Ali Sethi

Ali Sethi (Urdu: علی سیٹھی; pronounced [əˈliː ˈseːʈʰɪ]; born July 2, 1984) is a Pakistani singer, songwriter, composer, and author.[1][2][3] Sethi rose to prominence with his debut novel, The Wish Maker (2009). In 2012, Sethi began focusing on his musical career and made his film debut as a singer in The Reluctant Fundamentalist (2012) with the song Dil Jalane Ki Baat Karte Ho.[4] In recent years, Sethi has released numerous cover singles and has appeared on several seasons of Coke Studio Pakistan. Sethi began releasing original music in 2019 and has collaborated with Grammy-winning producer Noah Georgeson.

Ali Sethi
Born
Ali Aziz Sethi

(1984-07-02) July 2, 1984
Lahore, Punjab, Pakistan
Alma materAitchison College
Harvard University
Occupation
  • Singer
  • songwriter
  • composer
  • writer
  • columnist
Years active2010–present
Parent(s)Najam Sethi
Jugnu Mohsin
FamilyMira Sethi (sister)
Moni Mohsin (aunt)
Musical career
Genres
Instruments
  • Vocals
  • guitar
  • piano
  • harmonium
Labels
  • True Brew
Associated actsCoke Studio • Strings • Nabeel Shaukat Ali • Sarmad Sultan Khoosat • Zebunnisa Bangash • Abida Parveen • Humaira Arshad • Noah Georgeson

Early life and background

Ali Sethi was born on July 2, 1984, in Lahore, Pakistan.[5][6][7] He is the son of award-winning journalists Najam Sethi and Jugnu Mohsin,[8][9] both of whom are also politicians. Sethi is the brother of actor and author Mira Sethi[10][11] and nephew to British-Pakistani writer Moni Mohsin.[12] In May 1999, police broke into his family home and arrested his father Najam Sethi for allegedly making a "treasonous speech" in New Delhi, India. [12][13][14] Sethi, then 15 years old, campaigned with his mother for his father's release.[15] Najam Sethi was later acquitted by the Supreme Court of Pakistan and awarded Amnesty International’s Journalist of the Year Award.[16]

Education

Sethi attended the International School of Choueifat and Aitchison College in Lahore, Pakistan and describes himself as an above average student, particularly interested in art, drawing, music, and poetry.[17][18] Sethi attended Harvard College from 2002 to 2006,[7][19][20] initially planning to major in Economics.[20] After taking a class on Islamic culture in contemporary societies with Ali S. Asani, Sethi became interested in the intersections of theology, politics, linguistics, and culture and eventually changed his major to South Asian Studies.[18][21][22] While at Harvard, Sethi took creative writing classes with Zadie Smith and Amitav Ghosh,[12] in addition to classes on colonial and post-colonial art,[23] and Sanskrit, Bengali, and Tamil poetry.[20][21] Sethi also performed every year for Ghungroo, Harvard's largest student-run production focusing on the South Asian diaspora, in addition to serving on the features board of The Harvard Advocate. Sethi wrote his undergraduate thesis on Anarkali,[21] wanting to explore the "articulation of Muslim identity around women."[24]

Writing career
"The Wish Maker, in Ali Sethi's mature and sure-handed prose, is an engaging family saga, an absorbing coming-of-age story, and an illuminating look at one of the world's most turbulent regions. Ali Sethi steadfastly resists the usual cliché's about both Islam and his native country. Instead, he offers a nuanced, often humorous, and always novel look at life in modern day Pakistan."
– Khaled Hosseini reviewed The Wish Maker[25]

