Fans unmoved as Alisha Chinai takes on Nazia Hassan

Express Tribune

28-01-2025

How do you tell when a musician is a timeless legend? Answer: when their work gets trotted out time and again by the artists of the present day, long after the legend themself has passed.
And so is the case with Pakistan's original disco queen, Nazia Hassan, whose hits continue to see the light of day to date, nearly a quarter of a century after her death. In a beautiful example of cross-border appreciation, a video doing the rounds on social media sees Indian singer Alisha Chinai paying tribute to Nazia with a rendition of the latter's iconic number, Aap Jaisa Koi at a concert in London.
As the video shows, Alisha holds her own and sings in tune, but ruthless netizens have decreed that none could supplant the queen of pop herself. Unconsciously (or perhaps consciously) echoing the sentiments splashed across the face of one particularly befuddled-looking member of the crowd, one fan wrote, "No voice in the world can match Nazia's voice. She was the one and only nightingale of Pakistan."
Another commenter was far more brutal and succinct, offering the following swift verdict: "Ruined by Alisha."
Kinder fans, however, opted to focus more on the everlasting appeal of Nazia's catalogue, rather than on the cover itself. "Her songs are old but still sound fresh to this day," gushed a follower. In the same vein, yet another music lover declared, "No one can beat Nazia Hassan."
As is befitting of an iconic singer, this is not the first time music fans have been treated to (or have been forced to endure) a cover version of one of Nazia's hits. Last year, Nazia's memorable Boom Boom was given a fresh makeover by Indian vocalist Sunidhi Chauhan, who gave the '80s disco hit her own twist in a new Indian car commercial. Unlike Alisha's stage performance, however, Sunidhi's version stuck a chord with music fans.
For the unversed, eighteen seconds into the commercial (which clocks at just over one minute) Sunidhi's vocals kick in as she steps into the driver's seat of the car. Whilst the tune and lyrics remain the same, Sunidhi's take has more power injected into the vocals, a marked departure from Nazia's more classic, softer, sweeter singing style.
Netizens, however, had no complaints and clamoured for Sunidhi to release a complete version of Nazia's hit. "Sunidhi's voice!" wrote one fan, adding a fire emoji. Another added alongside a heart emoji, "Amazing choice of a hot pop song."
Proving that when it comes to music, geopolitical tensions are left by the wayside, another fan penned, "Where to get this song in her voice?" Wanting more, yet another follower wrote, "They need to release this version of the song."
Nazia's Boom Boom has often been attempted by other artists, although whether they all receive the same warm response as Sunidhi is a separate matter. It is a fact that actor and singer Mehwish Hayat discovered to her cost last May when she attempted her own rendition of the track at a disco party in Dubai, with fans reacting far more brutally than they did to Alisha's more recent rendition of Aap Jaisa Koi.
Clad in a long black dress, Mehwish serenaded her audience amid flashing lights, swaying in time to the music. As the short video of her impromptu performance popped up on various social media platforms, fans of the late singer all but unanimously rose in arms to slam Mehwish's version of the song. Wherever the clip was posted, the comments ranged from a scathing "She could have paid better tribute by NOT singing at all" to a merciless "Please don't sing again." One particularly ruthless viewer requested a "two-minute silence" after watching the video.
Nazia's fans can take comfort in the knowledge that no cover version is likely to surpass any song debuted by the disco queen herself.