Nothing is more thrilling for a little girl to become a music star than gripping a mic, performing before a roaring crowd, and singing her heart out to those who genuinely love it. For Nehaal Naseem, this was the case who started pursuing this goal very young.
It all began at the Lahore Food Festival when Nehaal, eager to perform, was informed she was not on the lineup. “When I went, they said, ‘Who are you? There’s no performance for you!'” she recalled on a recent podcast. Fate had other plans when it seemed like her moment had slipped away. “Out of nowhere, this man came and said, ‘You can sing one song, I’ll give you five minutes,'” Those five minutes changed everything. The crowd refused to let her leave. “A lot of people started coming towards the stage, and I ended up doing three songs! That was my first-ever concert,” she shared.
From that moment, Nehaal’s rise was unstoppable. Naseem started her career in 2016 when one of her covers went viral when she was just 11 years old, propelling her into the limelight. Today, she stands as one of the most streamed female artists in Pakistan. Her latest single, Beqadra, has only firmed her place among the stars.
And she isn’t alone. Annural Khalid is yet another, Spotify’s leading female artist of 2024, who achieved the status of Gen Z darling after her breakout performance in Jhol with Manu on Coke Studio. With her genre-defying sound and exquisite lyrics, Annural has appeared as a pioneer in Pakistan’s music industry. Pakistan Spotify named Jhol the highly-streamed song of the year, a defining moment for female artists in the local music scene. The success of her music became noticeable through streaming growth which reached 184% since last year.
The Spotify RADAR Pakistan program chose her as its inaugural female artist, which brought her international stardom. Through her versatility in chill pop and R&B music, Annural has earned an emerging status as a musical star. Through YouTube, Annural has gained more than 45 million views, with listeners in 173 countries which expands her musical reach beyond Pakistan.
“Music makes me the happiest; it has been my means of coping with different emotions ever since I was a child. It’s something I feel like I can do for life,” she shared.
Natasha Noorani is one of the most compelling voices in the Pakistani music industry today. Through her introspective and personal lyrics, Natasha reflects on her artistic growth as an artist to connect emotionally with her audience on multiple levels.
“I can’t write from a place of fiction. Every song is deeply personal,” she says. “And so whatever you see in my music stems from insecurities that I may have had, that I’m now getting past. A lot of my music is for me to heal and get closure.”
Through “Ronaq,” Natasha exemplifies her innovative Lolly-pop music style by combining electronica with South Asian melodies and pop traditions. The songs from her releases led Club Sandwich to become a prominent figure in Pakistan’s alternative music, while “Mithi Gal” and “Bol Unhein” emerged as key songs in her discography.
She has achieved recognition as an indie music star who advocates gender equality. Through her role as an Equal Pakistan ambassador for Spotify, she actively works to uplift female musicians on the platform, thereby driving genuine industry changes.
Arooj Aftab, the first Pakistani woman to win a GRAMMY, received international recognition when she earned the Best Global Music Performance award for her song Mohabbat in 2022. The recognition held a much deeper meaning for Aftab than just winning the award. “Being nominated as Best New Artist has shattered that — for me, at least — and I don’t feel otherized anymore.”
Arooj has changed the musical landscape, by blending styles from jazz music with minimalist pop together with neo-Sufi components to show that Pakistani artists can go beyond conventional media. In 2025, she earned her fourth consecutive Grammy nomination, with Raat Ki Rani competing for Best Global Music Performance and Night Reign nominated for Best Alternative Jazz Album. “OMG YES!!! This will be the fourth year in a row that the @recordingacademy and industry peers have celebrated my music with these accolades, and IT FEELS SO GOOD.”
Aftab’s latest creation, “Raat Ki Rani,” depicts an exquisite composition among conventional musical genres. Through her delicate combination of percussive rhythms, smooth piano, and intricate harp strumming, the song creates waves of music, giving every sound space to breathe. The music video, directed by Tessa Thompson from Creed and Thor, brings Aftab’s vision to reality visually, proving her as a global icon.
Last but certainly not least, Shae Gill is the voice behind Pasoori, a song that crossed the border and became a global anthem, making her one of the most highly listened-to Pakistani artists out there. But fame comes with a certain kind of pressure. While commenting on the effect her music has had on other people, she said, “There have been so many, honestly. Like when they tell me they’ve been going through a lot and, you know, they listen to my songs and my covers and it makes them feel okay. [My music] gets them through it. So that’s something special to feel.”
She opened up about her latest song, “Mera Sewera,” which carries a special place for Gill as it revolves around her healing journey and embraces vulnerability as an essential part of her artistry. “Being vulnerable is very uncomfortable, but I understand that I’m nothing as an artist if I’m not vulnerable.”
In her own words, “The song talks about a journey of ‘the self,’ of walking away from putting yourself last to putting yourself first. It underlines having compassion and patience for yourself. It calls for a need to reflect, to acknowledge, and for a need to keep your boundaries strong.”
These women are incredibly influential, changing gender norms in the music industry while simultaneously redefining the traditional sound of Pakistan for younger aspiring musicians because it is possible to be fiercely female and successful in the ever-evolving music scene.