In 2009, Sethi published his debut novel The Wish Maker which revolved around Pakistani identity[26] and "the political history of Pakistan with three generations of characters who live in a middle-class, liberal enclave of Lahore."[27] Sethi recalls writing the first draft of the novel in 2006 during his senior year at Harvard,[24] a second draft while living in New York City, and the final draft in Lahore, Pakistan.[21] He has mentioned that his goal with the novel was "to document and archive a phase in Pakistan’s history that had been extremely turbulent and had had far-reaching consequences."[24] The novel was published by Riverhead Hardcover and later Penguin Books and was met with widespread critical acclaim and recognition. It was ranked eighth at Vogue Top Ten Summer Books.[28] The Wish Maker has been translated into Italian, Dutch, German, Hindi, Chinese, and Turkish.[29] In its review of the novel, The New York Times called it "a first-rate novel", stating that "Sethi's prose evokes the comic mislocutions of Jonathan Safran Foer and the vertiginous mania of Zadie Smith."[30] The Wall Street Journal stated, "Mr. Sethi is especially alive to the emotional contours of young love, its modes of courtship, its methods of subterfuge...Mr. Sethi's prose, always lucid, often soars to illuminate the quotidian."[31] The Guardian praised Sethi's "sharp handling" of material and "memorably drawn" characters.[32] The Wish Maker was long-listed for the 2011 DSC Prize for South Asian Literature,[33] ultimately losing to H. M. Naqvi's, Home Boy.[34] It was also shortlisted for 2010 Shakti Bhatt First Book Award.[35]

Sethi has written essays and articles for The New York Times, The New Yorker, The New York Review of Books, and The Caravan.[36][37] In his writings, Sethi advocates for an inclusive and syncretic Pakistan that accommodates the rights of marginal groups.[38] He has received praise for his profiles of the writer Saadat Hasan Manto and the ghazal singer Farida Khanum.[39][40] On two occasions, the Pakistani newspaper The Express Tribune censored his articles, deeming them too sensitive to be published in Pakistan.[41][42]

Sethi lists Mirza Ghalib, Daagh Dehlvi, Faiz Ahmed Faiz, Leo Tolstoy, Virginia Woolf, V. S. Naipaul, Alan Hollinghurst, and Arundhati Roy as his favorite authors and literary influences.[43]

Musical career

Musical training and influences

Sethi recalls his mother signing him up for music lessons at the age of eight, but has stated that he had no interest in them: "I would prance about the room and constantly urge him to drink more chai..."[2] He recollects that his earliest memories pertaining to music are that of listening to Noor Jehan's Punjabi songs on radio-cassette players and melancholic national songs that played on PTV.[2] Sethi credits his mother for introducing him to traditional South Asian music at a young age[22] and for helping him develop his singing talent: "My mother would make me sing complex songs and verses. She'd pay attention to me and that activated me."[44] In another interview, he recalled that "there was always music being played at home. My mother always played Iqbal Bano, Farida Khanum, Mehdi Hassan’s songs at home. Even while travelling in a car, there was light-classical music being played."[18] In an interview, he similarly narrated: "We grew up listening to qawwali and to ghazal, to folk music from Punjab and the Saraiki belt, to Pandit Bhimsen Joshi, bhajan singers – it was all part of one musical landscape."[22]

Sethi has mentioned that songs composed by R. D. Burman and written by Gulzar influenced him greatly during his teenage years, claiming: "If you think about it, it is unusual as I am a child of the 90s, and not the 70s. But there was something sublime about that musical combine. Gulzar’s words were suggestive, abstract and playful, and RD's tunes were wayward, epic and phantasmagorical."[2] Sethi lists Vishal Bhardwaj as one of his favorite composers for his musical sensibility[2] and has stated that he admires Abida Parveen.[45] Sethi formally apprenticed himself to Naseeruddin Saami of the Delhi gharana in 2008[46] and to ghazal and classical singer Farida Khanum in 2012.[47]

2012–2017: Early career

In 2012, Sethi recorded Dil Jalannay Ki Baat Karte Ho, which was featured in Mira Nair's political-thriller, The Reluctant Fundamentalist.[48] The song brought Sethi international recognition as a singer[49] and was named the "highlight of the album" by The Times of India.[50]

