Name Sadiq Habibi Birth name Sadiq Fitrat Habibi Labels Various | Occupation(s) Singer Record label Various Years active 1956–present | |
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Full name Sadiq Fitrat Habibi Similar People Ahmad Wali, Farhad Darya, Ahmad Zahir, Hangama, Habib Qaderi | ||
Nashenas is the nome de plume of Dr. Mohammed Sadiq Fitrat(Pashto/Dari: ناشناس), born as Sadiq Fitrat Habibi, (Pashto/Persian: صادق فطرت) is one of the oldest surviving musicians from Afghanistan. His fame began in the late 1950s, and since then he has produced many albums consisting of Dari, Pashto and some Urdu songs. He is known as "the Afghan Saigal".
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Background
Nashenas was born in Kandahar but lived most of his life in Kabul, Afghanistan. He is ethnic Pashtun from the Sanzarkhel sub-tribe of the greater Kakar tribe. He sings in both of Afghanistan's languages, Pashto, Dari as well as in Urdu. He has been living among the Afghan diaspora outside his country and believed to be currently residing in London, England.
While growing up his family stressed to him the importance of religion as he hailed from the religious elite of the city of Kandahar. He is said to have developed an interest in music. In the early 1970s, Nashenas traveled to the Soviet Union where he obtained his doctorate in Pashto Literature from Moscow State University.
His alias Nashanas means Unknown. As he belong to a religious family so initially start singing hiding his original name and similarly he get popular with his fictional name “Nashanas”.
Fame
He is popular among the populations of both Afghanistan and Pakistan, specially in the Pashto-speaking areas like the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa previously (NWFP), Quetta and other cities with large number of Afghans. He is also popular because he sang Ghazal of Iqbal (Allama Iqbal).Allama Iqbal Ghazal Sung by Nashanas on YouTube He has a following among the singers of new generation as well, who are noted to imitate his style of singing. one of which Sardar Ali Takar, a well known and popular singer of Pashto.
Nashenas had his final round of concerts in 2004, touring California, New York City, Washington, D.C. and Canada.
Death
There were rumors on social media that Nashenas died of a heart illness in a German hospital on Thursday October 6, 2016. Nashenas and his family denied these rumors.