Hall The Royal Albert Hall is a concert hall on the northern edge of South Kensington, London. One of the UK's most treasured and distinctive buildings, it is held in trust for the nation and managed by a registered charity which receives no govern ...

The Kennedy Center The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts (formally known as the John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts, and commonly referred to as the Kennedy Center) is the United States National Cultural Center, located on the Potom ...

Urdu Urdu (;"Urdu"
''

Punjabi, she has also sung several songs in the

Pashto Pashto (,; , ) is an Eastern Iranian language in the Indo-European language family. It is known in historical Persian literature as Afghani (). Spoken as a native language mostly by ethnic Pashtuns, it is one of the two official languages ...

language. In 2006, Kiani received the fourth-highest Pakistan civilian award, the

Tamgha-e-Imtiaz Tamgha-e-Imtiaz () also spelled as Tamgha-i-Imtiaz, is a state-organised honour of Pakistan. It is given to any civilian in Pakistan based on their achievements. While it is a civilian/military award, it can be bestowed upon officers of the P ...

, for her contributions to the field of music. In 2010, she was appointed as a

United Nations Development Programme The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)french: Programme des Nations unies pour le développement, PNUD is a United Nations agency tasked with helping countries eliminate poverty and achieve sustainable economic growth and human dev ...

Goodwill Ambassador, making her the first woman in Pakistan to a Goodwill ambassador to the United Nations.Hadiqa, becomes UNDP goodwill envoys
In 2016, Kiani was titled as one "Pakistan's Most Powerful and Influential Women" by the country's leading news group,

Jang Group of Newspapers Jang Media Group (), also known as Geo Group, is a Pakistani media conglomerate and a subsidiary of Dubai-based company Independent Media Corporation. Its headquarters is in Printing House, Karachi, Pakistan. It is Pakistan's largest group of new ...

, as part of their "Power" edition.

Early life and career

Kiani was born in

Rawalpindi Rawalpindi ( or ; Urdu, ) is a city in the Punjab province of Pakistan. It is the fourth largest city in Pakistan after Karachi, Lahore and Faisalabad, and third largest in Punjab after Lahore and Faisalabad. Rawalpindi is next to Pakistan's ...

as the youngest of three siblings, her older brother (Irfan Kiani) and sister (Sasha). Her father died when she was 3 years old. Her mother, poet Khawar Kiani, was the principal of a government girls' school. Seeing her musical ability, Khawar enlisted Kiani in the

Pakistan National Council of the Arts Pakistan National Council of the Arts ( ur, , or PNCA) was set up to spearhead the development of arts in Pakistan by an Act of Parliament in 1973. It aims to build a robust arts ecosystem by creating an environment conducive to the flourishi ...

. She received early education in music from her teacher, Madam Nargis Naheed. While studying at Viqar-un-Nisa Noon Girls High School, Kiani represented Pakistan at international children festivals in

Turkey Turkey ( tr, Türkiye ), officially the Republic of Türkiye ( tr, Türkiye Cumhuriyeti, links=no ), is a list of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country located mainly on the Anatolia, Anatolian Peninsula in Western Asia, with ...

,

Jordan Jordan ( ar, الأردن; tr. ' ), officially the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan,; tr. ' is a country in Western Asia. It is situated at the crossroads of Asia, Africa, and Europe, within the Levant region, on the East Bank of the Jordan Rive ...

,

Bulgaria Bulgaria (; bg, България, Bǎlgariya), officially the Republic of Bulgaria,, ) is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the eastern flank of the Balkans, and is bordered by Romania to the north, Serbia and North Macedon ...

, and

Greece Greece,, or , romanized: ', officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the southern tip of the Balkans, and is located at the crossroads of Europe, Asia, and Africa. Greece shares land borders with ...

, winning various medals along the way and performing for thousands around the world. Kiani was also a part of

Sohail Rana Sohail Rana (born 31 March 1938) is a Pakistani music composer for films and television. He was introduced by actor Waheed Murad in Pakistan film industry and gained popularity when singer Ahmed Rushdi sang his compositions in such films as A ...

's children's program ''Rang Barangi Dunya'', a weekly musical on PTV. As an eighth grader, Kiani moved from her birthplace

Rawalpindi Rawalpindi ( or ; Urdu, ) is a city in the Punjab province of Pakistan. It is the fourth largest city in Pakistan after Karachi, Lahore and Faisalabad, and third largest in Punjab after Lahore and Faisalabad. Rawalpindi is next to Pakistan's ...

to

Lahore Lahore ( ; pnb, ; ur, ) is the second most populous city in Pakistan after Karachi and 26th most populous city in the world, with a population of over 13 million. It is the capital of the province of Punjab where it is the largest city. ...

, where she continued her classical training by Ustad Faiz Ahmed Khan and Wajid Ali Nashad. Kiani went on to graduate from Pakistan's top institutions, earning her bachelor's degree in Psychology from

Kinnaird College for Women University The Kinnaird College for Women (KCW) is a university located in Lahore, Pakistan. It is a women's liberal arts university. Kinnaird was established in 1913 by the Zenana Bible and Medical Mission. In 1919, Presbyterian Mission Church and the Ch ...

and her Masters in

Psychology Psychology is the scientific study of mind and behavior. Psychology includes the study of conscious and unconscious phenomena, including feelings and thoughts. It is an academic discipline of immense scope, crossing the boundaries betwe ...

from the historic

Government College University (Lahore) The Government College University, Lahore (colloquially known as GCU), is a public research university located in Lahore, Punjab, Pakistan. Opened as Government College, Lahore, in 1864, it became a university in 2002. Overview In 1864, Gov ...

. In the early 1990s, Kiani came onto TV to host a children's music program called ''Angan Angan Taray''. In the -year-long run, she had sung over one thousand songs for children while hosting the show alongside renowned music composer

Amjad Bobby Amjad Bobby ( Punjabi, ur, ; 1942 15 April 2005) was an acclaimed Pakistani music composer and director. Early life and career He was born in Amritsar, British India in 1942. His father wanted him to be a clerk but he preferred to become a ...

and later on with music composer

Khalil Ahmed Khalil Ahmed (3 March 1936 – 22 July 1997) was a Pakistani composer for radio, television, and films. He started his career with film ''Aanchal (1962)'' and remained one of the leading music directors in Pakistan in the 1960s. He composed ...

. Owing to the sheer number of songs Kiani sang during this program, she was presented with the title of "A+ artist" on behalf of PTV joining the likes of

Noor Jehan Noor Jehan ( Punjabi: ) (born () Allah Rakhi Wasai ; 23 September 1926 – 23 December 2000; sometimes spelled Noorjehan),Ashish Rajadhyaksha and Paul Willemen, ''Encyclopaedia of Indian Cinema,'' British Film Institute, Oxford University Pres ...

,

Naheed Akhtar Naheed Akhtar (also spelled Nahid Akhtar) is a Pakistani playback singer. She is tagged as the "''Nightingale of Pakistan''". She was the top Lollywood playback singer during the second half of 70s and 80s. She won 3 Nigar Awards and a Pride o ...

, and

Mehnaz Mehnaz Begum (1958 – 19 January 2013) was a Pakistani TV, radio, and film singer. She was well known as a film playback singer in the 1970s and 1980s. She was the recipient of Nigar Awards. Kiani began to sing songs as a playback singer for movies in the early 90s, most notably was the hit Pakistani movie called Sargam, which was starring and being composed by

Adnan Sami Khan Adnan Sami Khan (born 15 August 1971) is an Indian singer, musician, music composer and pianist. He performs Indian and Western music, including for Hindi, Kannada, Telugu and Tamil movies. He has been awarded with Padma Shri (India's fourth hi ...

. The same year, she received various awards for her playback singing including the prestigious

Nigar Awards The Nigar Awards ( ur, , translit=Inʿām Negār, lit=Picture Awards) were presented in an annual award show to recognize outstanding achievement in Pakistani cinema. The honors are awarded by Nigar Magazine founded in 1948. The Nigar Awards a ...

for Best Female Playback Singer.

Albums

1995: ''Raaz''

In 1995, Kiani received the "NTM Viewer's choice award" for the Best Female Singer of Pakistan. In the same Award show,

Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan Ustad Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan ( pa, ; born Pervez Fateh Ali Khan; 13 October 1948 – 16 August 1997) was a Pakistani singer, songwriter, and music director. He was primarily a singer of qawwali — a form of Sufi music, Sufi devotional music. ...

was awarded as the Best Male Singer of Pakistan. The following year, Kiani released her debut album ''Raaz'' (Secret) in 1996. The album spawned a string of radio-friendly hits and received positive reviews. Some argue that the reason the album did well was because it was not common for female singers (from educated/non-musical backgrounds) to release albums in Pakistan. Also, she was the first female singer to release a pop album after the former pop singer,

Nazia Hassan Nazia Hassan (3 April 1965 – 13 August 2000) was a Pakistani singer-songwriter, lawyer and social activist. Referred to as the Honorific nicknames in popular music, Queen of South Asian pop, she is considered one of the most influential singe ...

