Abdul Hannan

singer, songwriter, guitarist and producer

Compiled from 1 recorded interview. Every statement below is drawn from the passage cited beside it.

Abdul Hannan is a singer, songwriter, guitarist and producer, and an engineer. He was born in Karachi and studied computer science at GIK Institute (GIKI). His first song was Faasle, which he released independently through DistroKid, and his EP is named Diya.

Early life and background

Hannan was born in Karachi. He moved to Lahore after class 4 for personal reasons. He says no singer appears in his family for generations, but he listened a great deal. He says his father listened to metal, and he has loved singing since childhood. [1]

He says he did not have a guitar but was crazy about it. He bought a USB condenser mic for 12 to 13 thousand, explored it, and installed Pro Tools. He explored the technical side of music and DAWs. He thought that as a developer he could build music plugins such as VSTs. [1]

Education

Hannan attended Beaconhouse's Clifton campus. He studied computer science at GIK Institute (GIKI) and began the degree in 2016. He knew he would study computer science before he knew he would go to GIKI. [1]

During A-levels he was in a band called Silver Stone Project. He was president of the Music Society. At GIKI he was a cover artist. [1]

Software engineering

In his third year Hannan decided to learn front-end engineering properly. He started online certifications. He had an interest in the technical side and a little of the visual side of UX and UI. [1]

In 2022 he received a job offer from Berlin. The Berlin employer offered to fund his relocation and travel. He estimates he had about one and a half years of work experience at that time. [1]

He says he likes coding and enjoys front-end engineering very much. He says he is an employee and an engineer, and he describes music as having been a side hustle. [1]

Music career

Hannan's first song was Faasle. He was close to not releasing it. He released Faasle independently through DistroKid. He says he had 600 to 700 followers and nobody knew him. His third song was Haare. [1]

He shot and edited the music video for Irade himself. He also edited the music video for Haare himself. [1]

Concerts and live performance

Hannan's first proper ticketed concert was held in Islamabad. He says the venue was full and the show sold out, and he estimates the crowd at about 400 to 500 people. He decided to create an Instagram account where people could message him and fill in a Google form. He wrote a script that produces a monthly Excel file, such as one for November 2023 and one for December. He says show requests piled up and he made a trip every month. [1]

He says he has spent 6 to 8 hours at venues waiting for his turn to perform. He says that on the sound side, the problem is that there are not really proper engineers. He says a tech rider lists an artist's requirements, equipment and monitoring gear. He says that if it comes down to arbitration or something like it, he would go for it, because it is not just about him. He says payments sometimes do not arrive for eight months. [1]

Diya

Hannan's EP is named Diya. The EP has four songs, one of them a one-minute track. [1]

Views

Hannan says GIKI is not for the faint-hearted. He says GIKI graduates handle a lot because they have faced heavy stress. He describes the education system as archaic and outdated, with many problems. He says he wants to show through his platforms that computer science is a lovely field. [1]

He believes a singing voice is a little of both nature and nurture, and he says a voice is nurtured to some extent. He says learning to make music improved his singing automatically. He says that the work one actually has to do on the ground is something one must discover for oneself. He says that in the end an artist has to make themselves a star on their own. He says an artist in Pakistan cannot survive on one show a year. [1]

He says that with AI advancing so far, one should use it as a toolkit. He says AI needs a dataset of his voice before it can recreate it. He says that if someone turns themselves into an influencer and keeps putting their life out there, its value eventually drops considerably. He says that, coming from an engineering background, he is used to sprints and retrospectives. [1]

Personal life

Hannan still feels fear before going on stage. He says he always makes the point never to take things for granted. He says he has tried, to some extent, to pen down an identity crisis, frustrations and problems. He also says he has a huge backlog of very irrelevant experiences. [1]

Timeline

2016
Began studying computer science at GIK Institute[1]
2020
Went into a remote job immediately after graduation, in the time of the pandemic[1]
2022
Received a job offer from Berlin[1]

Appearances

DateTitleWhere
2023-09-27 The engineer who became one of Pakistan's biggest singers Thought Behind Things

Frequently asked questions

Who is Abdul Hannan?

Abdul Hannan is a singer, songwriter, guitarist and producer. He is also an engineer. Hannan was born in Karachi and studied computer science at GIK Institute (GIKI).[1]

What does Abdul Hannan do?

Abdul Hannan is a singer, songwriter, guitarist and producer. He says he is an employee and an engineer. Hannan says he likes coding and enjoys front-end engineering very much.[1]

Where did Abdul Hannan study?

Abdul Hannan studied computer science at GIK Institute (GIKI) and began the degree in 2016. He also attended Beaconhouse's Clifton campus.[1]

Where is Abdul Hannan from?

Abdul Hannan was born in Karachi. He moved to Lahore after class 4 for personal reasons.[1]

What was Abdul Hannan's first song?

Abdul Hannan's first song was Faasle. He released Faasle independently through DistroKid. Hannan says he was close to not releasing his first song.[1]

What is Abdul Hannan's EP called?

Abdul Hannan's EP is named Diya. The EP has four songs, one of them a one-minute track.[1]

What technology has Abdul Hannan worked with?

Abdul Hannan worked at what he described as a mature startup that provided services. At that job he used React and TypeScript with autonomy. Hannan says he enjoys front-end engineering very much.[1]

Did Abdul Hannan get a job offer abroad?

