Zoe Viccaji ( ur, ) (born 1983) is a Pakistani singer-songwriter and actress from

Karachi Karachi (; ur, ; ; ) is the most populous city in Pakistan and 12th most populous city in the world, with a population of over 20 million. It is situated at the southern tip of the country along the Arabian Sea coast. It is the former cap ...

. She began her career as a backing vocalist at

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 ...

and later moved on to becoming one of the featured artists. Viccaji has released one studio album which received various accolades.

Early life

Zoe Viccaji was born in

Kharian Kharian ( ur, ), is a city located within the Gujrat District of the Punjab province of Pakistan. Kharian is the headquarters of Kharian Tehsil. According to 2017 Census of Pakistan, it has a population of about 87,419. It is known as Litt ...

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 ...

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 ...

, to Adi Viccaji and Lynettee Viccaji, a

Parsi Parsis () or Parsees are an ethnoreligious group of the Indian subcontinent adhering to Zoroastrianism. They are descended from Persians who migrated to Medieval India during and after the Arab conquest of Iran (part of the early Muslim conq ...

father and Christian mother. She was raised in

. According to Zoe, she has been playing guitar and writing her own songs since the age of fifteen. Singer

Rachel Viccaji ''Coke Studio'' ( ur, ) is a Pakistani television programme and international music franchise which features studio-recorded music performances by established and emerging artists. It is the longest-running annual television music show in Pakis ...

is her younger sister.

Personal life

Viccaji got married on December 23, 2018, to producer and director Kamal Khan in

. Her sister,

and fellow

backup singer and actress

Sanam Saeed Sanam Saeed (born 2 February 1985) is a Pakistani actress, singer and former model who predominantly works in Cinema of Pakistan, Urdu cinema and Pakistani dramas, television. She is best known for portraying the role of Kashaf Murtaza in Momina ...

, were among the bridesmaids in the traditional white wedding. The couple had another event the next day on the traditional Pakistani side of things.

Career

Zoe started her career at the age of seventeen by joining a local band named Ganda Bandas. A few years later she moved to the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

where she studied in

Hamilton College Hamilton College is a private liberal arts college in Clinton, Oneida County, New York. It was founded as Hamilton-Oneida Academy in 1793 and was chartered as Hamilton College in 1812 in honor of inaugural trustee Alexander Hamilton, following ...

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

. She also worked in the stage musicals ''Mamma Mia!'' and ''Chicago'', both alongside

. After returning to Pakistan, she released her debut single "Thinking About You" in 2009. She joined

in 2010 and collaborated with

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 ...

and Bilal Khan and released the singles "Mera Bichra Yaar" and "Anjane" featuring Strings and Bilal Khan. "Mera Bichra Yaar" was nominated at the

11th Lux Style Awards The 2012 Lux Style Awards, officially known as the 11th Lux Style Awards ceremony, presented by the Lux Style Awards honors the best films of 2011 and took place between 14 and 16 February 2012. This year, the city of Pakistan played host to the ...

for Song of the Year. Zoe released her debut album ''Dareeche'' in September 2014 under

Universal Music India Universal Music India Pvt. Ltd. (UMI) was launched in 1999; it is a part of the Universal Music Group, an American-based, Dutch-listed multinational music corporation. Universal Music India is registered with the Indian Music Industry, a trus ...

. In 2015, it won the Best Mixed Album award at the Indian Recording Arts (IRA) 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 ...

and

Lux Style Award 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 Best Album in

. The album spawned a single “Phir Mili Tanhai”. Zoe stated in an interview that “Phir Mili Tanhai” was one of the first songs she wrote and was inspired by her real relationship. "''Phir Mili Tanhai'' was one of the very first songs I wrote. In fact it’s a marker of the period when I turned to songwriting in the first place. I was going through my first major breakup with someone who I had been with for a very long time." In 2013, Zoe made a cameo appearance in the film ''

Good Morning Karachi ''Good Morning Karachi'' (formerly ''Rafina'') is a 2013 Pakistani drama film directed by Sabiha Sumar and produced by Sachithanandam Sathananthan under the banner ''Vidhi Films''. The film is written by Malia Scotch Marmo, Sumar and Samhita Arn ...

'' as Salon Bride.

Awards & Nominations

, - , style="text-align:center;", 2012 , rowspan="1" style="text-align:center;", "Mera Bichra Yaar" , 11th Lux Style Award of Song of the Year , , - , style="text-align:center;", 2013 , rowspan="1" style="text-align:center;", "Hain Yeh Silsilay" , 12th Lux Style Award for Best Original Soundtrack , , - , style="text-align:center;", 2014 , rowspan="1" style="text-align:center;", "Jab Koi" ,

ARY Film Award for Best Female Playback Singer The ARY Film Award for Best Female Playback Singer is one of the ARY Film Awards of Merit presented annually by the ARY Digital Network and Entertainment Channel ARY Digital Network ( ur, ) is a subsidiary of the ARY Group. The ARY group of co ...

, , - , style="text-align:center;", 2014 , rowspan="1" style="text-align:center;", Zoe Viccaji , 4th Pakistan Media Award for Best Singer (Female) , , - , style="text-align:center;", 2015 , rowspan="1" style="text-align:center;", ''Dareeche'' , Best Mixed Album Award at IRA , , - , style="text-align:center;", 2015 , rowspan="1" style="text-align:center;", ''Dareeche'' , 14th Lux Style Award for Best Album ,

Filmography

Discography

Albums

Singles

* "Tanhaiyan" * "Jhoom" * "Ho Jao Aazad" * "Ruk Tau Zara" * "Hum Har Qadam Aagay Hon" (All Stars Grand Finale Song) * "The Time Has Come" * "Josh" * "Yeh Dil Kiyun Mera" * "Jis Nay Bhi Aana Hai, Aik Din Jaana Hai" * "Thinking About You" * "Alvida (Feat. Zohaib)" * "Bichra Yaar (Feat. Strings)" * "Bolo (Feat. Zohaib)" * "Breathe in Breathe Out" * "Jab Koi" * "Jo Chaho" * "Kaisay Yeh Hua" * "Street Signs (Feat. Aamir Zaki and Maaz)" * "Vamp (Feat. Omar Farooq)" * "Weave a Sweet Dream" * "Ishq Kinara (Feat. Sumru Agiryuruyen)" * "Baray Pyar Se Samjhaen" * "Ashiqi Angar (Irfan Ali Taj Feat. Zoe Viccaji)"

Coke Studio

* Senraan Ra Baairya - Asif Hussain Samraat Ft. Zoe Viccaji * Jaana * Raat Gaey * Ishq Kinara (Zoe Viccaji & Sumru Agiryuriyen)

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Viccaji, Zoe Living people Pakistani pop singers Pakistani women singers Parsi people Pakistani Zoroastrians 1983 births