, gave up her musical career. Kiani's ability to sing in other dialects was also presented to the country through the hit

Kashmiri Kashmiri may refer to: * People or things related to the Kashmir Valley or the broader region of Kashmir * Kashmiris, an ethnic group native to the Kashmir Valley * Kashmiri language, their language People with the name * Kashmiri Saikia Baruah ...

folk song "Maane Di Mauj." Her increasing popularity was further highlighted in January 1997, when Kiani became the first Asian singer to perform at the British National Lottery Live on

BBC One BBC One is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network owned and operated by the BBC. It is the corporation's flagship network and is known for broadcasting mainstream programming, which includes BBC News television bulletins, p ...

(a program with an estimated viewership 16.6 million at that time). Afterwards she worked on two more shows with

Bally Sagoo Baljit Singh "Bally" Sagoo ( Punjabi: ਬਲਜੀਤ ਸਿੰਘ ਸੱਗੂ, born 19 May 1964) is a British-Indian record producer and DJ. Born in Delhi, India, Sagoo was raised in Birmingham, England. He entered the recording and enterta ...

for

BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board ex ...

and ITV before going on her first U.S. tour in 1997. Her U.S. tour covered 15 states and a few cities in Canada. The same year Kiani performed many other international events in the United Kingdom, Australia, and China. By the summer of 1997, Kiani was representing Pakistan as the only Pakistani singer to perform at "Celebration Hong Kong 97" at Happy Valley Race Course, alongside other International singers like

Lisa Stansfield Lisa Jane Stansfield (born 11 April 1966) is an English singer, songwriter, and actress. Her career began in 1980 when she won the singing competition ''Search for a Star''. After appearances in various television shows and releasing her first ...

,

Wet Wet Wet Wet Wet Wet are a Scottish soft rock band formed in 1982. They scored a number of hits in the UK charts and around the world in the 1980s and 1990s. They are best known for their 1994 cover of The Troggs' 1960s hit "Love Is All Around", which w ...

, Michael Learns to Rock, All 4 One and

The Brand New Heavies The Brand New Heavies is an acid jazz and funk group formed in 1985 in Ealing in west London. Centered around songwriters/multi-instrumentalists Simon Bartholomew and Andrew Levy, the core members of the group since its founding, Brand New H ...

, an event to celebrate Hong Kong's freedom from the United Kingdom. Kiani is the first mainstream Pakistani singer to ever perform in Hong Kong. By the end of the year she became the first Asian female singer ever to be signed by

Pepsi Pepsi is a carbonated soft drink manufactured by PepsiCo. Originally created and developed in 1893 by Caleb Bradham and introduced as Brad's Drink, it was renamed as Pepsi-Cola in 1898, and then shortened to Pepsi in 1961. History Pepsi was ...

Cola International. She was the second international female artist in the world to be signed, the first being

Gloria Estefan Gloria Estefan (; born Gloria María Milagrosa Fajardo García; born 1 September 1957) is a Cuban-American singer, actress, and businesswoman. Estefan is a seven-time Grammy Award winner, a Presidential Medal of Freedom recipient, and has been ...

.

1998: ''Roshni''

In 1998, Kiani recorded the official theme song for the

1999 Cricket World Cup The 1999 Cricket World Cup (officially known as ICC Cricket World Cup '99) was the seventh edition of the Cricket World Cup, organised by the International Cricket Council (ICC). It was hosted primarily by England, with Scotland, Ireland, Wales ...

. The

Pepsi Pepsi is a carbonated soft drink manufactured by PepsiCo. Originally created and developed in 1893 by Caleb Bradham and introduced as Brad's Drink, it was renamed as Pepsi-Cola in 1898, and then shortened to Pepsi in 1961. History Pepsi was ...

sponsored song was titled ''Intehai Shauq'', written by Kiani's mother, Khawar Kiani, and composed and produced by the famed Nizar Lalani. The song was filmed by Jami and Imran Baber and proved to be an instant success that captivated the country with what was noted as incredibly motivational imagery and lyrics. Amidst the

World Cup A world cup is a global sporting competition in which the participant entities – usually international teams or individuals representing their countries – compete for the title of world champion. The event most associated with the concept i ...

recording, Kiani released her second album, titled ''Roshni.'' The third single from the album was ''

Dupatta The dupattā is a Hindu shawl traditionally worn by women in Indian subcontinent to cover the head and shoulders. The dupatta is currently used most commonly as part of the women's shalwar kameez outfit, and worn over the kurta and the gharara. ...

''. The video was inspired by the sci-fi film

The Matrix ''The Matrix'' is a 1999 science fiction action film written and directed by the Wachowskis. It is the first installment in ''The Matrix'' film series, starring Keanu Reeves, Laurence Fishburne, Carrie-Anne Moss, Hugo Weaving, and Joe Pantolia ...

. The song is listed in the Twenty Best Pop Songs Ever for Pakistan, where it is positioned at number 15. The success of the song was attributed to its quasi-bhangra rhythm with "fat, funky techno beats" and Kiani's "dreamy-meets-husky vocals" which made the results "stunning". In the wake of "Dupatta"'s, success Kiani became widely accepted as the country's leading female vocalist. Capitalizing on "Dupatta's" success, Kiani went on to release two other moderate hits, "Roshni", and "Woh Kaun Hai". Her sixth single off the album, "Boohey Barian" went on to become an even bigger hit for her than "Dupatta". To date, "Boohey Barian" is widely accepted as Kiani's best single ever and noted as one of the most prominent Pakistani songs of all time. ''Roshni'' sold over a million copies in Pakistan alone, certifying it as "

Platinum Platinum is a chemical element with the symbol Pt and atomic number 78. It is a dense, malleable, ductile, highly unreactive, precious, silverish-white transition metal. Its name originates from Spanish , a diminutive of "silver". Platinu ...

". The album is listed in "The 20 Best Local Pop Albums Ever" for the country, positioned at No.15. Kiani is just one of two female singers in the entire list. Kiani's success led to her being signed by

Unilever Unilever plc is a British multinational consumer goods company with headquarters in London, England. Unilever products include food, condiments, bottled water, baby food, soft drink, ice cream, instant coffee, cleaning agents, energy drink, t ...

for celebrity endorsement of

Lipton Lipton is a British brand of tea, owned by Ekaterra. Lipton was also a supermarket chain in the United Kingdom, later sold to Argyll Foods, after which the company sold only tea. The company is named after its founder, Sir Thomas Lipton, who fo ...

in 2001. In 2002, she is signed again by Unilever for

Sunsilk Sunsilk is a British hair care brand produced by the company Unilever. The brand was introduced in 1954 in the UK and available in most countries globally. It is a hair care brand in Southeast Asia (Malaysia, Vietnam, Philippines, Indonesia, an ...

Shampoo after the results of Unilever's national survey to find the "Most Popular Woman of Pakistan". Throughout the early 2000s, she performed live concerts in the US, Canada, UK, Middle East, Far East, Australia,

Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe, the mainland territory of which comprises the western and northernmost portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and t ...

,

Greece Greece,, or , romanized: ', officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the southern tip of the Balkans, and is located at the crossroads of Europe, Asia, and Africa. Greece shares land borders with ...

,

Bulgaria Bulgaria (; bg, България, Bǎlgariya), officially the Republic of Bulgaria,, ) is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the eastern flank of the Balkans, and is bordered by Romania to the north, Serbia and North Macedon ...

and

Turkey Turkey ( tr, Türkiye ), officially the Republic of Türkiye ( tr, Türkiye Cumhuriyeti, links=no ), is a list of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country located mainly on the Anatolia, Anatolian Peninsula in Western Asia, with ...

.

2002: ''Rung''

Kiani released her third album ''Rung'' in September 2002. She returned to promote the album in June 2003, almost 10 months after she'd released "Yaad Sajan" with a new single "Ranjhan" and several stage performances and tours around the country. She then released other singles off the album throughout 2003 and 2004. These included "Jogi Bun Kay Aa", "Mahi" and "Dholan". In "Jogi Bun Kay Aa" Kiani plays various women's roles, including a traditional Japanese, an Arab, and a tribal woman. She played a vampire in her video for "Mahi" which was directed by top director

Asim Raza Asim Raza (; ur, ) is a Pakistani film and television commercial director and producer. Asim began his career as an architect and worked with the architectural firm Arshad Shahid Abdullah (PVT) LTD before venturing into film production and d ...

. The video showed that it is harmful to judge people of different faiths and castes, and also bad to stereotype. It was the highest budgeted video of the year 2003. During this time, Kiani was in the midst of her first divorce, however Kiani's album sales continued to pick up through 2003 and 2004. In 2004, she received the Best Female Pop Singer Award by

Indus Music Indus Media Group (also abbreviated as, IMG) is a Pakistani company broadcasting a mix of free-to-air news and entertainment channels via satellite. IMG owns and operates the Indus brand of television channels in various global markets. It o ...

, the first 24-hour music channel of Pakistan.

Asim Raza Asim Raza (; ur, ) is a Pakistani film and television commercial director and producer. Asim began his career as an architect and worked with the architectural firm Arshad Shahid Abdullah (PVT) LTD before venturing into film production and d ...

won an award for best video for directing her critically acclaimed video Mahi. Shortly after the release of ''Rung'', Kiani was mentioned in "Pakistani Pop's 10 most Influential Acts Ever", in which she was ranked ninth. She is also one of just two female singers in the list, the other being

Nazia Hassan Nazia Hassan (3 April 1965 – 13 August 2000) was a Pakistani singer-songwriter, lawyer and social activist. Referred to as the Honorific nicknames in popular music, Queen of South Asian pop, she is considered one of the most influential singe ...

