Shekeb Hamdard ( fa, شكیب همدرد), born as Ahmad Shekeb, is a well-known singer from
Afghanistan
Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan,; prs, امارت اسلامی افغانستان is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. Referred to as the Heart of Asia, it is bordere ...
. He is ethnically
Hazara and currently continues his music career in the United States. He is the first winner of ''
Afghan Star
''Afghan Star'' is a reality television show competition that searches for the most talented singers across Afghanistan. The program broadcasts on the TOLO channel. ''Afghan Star'' premiered in 2005, four years after the fall of the Taliban, w ...
'', a reality TV show in Afghanistan.
Early life
He migrated to
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 ...
at an early age due to the civil war. After the
September 11 attacks
The September 11 attacks, commonly known as 9/11, were four coordinated suicide terrorist attacks carried out by al-Qaeda against the United States on Tuesday, September 11, 2001. That morning, nineteen terrorists hijacked four commercia ...
, under the new Afghan government, he returned and joined
Habibia High School
Habibia High School ( fa, لیسه عالی حبیبیه) is a school in southwestern Kabul, Afghanistan which has educated many of the former and current Afghan elite, including President Ashraf Ghani and musician Ahmad Zahir. It was founded by K ...
of Kabul.
Career
Hamdard's musical career started after he won the first-ever musical reality TV show in 2005. The ''
Afghan Star
''Afghan Star'' is a reality television show competition that searches for the most talented singers across Afghanistan. The program broadcasts on the TOLO channel. ''Afghan Star'' premiered in 2005, four years after the fall of the Taliban, w ...
'' is the Afghan version of
American Idol
''American Idol'' is an American singing competition television series created by Simon Fuller, produced by Fremantle North America and 19 Entertainment, and distributed by Fremantle North America. It aired on Fox from June 11, 2002, to Ap ...
which is broadcast by
Tolo TV
TOLO ( fa, طلوع, , sunrise) is a commercial television station operated by MOBY Group in Afghanistan. Launched in 2004, it became one of the first commercial stations in the country and laid the foundation for an accessible media outlet by o ...
with the financial support of
Roshan Telecommunications. After the show, a super hit single ''Gul Dana Dana'' was on market by Shakeeb Hamdard. Later, he signed up with ''Bardburd Music'' which released his first album ''Mashallah''.
Personal life
He lives in
Jacksonville
Jacksonville is a city located on the Atlantic coast of northeast Florida, the most populous city proper in the state and is the List of United States cities by area, largest city by area in the contiguous United States as of 2020. It is the co ...
, Florida, United States.
Shakeeb Hamdard belongs to
Hazara ethnic group.
Discography
* 2007: ''Mashallah''
See also
*
Afghan Star
''Afghan Star'' is a reality television show competition that searches for the most talented singers across Afghanistan. The program broadcasts on the TOLO channel. ''Afghan Star'' premiered in 2005, four years after the fall of the Taliban, w ...
*
List of Hazara people
Hazara people make up the second or third largest ethnic group in Afghanistan with 8–12 million population, making 20%–25% of the total population of Afghanistan (Some suggest the real population might reach 30%) where they mainly inhabit the ...
References
1984 births
Living people
Hazara singers
People from Kabul
Afghan male singers
Persian-language singers
Afghan expatriates in Pakistan
21st-century Afghan male singers
American people of Hazara descent
Afghan expatriates in the United States
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