In 2015, Sethi made his singing debut on Coke Studio Season 8 with the song Umran Lagiyaan, originally sung by Asad Amanat Ali Khan.[51][52] Sethi received praise for "expertly channel[ing] some of the soaring high-register scatting that made Asad Amanat’s performances so amazing."[51] Indian classical singer Shubha Mudgal lauded Sethi for his "delicacy of expression"[53] and "ease and familiarity with Punjabi and the Saraiki dialect."[53] Sethi went on to perform on the next five seasons of Coke Studio Pakistan.[54] His most notable songs from the series are Aaqa with Abida Parveen, Tinak Dhin with Ali Hamza and Waqar Ahsin, Ranjish Hi Sahi, and Gulon Main Rang.[55][56] Sethi has mentioned that singing Aaqa with Abida Parveen was challenging but life-changing for him: "Her octave starts four-five notes higher than mine...I struggled because I had to sing at her pitch, and then I had to sing the high parts. It was a really acrobatic challenge for me to go there. But it worked somehow and I’m so glad it did. For me it was a great opportunity and it changed my life in many ways."[45]

In February 2015, Sethi released his first music video Kithay Nain Na Jori at Karachi Literature Festival.[57] The video featured Sethi and starred Sania Saeed, Adnan Siddiqui, and Mira Sethi as a tribute to Pakistani folk singer Reshma.[58] On February 5, 2016, Sethi released his original single Mahi Mera featuring farmer-turned-folk singer Jamaldin, which was critically well received.[59] The video was directed by Umar Riaz and was shot entirely in Jamal's and Sethi's ancestral villages, Shergarh and Hussaingarh.[60][61]

In 2017 Sethi featured in the track Aaja with Riz Ahmed and Heems and Redinho of the Swet Shop Boys[62] as a tribute to Qandeel Baloch.[45] That year, Sethi also collaborated with Pakistani-American artist Shahzia Sikander and Pulitzer Prize-winning composer Du Yun on Disruption as Rapture, a multimedia work housed in the permanent collection of the Philadelphia Museum of Art.[63]

Sethi co-produced and co-directed the music video for his cover of Chan Kithan.[64] The musical arrangement combines a traditional folk ditty from rural Punjab with electronica and indie-rock to create what Sethi described as "Punjabi Gothic music". The music video is based on a retelling of the Cinderella story which takes place in contemporary Pakistan.[65] In December 2017, Sethi collaborated with American dhol player Sunny Jain on a project called Resident Alien and performed renditions of seven folk songs in Joe's Pub in New York.[66]

Sethi recorded a romantic ballad Yunhi Rastay Mai for the 2018 film Saat Din Mohabbat In.[67] Sethi collaborated with Red Baraat on the song Kala Mukhra (a reworking of the traditional Gora Mukra).[68] On June 28, 2018 Sethi released Waasta (co-written by Sethi, featuring rapper Faris Shafi), and renditions of Dil Karda Ay and Agar Tum Mil Jao for season three of music series Cornetto Pop Rock with Quratulain Balouch.[69][70]

2017–2019: Original music and collaboration with Noah Georgeson

Initially known for his renditions of folk songs and classical ghazals,[70] Sethi began releasing original music in 2019. Sethi announced that he would be collaborating on a new project with American producer Noah Georgeson.[71] Sethi said, "I’ve admired Noah’s work for years, and I’m thrilled to be working with him."[72] Georgeson responded by saying, "Beyond my excitement in working with Ali, and his transcendent talent and voice, I’m looking forward to applying my approach to an unfamiliar tradition of music."[73] Sethi and Georgeson released five songs together: Chandni Raat, Dil Ki Khair, Khabar-e-Tahayyur-e-Ishq, Ishq, and Dil Lagaayein.[74] In May 2019, both artists gave a headlining performance together at Sanders Theater for Harvard University's Arts First festival.[20][75]