. A UK-based Magazine declared Kiani the 22nd greatest music maker of South Asia out of a total of fifty artists, also mentioning how she raised the standard of music videos in the country. Several years after the release of ''Rung'', leading Indian

Sufi singer The following is a categorically arranged list of notable singers of Sufi music. Ghazal * Ghulam Ali * Mehdi hassan *Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan *Reshma *Jagjit Singh *Roop Kumar Rathod Kafi *Abida Parveen *Pathanay Khan Qawwali * Jaani Babu *sufi ni ...

"

Harshdeep Kaur Harshdeep Kaur (born 16 December 1986) is an Indian playback singer known for her Bollywood Hindi, Punjabi,English and Sufi songs. She is popularly known as "Sufi Ki Sultana" because of her soulful Sufi renditions. After winning titles in two ...

" covered Kiani's self composed "Jogi Bun Kay Aa" on a leading Indian television show. The lyrics of the song were originally written by Kiani's mother and poet Khawar Kiani.

2007: ''Rough Cut''

In 2007, Kiani released her fourth studio album, ''Rough Cut'', a collaboration with

Aamir Zaki Aamir Zaki (April 8, 1968 – June 2, 2017) was a Saudi born Pakistani guitarist-songwriter and composer. Zaki is considered by many as one of the most influential guitarists in Pakistan's history. He is considered to be among the pioneers of Roc ...

. With the release of ''Rough Cut'', Kiani became the first mainstream Pakistani artist to release an album completely in English. Prior to the release of the album, Kiani and

Zaki Zaki (Arabic زكي ) is an Arabic male name (with female form Zakiya) and surname. Notable people with the name include: Given name *Zaki al-Arsuzi (1899–1998), Syrian politician *Zaki Tun Azmi (born 1945), Malaysian judge * Zaki Badawi (192 ...

teamed up for an Urdu song, written by Zaki, titled "Iss Baar Milo". The video was directed by Jami (director) and starred

Humayun Saeed Humayun Saeed Ansari (born 27 July 1971), professionally known as Humayun Saeed, is a Pakistani actor and producer. He has appeared in dozens of Pakistani television dramas and limited number of films, and earned Lux Style Awards, and ARY Fil ...

opposite of Kiani. "Iss Baar Milo"'s video production and acting performances, notably Kiani's portrayal of a "

schizophrenic Schizophrenia is a mental disorder characterized by continuous or relapsing episodes of psychosis. Major symptoms include hallucinations (typically hearing voices), delusions, and disorganized thinking. Other symptoms include social withdra ...

" patient in a Pakistani mental hospital received a great response. The video was a major milestone in the Pakistani music industry, winning Kiani and Jami the title of "Best Video" by

MTV Pakistan MTV Pakistan was the Pakistani subsidiary of MTV, a cable television network owned by Viacom. The Pakistan franchise was set up in collaboration with Pakistan's first satellite channel media group known as Indus Media Group (Indus TV). ''Indu ...

. In April 2007, Kiani released the first official single for the album, titled "Living This Lie". The same week, Kiani was named "Hotstepper of the week" for The News by

Jang Group Jang Media Group (), also known as Geo Group, is a Pakistani media conglomerate and a subsidiary of Dubai-based company Independent Media Corporation. Its headquarters is in Printing House, Karachi, Pakistan. It is Pakistan's largest group of new ...

. The article also stated that ultimately, "as long as Hadiqa is around, there is still hope for women in the patriarchal music world of Pakistan." "Living This Lie" was nominated and won for "Best English Song" at "The Musik Awards" in 2007. Kiani was also nominated for Best Female Singer in the same award show.

2009: ''Aasmaan''

In June 2009, Kiani switched record labels to Fire Records and released her fifth studio album, titled ''Aasmaan''. In the album, she sang in Urdu, Punjabi, Hindko, Pashto, and Persian. The first single of the album was "Sohnya". The official video of "Sohnya" premiered a day before Kiani released the album. Following the release, the song+video stayed on the Aag top 10 Charts for over a month resulting in Kiani receiving a Shield from Aag10 for being the Artist of the Month. The album itself stayed Number One on the Vibes Charts of INSTEP Magazine for the entire year. By the end of 2009, ''Aasmaan'' was named the Best Album of 2009 according to sales volume, popularity and internet downloads. Every single released from ''Aasmaan'' reached number one. "Sohnya" was number one AAG10 Charts for over a month and was titled the best Pop Song of 2009 according to The Nation. "Tuk Tuk" was number one on Prime TV Charts. "Az Chashme Saqi" went number one on PlayTv Charts and by the end of 2009 it was declared the third best music video of 2009. In February 2010, Kiani released "Janan", for which she collaborated with relatively unknown

Pashto Pashto (,; , ) is an Eastern Iranian language in the Indo-European language family. It is known in historical Persian literature as Afghani (). Spoken as a native language mostly by ethnic Pashtuns, it is one of the two official languages ...

singer Irfan Khan. The song has become Kiani's biggest hit till date and some say that it has even topped the popularity of "Boohey Barian". The song became the first Pakistani pop song to be mentioned by the

Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' (abbreviated as ''LA Times'') is a daily newspaper that started publishing in Los Angeles in 1881. Based in the LA-adjacent suburb of El Segundo since 2018, it is the sixth-largest newspaper by circulation in the Un ...

, where the newspaper said that "Janan" was what the whole country was listening to. Kiani's rendering in the Pashto language was critically acclaimed. Some Pakhtoons even started to call her "Hadiqa Pathani," Kiani is credited with bringing back a trend in Pakistan of embracing Pashto culture, girls started to wear Pashto style dresses imitating Kiani's looks on the red carpet and more mainstream singers began singing in the local language. The song's widespread popularity was credited to the fact that it broke barriers in Pakistani music, Kiani being a Punjabi singing a Pashto song and appealing to not only Pakistani Pashto audiences, but to audiences worldwide. Kiani's "Janan" has been covered by many international singers, most noticeably by the Chinese singer Hou Wei at the grand South Asia Expo in 2014. The Chinese cover was done as a tribute to

Pakistani culture The Culture of Pakistan ( ur, ) is very unique in terms of its social values revolving around the religion of Islam. The region has formed a distinct cultural unit within the main cultural complex of South Asia, Middle East and Central Asia ...

which elevated the

Pashto Pashto (,; , ) is an Eastern Iranian language in the Indo-European language family. It is known in historical Persian literature as Afghani (). Spoken as a native language mostly by ethnic Pashtuns, it is one of the two official languages ...

community in Pakistan while, what many say, cementing the song as a national treasure

2017: ''WAJD''

In 2017, Kiani teamed up with her brother to launch the visual album titled "Wajd." The album consisting of five renderings of folk songs was critically acclaimed and led Kiani to receive her first "Album of the Year" award from the

Lux Style Awards The Lux Style Awards is an award ceremony held annually in Pakistan since 2002. The awards celebrate "style" in the Pakistani entertainment industry, and it is the oldest event dedicated to cinema, television, fashion, music and film industry ...

2018. Kiani's distinct wardrobe during this album's era were noted by the press and led her to win "Most Stylish Singer" at the Hum Style Awards 2018. Her style led her to be the muse for high street brands such as Generation and Bonanza and couturiers like

Ali Xeeshan ʿAlī ibn Abī Ṭālib ( ar, عَلِيّ بْن أَبِي طَالِب; 600 – 661 CE) was the last of four Rightly Guided Caliphs to rule Islam (r. 656 – 661) immediately after the death of Muhammad, and he was the first Shia Imam. ...

.

2022: ''VASL''

In 2022, Kiani released her album titled VASL. The album reproduced songs from Kiani's first studio album titled Raaz. The album saw three singles, each receiving critical acclaim. The album received international recognition when global streaming giant

Spotify Spotify (; ) is a proprietary Swedish audio streaming and media services provider founded on 23 April 2006 by Daniel Ek and Martin Lorentzon. It is one of the largest music streaming service providers, with over 456 million monthly active us ...

acknowledged the album as a part of their Equal Platform, presenting Kiani with her own appearance on a Times Square billboard in New York City.

Playback singing and musical contributions

In 1995, Kiani signed a string of Pakistani films as a playback singer, most notably the

Adnan Sami Khan Adnan Sami Khan (born 15 August 1971) is an Indian singer, musician, music composer and pianist. He performs Indian and Western music, including for Hindi, Kannada, Telugu and Tamil movies. He has been awarded with Padma Shri (India's fourth hi ...

film Sargam (1995). Sargam went on to win various awards for Kiani, including that of "Best Female Playback Singer" at the prestigious

Nigar Awards The Nigar Awards ( ur, , translit=Inʿām Negār, lit=Picture Awards) were presented in an annual award show to recognize outstanding achievement in Pakistani cinema. The honors are awarded by Nigar Magazine founded in 1948. The Nigar Awards a ...

. Since Sargam however, Kiani has been mostly absent from playback singing in Pakistan. The exception came in 2011 when she became one of the primary playback singers for

Shoaib Mansoor Shoaib Mansoor (Full name, Shoaib Mansoor), ( ur, ; born 4 February 1951 Karachi) is a Pakistani television and film director, writer, producer, lyricist and musician of Muhajir origin. Active in the television industry since 1980, he first f ...

