"Q' Magazine calls
them "One of the biggest bands in the world". Billboard says
Junoon is the Subcontinent's "biggest crossover success after the
late Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan". After their concert (a Tribute to the
late Ustaad Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan) at New York's famous Central Park last
August, the New York Times dubbed their music "Pakistani rock mixed
with religious rapture". Similarly, in a preview to Junoon's performance
at the House of Blues in Los Angeles, the L.A. Times says Junoon's "ability
to captivate audiences" is "inspiring Beatles-like reactions".
Junoon, meaning 'obsession' or 'passion', is South Asia's biggest rock
band. They sing mostly in the language of Urdu, in a style blending Western
hard rock with Sindhi & Punjabi folk and Qawwali. "The band's
appeal reaches beyond the Westernised elite", says Newsweek International.
Junoon, in effect, had to create an audience for rock music in Pakistan.
This didn't happen right away. The band struggled financially for the
first few years. Group members remember months of eating 'daal' and rice,
the Pakistani poor man's staple. It all paid off in the spring of 1996,
when Junoon scored its first big hit with the song "Jazba-e-Junoon"
("The Spirit of Passion").
Hai Jazba-e-Junoon, tho Himmat na haar! Justuju
joh kurreh voh chueh Aasmaan!
If you have the Spirit of Passion(Obsession), Never give up! The one
who Perseveres reaches the Stars.
