Download Bangla Songs: All About Habib

All About Habib

Category: Habib And His Songs By fardin hossain

Background Information

Birth name - Habib Wahid

Also known as - Habib

Nick names - Voice Doctor, BD-A.R.Rahman

Born - October 15, 1978 (age 29)

Origin - Dhaka, Bangladesh

Genre(s) - Fusion, Folk, Techno, Pop

Occupation(s) - Singer, Composer

Years active: 2003 – Present

Life and career

Habib's father Ferdous Wahid was one of the pioneers of Bangla pop music in the 1970s and 1980s. Habib started to pick up tunes on his father's keyboard from the time he was a little boy. Later, he studied music and audio engineering at the School of Audio Engineering in London.

Habib conceived his first folk-remix album Krishno while he was still a student in London. "I had the concept and even the tracks were arranged and was looking for a vocalist," he said. Kaya, the vocalist Habib was looking for is a Sylheti restaurant owner in London and amateur singer. The first few songs arising from their collaboration proved to be unexpected hits on the underground scene, both in London and in Dhaka. Krishno was a success when it was eventually released in Bangladesh, its unique blend of age-old folk and modern electronica introducing a radically new sound to the Dhaka music scene.

Habib has released five more albums: Maya (2004), Moina Go... (2005), Shono! (2006), Panjabiwala (2007), Bolchhi Tomake (2008) and Aboseshe (2008). He has featured new voices in all of his albums. Besides Kaya, he has showcased singers such as Helal, Julie, Konica, Nirjho, Shireen(in Panjabiwala) and Nancy in these albums. Habib first debuted as a vocal in "Moina Go..." where he performed two soft singles. His song “Din gelo” is considered one of the best song in the history of Bangla Music. He also has his father, Ferdous Wahid singing a song in that album.

He and his father Ferdous Wahid recently collaborated on a commercial for AB Bank. He composes music(and often sings) in commercials and films.

Influence of Bengali Music Tradition

Habib owes his musical heritage to a rich Bengali musical tradition. In general, music in Bangladesh has been used as a communication device to relay stories from one generation to the next, and to encourage the population to adopt specific ideals towards how they lead their lives. Bangla music fits into five genres, many of which reflect the core values of the musical approach taken by Habib.

• Classical: Based on musical modes called raglas. All of Bengali music has some basis in classical music. Habib has trained to remix classical music on a keyboard through the use of classical training at the School of Audio Engineering in London.

• Rabindra sangeet: Based on the works of Nobel laureate poet Rabindranath Tagore, who emphasized a common theme of philosophy and love. Music was influenced by western styles of the late 1800’s after Tagore visited England. Many of Habib’s songs are based on Bengali folk songs that emphasize the theme of love.

• Nazrul geeti: Based on the musical works of Kazi Nazrul Islam who was the national poet of Bangladesh during the Indian independence movement. Islam disseminated his revolutionary ideals through his music, which was a fusion of West Indian ghazals and traditional Bengali classical music. In contrast to Geeti, Habib is more concerned with developing a beat that will be broadly appreciated by a young audience. Habib’s songs therefore are mostly apolitical.

• Folk: A collection of old music genres that have a simple musical structure and words. Folk singers were used as possibly the only form of entertainment and communication of ideas before the advent of mass communication. The best known types of folk are Baul, Lalon, and Adhunik. Habib is a composer who develops new modern beats for old folk songs. While this interpretation is enjoyed by the young audience, it is controversial to traditional Bangladeshi people because the meanings of these songs change when they are sung with a hip hop or reggae beat.

• Modern music including pop and rock: Bengali pop and rock music was heavily influenced by Western music styles. Recent pop musicians have access to modern technology and attempt to use their own talent to make their music unique. Habib is an example of a new wave Bengali composer and beat-maker who makes creative modern Bengali music tracks. Habib opportunistically finds undiscovered singers for his tracks and then applies a variety of musical techniques including hip hop, reggae, and pop techniques.