In 2019, Sethi's song Umraan Langiyaan from Coke Studio Season 8 was featured on HBO’s documentary film The Case Against Adnan Syed.[76] The same year, Sethi performed as a soloist at Carnegie Hall for Du Yun’s orchestral work Where We Lost Our Shadows.[20] The New York Times review praised his performance for its "rawness and plaintive delicacy."[77] Video footage of Sethi's Carnegie Hall performance was shown on two NASDAQ billboards at Times Square as part of a tribute in December 2019.[78] Also in 2019, Sethi presented two talks at Harvard University along with Ali S. Asani. In one of the lectures, titled The Covenant of Love, Sethi discussed the poetic tradition of Sufi music and the consciousness of Sufi poets[19][79] and the evolution of Indo-Muslim Sufi thought. In the other lecture, titled The Art of the Ghazal, Sethi discussed the ghazal as a literary genre and explored mystical themes in Urdu ghazals.[80]

2020–present

Sethi began his Spring 2020 Tour on February 16 with a performance at the Royal Geographical Society in London.[81] In March 2020, Sethi shared that his performances in Seattle, Chicago, San Diego, Silicon Valley, and Sacramento, California had been postponed.[82] The same month, when the global lockdown began due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Sethi initiated a series of virtual concerts with Indian artists on Instagram. These included musicians Rekha Bhardwaj and Vishal Bhardwaj, singer Shilpa Rao, screenwriter Varun Grover, and comedian Zakir Khan.[2] The sessions highlighted the shared history and culture of India and Pakistan and advocated for peace between the two countries.[83] However, the initiative came to an end after a circular issued by FWICE on April 11, 2020 warned Indian artists to not collaborate with Pakistanis.[84]

On May 17, 2020, Sethi took part in a conversation with Nirupama Rao, former Foreign Secretary of India, to discuss how art intersects with issues of interconnectedness, identity, and culture in South Asia. Sethi and Rao discussed the historical and cultural bonds between India and Pakistan. The conversation was hosted by the Bangalore International Centre and the South Asian Symphony Foundation.[22] Sethi sang and composed the song Pehla Qadam which was released on September 18, 2020. The song was produced by Danish Renzu and Abubakar Khan and featured Sunny Jain on drums.[85] Its lyrics were written by Sunayana Kachroo. During Harvard University’s Worldwide Week in October 2020, Sethi performed a rendition of Amir Khusrau's well-known qawwali, Aaj Rang Hai, as part of a presentation titled Khusrau’s River of Love: Cosmopolitanism and Inclusion in South Asian Traditions.[86][87]

In September 2021, Sethi collaborated with Indian author Amitav Ghosh for his first book-in-verse, Jungle Nama: A Story of the Sundarban, based on the legend of Bonbibi.[88][89] Sethi narrated the musical audiobook of Jungle Nama in addition to composing and performing music for it. Sethi stated that he wanted to "evoke the wonder of the Sundarban through its sound and poetry" while working on this project.[89] He described that he drew on "syncretic raga traditions"[88] and folk tunes[90] to compose the music for Jungle Nama, using "traditional instruments like surmandal and dhol" and combining different musical traditions.[90] One of the songs from the audiobook — Baya Jao — is Sethi's first song in the Bengali language.[89]

In February 2022, Sethi co-wrote,[91][92] co-composed,[91] and sang the song Pasoori for Coke Studio Season 14 with debutant singer Shae Gill.[93] The song became the fastest in the season to garner one million views on YouTube.[94] It went on to become the first Coke Studio song to feature on Spotify's "Viral 50" global chart[92][95][96][97] and also ranked at number one on Spotify India's "Viral 50" chart on March 7, 2022.[96] On April 26, 2022, Pasoori debuted at the 161st spot on Spotify's Global Chart.[98]

