Arieb Azhar

Arieb Azhar is an acclaimed musician, writer, and producer with over 35 years of experience in the performing arts. Arieb started his musical journey playing revolutionary songs in the 80s in Karachi. He then lived in Croatia for 13 years, where he was initiated into Balkan and Irish music. After returning to Pakistan, he became a pioneer in performing and interpreting Sufi poetry for contemporary audiences. Since then, he has been featured on all leading music platforms in the country, including three seasons of Coke Studio.  Arieb co-founded the Music Mela Festival of Islamabad, curated its first three editions, and later organized the Art Langar Festival. From 2018 to 2020, he was director of T2F (The Second Floor), Karachi’s renowned cultural café and art gallery, during which time he curated the third edition of the Creative Karachi Festival. Arieb has also produced several documentary films, including the award-winning feature ‘Indus Blues’ about Pakistan’s endangered musical instruments, and was featured in the US-Pakistan film ‘Without Shepherds.’ Recently, Arieb wrote and produced a theatre play, ‘The Rivers Daughter,’ which won wide critical acclaim after its debut run in Karachi and Hyderabad.