Nayel Taps Hasan Raheem for New Love Song ‘Roop’

Karachi pop singer-composer Nayel Wajahat (who goes by his first name as an artist) walks into a high-stakes situation straight out of a spy actioner in the music video for his new song “Roop” with fellow Pakistani artist Hasan Raheem.

The intriguing visuals match up with the playful, soul-searching aesthetic of “Roop,” which is co-composed by Hassan Ali Hashmi, produced and recorded by Sulaman Naseer, and features backing vocals by Farzeen Saleem, Monica George and Salma Sabir. The song was mixed and mastered by desi hip-hop’s go-to audio engineer Hanish Taneja.

In the video directed by Shahrukh Kazim with the production house FEPO, Nayel finds his way into a speakeasy, drawn to a woman named Susan directing him from her table. As Nayel is drawn into a conversation and a test of loyalty, the club’s singer – portrayed by Raheem – reveals himself as law enforcement, entrapping the woman and her associates. In a sort of epilogue, Raheem tells Nayel that Susan was a big-time mafioso.

In a press statement, Nayel says, “‘Roop’ explores the theme of desire for love in all its imperfections. I wanted to fuse eastern melodies with modern beats to kind of represent my listening, which includes both modern music as well as old classics.” 

He adds about collaborating with Hasan Raheem, “Working with Hasan was great as it was a very friendly yet creative environment with him throughout the process. I’ve known him for a few years now, and I love the work he’s been putting out. I remember as soon as I got done recording the song I knew that he would sound great on it.” 

Nayel began releasing music in 2023, traversing hip-hop, R&B and Afrobeats elements, most notably in his breakthrough hit “Sadqay” with singer Nehaal Naseem and Aashir Wajahat in February 2024. The song ended up topping the Spotify Pakistan charts and accumulating over 36 million views on YouTube, along with an astounding 75 million streams on Spotify.

Watch the video for “Roop” below.