Artistry

Sethi has mentioned in various interviews that the ghazal is one of his favorite genres of music.[52] He has also stated that he is drawn to "obscure and outdated forms of poetry and music"[99] and is "interested in reviving lost techniques and lost cultures."[52] Sethi acknowledges that the popularity of ghazals has declined in recent decades, but contends that "ghazals are actually a young person's genre," claiming that "it just has an image problem."[44][99] He has mentioned that one of his objectives is, therefore, to revitalize and reposition the ghazal through contemporary arrangements[99] and to redefine the traditional as experimental.[100] Sethi has talked about his opposition to the traditional binaries of tradition and modernity, contending in an interview: "What I found through traditional music, through my immersion in and engagement with South Asian forms of folk and classical music, is this wonderful paradox: you find through these ‘traditional’ things genuinely radical, freeing, subversive, cosmopolitan, experimental worldviews."[22] He has also stated that one of his goals is to raise greater awareness and enthusiasm for classical music and the great poets through his music.[101]

Through his work, Sethi believes in collapsing the traditional boundaries of religion, caste, class, gender, and geography. He has stated that his goal is to "revive an interest in...layered ways of being and of experiencing poetry, music, art, visuals…insist on these multiple interpretations, and allow people from different backgrounds and perspectives to take part in a conversation."[17] Sethi notes that due to his parents' professions as journalists and politicians, his formative years were spent amidst "a lot of dissenting voices"[2] and that he grew up around journalists, artists, activists, and politicians as a child. Sethi claims this influenced his thinking and shaped his musical philosophy in that many of his songs and music videos seek to address social issues.[2]

Sethi's musical work is notable for exploring the myriad intersections of art, philosophy, scripture, and music.[20] Sethi is a vocal advocate for pluralism and tolerance[4][102][103] and is known for his experimental approach to music.[100] He often uses or references Sufi poetry in his music, and has stated that "Sufi poems and metaphors revel in ambiguity, undoing such binaries as sacred and secular, male and female, spiritual and material. In that sense I think they are like this incredible technology of the heart – one that can help us do dialogue across difference in this highly polarized time.”[19] Sethi also acknowledges that "the appetite for Sufi music in Pakistan allows people like me to get away with a lot of potentially subversive stuff through the metaphors of Sufi poetry — these beautiful, deliberate ambiguities."[20]

Sethi's music also explores the notions of self and identity, particularly in brown history and diaspora culture.[100] In a 2020 interview with Nirupama Rao, Sethi noted: "I arrived in Harvard in 2002, one year after 9/11 – there was very little ‘connectivity’ in the world at that time. If you wanted to delve into the history of the region, you really had to go to the library. I remember being haunted by this question – what does it mean to be Pakistani, to come from an Indo-Muslim context? Where do you draw your sense of identity and genealogy, what do you include and exclude?"[22] Sethi contends that through his performances at Harvard's Ghunghroo, he found a "scholarly environment [that] could give me a way into my own heritage, a way to convey to people where I was coming from."[22] As an artist, Sethi has been described as "the face of post-colonial Pakistan, reconciling with its checkered past and contextualizing its mysterious future."[104]

Voice

Sethi's voice has been described as powerful but controlled,[105] "soulful,"[106] "soft but polished,"[51] ranging from "plaintive to raw to warmly intimate,"[107] and as having a "rich, moving, and melodic quality."[108] In a 2015 opinion column, Indian classical singer Shubha Mudgal described Sethi's voice in the following words: "Sethi’s voice bears the unmistakable signs of taaleem and riyaaz, that is, of being both well-trained and well-rehearsed. But it is the bit of heartbreak in his voice that makes his singing sit apart for me. This is not an attribute that can be imparted by training. Neither can it be carefully cultivated. It really is an inexplicable quality that a singer is lucky to be gifted with."[53]