's film Bol. The film featured four of Kiani's songs, two of which were collaborations with

Atif Aslam Atif Aslam is a Pakistani playback singer, songwriter, composer, and actor. He has recorded many songs in both Pakistan and India, and is known for his vocal belting technique. Aslam predominantly sings in Urdu, but has also sung in Hindi, ...

. The soundtrack of the film saw positive reviews and received four

Lux Style Awards The Lux Style Awards is an award ceremony held annually in Pakistan since 2002. The awards celebrate "style" in the Pakistani entertainment industry, and it is the oldest event dedicated to cinema, television, fashion, music and film industry ...

nominations for Kiani and Aslam. In 2006, Kiani was featured on UK based producer Khiza's album "Loyal To The Game"'s lead single, "Mehr Ma". The song was an instant success in Pakistan, and was seen as a great return to pop music for Kiani after her ballads in ''Rung''. In the video, Kiani was seen with different hairstyles and outfits. The reviews for the song were favorable, one source said that "Mehr Ma", which starts off the album, is easily the best track on it. With Kiani showcasing her top-notch vocals and the music, which remains hip-hopish yet very desi, thanks to the usage of sitar, tabla makes it an excellent number." Kiani also performed the song at the 2006

Lux Style Awards The Lux Style Awards is an award ceremony held annually in Pakistan since 2002. The awards celebrate "style" in the Pakistani entertainment industry, and it is the oldest event dedicated to cinema, television, fashion, music and film industry ...

. Over the years, Kiani has provided vocals for a select list of TV Dramas such as the critically acclaimed 2011 Drama

Zindagi Gulzar Hai ''Zindagi Gulzar Hai'' is a Pakistani television series directed by Sultana Siddiqui, produced by Momina Duraid under banner Moomal Productions, which was first broadcast on Hum TV. Based on the novel of the same name by Umera Ahmad who also w ...

's title track with

Ali Zafar Ali Zafar ( pa, ; born 18 May 1980) is a Pakistani singer-songwriter, model, actor, producer, screenwriter and painter. Zafar started out on Pakistani television before becoming a popular musician. He later also established a career in Bo ...

and the 2006 "Aas Pass" with

Atif Aslam Atif Aslam is a Pakistani playback singer, songwriter, composer, and actor. He has recorded many songs in both Pakistan and India, and is known for his vocal belting technique. Aslam predominantly sings in Urdu, but has also sung in Hindi, ...

. In May 2012, Kiani appeared on the 5th season of

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

's

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 ...

. Performing renditions of

Bulleh Shah Syed Abdullah Shah Qadri ( pa, ; ; 1680–1757), known popularly as Bulleh Shah ( pa, ; ) and Bulleya, was a Punjabi philosopher and Sufi poet during 17th-century Punjab. His ancestors had migrated from Bukhara (modern-day Uzbekistan) ...

and

Amir Khusro Abu'l Hasan Yamīn ud-Dīn Khusrau (1253–1325 AD), better known as Amīr Khusrau was an Indo-Persian Sufi singer, musician, poet and scholar who lived under the Delhi Sultanate. He is an iconic figure in the cultural history of the Indian s ...

to positive reviews. In 2016, Kiani lent her voice to the character of Meeran, portrayed by

Urwa Hocane UrwaTul Wusqua Hussain, better known by her stage name Urwa Hocane (born 2 July 1991) is a Pakistani actress, model and VJ (media personality), media personality. She made her acting debut with ''Khushboo Ka Ghar'' as Rukhsana in 2012. Hocane is ...

, on the

Hum TV Hum TV is a 24-hour Urdu General Entertainment TV channel based in Karachi, Pakistan. It was founded by Sultana Siddiqui and Duraid Qureshi. It is owned by Hum Network Limited and traded on Pakistan Stock Exchange as (HUMNL). Hum Network Limi ...

drama "

Udaari ''Udaari'' (title from pnb, ; lit: ''To fly'') is an Urdu and Punjabi language social Pakistani television series that was created and co-produced by Momina Duraid with Kashf Foundation for Hum TV. It focused on the social and economic margina ...

." The title track of the drama was sung by Kiani, featuring

Farhan Saeed Farhan Saeed Butt is a Pakistani singer-songwriter, actor, music video director, and entrepreneur. Saeed is the former lead vocalist of the Pakistani band Jal and owns the restaurant ''Cafe Rock'' in Lahore. He sings in Urdu and Punjabi. Perso ...

and production by

Sahir Ali Bagga Sahir Ali Bagga (born 10 April 1980) is a Pakistani singer, music director and composer from Lahore, who composes music for Lollywood and other independent singers.PEMRA Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (PEMRA) ( ur, ) is an independent and constitutionally established federal institution responsible for regulating and issuing channel licenses for establishment of the mass media culture, print a ...

, for the portrayal of "unethical" scenes. In 2018, Kiani joined the cast of 3 Bahadur: Rise of the Warriors for the title song . The animated film was produced and directed by Pakistan's first

Academy Award The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international film industry. The awards are regarded by many as the most prestigious, significant awards in the entertainment ind ...

winner

Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy ( ur, ; born 12 November 1978) is a Pakistani-Canadian journalist, filmmaker and activist known for her work in films that highlight the inequality with women. She is the recipient of two Academy Awards, seven Emmy Awar ...

.

Filmography

Films

Television

Notable performances

Apart from studio recordings, in 2005 Kiani was appointed by the government of

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 dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 24 ...

as an official representative of the country. On 11 August 2005, Kiani performed in Nagoya for the Prime Minister of Japan Mr.

Junichirō Koizumi Junichiro Koizumi (; , ''Koizumi Jun'ichirō'' ; born 8 January 1942) is a former Japanese politician who was Prime Minister of Japan and President of the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) from 2001 to 2006. He retired from politics in 2009. He is ...

. Kiani then performed in Toronto on 14 August 2005 by request of The Pakistani Consulate. She performed in Houston on 13 August 2005. The show was at

Sam Houston Race Park Sam Houston Race Park is a horse racing track located in unincorporated northwest Houston, Texas, United States. The park hosts both Thoroughbred and American Quarter Horse racing each year. The track strives to be a multi-purpose venue, hosting ...

, and it was attended by over 15000 people. Chief guest of the show was

Sheila Jackson Lee Sheila Jackson Lee (born January 12, 1950) is an American lawyer and politician who is the U.S. representative for , having served since 1995. The district includes most of central Houston. She is a member of the Democratic Party, and served ...

who is a member of the

US House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they c ...

. In the same month, she performed at the

Mets The New York Mets are an American professional baseball team based in the New York City borough of Queens. The Mets compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the National League (NL) East division. They are one of two major league ...

Shea Stadium Shea Stadium (), formally known as William A. Shea Municipal Stadium, was a multi-purpose stadium in Flushing Meadows–Corona Park, Queens, New York City. On 2 October 2005, Kiani performed in

Malaysia Malaysia ( ; ) is a country in Southeast Asia. The federation, federal constitutional monarchy consists of States and federal territories of Malaysia, thirteen states and three federal territories, separated by the South China Sea into two r ...

at the newly built

Convention Centre A convention center (American English; or conference centre in British English) is a large building that is designed to hold a convention, where individuals and groups gather to promote and share common interests. Convention centers typica ...

in Kuala Lumpur downtown. The Honorary

Prime Minister of Pakistan The prime minister of Pakistan ( ur, , romanized: Wazīr ē Aʿẓam , ) is the head of government of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan. Executive authority is vested in the prime minister and his chosen cabinet, despite the president of Paki ...

Mr.

Shaukat Aziz Shaukat Aziz ( ur, ; born 6 March 1949) is a Pakistani former banker and financier who served as 17th prime minister of Pakistan from 28 August 2004 to 15 November 2007, as well as the finance minister of Pakistan from 6 November 1999 to 15 ...

was the chief guest of the show. The show was part of Expo 2005 in Malaysia. Important business and political personalities from both countries attended the show. Kiani sang a song in Malay to show respect to the Malaysian people. Kiani represented Pakistan on the 25th Anniversary of the Organization of Islamic Conference (OIC) Research Centre for Islamic History, Art and Culture (

IRCICA The Research Centre For Islamic History, Art and Culture ( tr, İslâm Tarih, Sanat ve Kültür Araştırma Merkezi; abbreviated as IRCICA), also known as the Istanbul Research Center for Islamic Culture and Arts is the first cultural centre and ...

) in Turkey. Islamic Countries such as

Azerbaijan Azerbaijan (, ; az, Azərbaycan ), officially the Republic of Azerbaijan, , also sometimes officially called the Azerbaijan Republic is a transcontinental country located at the boundary of Eastern Europe and Western Asia. It is a part of th ...

, U.A.E,

Iran Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, and also called Persia, is a country located in Western Asia. It is bordered by Iraq and Turkey to the west, by Azerbaijan and Armenia to the northwest, by the Caspian Sea and Turkmeni ...

,

Qatar Qatar (, ; ar, قطر, Qaṭar ; local vernacular pronunciation: ), officially the State of Qatar,) is a country in Western Asia. It occupies the Qatar Peninsula on the northeastern coast of the Arabian Peninsula in the Middle East; it sh ...

,

Kazakhstan Kazakhstan, officially the Republic of Kazakhstan, is a transcontinental country located mainly in Central Asia and partly in Eastern Europe. It borders Russia to the north and west, China to the east, Kyrgyzstan to the southeast, Uzbeki ...

