HARIHARAN SINGS THE MUSIC OF LAHORE
(3 March 2005)

Leading Indian musician and singer Hariharan, working alongside London and Lahore based producers Izzat Majeed and Mushtaq Soofi has created an album 'Lahore ke Rang' that truly celebrates the rich colour, culture and heritage of Lahore through melodious compositions and stirring lyrics. The album, which was recorded in Pakistan in the Summer of 2004, features some of the greatest composers of Lahore, including Wazir Afzal, Nazar Hussain, Qadir Shaggan. The tracks feature the timeless poetry of Amir Khusro and Bulleh Shah and the essential contribution of famous poets like Hasrat Mohani, Majeed Amjad, Nasir Kazmi, Mushtaq Soofi and Tassaduq.

Producer Izzat Majeed says of the collaboration and choice of artist: "Hari's musical experience is so diverse, and he is one of the few classical artists that has managed to cross generations and continents. Hariharan has sung the musical diversity of Lahore's city beautifully, despite having a totally different cultural and linguistic backdrop."

The first track on the album is Amir Khusro's 'Mohay Apnay Rang Mai Rang De'. A composition that is full of energy and vibrancy, Hariharan says: "When you think of this song, you think of the bright colours of our culture." The song is complemented by a video produced and directed by Izzat Majeed. Based on a solo dance item it is simple, clean and attractive.

Lahore ke Rang Hari ke Sang is released by Sachal Music on 1st March 2005 and will be available from all major record stores nationwide.

ABOUT HARIHARAN

Mumbai-born Hariharan is one of the pioneers of Indian fusion music. The son of Carnatic vocalists, Alamelu and the late H.A.S Mani, Hariharan's musical talent was inherited. His first guru was his mother. He later developed a passion for ghazals and started training in Hindustani music under the guidance of Ustad Ghulam Mustafa Khan.

In 1977, Hariharan won the All India Sur Singaar competition and was signed on by the late music director Jaidev to sing for the Hindi film 'Gaman'. His ghazal in that film 'Ajeeb saaneha mujh par guzar' won him an Uttar Pradesh state award.

In his early years, Hariharan sang for TV serials. He also released several successful ghazal albums, for which he penned the lyrics himself. One of them was 'Gulfam', which hit double platinum sales and fetched him the Diva Award for Best Album of the Year in 1994.

Hariharan entered Tamil filmdom in 1993 with the patriotic song 'Thamiza thamiza' in Mani Ratnam's film 'Roja'. He was judged Best Male Playback Singer in the Tamil Nadu State Government Film Awards for 1995, for his soulful rendition of 'Uyire uyire' in the film 'Bombay'. Subsequently, Hariharan's voice has graced recent Tamil films.

The year 1996, during which he released the fusion album 'Colonial Cousins' with Mumbai-based composer/signer Leslie Lewis, was a career milestone. This was the first Indian act to be featured on MTV Unplugged. The album won a string of awards, including the MTV Indian Viewers Choice Award. The songs in this album bring out Hariharan's versatility and ease in handling Carnatic music as well as ghazals. An admirer of Mehdi Hasan, Kishore Kumar, Mohd. Rafi and SP Balasubramaniam, Hariharan has nevertheless developed a distinctive style of his own.