Reception

Sethi's work has been praised for combining classical Pakistani music and poetry with contemporary pop music.[109] He has been credited with resurrecting the lost art of the ghazal by reinventing it for present-day audiences and making the genre more approachable for younger generations,[110][111] in both mainstream Pakistani culture as well as internationally.[112] Haroon Rashid of BBC Asian Network described Sethi as "the king of modern ghazal".[20] In 2020, The Express Tribune characterized Sethi's musical style as highlighting "the narrative of Pakistan that does not stem from nationalistic ambitions but rather acknowledges the crevices and folds in Pakistani life, albeit in a fantastical fashion the ghazal genre so spectacularly lends itself to."[104]

Bollywood singer and rapper Yo Yo Honey Singh compared Sethi with playback legend Mohammed Rafi.[113] The Bollywood actor and singer Ayushmann Khurrana has also praised Sethi's singing.[114] Sethi's work has also been hailed for its consistent message of inclusivity.[109] Lydialyle Gibson of Harvard Magazine said of Sethi's work that "boundaries fall away — between past and present, earthly and transcendent, between art and religion and politics."[20]

Awards and nominations

Sethi was nominated for Best Playback Singer - Male at 15th Lux Style Awards,[115] and Best Playback Singer - Male at 2nd ARY Film Awards for performing "Aah Ko Chahiye" in the film Manto.[116] His single Kithay Nain Na Jorin was nominated for Best Music Single and Best Music Video at the 4th Hum Awards.[117]

Filmography

Film
Year Title Song Notes
2012 The Reluctant Fundamentalist "Dil Jalanay Ki Baat Karte Ho"
2015 Manto "Aah Ko Chahiye"
"Kya Hoga" co-singer Zebunnisa Bangash
2018 Saat Din Mohabbat In "Yunhi Rastay Mai" co-singer Aima Baig
2019 Superstar "Bekaraan" co-singer Zeb Bangash

Television
Year Title Song Notes
2015 Ye Mera Deewanapan Hai "Ye Mera Deewanapan Hai" title song
Coke Studio Pakistan (season 8) "Sohni Dharti" promo song for season
"Umraan Langiyaan" duet with Nabeel Shaukat Ali
2016 Coke Studio Pakistan (season 9) "Aye Rah-e-Haq Kay Shahedo" promo song for season
"Aaqa" duet with Abida Parveen
2017 Coke Studio Pakistan (season 10) National Anthem of Pakistan promo song for season
"Ranjish Hi Sahi" solo
"Thinak Dhin" trio with Ali Hamza and Waqar Ehsin
Teri Raza "Muhabbat Karne Wale" Originally sung by Mehdi Hassan
2018 Noor ul Ain "Dil Ko Bhoolay" duet with Zebunnisa Bangash
Coke Studio Pakistan (season 11) "Hum Dekhenge" promo song for season
2019 Coke Studio Season 12 "Gulon Main Rang" written by Faiz Ahmad Faiz[118]
"Mundiya" duet with Quratulain Balouch
2020 Sabaat "Sabaat" written by Kashif Anwar[119]
2022 Coke Studio Season 14 "Pasoori" duet with Shae Gill[120]

Discography

Cover singles

Original singles
  • "Mahi Mera" (2016)
  • "Waasta" (2018)
  • "Chandni Raat" (2019)
  • "Ishq" (2019)
  • "Dil Ki Khair" (2019)
  • "Dil Lagayeein" (2019)
  • "Pehla Qadam" (2020)
  • "Rung" (2021)[121]
  • "Yakjehti Mein" (2021)[122]

Awards and nominations
Year Awards Category Nominated work Result Ref(s)
2010 Shakti Bhatt Awards Shakti Bhatt First Book Prize Awards The Wish Maker Nominated [123]
2016 Hum Awards Best Music Single "Kithay Nain Na Jorin" Nominated [124]
ARY Film Awards Best Playback Singer - Male "Aah Ko Chahiye" Nominated [125]
Lux Style Awards Best Playback Singer - Male Nominated [126]

References
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