,

Kyrgyz Republic Kyrgyzstan,, pronounced or the Kyrgyz Republic, is a landlocked country in Central Asia. Kyrgyzstan is bordered by Kazakhstan to the north, Uzbekistan to the west, Tajikistan to the south, and the People's Republic of China to the east ...

,

Kuwait Kuwait (; ar, الكويت ', or ), officially the State of Kuwait ( ar, دولة الكويت '), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated in the northern edge of Eastern Arabia at the tip of the Persian Gulf, bordering Iraq to the nort ...

,

Lebanon Lebanon ( , ar, لُبْنَان, translit=lubnān, ), officially the Republic of Lebanon () or the Lebanese Republic, is a country in Western Asia. It is located between Syria to the north and east and Israel to the south, while Cyprus li ...

,

Egypt Egypt ( ar, مصر , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a transcontinental country spanning the northeast corner of Africa and southwest corner of Asia via a land bridge formed by the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Mediter ...

,

Sudan Sudan ( or ; ar, السودان, as-Sūdān, officially the Republic of the Sudan ( ar, جمهورية السودان, link=no, Jumhūriyyat as-Sūdān), is a country in Northeast Africa. It shares borders with the Central African Republic t ...

,

Syria Syria ( ar, سُورِيَا or سُورِيَة, translit=Sūriyā), officially the Syrian Arab Republic ( ar, الجمهورية العربية السورية, al-Jumhūrīyah al-ʻArabīyah as-Sūrīyah), is a Western Asian country loc ...

,

Saudi Arabia Saudi Arabia, officially the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), is a country in Western Asia. It covers the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula, and has a land area of about , making it the fifth-largest country in Asia, the second-largest in the A ...

,

Tanzania Tanzania (; ), officially the United Republic of Tanzania ( sw, Jamhuri ya Muungano wa Tanzania), is a country in East Africa within the African Great Lakes region. It borders Uganda to the north; Kenya to the northeast; Comoro Islands and ...

,

Turkey Turkey ( tr, Türkiye ), officially the Republic of Türkiye ( tr, Türkiye Cumhuriyeti, links=no ), is a list of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country located mainly on the Anatolia, Anatolian Peninsula in Western Asia, with ...

,

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 dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 24 ...

and

Yemen Yemen (; ar, ٱلْيَمَن, al-Yaman), officially the Republic of Yemen,, ) is a country in Western Asia. It is situated on the southern end of the Arabian Peninsula, and borders Saudi Arabia to the Saudi Arabia–Yemen border, north and ...

took part in the celebrations. The event was organised by

Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality ) , postal_code_type = Postal code , postal_code = 34000 to 34990 , area_code = +90 212 (European side) +90 216 (Asian side) , registration_plate = 34 , blank_name_sec2 = GeoTLD , blank_in ...

. She performed at the

AKM The AKM () is an assault rifle designed by Soviet small arms designer Mikhail Kalashnikov in 1959. It is the most ubiquitous rifle of the Kalashnikov rifles. It was developed as a replacement to the AK-47 introduced a decade prior. Introduced ...

Opera House on 23 November 2005. Among the audience were musicians from various countries. The biggest surprise for the audience was said to be when Kiani sang "Sanalama" (Turkish song of Living Legend "

Sezen Aksu Sezen Aksu (; born Fatma Sezen Yıldırım; 13 July 1954) is a Turkish pop music singer, songwriter and producer who has sold over 40 million albums worldwide. Her nicknames include the "Queen of Turkish Pop" and "''Minik Serçe''" ("Little Spar ...

"). She told the audience that as Turkey stood beside Pakistan in good and bad times, she wanted to convey the love of Pakistani people for the Turks. She also told the audience that she visited Turkey as a child star in 80s and represented Pakistan in the International Children's Festival in Turkey so she had beautiful childhood memories associated with Turkey. The audience gave her a standing ovation at the end of her performance, The Mayor of Istanbul appreciated her and presented a bouquet of flowers to her. After her performance she received invitations to participate in the upcoming Art festivals in various countries such as

Iran Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, and also called Persia, is a country located in Western Asia. It is bordered by Iraq and Turkey to the west, by Azerbaijan and Armenia to the northwest, by the Caspian Sea and Turkmeni ...

,

Syria Syria ( ar, سُورِيَا or سُورِيَة, translit=Sūriyā), officially the Syrian Arab Republic ( ar, الجمهورية العربية السورية, al-Jumhūrīyah al-ʻArabīyah as-Sūrīyah), is a Western Asian country loc ...

,

Qatar Qatar (, ; ar, قطر, Qaṭar ; local vernacular pronunciation: ), officially the State of Qatar,) is a country in Western Asia. It occupies the Qatar Peninsula on the northeastern coast of the Arabian Peninsula in the Middle East; it sh ...

and

Lebanon Lebanon ( , ar, لُبْنَان, translit=lubnān, ), officially the Republic of Lebanon () or the Lebanese Republic, is a country in Western Asia. It is located between Syria to the north and east and Israel to the south, while Cyprus li ...

. During her stay in Istanbul she officially visited various historical sites in Turkey and conveyed the love of Pakistan for Turkey. Her performance in Istanbul made headlines in various Turkish Newspapers. Kiani performed in China for the Chinese Premier on 21 February 2006. The following month, she performed for President

George W. Bush George Walker Bush (born July 6, 1946) is an American politician who served as the 43rd president of the United States from 2001 to 2009. A member of the Republican Party, Bush family, and son of the 41st president George H. W. Bush, he ...

on 4 March 2006. Commenting on her performance, Bush said "Ms. Hadiqa Kiani is extremely talented and should sing here (United States) more." She then performed for the Crown Prince of Brunei Al-Muhtadee Billah Bolkiah on 29 May 2006. Kiani performed as per the request of former

First Lady of the United States The first lady of the United States (FLOTUS) is the title held by the hostess of the White House, usually the wife of the president of the United States, concurrent with the president's term in office. Although the first lady's role has never ...

,

Laura Bush Laura Lane Welch Bush (''née'' Welch; born November 4, 1946) is an American teacher, librarian, memoirist and author who was First Lady of the United States from 2001 to 2009. Bush previously served as First Lady of Texas from 1995 to 2000. ...

on 21 September 2006 at

The Kennedy Center The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts (formally known as the John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts, and commonly referred to as the Kennedy Center) is the United States National Cultural Center, located on the Potom ...

, in

Washington, D.C ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

. She closed the year by performing for

Prince Charles Charles III (Charles Philip Arthur George; born 14 November 1948) is King of the United Kingdom and the 14 other Commonwealth realms. He was the longest-serving heir apparent and Prince of Wales and, at age 73, became the oldest person to ...

of the United Kingdom and

Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall Camilla (born Camilla Rosemary Shand, later Parker Bowles, 17 July 1947) is Queen Consort of the United Kingdom and the 14 other Commonwealth realms as the wife of King Charles III. She became queen consort on 8 September 2022, upon the acc ...

on 30 October 2006, and again in China for the Chinese president on 23 November 2006. On 19 May 2007, Kiani performed at

Dead Sea The Dead Sea ( he, יַם הַמֶּלַח, ''Yam hamMelaḥ''; ar, اَلْبَحْرُ الْمَيْتُ, ''Āl-Baḥrū l-Maytū''), also known by other names, is a salt lake bordered by Jordan to the east and Israel and the West Bank ...

in Jordan for 28 Heads of States at the

World Economic Forum The World Economic Forum (WEF) is an international non-governmental and lobbying organisation based in Cologny, canton of Geneva, Switzerland. It was founded on 24 January 1971 by German engineer and economist Klaus Schwab. The foundation, ...

on the Middle East and North Africa. Her performance took place on the second day of the three-day event while American singer

Lionel Richie Lionel Brockman Richie Jr. (born June 20, 1949) is an American singer, songwriter, record producer, and television personality. He rose to fame in the 1970s as a songwriter and the co-lead singer of funk band the Commodores; writing and recordi ...

performed the first day. Among Kiani's setlist for the night was the Arabic song titled "

Ah W Nos This is AH wikipédia. AH wikipédia is very very cool but I'm very very cool :D This is funny description: https://www.google.com/search?q=funny&rlz=1C1GCEA_enHU983HU985&sxsrf=APq-WBumF4a0GcwAqKN6s0iYOgPUBiyt6w:1648737749922&source=lnms&tbm=isch&s ...

" by

Nancy Ajram Nancy Nabil Ajram ( ar, نانسي نبيل عجرم, born May 16, 1983) is a Lebanese singer, television personality and businesswoman. Dubbed by Spotify as the " Queen of Arab Pop". With the support of her father, she began performing as ...

which Kiani covered and then sang again the following year in Pakistan. In August 2007, Kiani was one of the headliners for the London Day Parade at

Trafalgar Square Trafalgar Square ( ) is a public square in the City of Westminster, Central London, laid out in the early 19th century around the area formerly known as Charing Cross. At its centre is a high column bearing a statue of Admiral Nelson commemo ...

, London which was broadcast by

Geo TV Geo Television Network is a television channel based in Pakistan. It was established in May 2002 and is owned by the Jang Media Group. The channel began its test transmission on 14 August 2002, with regular transmission beginning on 1 October 2 ...

to celebrate 60 years of Independence for Pakistan. Kiani was the only singer who sang completely live that day. She was also part of closing the show with the popular patriotic song "Jeevay Pakistan" alongside

Ali Zafar Ali Zafar ( pa, ; born 18 May 1980) is a Pakistani singer-songwriter, model, actor, producer, screenwriter and painter. Zafar started out on Pakistani television before becoming a popular musician. He later also established a career in Bo ...

