Junaid Jamshed (1964 - 2016)

LAHORE (Web Desk) – Junaid Jamshed aged 52, born on 3rd September 1964 in Karachi.  His father Jamshed Akber Khan was a retired Group Captain in Pakistan Air Force. After graduating from local boarding high school in Lahore, Jamshed proceeded to join the PAF, initially focusing to become a professional F-16 fighter pilot. But due to weak eye-sight during the tough physical, his nomination papers were rejected by the PAF selection board.

Jamshed was later accepted at the University of Engineering and Technology in Lahore where he excelled in courses in mathematics and physics before declaring his major in Mechanical engineering.

Jamshed gained a Bachelor of Science, graduating in mechanical engineering in 1990.  And join PAF as a civilian contractor and moved on to a short-lived career in aeronautical engineering.

In 1983, Jamshed started performing rock music gigs at Peshawar University and Islamabad University campuses while a student at UET in Lahore. In 1987, Jamshed joined his engineering university s rock band, Nuts, and Bolt, as a lead vocalist and performed at Flashman s Hotel in Rawalpindi.

Though the band Vital Signs was launched in early 1986 in Rawalpindi by Keyboardist Rohail Hyatt and bassist Shahzad Hasan (Shahi), it was t until later when Junaid Jamshed, then joined them as their lead singer. They began performing in different parts of the country after having secured a place in the underground music industry in Islamabad and Lahore.

Finally, their first album, Vital Signs 1, was released nationwide and got on-aired on PTV. Though their debut hit single, "Dil Dil Pakistan" and "Tum Mil Gaye", was released on 14 August 1987, skyrocketed them into national fame and national prominence. Both songs were the biggest commercial hit and garnered high critical acclaim for their work.

The band split in 1998 and Jamshed began a solo career, achieving increasing commercial success. The first album contained many commercially hit songs and the band was approached by many international companies to write songs and advertise their products to the public. The success lifted the underground rock music industry to the national level and is widely credited for uplifting the music industry in the country. In 1991, the band released their second album, Vital Signs 2, produced by EMI Studios in Pakistan. Although the second album was not successful as it was expected, the band made its first international tour in the United States.

In 2003, BBC World Service conducted an unscientific poll to choose the ten most famous songs of all time. Around 7000 songs were selected from all over the world. According to BBC, people from 155 countries/territories voted in the poll. "Dil Dil Pakistan" was ranked third among the top 10 songs. During the 1980s-2000s, Jamshed enjoyed great success in the public and media and was one of the following celebrities of his time.

Quitting Music

As early as 1999, Media had been speculating about Junaid s drift from music soon after the Vital Signs faded away. The speculations soon died after Junaid released his single albums in mere two years and continued world tours. After 2001, Jamshed disappeared from the public eye and avoided media attention. Over the years, Junaid stayed distant from Hyatt who continued to work on producing music. 

After the 9/11 attacks in the United States, Hyatt and Junaid s tours in the West struggled a lot regarding questions from Westerners about the country s culture, terrorism, and music. Upon returning, Junaid filed for bankruptcy and made a triumphant attempt to push his career in engineering after applying to various companies. It was highly reported that Jamshed has distanced himself from music and has been praying five times a day regularly at the nearby mosque. Finally, Jamshed, who had been out of practice from his engineering career 20 years ago, announced to step into the fashion-designing industry alongside his close friend. In 2004, Jamshed officially renounced music and engineering after announcing he to devote his life to Islam. Jamshed renounced engineering and to supplement his income, he opened a clothing store "J.", selling Khaadis (a form of Kurta-Shalwar).