Asim Azhar’s New Album ‘Bematlab’ Is All About Heartbreak

Karachi-born singer-songwriter Asim Azhar’s debut album Bematlab is the artist reclaiming his place in desi pop with formidable heartbreak bops.

The album, released via Universal Music MENA on April 30th, was driven by its opening title track (with rapper Talha Anjum), which reportedly crossed over 300 thousand streams within 30 hours of its release on Spotify, plus another 300 thousand views on YouTube.

Azhar – best known for his song “Jo Tu Na Mila” which released via Universal Music India’s sub-label VYRL in 2018 and his rendition of “Tera Woh Pyar” from Coke Studio with singer Momina Mustehsan – launched Bematlab at a club venue in Karachi.

The seven-track album traverses everything from late-night R&B to club-friendly hip-hop and pop intersections, plus a few nods to traditional music. “Kyun” samples the voice of legendary singer Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, with subtle percussive elements from producers Haider Ali and Umair. If rap group Young Stunners’ Talha Anjum joined Azhar on the title track, the house and drill-informed “Karma” brings in Talhah Yunus for a hard-hitting, emotional song, produced by Sulaman Naseer.

There are synth-drenched songs like “Kya Tu Mere Bina” and more shimmering dancefloor-oriented cuts like “You,” featuring Hasan Raheem and produced by Azhar, Haider Ali and Talal Qureshi. Azhar duets with singer Nehaal Naseem on the love song “Mujhsa Na” and closes the album with “Apna Tu Kehnda,” an all-out seductive electronic-pop tune that leads with Punjabi lyrics.

Azhar has said in a statement about the album, “I believe heartbreak is inevitable. We all have been through it at some phase of our lives and Bematlab is a musical presentation of the same. I wanted to create something that would resonate with my audience, so I divided phases of heartbreak from love and longing to self-discovery and acceptance into the seven tracks. My fans are my inspiration and motivation. Their selfless love and support have been the driving force behind my music. So I hope this album tugs at their heartstrings.”

The album has perhaps been a long time coming for Azhar, who had several songs in the pipeline with Universal Music India, which were put on hold around 2019 owing to cross-border tensions between India and Pakistan. The artist said in a 2019 interview with The Dawn, “It was frustrating, waiting for the political situation between India and Pakistan to get better so that my singles could release. There was nothing that could be done. My music is my way of expressing myself and I felt as if I was caged. I was really down and then, I decided to let these emotions out by creating more songs. I think that I have about 20 to 40 songs that are partially or completely ready now.”

Pakistan’s pop and hip-hop has been seeing several big label releases recently, including producer Umair turning up with his collab-heavy, 20-track album Rockstar Without a Guitar. The album includes Young Stunners’ Talha Anjum and Talhah Yunus, plus New Delhi duo Seedhe Maut’s Calm and Encore ABJ making separate appearances, plus topline rappers like KR$NA, Faris Shafi and Shamoon Ismail, along with pop artist Natasha Noorani, among others.