. Kiani has continued performing throughout Pakistan for various companies, including

Pepsi Pepsi is a carbonated soft drink manufactured by PepsiCo. Originally created and developed in 1893 by Caleb Bradham and introduced as Brad's Drink, it was renamed as Pepsi-Cola in 1898, and then shortened to Pepsi in 1961. History Pepsi was ...

and

Samsung The Samsung Group (or simply Samsung) ( ko, 삼성 ) is a South Korean multinational manufacturing conglomerate headquartered in Samsung Town, Seoul, South Korea. It comprises numerous affiliated businesses, most of them united under the ...

. Most notably, in 2016 Kiani performed to positive reviews at the first Inter Provincial Games in Pakistan, initiated by President

Mamnoon Hussain Mamnoon Hussain ( ur, ; 22 December 1941 – 14 July 2021) was a Pakistani politician and industrialist who served as the 12th president of Pakistan from 2013 to 2018. He was first appointed Governor of Sindh in June 1999 by President Rafiq ...

as a sporting event to support the male and female athletes of Pakistan. At the end of 2016, upon the Turkish President Erdoğan's arrival to Pakistan, Kiani was invited to perform at the historic

Lahore Fort The Lahore Fort ( ur, , lit=Royal Fort, translit=Shāhī Qilā, label=Punjabi language, Punjabi and Urdu) is a citadel in the city of Lahore, Pakistan. The fortress is located at the northern end of Walled City of Lahore, walled city Lahore, a ...

, performing along with folk legend

Arif Lohar ) , native_name_lang = ur , birth_name = , alias = , birth_date = , origin = Punjab, Pakistan , instrument = Chimta , genre = Punjabi Folk music , occupation = Vocalist, musician , ...

to welcome the world leader. Kiani's performance was noted as "enthralling" and "melodious." In 2022, Kiani took the stage at Expo 2020 Dubai at the DEC Arena to represent Pakistan to a sold-out crowd. ''

Gulf Business __NOTOC__ ''Gulf Business'' is a weekly magazine published from Dubai, United Arab Emirates, and focusing on Middle East business news, especially in GCC countries. It was launched in 1996. It is published in Motivate Media Group. The magazine ...

'' noted Kiani's performance as a musical highlight of the Expo. Kiani was presented with a tour of the Pakistan Pavilion at the world event in which she was quoted as saying, "It's about time that we need to show the world who we are and where we are heading. We are people full of love and we have our rich cultural background and people need to see that."

Philanthropy and social causes

In March 2007, Kiani was one of the many artists featured in a widely popular track called "

Yeh Hum Naheen Ye () is a Chinese surname, Chinese-language surname. It is listed 257th in the Song dynasty Chinese classics, classic text ''Hundred Family Surnames'', and is the list of common Chinese surnames, 43rd most common surname in China, with a populati ...

". In this song, various Pakistani artists joined to send out a message that the stereotype of Pakistanis is not correct and that they oppose

terrorism Terrorism, in its broadest sense, is the use of criminal violence to provoke a state of terror or fear, mostly with the intention to achieve political or religious aims. The term is used in this regard primarily to refer to intentional violen ...

. The song also conveys an

anti-terrorism Counterterrorism (also spelled counter-terrorism), also known as anti-terrorism, incorporates the practices, military tactics, techniques, and strategies that governments, law enforcement, business, and intelligence agencies use to combat or el ...

sentiment in the music video and supported the anti-terrorism campaign,

Yeh hum naheen Ye () is a Chinese surname, Chinese-language surname. It is listed 257th in the Song dynasty Chinese classics, classic text ''Hundred Family Surnames'', and is the list of common Chinese surnames, 43rd most common surname in China, with a populati ...

, which Kiani is heavily involved with. Other artists in the song include

Ali Zafar Ali Zafar ( pa, ; born 18 May 1980) is a Pakistani singer-songwriter, model, actor, producer, screenwriter and painter. Zafar started out on Pakistani television before becoming a popular musician. He later also established a career in Bo ...

,

Shafqat Amanat Ali Shafqat Amanat Ali Khan ( ur, ; ; born 26 February 1965) is a Pakistani pop and classical singer, songwriter, and composer belonging to the Patiala Gharana tradition of music. He was the lead vocalist of the Pakistani pop rock band Fuzön ...

and the

Strings String or strings may refer to: *String (structure), a long flexible structure made from threads twisted together, which is used to tie, bind, or hang other objects Arts, entertainment, and media Films * ''Strings'' (1991 film), a Canadian anim ...

duo. The song was picked up by international networks such as

Fox News The Fox News Channel, abbreviated FNC, commonly known as Fox News, and stylized in all caps, is an American multinational conservative cable news television channel based in New York City. It is owned by Fox News Media, which itself is owne ...

and

BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board ex ...

and amassed a significant number of downloads. In August 2010, Kiani and her siblings worked with local Pakistanis along with the

Pakistan Army The Pakistan Army (, ) is the Army, land service branch of the Pakistan Armed Forces. The roots of its modern existence trace back to the British Indian Army that ceased to exist following the partition of India, Partition of British India, wh ...

to provide clothing, water, food and

shelter Shelter is a small building giving temporary protection from bad weather or danger. Shelter may also refer to: Places * Port Shelter, Hong Kong * Shelter Bay (disambiguation), various locations * Shelter Cove (disambiguation), various locatio ...

to the flood victims of Pakistan following the devastating

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 ...

. Kiani also appeared in

Geo TV Geo Television Network is a television channel based in Pakistan. It was established in May 2002 and is owned by the Jang Media Group. The channel began its test transmission on 14 August 2002, with regular transmission beginning on 1 October 2 ...

's

telethon A telethon (a portmanteau of "television" and "marathon") is a televised fundraising event that lasts many hours or even days, the purpose of which is to raise money for a charitable, political or other purportedly worthy cause. Most telethons f ...

"Pukaar" along with

Pop star A pop icon is a celebrity, character, or object whose exposure in popular culture is regarded as constituting a defining characteristic of a given society or era. The usage of the term is largely subjective since there are no definitively object ...

Ali Zafar Ali Zafar ( pa, ; born 18 May 1980) is a Pakistani singer-songwriter, model, actor, producer, screenwriter and painter. Zafar started out on Pakistani television before becoming a popular musician. He later also established a career in Bo ...

to appeal for donations. In collaboration with

Pakistan Army The Pakistan Army (, ) is the Army, land service branch of the Pakistan Armed Forces. The roots of its modern existence trace back to the British Indian Army that ceased to exist following the partition of India, Partition of British India, wh ...

, Kiani made visits to

Multan Multan (; ) is a city in Punjab, Pakistan, on the bank of the Chenab River. Multan is Pakistan's seventh largest city as per the 2017 census, and the major cultural, religious and economic centre of southern Punjab. Multan is one of the List ...

Relief Camp, Basti Kalraywala,

Muzaffarabad Muzaffarabad (; ur, ) is the capital and largest city of Azad Kashmir, and the 60th largest in Pakistan. The city is located in Muzaffarabad District, near the confluence of the Jhelum and Neelum rivers. The district is bounded by the Pak ...

and other flood hit areas, personally distributing goods to the affectees. On 8 November 2010, Kiani was appointed

United Nations Development Programme The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)french: Programme des Nations unies pour le développement, PNUD is a United Nations agency tasked with helping countries eliminate poverty and achieve sustainable economic growth and human dev ...

Goodwill ambassador after being recognized for her individual philanthropic efforts. Following being appointed, Kiani continued to construct housing facilities in Nowshera,

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (; ps, خېبر پښتونخوا; Urdu, Hindko: خیبر پختونخوا) commonly abbreviated as KP or KPK, is one of the Administrative units of Pakistan, four provinces of Pakistan. Located in the Geography of Pakistan, ...

for the flood victims till she completed over 250 houses. Nowshera was one of the worst flood hit areas in the country. In the beginning of 2015, Kiani was chosen on to be one of

Pond's Pond's is an American brand of beauty and health care products, currently owned by Unilever. History Pond's Cream was invented in the United States as a patent medicine by pharmacist Theron T. Pond (1800–1852) of Utica, New York, in 1846. M ...

Miracle Mentors as an initiative to highlight and support strong women in the patriarchal Pakistani society alongside nine other renowned and influential women. Later that month Kiani stood up again to voice her views on women in leadership at the Women Leadership Summit 2015 with then wife of former cricketer

Imran Khan Imran Ahmed Khan Niazi ( ur}; born 5 October 1952) is a Pakistani politician and former Cricket captain who served as the 22nd Prime Minister of Pakistan from August 2018 to until April 2022, when he was ousted through a no-confidenc ...

