Shehzad Roy

Early music career

Shehzad Roy released his debut album "Zindagi" in 1995. After only two years his second album "Darshan" was released in 1997. His third album "Teri soorat" was released in 1999. His fourth album "Rab Janey" and fifth album "Buri Baat hai" were released in 2002 and 2005 respectively.

Qismat Apne Haath Mein (2008)

Shehzad's sixth album marked his transformation from a singer of romantic songs to songs that reflected social issues. In 2008, Shehzad released his sixth album, Qismat Apne Haath Mein [translated to 'we make your own destiny'] in Karachi's juvenile jail to draw attention to the nearly 70,000 prisoners in Pakistan who had been awaiting trial for years.

The first music video of the album, 'Laga Rahe' was a political comment on the situation in the country at the time. The call for the restoration of judiciary, increasing inflation and crime, price hike and the real politicking of corrupt politicians all featured in the video. The title track 'Qismat Apne Haath Mein' is about those less privileged in society and their state of suppression.

Ventures in Bollywood

Akshay Kumar's film Khatta Meetha features a song by Shehzad on its soundtrack. The song, titled "Bullshit" is a mash-up of two of Roy's most popular songs from his 2008 album Qismat Apney Haat Mein – "Laga Reh" and "Qismat Apney Haat Mein". Watch the video here.

Collaborations

On September 6,2014 Shehzad realesed a patriotic song "Dhol Sipahiya" featuring Ayesha Omer. It was dedicated to all martyrs and survivors of the Pakistan army who took part in "War on terror. Most specifically for the martyrs of Operation Zarb -e- Azb. In September 2013, Shehzad performed with Guns N' Roses at a charitable event turned rock show, with performances from Guns N' Roses' Matt Sorum and Slash and Macy Gray in Los Angeles. Part of the proceeds of this event went to Shehzad's organisation Zindagi Trust. The event reached its climax when, Roy, Slash, Sorum and Gray did covers of The Beatles' Come Together and Radiohead's Creep.

In 2007, Shehzad Roy came out with a musical collaboration between him and queen of Sufi soul, Abida Parveen. The song, titled Zindagi, was rooted on his latest venture – Equality in Education.

In 2006, Shehzad Roy brought Canadian rockstar Bryan Adams to Pakistan for a charity concert, Rock for a Cause, to raise funds for Shehzad Roy's Zindagi Trust and to aid the victims of the tragic October 2005 earthquake.

To promote cross-border cultural exchange with India, he sang a hit duet with Indian singer Sukhbir in 2005.

Wasu aur Mein

In 2011, Shehzad discovered Wasu Khan, a villager from Baluchistan, on YouTube. In his video, Wasu raps about Pakistan's checkered political history. After seeing this, Shehzad tracked down Wasu and they collaborated to produce the hard-hitting song 'Apney Ulloo'. Packing a political punch, the video is a tale of the exploitation of a poor man. In the music, video Roy emulates a peon, a lawyer, a government secretary and a media man, all of whom exploit the common man, played by Wasu

The song 'Apney Ulloo' started as a one-off collaboration but ended up taking a very different direction. In 2012, Roy produced and hosted the 8-episode documentary series titled "Wasu aur Main". The show followed the travels of Shehzad and Wasu Khan, a villager from Baluchistan. Brought together by their common passion for music, Shehzad and Wasu realise that they have a lot to learn from each other. Wasu's unique perspective on Pakistan's history and his shrewd observations force Shehzad to re-evaluate his own notions on progress, poverty and patriotism. As the show moves through several cities, the two of them try to understand what being a citizen of Pakistan means and realise what the future holds for them in this country. Watch all episodes here.

Chal Parha

In 2013, Shehzad produced and hosted the 22-episode documentary series titled "Chal Parha" [translated 'Let's Educate']. In the show, Shehzad travelled on a Harley-Davidson bike across 80 cities in Pakistan and visited more than 200 public schools. In each of the 22 episodes, a new issue in public education was explored, for example, medium of instruction, curriculum, teachers, corporal punishment.

