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Farhad Humayun فرہاد ہمایوں | |
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| Born | (1978-10-05)5 October 1978 Jersey, United Kingdom |
| Died | 8 June 2021(2021-06-08) (aged 42) Lahore, Pakistan |
| Genres | Rock |
| Occupations |
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| Instruments |
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| Years active | 2003–2021 |
Farhad Humayun (Urdu:فرہاد ہمایوں; 5 October 1978 – 8 June 2021) was a Pakistani singer, drummer, record producer and video artist.[1] He was popularly associated with the Pakistani drum jam bandOverload[2][3][4] which he founded in 2003. Farhad[5] started his career as underground musician and formed two bands Co-Ven and Mindriot as a drummer. He worked with artists such asAtif Aslam, Symt,[6]Maha Ali Kazmi[7] andMeesha Shafi. Humayun received many awards and accolades for his work. He was also the owner of Riot Studios, a recording studio and music performance venue in Lahore.
Humayun was born on 5 October 1978 in the BritishChannel Island ofJersey at the Jersey International Hospital to parents Navid (née Rahman) and Shahzad Humayun.[8][9][10] His motherNavid Shahzad is a TV, theatre and film actress, scholar, and academic. She is also a recipient of thePride of Performance, the highest literary award in Pakistan.[11] His father was an automobile salesman and an award-winning cricket commentator in Pakistan between the 1970s and the 2000s.[12] Humayun's maternal grandfatherS. A. Rahman was a Judge at theSupreme Court of Pakistan and thenChief Justice of Pakistan in the 1960s.[13][14][15]
Farhad grew up in the Gulberg area ofLahore[16] and studied atAitchison College until secondary school. He went to theNational College of Arts in Lahore where he earned his bachelor's degree in fine arts in painting between 1997 and 2000.[17] He also studiedaudio engineering at the Recording Workshop inLadbroke Grove,London.[18][17]
Humayun started playing drums at age 14 and was a regular in the underground movement in Lahore, Karachi and Islamabad in the early 1990s. His influences at the time were mostly metal bands, such asJudas Priest,Dio,Black Sabbath,AC/DC.[10] He started as the drummer in the alternative rock band Co-Ven playing some originals but mostly covers byPearl Jam,Soundgarden,Nirvana, as was the norm at the time whensatellite television was catching on in Pakistan. He formed his own metal band in 1994 called Mindriot inspired by the Soundgarden song.[12]
Humayun recorded drums and toured with major Pakistani rock acts such asNoori andFuzön and also served as the house band drummer forCoke Studio (Pakistani season 5) in 2012. He wrote with and recordedAtif Aslam on his first three albums as well as on Coke Studio.[19] Farhad producedMeri Kahani by Atif Aslam in 2006.[20]
While studying at the National College of Arts, Humayun[21] started casually jamming with friends at events of the college's Western Music Society, of which he was the president.[22][23] That laid the foundation of one of Pakistan's most iconic and original actsOverload in 2003.[24] The band's mix of the modern (trap) drums set with traditional, mysticalDhol (drum), alternating between Indian Classical beats and Rock became a rage in Pakistan. Overload was a band of choice at fundraisers, celebrations, and cricket matches opening and closing ceremonies, such as the launching ceremony of thePakistan Super League teamLahore Qalandars.[25] Known as the "loudest band of Pakistan",[26] Overload won numerous awards, including theLux Style Award for Best Live Act in 2006.[27]
Humayun remains theartist with the most number of nominations[28] for a musician at the Lux Style Awards with 13 nominations and two wins.[29] He was also a successful businessman and owned and ran an entertainment and arts company Riot Productions (subsidiaries Riot Films, Riot Studios).[30] Humayun was also termed as the Pride of Pakistan by a popular newspaperDaily Times (Pakistan).[31] His songJeet (transl. victory) was played at Prime MinisterImran Khan's rally in Washington D.C in 2019.[32]
Humayun had multiple collaborations with other Pakistan-based artists including Ustad Jaffar, Nasir Sain, Pappu Sain and Tanveer Sain.[33][34] He also released English singles includingGive In[35] produced by Richard Hilton, keyboardist of the bandChic. The songs feature iconic musicians likeTony Levin on bass,David Torn on guitars and Richy Stano also on guitars. Recorded at Clubhouse Studios in Rhinebeck New York, the song was released in 2018.[35] Farhad started his solo career in 2018 and released a number of singles includingMurr Ke Dekho[36] andKambakht[37] withFaiza Mujahid.[38]
Humayun was a brand ambassador for big brands, such asPorsche,[39]Dell,[40]Samsung,[41] Chester Bernard clothing,[42] and telecommunications companies includingMobilink,[43] andWarid.[44] He was featured in the television advertisement forSamsung Galaxy A.[45]
As of 2019, Humayun was the producer forLevi's Live,[46][47] a project of theLevi Strauss & Co. on the revival of live music in Pakistan. He also producedPepsi Smash for Pepsi Pakistan.[20]
Humayun was married to Asmaa Mumtaz.[48] They were divorced at the time of his death. In October 2018, Farhad was diagnosed with a brain tumor.[49] The singer announced a full recovery the next month after the tumor was removed successfully.[50]
Humayun died on 8 June 2021 of undisclosed causes.[51][52][17][53]
| Year | Award | Category | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | Indus Music Awards | Best New Artist | Won |
| 2006 | Lux Style Award | Best Live Act | Won |
| 2014 | Lux Style Award | Best Video Director | Won |
| 2014 | Hum TV Award | Song of the Year | Won |
| 2017 | Hum Style Award | Most Stylish Performer of the Year | Won |
| Source:[54] | |||