,

Reham Khan Reham Nayyar Khan (Urdu/Pashto: ; born 3 April 1973) is a British-Pakistani journalist, author, and filmmaker from Baffa, Pakistan. She is a former wife of Imran Khan, who later became Prime Minister of Pakistan in 2018, The publication of ...

and various other women who had achieved success in their respective fields including

Muniba Mazari Muniba Mazari Baloch (Urdu: منیبہ مزاری; born 3 March 1987, also known as the ''Iron Lady of Pakistan'') is a Pakistani activist, anchor artist, model, singer and motivational speaker. She became the National Ambassador for UN Women Pak ...

and Nadia Jamil. The summit brought international and local voices together as an act towards shedding light to the issue of gender discrimination in the workplace. Kiani works regularly with the

Edhi Foundation The Edhi Foundation ( ur, ) is a non-profit social welfare organization based in Pakistan. It was founded by Abdul Sattar Edhi in 1951, who served as the head of the organization until his death on 8 July 2016. Bilquis Edhi, a nurse by professi ...

and has been involved with many other charitable organizations, including

Muslim Hands Muslim Hands is an international Non-governmental organization in over fifty two countries worldwide to help those affected by natural disasters, conflict and poverty. The organisation was established in 1993 in Nottingham, UK. History Muslim ...

, SOS Villages and

UNICEF UNICEF (), originally called the United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund in full, now officially United Nations Children's Fund, is an agency of the United Nations responsible for providing Humanitarianism, humanitarian and Devel ...

. She has also campaigned and been the ambassador for

Shaukat Khanum The family of Imran Khan, the former Prime Minister of Pakistan and former captain of the Pakistan cricket team, is the former First Family of Pakistan. Imran Khan was born on 5 October 1952 in Lahore to father Ikramullah Niazi. He grew up as th ...

,

Oxfam Oxfam is a British-founded confederation of 21 independent charitable organizations focusing on the alleviation of global poverty, founded in 1942 and led by Oxfam International. History Founded at 17 Broad Street, Oxford, as the Oxford Co ...

International, and since 2010 the United Nations. In November 2015 it was announced that Kiani would speak at

TED TED may refer to: Economics and finance * TED spread between U.S. Treasuries and Eurodollar Education * ''Türk Eğitim Derneği'', the Turkish Education Association ** TED Ankara College Foundation Schools, Turkey ** Transvaal Education Depa ...

X Kinnaird on the role of women in Pakistani society. After taking a stance with the award-winning project,

Udaari ''Udaari'' (title from pnb, ; lit: ''To fly'') is an Urdu and Punjabi language social Pakistani television series that was created and co-produced by Momina Duraid with Kashf Foundation for Hum TV. It focused on the social and economic margina ...

that highlighted the social issue of sexual abuse against children in the Pakistani community in 2016, Kiani took a stance against the issue again in 2017. Kiani gained attention when criticizing actor

Yasir Hussain Yasir Hussain ( ur, ) is a Pakistani screenwriter, actor, playwright and host from Islamabad best known for his comic roles. He hosted '' The After Moon Show'' on Hum TV. He is also known for playing the antagonist in the 2018 social drama '' ...

at the 5th annual Hum TV Awards for joking about child molestation. In a statement on social media, Kiani stated that the comments made by Hussain were "disgusting," while also taking a stance against the entertainment industry for supporting the actor. In July 2017, Kiani teamed up with

Nestlé Nestlé S.A. (; ; ) is a Switzerland, Swiss multinational food and drink processing conglomerate corporation headquartered in Vevey, Vaud, Switzerland. It is the largest publicly held food company in the world, measured by revenue and other me ...

to introduce socially responsible initiatives in Pakistan regarding early childhood development.

''Pakistan Idol''

''

Pakistan Idol ''Pakistan Idol'' was a Pakistani Reality competition, reality singing competition that was a part of the Idols (TV series), ''Idols'' franchise created by Simon Fuller and owned by 19 Entertainment and FremantleMedia. It was the 50th adaptati ...

'' is a Pakistani reality singing competition that is part of the ''Idols'' franchise created by

Simon Fuller Simon Fuller (born 17 May 1960) is a British entrepreneur, artist manager, and film and television producer renowned for nurturing and inspiring world class entertainment talent. He is the creator of the ''Idols'' TV format, including the UK s ...

and owned by

19 Entertainment 19 Entertainment is a producer of entertainment properties for television with a focus on music. Founded by Simon Fuller in London in 1985, the company co-produced ''Pop Idol'' in the United Kingdom with Thames Television in 2001. The ''Idol serie ...

and

FremantleMedia Fremantle (; formerly FremantleMedia) is a British multinational television production and distribution company based in London. Fremantle takes its name from Fremantle International, acquired by predecessor company All American Television in ...

. It is the 50th adaptation of the familiar reality competition format introduced in the British series ''

Pop Idol ''Pop Idol'' is a British music competition television series created by Simon Fuller which ran on ITV from 2001 to 2003. The aim of the show was to decide the best new young pop singer (or "pop idol") in the UK based on viewer voting and par ...

'' in 2001. It was developed for the Pakistani entertainment market by

Geo TV Geo Television Network is a television channel based in Pakistan. It was established in May 2002 and is owned by the Jang Media Group. The channel began its test transmission on 14 August 2002, with regular transmission beginning on 1 October 2 ...

. The show brought together Junoon front man

Ali Azmat Ali Azmat Butt (born 20 April 1970) is a Pakistani singer-songwriter, musician and actor. He is best known as the lead singer for the influential Sufi Rock band Junoon and for his subsequent solo career. In 2001, he became part of the first ...

, comic

Bushra Ansari Bushra Iqbal Ansari is a Pakistani actress, comedian, singer and playwright who started her career as a child performer in the 1950s. Ansari won numerous awards during her career, including the Presidential Pride of Performance Award in 1989 fo ...

, and Kiani as judges. The first season of the show was heavily controversial.

''Acting Career''

In January 2021, Kiani revealed that she will make her acting debut alongside

Nauman Ijaz Nauman Ijaz (Punjabi and ur, ) is a Pakistani television and film actor, TV anchorperson, and TV show presenter. He is the recipient of several accolades including 10 Lux Style Awards, 7 Hum Awards and a President's Pride of Performance, whic ...

,

Sania Saeed Sania Saeed (born 28 August 1972) is a Pakistani actress and television host. Works mainly in television and theatre, Saeed is the recipient of numerous accolades including two PTV Awards, three Hum Awards and four Lux Style Awards. She first ...

and

Iqra Aziz Iqra Aziz Hussain (born 24 November 1997) is a Pakistani actress who primarily works in Urdu television. She made her acting debut in 2014 with a supporting role shanzey in ''Kissey Apna Kahein''. Aziz is widely recognized for portraying the r ...

in

Hum TV Hum TV is a 24-hour Urdu General Entertainment TV channel based in Karachi, Pakistan. It was founded by Sultana Siddiqui and Duraid Qureshi. It is owned by Hum Network Limited and traded on Pakistan Stock Exchange as (HUMNL). Hum Network Limi ...

's drama

Raqeeb Se ''Raqeeb Se'' () is a Pakistani romantic drama television series produced by Momina Duraid, written by Bee Gul and directed by Kashif Nisar. It aired on Hum TV from 20 January 2021 to 26 May 2021 all under MD Productions. ''Raqeeb Se'' revolves ...

. The drama was written by

Bee Gul Bee Gul ( ur, ) is a Pakistani screenwriter and director. She wrote Films and TV plays like ''Talkhiyaan'', '' Pehchaan'', ''Kaun Qamar Ara'', '' Firdous ki Dozakh'', most notably ''Dar Si Jaati Hai Sila'' and ''Raqeeb Se'' for HUM TV. Bee Gul' ...

and directed by

Kashif Nisar Kashif Nisar ( ur, ) is a Pakistani television director, producer and screenwriter, and the nephew of Pakistani TV Director Tariq Mairaj. He is known for directing artistic drama serials. Kashif's most notable works are '' Dumpukht - Aatish ...

while Kiani sang and produced the OST written by her mother, Khawar Kiani. Kiani starred as the lead heroine in the drama, portraying a battered mother named Sakina, and won critical and fan praise for the performance. The drama garnered Kiani her first awards in the acting field and was noted as one of "The Best Dramas of 2021" In 2022, Kiani was awarded with Best Actress Award by Critics Choice at the 21st

Lux Style Awards The Lux Style Awards is an award ceremony held annually in Pakistan since 2002. The awards celebrate "style" in the Pakistani entertainment industry, and it is the oldest event dedicated to cinema, television, fashion, music and film industry ...

for her performance in Raqeeb Se as Sakina. Kiani's second drama premiered in October 2021 and paired Kiani with

Bilal Abbas Khan Bilal Abbas Khan ( ur, ; born 4 June 1993) is a Pakistani actor who primarily works in Urdu television. He made his acting debut with a supporting role in the religious drama ''Saya-e-Dewar Bhi Nahi'' (2016). His debut in a leading role was i ...

. The drama was written by

Sarwat Nazir Sarwat Nazir ( ur, ) is a Pakistani fiction writer, novelist, screenwriter, and playwright. She is best known for her screen play Main Abdul Qadir Hoon and Umm-e-Kulsoom. She has done another phenomenal showDobol Which has gotten phenomenal succe ...

directed by

Danish Nawaz Danish Nawaz Baloch ( ur, ; born 4 August 1978) is a Pakistani television and film actor, director, and comedian. He has established a career in Pakistani television and is mostly famous as a comedian. He is best known for his lead comedy rol ...

and produced by

Momina Duraid Productions MD Productions is a Pakistani television and film production company based in Karachi, Pakistan. It is founded by Momina Duraid and Duraid Qureshi, son of Sultana Siddiqui. History The company has produced television serials such as ''Zindagi Gu ...

for

Hum TV Hum TV is a 24-hour Urdu General Entertainment TV channel based in Karachi, Pakistan. It was founded by Sultana Siddiqui and Duraid Qureshi. It is owned by Hum Network Limited and traded on Pakistan Stock Exchange as (HUMNL). Hum Network Limi ...

