Zebunnisa Bangash & Haniya Aslam (Zeb & Haniya)

Zebunnisa Bangash and Haniya Aslam (Zeb and Haniya) are a singer/songwriter duo from Pakistan. They are first cousins and performed together for the first time at the age of six. The Zeb and Haniya project began in the United States when the two started composing their own tunes in college.  Zeb studied Art History and Economics, and Haniya studied Computer Science and Social Anthropology. Zeb and Haniya’s music speaks to a shared base of human experience while evoking rich and textured sound-scapes from across the globe. Along with writing their own songs they also rework existing melodies of Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Central Asia. In doing so, Zeb and Haniya carve a space for music that transcends national boundaries. Their songs are set to music influenced by the classical tradition of the Indian subcontinent, Latin and West African grooves, American folk and blues, and their lyrics are poignant, soulful, and emotive. Their latest recordings have included songs in Turkish, Dari, and Pushto, and their music has been claimed by diverse audiences across West Asia.  

The duo’s debut album, Chup (Hush) broke to glowing reviews in Pakistan: Herald credited Zeb and Haniya with creating entirely new cannon of jazz-influenced numbers and blues in Urdu, and The News called their arrival “a landmark event.” Time magazine chose Chup as their pick of the week, and describes their music as a “ a complex sound that has hints of Dylan yet still calls itchy feet to the dance floor.”  Deutsche Welles described them as “among the most innovative musicians in Pakistan.” Across the border, India Today writes that “everything about their music reads as extraordinary.”  They have performed in Malaysia, Italy, France, Pakistan, and at music festivals in the U.S and Norway. Among diverse audiences, their music has been received with the generosity of spirit with which it has been composed.