Junoon is a Pakistani sufi rock band from Lahore, Punjab, Pakistan, and Tappan, New York, formed in 1990. The band is directed by founder, lead guitarist and songwriter, Salman Ahmad, who was soon joined by keyboardist Nusrat Hussain, bass guitarist Brian O’Connell and vocalist Ali Azmat. Junoon is Pakistan's and one of South Asia's most successful bands; Q magazine regarded them as "One of the biggest bands in the world" and The New York Times called Junoon "the U2 of Pakistan". Since their inception, the group has released a collective total of nineteen albums: seven studio albums; one soundtrack; two live albums; four video albums; and five compilations. They have sold over 30 million copies worldwide.
Salman Ahmad is a Pakistani American musician, rock guitarist, physician, activist, and professor at the City University of New York.
Sufi rock or Sufi folk rock is a subgenre of rock music that combines rock with classical Islamic sufi music traditions. It emerged in the early 1990s and became widely popular in the late 1990s in Pakistan and Turkey. The term "sufi rock" was coined in 1993 by writer Nadeem F. Paracha to define the Pakistani band Junoon, who pioneered the process of fusing conventional rock music with folk sufi music and imagery.
Junoon is the debut album of the Pakistani sufi rock band Junoon, released on 30 September 1991. It was released by EMI and recorded at the EMI studios in Karachi in 1990. The album is produced by founder, songwriter and lead guitarist Salman Ahmad. The album contained a total track list of twelve songs with eight tracks being in Urdu language, three tracks in English and one instrumental.
Inquilaab is the third studio album and the fourth overall album of the Pakistani band Junoon. Although previous albums by Junoon also achieved considerable success, 'Inquilaab' contained the band's first major hit, the patriotic song "Jazba-e-Junoon". The album also contained the hit "Saeein," which marked Junoon's foray into what later became the sufi rock sound that Junoon is most popularly associated with. Other hits from the album were "Mera Mahi" and "Husan Walo".
Ishq is the sixth studio album and the ninth overall album of the Pakistani sufi rock band, Junoon. The album was released on January 1, 2001 and was released by the title of Andaz outside Pakistan.
Junoon is a Pakistani sufi rock band founded in 1990 by lead guitarist and only original member, Salman Ahmad. The band has released seven studio albums, as well as numerous live albums, compilations, singles, video albums, music videos, and soundtracks. Keyboardist Nusrat Hussain left the band after the first studio album release and was replaced by bassist Brian O'Connell. They released their self-titled debut album in 1991; which barely made a dent in the Pakistani music industry. Guitarist Mekaal Hasan and band producer John Alec replaced O'Connell, and have been playing bass for live shows since O'Connell's departure.
Rock & Roll Jihad is the first soundtrack album and the eighteenth overall album of the Pakistani band, Junoon. The soundtrack is based on Salman Ahmad and Junoon's musical journey. The album features five new studio recordings along with five live tracks from "The concert for Pakistan" and the album was officially released on June 1, 2010 under the record label Nameless Sufi Music on all major online stores. Salman Ahmad, lead guitarist & vocalist, also published a book named, Rock & Roll Jihad: A Muslim Rock Star's Revolution, regarding his time with Junoon and all the struggle he faced to become a rockstar.
The Rock Star and the Mullahs is a 2003 documentary film directed by Ruhi Hamid and Angus MacQueen and by producer Pamela Friedman. The film follows the journey of the South Asian rock music band Junoon and addresses music in Islam. The film won the "Outstanding story on South Asia - Broadcast" award at the South Asian Journalists Association Awards.
"Ehtesaab" is the second track on the 1995 compilation album Kashmakash by the sufi rock band Junoon, and is the second single from the album. After the release of the band's first real big hit single "Jazba-e-Junoon", which was the song of the 1996 Cricket World Cup. "Ehtesaab" was their second hit and was released in December 1996. The video of the single was directed by Pakistani director, Shoaib Mansoor.
Brian O'Connell is an American multi-instrumentalist, composer, arranger, record producer and actor. He is the bassist and producer for Pakistani sufi rock band Junoon.
"Heer" is an instrumental song by the Pakistani sufi rock band Junoon. The instrumental was first released on the band's self-titled debut album, Junoon released in 1991 and later in the fourth studio album, Azadi released in 1997. The instrumental is composed by the band's lead guitarist Salman Ahmad. The instrumental uses blending of rock guitars and bluesy vocals with eastern elements like the use of tablas, raga-inspired melodies and traditional Pakistani folk music.
Sayonee is a song by the Pakistani sufi rock band Junoon, released in April, 1997. It is the first track from the band's fourth album, Azadi (1997), released on EMI Records. Written by lead guitarist and founder of the band Salman Ahmad and writer Sabir Zafar, it is the lead single on the album, the song uses blends of rock guitars and bluesy vocals with traditional Pakistani musical elements like the tabla percussion drums, Hindustani raga-inspired melodies styled and blended into Pakistani folk music.
"Bulleya" is a song by the Pakistani sufi rock band Junoon, released in 1999. It is the first track from the band's fifth album, Parvaaz (1999), recorded at Abbey Road Studios, London and released on EMI Records. The song is a famous kafi written by the sufi saint Bulleh Shah. Bulleh Shah is famous for his spiritual and metaphysical poetry, and Bullah Ki Jaana is one of his well-known poems. The song is composed and produced by lead guitarist and founder of the band Salman Ahmad. It is the lead single on the album, the song uses blending of rock guitars and bluesy vocals with eastern elements like the use of tablas, raga-inspired melodies and traditional Pakistani folk music.
Junoon 20 is the fourth compilation album and the nineteenth overall album of the Pakistani band Junoon. The compilation album served as a tribute album for the 20th anniversary of the band and is divided into two volumes. The first edition of the album featured many well known musicians like Bilal Khan, Outlandish, Aag, Usman Riaz and Laal’s Taimur Rahman, paying tribute to Junoon by covering some of the band's famous songs. The first volume of the album was released on September 30, 2011, and was made digitally available on October 5, 2011.
Talaash is the second studio album of the Pakistani sufi rock band Junoon, released on September 3, 1993. The album was to be their first with bassist Brian O'Connell, who joined the band after Nusrat Hussain departed from the band to pursue his career as a solo artist and released his debut album Amrit in 1992. This was also the first Junoon album produced by Salman Ahmad and O'Connell, both also went on releasing several other albums by Junoon before O'Connell left the band after Dewaar in 2003. The album also served as a soundtrack for the Pakistani television show Talaash, which featured the band and its novel storyline was based on the band.
Door is the eighth studio album and twentieth overall album by the Pakistani rock band Junoon. It was released on 26 December 2016 by Universal Music in the Pakistan and India. It is the second Junoon album led by guitarist and singer Salman Ahmad following Ali Azmat's departure in 2005 and a tribute album following the death of former Vital Signs vocalist Junaid Jamshed in 2017, to whom "Khwab" and "Door Bohat Door" are dedicated.