.

DAWN Images ''Dawn'' is a Pakistani English-language newspaper that was launched in British India in 1941. It is the largest English newspaper in Pakistan, and also serves as the country's newspaper of record. ''Dawn'' is the flagship publication of the Da ...

wrote that the drama was an "attempt at redefining the 'leading lady' in Pakistani dramas". The drama received critical and fan praise for its storyline and for Kiani's performance as Mehru. Dobara consistently topped the ratings charts and was noted of having an all-time high of 8.8 TRP rating in February 2021. In December 2021, Kiani signed her third script for

ARY Digital ''ARY Digital'' ( ur, ) is a Pakistani pay television network available in Pakistan, the Middle East, North America and Europe. The ARY Group of companies is a Dubai-based holding company founded by a Pakistani businessman, Abdul Razzak Yaqoob ...

titled "Pinjra." The script was the last script written by

Asma Nabeel Asma Nabeel (1970s – 1 July 2021) was a Pakistani screenwriter, poet, producer and creative consultant. She wrote scripts for Pakistani dramas such as ''Khuda Mera Bhi Hai'' and ''Khaani''. Education She had a Master's in Mass Communication ...

who lost her life to breast cancer in early 2021. The drama will be produced by Shazia Wajahat and Wajahat Rauf and is expected to air in 2022.

Recognition & Legacy

Hadiqa Kiani PakistaniSinger GCU Graduate

In March 2006, Kiani was presented with the

Tamgha-e-Imtiaz Tamgha-e-Imtiaz () also spelled as Tamgha-i-Imtiaz, is a state-organised honour of Pakistan. It is given to any civilian in Pakistan based on their achievements. While it is a civilian/military award, it can be bestowed upon officers of the P ...

by the Government of Pakistan, one of the highest civil awards of the country, in acknowledgement of her services in the field of music and for shining an encouraging light on the country for over a decade. The award was announced on 14 August 2005 but the ceremony was performed on 23 March of the next year. In 2015, Kiani was declared as one of "Pakistan's Most Powerful and Influential Women" of all time by

The News International ''The News International'', published in broadsheet size, is one of the largest English language newspapers in Pakistan. It is published daily from Karachi, Lahore and Rawalpindi/Islamabad. An overseas edition is published from London that cater ...

under the

Jang Group Jang Media Group (), also known as Geo Group, is a Pakistani media conglomerate and a subsidiary of Dubai-based company Independent Media Corporation. Its headquarters is in Printing House, Karachi, Pakistan. It is Pakistan's largest group of new ...

umbrella. On 15 August 2015, ''Daily Times'' Kiani as the 15th part of their 30 name list of celebrated Pakistanis who have brought a great deal of pride for their country, other names on the list titled "Pride of Pakistan" included

Academy Award The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international film industry. The awards are regarded by many as the most prestigious, significant awards in the entertainment ind ...

winner

Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy ( ur, ; born 12 November 1978) is a Pakistani-Canadian journalist, filmmaker and activist known for her work in films that highlight the inequality with women. She is the recipient of two Academy Awards, seven Emmy Awar ...

,

Malala Yousafzai Malala Yousafzai ( ur, , , pronunciation: ; born 12 July 1997), is a Pakistani female education activist and the 2014 Nobel Peace Prize laureate. Awarded when she was 17, she is the world's youngest Nobel Prize laureate, and the second Pak ...

, and national hero

Abdul Sattar Edhi Abdul Sattar Edhi ( ur, ; 28 February 1928 – 8 July 2016) was a Pakistanis, Pakistani Humanitarianism, humanitarian, Philanthropy, philanthropist and Asceticism, ascetic who founded the Edhi Foundation, which runs the world's largest volun ...

. In April 2015, Kiani headlined the Music Mela and introduced her new Qawwali sound at the 3-day festival arranged by the U.S. Embassy in Islamabad. The "Pop Queen" of Pakistan debuted herself as a

Qawwali Qawwali ( Punjabi: (Shahmukhi), (Gurmukhi); Urdu: (Nasta'liq); Hindi: क़व्वाली (Devanagari); Bengali: কাওয়ালি (Bengali)) is a form of Sufi Islamic devotional singing, originating from the Indian subcontinent ...

artist to positive feedback Upon the end of the Mela, Kiani announced that she would be working on her sixth studio album titled ''Wajd''. In December 2021, Kiani was listed as one of the Top Global Asian Celebrities by Eastern Eye, a UK publication. Kiani joined the list with

Riz Ahmed Rizwan Ahmed (; ; born ) is a British actor and rapper. As an actor, he has won an Emmy Award and has received nominations for a Golden Globe and three British Independent Film Awards, and as a rapper he has won an Academy Award for the short ...

,

Mindy Kaling Vera Mindy Chokalingam (born June 24, 1979),Additional archive on June 25, 2015. known professionally as Mindy Kaling (), is an American actress, comedian, screenwriter and producer. She first gained recognition starring as Kelly Kapoor in the N ...

and

Atif Aslam Atif Aslam is a Pakistani playback singer, songwriter, composer, and actor. He has recorded many songs in both Pakistan and India, and is known for his vocal belting technique. Aslam predominantly sings in Urdu, but has also sung in Hindi, ...

. In May 2022, Kiani was honoured by the global music streaming platform

Spotify Spotify (; ) is a proprietary Swedish audio streaming and media services provider founded on 23 April 2006 by Daniel Ek and Martin Lorentzon. It is one of the largest music streaming service providers, with over 456 million monthly active us ...

with a digital billboard in

Times Square Times Square is a major commercial intersection, tourist destination, entertainment hub, and neighborhood in Midtown Manhattan, New York City. It is formed by the junction of Broadway, Seventh Avenue, and 42nd Street. Together with adjacent ...

in New York City for her contribution to the global music industry and in support of her seventh album titled VASL. Earlier in the year, Spotify stated "A trailblazer, an icon, and a champion for women's independence, Hadiqa Kiani is undoubtedly one of the most prolific names in Pakistani music history. Her career has evolved remarkably over the past three decades; always staying true to herself, she has given pre-eminent music to the industry in her soulful voice. Apart from her seven hit albums, she has performed in various languages, regionally covering almost all native local languages from the beautiful Saraiki to the complex Dogri and internationally taking on everything from Mandarin Chinese to French." Kiani continues to serve as a role model for young women in Pakistan, artists

Shae Gill Anushae Babar Gill (Urdu, Punjabi language, Punjabi: ), popularly known as Shae Gill, is a Pakistani singer and cover-artist, mostly known for her Punjabi language, Punjabi duet song "Pasoori" with Ali Sethi. Early life Shae Gill was born an ...

and

Momina Mustehsan Momina Mustehsan (; born 5 September 1992) is a Pakistani singer, musician, and social activist. In 2017, BBC named her one of the 100 Women (BBC), 100 most influential women, and the following year, ''Forbes'' featured her among its "30 Under ...

have cited Kiani as an inspiration for their musical ambitions.

Personal life

Kiani was the sole caretaker of her mother, Khawar Kiani, who was paralyzed since 2006 and passed away on October 14, 2022. Upon Khawar's passing, it was reported that the entertainment industry and the country mourned her loss as she was the writer of the "biggest songs in Pakistani music history" including Kiani's "Boohey Barian" and the Kiani &

Atif Aslam Atif Aslam is a Pakistani playback singer, songwriter, composer, and actor. He has recorded many songs in both Pakistan and India, and is known for his vocal belting technique. Aslam predominantly sings in Urdu, but has also sung in Hindi, ...

collaboration for

Hum TV Hum TV is a 24-hour Urdu General Entertainment TV channel based in Karachi, Pakistan. It was founded by Sultana Siddiqui and Duraid Qureshi. It is owned by Hum Network Limited and traded on Pakistan Stock Exchange as (HUMNL). Hum Network Limi ...

titled "Aas Pass" Kiani adopted her son, Naad-e-Ali, in 2005 from the

Edhi Foundation The Edhi Foundation ( ur, ) is a non-profit social welfare organization based in Pakistan. It was founded by Abdul Sattar Edhi in 1951, who served as the head of the organization until his death on 8 July 2016. Bilquis Edhi, a nurse by professi ...

after the 2005 earthquake. Later, she married a UK-based Afghan businessman, Syed Fareed Sarwary. In 2008, she divorced Sarwary.

Discography

*''Raaz'' – 1995 *''Roshni'' – 1998 *''Rung'' – 2002 *''Rough Cut'' – 2007 *''Aasmaan'' – 2009 *''Wajd'' – 2017 * ''Vasl'' – 2022

Awards and nominations

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Kiani, Hadiqa 1974 births Punjabi people Punjabi-language singers Pakistani pop singers 20th-century Pakistani women singers Pakistani musicians People from Rawalpindi District Living people Pakistani guitarists Pakistani folk singers Pakistani humanitarians Recipients of Tamgha-e-Imtiaz Kinnaird College for Women University alumni Government College University, Lahore alumni Performers of Sufi music Nigar Award winners Folk-pop singers 21st-century Pakistani women singers