Aaroh
| Aaroh | |
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| Background information | |
| Origin | Karachi, Sindh, Pakistan |
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| Years active | 1998–2009 |
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| Associated acts | |
| Past members | Farooq Ahmed Jason Anthony Haider Hashimi Khalid Khan Nabeel Nihal Chishty Kamran Khan (Kami Jee) Adnan Hussain |
Aaroh (Urdu: آروح, literal English translation: "the ascending scale in eastern classical music") was an alternative rock band from Karachi, Sindh, Pakistan, formed in 1998. The band was founded by lead guitarist Nabeel Nihal Chishty and vocalist Farooq Ahmed, who were joined by keyboardist Kamran Khan, bassist Khalid Khan and drummer Adnan Hussain.
The band achieved fame with their exuberant live performances backed up with thought provoking lyrics, and also, their performance in the Pakistani rock scene in 2002, most notably at the Pepsi Battles of the bands, helped them leave a trail for themselves. Soon, after the success of the battle of the bands, Hussain was replaced by drummer Jason Anthony and then the band went on releasing their critically acclaim debut album, Sawaal, in September 2003. Singles from the album like "Sawaal", "Na Kaho", "Jalan" and "Jeeyay" were a success and topped several local music charts. In 2004, band members, Ahmed and Chishty went into a dispute that who owns the rights for the band's name. This saw Chishty and Kamran Khan leaving as the band officially announced their split up. The band then recruited Haider Hashmi on lead guitars as a replacement for Chishty. Aaroh, with their new lead guitarist, then went on releasing their second studio album Raag Neela in 2006, receiving too much criticism and critical acclaim. Singles like "Raag Neela", "Pyaar Ka Jaal" and "Janay Kyun" did well at the local music charts.
After the release of their second studio album, Aaroh disbanded as band members concentrated on their personal projects. Farooq Ahmed, vocalist and Haider Hashmi, lead guitarist, went on to pursue a career as a solo singer, while bassist Khalid Khan went on performing as a session player for the band Fuzön.
In early 2002, during this time Pepsi's Battle of the Bands advertisement began to air on television; the competition called upon entries of aspiring bands from all over Pakistan. This saw the band taking participation in the competition by the name "Aaroh", given by Shoaib Mansoor. It was during this time Aaroh officially came into being. Aaroh band members got together for the Battle of the Bands and went to perform at the competition. The band first took part in the digital round of the competition, where the band went on head to head with twenty hundred bands from across the four provinces of Pakistan. The competition included bands like Entity Paradigm, Mekaal Hasan Band and Mizmaar, which also later on became well known popular mainstream rock bands coming from the underground music scene. During the competition, the band performed songs "Sawaal", "Aag Ki Tarhan" and also covering the Vital Signs song, "Ajnabi".
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