Ali Sethi

Even though he is best known for his innovative blend of traditional Pakistani poetry and contemporary pop music, composer Ali Sethi first rose to fame as a writer with his 2009 novel, The Wish Maker. The son of award-winning journalists and politicians Najam Sethi and Jugnu Mohsin, he was born on July 2, 1984, in Lahore, Pakistan. It was, in fact, his mother who introduced him to South Asian music at a very young age, exposing him to artists such as Noor Jehan, Iqbal Bano, and Farida Khanum. After graduating from Harvard College, Ali Sethi gained international acclaim thanks to his novel The Wish Maker (2009), which was heavily inspired by both his upbringing in Pakistan and the country's socio-political history. In 2012, he made his musical debut in Mira Nair's political thriller The Reluctant Fundamentalist, eliciting praise from critics with a passionate rendition of the song "Dil Jalannay Ki Baat Karte Ho." During the next few years, Ali Sethi made regular appearances on the music television series Coke Studio Pakistan, where he captivated audiences across the nation with his interpretation of ghazals and traditional folk songs such as "Umran Lagiyaan," "Aaqa," or "Ranjish Hi Sahi." In 2019, he took his first steps as a songwriter on the singles "Chandni Raat," "Dil Ki Khair," "Khabar-e-Tahayyur-e-Ishq," "Ishq," and "Dil Lagaayein," recorded in collaboration with Grammy-winning producer Noah Georgeson. His biggest hit, however, arrived in 2022 when the Shae Gill duet "Pasoori," a song he also co-wrote, became wildly successful on streaming services and cracked the Top 5 of the Billboard India Songs chart.