Yasir Hussain unites Punjabis with his Mesmerising Sufi Style

Yasir Hussain continues to transcend music, providing Punjabis on both sides of the border with a sense of common culture.

There are hardly any non-Muslim Punjabi musicians of note on the Pakistani side of Punjab.

But on the Indian side of Punjab, there has been a tradition of Muslim Punjabi singers who have enriched and contributed to that tradition of a shared common musical heritage.

Many stalwarts like Kuldeep Manek and Sarool Sikander have since passed away, while the likes of Muhammad Siddique are not as popular as before.

Yet just as things started to look bleak, suddenly emerged the Jammu-born Punjabi singer Yasir Hussain.

Rajwinder Pal, a cultural historian and curator, who attended his concert; reviews his experience of Yasir Hussain and beyond, saying:

“I had only vaguely heard of Yasis Hussein until I went to see him at a concert in Leicester last September 2022 because his concert in Birmingham, where I live, was sold out.

“Expecting a predominantly Pakistani and Kashmiri Muslim audience, imagine my surprise when I find a truly eclectic and mixed audience. And then came Yasir on stage.

“The richness of his voice and the ability to project it in a range I hadn’t really experienced before and his knowledge of Punjabi music and above all the Chaste Punjabi in which he sang not only some of his own hits but also a sort of necklace of Punjabi classics that I have been familiar with since my childhood.

“Based in the Indian side of Punjab, Yasir has built up a hugely significant and loyal following not just in Punjab but throughout India and Pakistan.

“It’s hardly surprising that he is also very popular with diaspora audiences in Britain, Europe, North America, Australia and New Zealand.

“He truly is an ambassador for “Punjabiyat”, a shared and common identity that unites Punjabis across borders.”

“With Yasir Hussain, the baton of broadening the appeal of Punjabi music across borders but also among the Punjabi diaspora abroad has truly been passed on to someone who will soon be considered a legend.

The expectation was a predominantly Pakistani crowd. But surprisingly, it was a truly eclectic and mixed audience.

The Sufi singer inherited his singing style from his father Chaudhary Nazir Hussain, who was a famous Sufi singer in Jammu.

But Yasir learned how to sing from his uncle Fazal Hussain.

His Sufi style has resonated with the younger generation and has made them dance to his songs at his concerts.

With over 900,000 Instagram followers, it is no surprise that Yasir Hussain has the qualities of a growing fan following and looks like a huge star in the making.

Some of Yasir’s top tracks include ‘Tappe’, ‘Zalma’ and ‘Just Friend’. As well as a much-loved appearance on the popular Kapil Sharma television show.

He also performed at Punjabi singer Gippy Grewal’s cousin’s wedding which was a huge party full of Yasir Hussain vibes.

Rajwinder Pal provides further insight into his own background and how this merits his review of Yasir Hussein’s qualities as an ambassador of borderless Punjabi music.

“I have a strong and passionate interest in Punjabi music on both sides of the border and in Punjabi culture too. Both sides of my family were refugees from the Pakistan part of Punjab in 1947 and my first visit to the land of my ancestors earlier this year, turned into a bit of pilgrimage that made me appreciate the values of a shared, syncretic, multi-religious civilisation that was a lived experience till partition.

“My long term collaborator, producer Mukhtar Dar and I have a track record of promoting projects premised upon putting on stage musicians from India and Pakistan under the banner, Music Beyond Borders. Under the banner of Kalaboration.

“We’ve produced many sell-out collaboration concerts teaming up artists from both sides of the border and beyond.

“These include Hamza Akram and Taimoor Abdul Qawwali Ensemble and their collaboration with Madan Gopal Singh and Chaar Yaar from India, in the Farcroft pub and music venue in the heart of multi-cultural Handsworth.

“The collaboration between Pakistan’s Laal Group and the First of May band at the same venue, as well as commissioning the collaboration between Arieb Azhar from Pakistan and Birmingham musicians, producing Rizwan and Muazzam Qawwali group’s UK tour.”

“My purpose in highlighting the above track record by way of writing this testimonial is that as someone who lives in Britain, I’m acutely aware of the reality of segregation and increasing distance that marks Indian and Pakistani communities.

“Yasir Hussein is of course a master of his craft, something that was evident in the way his diverse audience’s exuberant reacted, rocked and danced the day I first experienced him.

“However, having subsequently become an ardent fan, of Yasir Hussein, I also spot the potential and the passion to use his music to bring these communities together in appreciation of a shared heritage.

“In him, I see a truly unique talent worthy of patronage and support.”

There is no doubt that Yasir Hussain can bring together communities from any Punjabi community be it Indian or Pakistani, because his music does not define borders but instead aims to eliminate them.