Music lovers across the country and the world are remembering ‘Pop Queen’ Nazia Hassan on what would be her 54th birthday today (Wednesday).

Born on April 3, 1965 in Karachi, Hassan began her singing career on PTV’s Kaliyon ki Mala in 1975.

Later, she met London producer Kumar at the age of 15 and recorded Bollywood hit Aap Jaisa Koi for the blockbuster Qurbani. The song catapulted her to stardom and won her a Filmfare award. From there, Hassan and her brother Zoheb released a number of albums, including Boom Boom in 1982 and Young Tarang in 1984.

Hassan was also a recipient of Pakistan’s Pride of Performance award.

Related: PSL to pay tribute to Nazia Hassan at its closing ceremony

She was the first Pakistani singer to reach the British charts with her English version of Disco Deewane, called Dreamer Deewane. The siblings’ duo was popular in India as well.

Hassan was not only a talented singer but also a devoted scholar and humanitarian. Using her law degree, she worked at the UN as well as for UNICEF. She was passionate about the rights of young people and often took the time to visit impoverished schools in Pakistan.

On 30 March 1995, she married businessman Mirza Ishtiaq Baig in a ceremony held in Karachi. They have a son, Arez Hassan, born on April 7, 1997. The marriage ended in a divorce 10 days before Nazia’s death. Her life was tragically cut short by lung cancer at the age of 35 on August 13, 2000.

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