SINGERS from Afghanistan

Top 2

The following people are considered by Pantheon to be the most legendary Afghan Singers of all time. This list of famous Afghan Singers is sorted by HPI (Historical Popularity Index), a metric that aggregates information on a biography’s online popularity.

1. Ahmad Zahir (1946 - 1979)

With an HPI of 55.51, Ahmad Zahir is the most famous Afghan Singer.  His biography has been translated into 23 different languages on wikipedia.

Ahmad Zahir (Pashto/Dari: احمد ظاهر; 14 June 1946 – 14 June 1979) was an Afghan singer, songwriter and composer. Dubbed the "Elvis of Afghanistan", he is widely considered the all-time greatest singer of Afghanistan. The majority of his songs were in Dari followed by Pashto, with a few in Russian, Hindi and English. Zahir recorded at least 14 studio albums before his abrupt death on his 33rd birthday in 1979. His music blended folk music, Persian literature, Indian classical music and Western pop and rock styles. Among Afghans, he is considered an icon of Afghan music and is widely regarded as the single greatest musician of all time, posthumously reclaiming immortal fame due to his contributions and influence on music in Afghanistan. He has also become an icon of peacetime pre-war Afghanistan.

2. Aryana Sayeed (b. 1970)

With an HPI of 35.51, Aryana Sayeed is the 2nd most famous Afghan Singer.  Her biography has been translated into 20 different languages.

Aryana Sayeed (Pashto/Dari: آريانا سعيد, born 1985) is an Afghan pop singer and women rights activist. She sings mostly in Dari Persian but also has many songs in Pashto and some in Uzbek. Sayeed also had hosting roles in musical television shows for the 1TV and TOLO networks along with appearances on reality shows. Sayeed has established herself as one of Afghanistan's most famous contemporary musical artists, performing regularly in concerts and philanthropic festivals within and outside Afghanistan.