The show highlighted both the obstacles in improving public schools and also the remarkable individuals who are committed to teaching and learning despite the collapsed system in which they work. An example of the impact of this show is that the third episode on corporal punishment (aired 15 February 2013) resulted in catalysing a decision by the government to finally ban corporal punishment in Pakistan. Soon after the episode aired, Pakistan's provincial assemblies passed a resolution against corporal punishment and on 12 March 2013, the National Assembly unanimously passed a Bill making corporal punishment an offence.

The show was intended to create awareness among Pakistani citizens for their basic right to quality education and also proposed solutions for government officials to resolve the various issues in public education. Chal Parha also showcased Pakistan's scenic beauty and diverse cultures. Watch the episodes on Youtube (the first 3 episodes have English subtitles).

Philanthropic work

In 2002, Shehzad established Zindagi Trust, a non-governmental, non-profit organisation that strives to improve the quality of education available to the average Pakistani.

Paid to Learn

In 2003, the Trust pioneered the concept of I-am-paid-to-learn, a non-profit that offers working children an alternative to child labour; makes them aware of their rights as children, as workers and as citizens. With nearly 1800 students in schools across Pakistan, a 2.2-year accelerated primary education course is taught to the children who spend most of their days working in car-repair shops & other general stores in Karachi, Lahore & Rawalpindi. The programme also sponsors the continuing education of top graduates who are encouraged to enroll in mainstream secondary schools.

Public School Reform

A few years after Paid-to-learn was initiated, Shehzad realised that this program was not enough to educate the masses. Most children of school-going age in Pakistan (over 85%) only have access to government schools which are plagued with low teacher attendance, dilapidated buildings, poor facilities, a curriculum and teaching culture that starves creativity and encourages rote-learning, etc.

The Trust's school reform project at the SMB Fatima Jinnah Government Girls School in Karachi has involved the following:

Awards and honors

On the occasion of the 2014 Nobel Peace Prize to Malala Yousafzai from Pakistan and Kailash Satyarthi from India, Shehzad performed at a joint Peace concert held on the evening of the Nobel Peace Prize Ceremony on the 10th of December 2014 in Oslo, Norway. The concert was attended by dignitaries like the Royal King family members, Prime Minister of Norway, Former Pakistani Prime Ministers, Ministers, Members of the National Parliament and the Norwegian elite in the fields of knowledge and culture, along with Norwegian Pakistanis and Indians.

In April, 2013, Shehzad was invited to Harvard University to talk about music, activism and his new documentary series, Chal Parha, in which the audience learnt about Roy’s journey to over 200 schools across Pakistan and the lessons learnt from this journey. Additionally, the viewers were educated about ways in which art and artists have struggled to bring social change throughout Pakistan’s history.

In May 2013, Shehzad Roy performed in Rome on invitation from Pakistan’s Ambassador to Italy. The Pakistan Embassy in Rome in collaboration with Zetema Progetto Cultura, an agency of Rome’s Municipality, organised the concert in Villa Borghese, the second largest public park in Rome, and was part of La Notte dei Musei (The Night of Museums). The solo show presented Pakistan’s rich heritage — especially its music and poetry — to the Italian audience.

The Chicago Council on Global Affairs awarded the 2009 Patricia Blunt Koldyke Fellowship on Social Entrepreneurship to Shehzad Roy to recognize his commitment to providing better learning opportunities in government-run schools, and honor his goal of encouraging Pakistan's youth "to value education and provide them with the knowledge and opportunities they need to realize a peaceful, democratic political future." As a Koldyke Fellow, Roy spent one week in Chicago exchanging ideas about education, philanthropy and nonprofit management with the city's civic, government, business and academic leaders. He delivered a major public address about education in Pakistan to a Chicago Council audience the evening of 29 Oct. 2009.

Music Awards

Shehzad has won the following awards over the course of his career: