Growing up in the 90s was something else, thanks to Junoon giving teenage angst an anthem. The rock band was iconic in more ways than one. There has not been a single cricketing event without Ali Azmat’s voice singing”hay jazba junoon tou himmat na haar” (cue random bhangras on the streets) or an Independence Day without “Junoon se aur ishq se milti hai azaadi…”

Happy tears ~

There was no question about being into rock music, the Gen X loved themselves a little bit of Junoon and another bit of Vital Signs.  A brainchild of Salman Ahmad who got into rock music in the 70’s after going to Led Zepplin concert, he moved to Pakistan soon after to pursue a medicinal degree at King Edward Medical College. A few years later, Vital Signs shot to fame after releasing Dil Dil Pakistan, inviting Salman to join the band. Although Vital Signs was a commercial success, it didn’t fulfill Salman’s artistic ambitions that were more inclined towards rock ‘n roll as opposed to Vital Signs’ pop. So he decided to leave the band and contacted one of his musician friends from America Brian O’ Connell to play bass on an upcoming project. However, the band still needed a singer that can complement the heavier sound.
Enter Ali Azmat, the missing piece of the puzzle. Ali Azmat at the time was part of another upcoming pop group called Jupiters. Interesting fact: Coke Studio producer Sahir Ali Bagga used to play drums for this band.

So, Ali left Jupiters and joined forces with Salman Ahmad and Brian. And there was no looking back.

The trio worked on multiple albums together, with the third album eventually defining their signature Sufi rock genre. The album itself you could say was basically Sufi poetry being sung on Led-Zepplin inspired guitar riffs, the two of which were glued together by traditional tabla.

“Jazba Junoon” was the new Dil Dil Pakistan now and instantly became the anthem of everything that is patriotic.

“Sayonee” was a fitting letter from a lovelorn lover to their beloved or something for the divine

chayn ik pal nahi, chayn ik pal nahi aur koi hal nahi ~

I can still mouth the lyrics to “Taara Jala” – Ali Azmat’s vocal powerhouse met deep lyrics and you had yourself a sufi rock masterpiece.

Their final album oversaw “Garaj Baras” with a trippy video and their signature sound worth a head-bang and a half

During the mid-2000’s the band releases its final album to date Dewar. It was a departure from their signature Sufi rock sound and was more oriented towards modern rock with elements of funk. Although the album alienated some fans a few songs did manage to do well on the charts. The song ‘Papu Yar‘ which is basically a desi version of Jimi Hendrix’s famous ‘Who knows’, was received well by audiences. Following the release, Brian O Conell went back to the States with Meekal Hassan filling his shoes on live shows. In 2005 the band had its last concert in Dubai following which both Ali Azmat and Salman Ahmad went on to pursue solo careers.

There have been sporadic reunions in the past but none of them included Ali Azmat which is why the recent Peek Freans Sooper collaboration is nothing short of iconic.

For the most part, he has always shut down the possibility of any complete reunion.

Loving Ali Azmat’s salt and pepper beard

This is happening as part of Peek Freans Sooper’s new campaign which aimed to unite the people of Pakistan through Junoon’s legendary Sufi music. The campaign campaign “Sooper hai Pakistan ka Junoon” focuses on the belief that Pakistan is indeed a super nation with Junoon brimming within its people thus bringing the country something that has been “worth the wait”. And this reunion has definitely been worth the wait.

Pakistanis were obviously overjoyed ~

Watch Allama Iqbal’s iconic verses turned into a jazzy number by Junoon now:

What are your thoughts on Junoon’s epic reunion?  Did you enjoy the comeback? Let us know in the comments section below.

This post has been sponsored by Peek Freans.