In 2022 Abdul Hannan received a job offer from Berlin. The Berlin employer offered to fund his relocation and travel.[1]

References

  1. The engineer who became one of Pakistan's biggest singers . Thought Behind Things , 2023-09-27.
Show the source passages (70 statements)
  1. He was born in Karachi. But I I I was born in Karachi. Acha. Toh udhar main class 4 tak tha and then we shifted to Lahore for some personal reasons
  2. He moved to Lahore after class 4 for personal reasons. and then we shifted to Lahore for some personal reasons
  3. He attended Beaconhouse's Clifton campus. Beaconhouse, Clifton Campus.
  4. He studied computer science at GIK Institute, GIKI. Yeah so I have done computer sciences from GIK Institute, GIKI.
  5. He began the computer science degree in 2016. Haanji 2016. Yeh mujhe pata tha ki maine computer science hi karni hai
  6. He knew he would study computer science before he knew he would go to GIKI. yeh nahi pata tha ki GIKI se karunga.
  7. He thought that as a developer he could build music plugins such as VSTs. Mujhe lagta tha main developer ban jaunga toh main koi VSTs bana lunga, koi plugins bana lunga.
  8. He explored the technical side of music and DAWs. wo karte karte technical side of music aur jo DAW wagera tha wo main explore karta tha.
  9. He says GIKI is not for the faint-hearted. See, wo na pehli toh baat yeh hai ki it's not for the faint-hearted.
  10. He says GIKI graduates handle a lot because they have faced heavy stress. Hum aksar yeh kehte hain ki ek GIKian hai na uske upar kuch bhi phenk do wo kar lega kyunki itna stress liya hota hai
  11. He describes the education system as archaic and outdated, with many problems. hamara education system kafi archaic hai, outdated hai aur bahut zyada masle hain.
  12. He says he wants to show through his platforms that computer science is a lovely field. main in platforms ke through bataun ki yaar computer science ek bahut pyari duniya hai
  13. In his third year he decided to learn front-end engineering properly. teesre saal mein maine decide kar liya tha ki maine front-end engineering seekhni hai proper.
  14. He started online certifications. maine online certification shuru kar di thi
  15. He had an interest in the technical side and a little of the visual side of UX and UI. Mujhe shauq tha also the technical side and a little bit of the visual jo aspect hota hai UX/UI.
  16. He held a corporate job in Pakistan. It was a corporate job in Pakistan
  17. He left that job within three months. Toh wo ek wo tha but maine khair teen mahine mein hi chhod di thi. Samajh aa gayi thi.
  18. He worked at what he described as a mature startup that provided services. it was a kind of like a startup but again a mature startup jo ke services de raha tha
  19. At that job he used React and TypeScript with autonomy. React, TypeScript waghera jo sab se nayi front end tech tha, stack tha wo main use kar raha tha aur autonomy thi mere paas.
  20. He says he still credits that company. I still credit that company.
  21. In 2022 he received a job offer from Berlin. 2022 mein I got a job offer from Berlin and they were willing to relocate me
  22. The Berlin employer offered to fund his relocation and travel. aur mera saara fund kar rahe the, poora travel and every single thing.
  23. He estimates he had about one and a half years of work experience at that time. Especially considering kya mera work experience hai, dedh saal ka tha shayad.
  24. He says show requests piled up and he made a trip every month. bahut zyada shows ki queries aa rahi thi and main har mahine ek chakkar laga raha tha pagalon ki tarah.
  25. He says he likes coding and enjoys front-end engineering very much. For me, I think mujhe coding bhi pasand hai, front-end engineering mujhe bahut pasand hai.
  26. He describes music as having been a side hustle. aur music ek side hustle thi jo ke aap kabhi main soch, soch mein hota hai ki shayad kabhi itna upar chala jayega
  27. He says he is an employee and an engineer. main ek employee hoon, main ek engineer hoon
  28. He says that the work one actually has to do on the ground is something one must discover for oneself. actual mein jo aapne on-ground karna hai wo aapne khud discover karna hai
  29. He says no singer appears in his family for generations, but he listened a great deal. mere door door tak naslon mein koi gaane wala nahi hai lekin yeh hai ke listening bahut zyada thi.
  30. He says his father listened to metal. So like my dad used to even listen to metal.
  31. He has loved singing since childhood. Main bachpan se hi matlab gaane shaane ka shauq tha.
  32. He believes a singing voice is a little of both nature and nurture. mujhe lagta hai ke it's a little bit of both.
  33. He says a voice is nurtured to some extent. Bilkul padta hai, obviously thoda bahut nurture hogi awaaz.
  34. He says he did not have a guitar but was crazy about it. Mere paas guitar nahi tha par main I was crazy about it.
  35. He bought a USB condenser mic for 12 to 13 thousand, explored it, and installed Pro Tools. maine 12, 13 hazaar ka ek USB condenser mic liya, maine usko explore kiya, maine Pro Tools install kiya
  36. He says learning to make music improved his singing automatically. maine music banana us tarah seekha hai, to woh automatically us ne meri singing improve kar di.
  37. He says that in the end an artist has to make themselves a star on their own. Star aap ne end pe apne aap ko khud hi banana hai.
  38. He was president of the Music Society. I was the president of Music Society
  39. During A-levels he was in a band called Silver Stone Project. Ek A-levels mein hamara band bhi hota tha. Kya naam tha? Silver Stone Project naam tha uska.
  40. He says he has a huge backlog of very irrelevant experiences. in my case, I think I have a huge backlog of very irrelevant experiences as well.
  41. His first song was Faasle. To Faasle mera pehla gaana tha aur I overthought a lot.
  42. He was close to not releasing his first song. Main to bilkul I was on the verge of not releasing it.
  43. He released Faasle independently through DistroKid. Yeh maine independently bas ek DistroKid pe distribute kiya maine.
  44. He says he had 600 to 700 followers and nobody knew him. 600-700 followers the mere, koi bhi nahi jaanta tha
  45. His third song was Haare. Phir teesra gaana mera Haare tha.
  46. He shot and edited the music video for Irade himself. Irade toh maine shoot bhi khud ki, usko edit bhi khud kiya aur maine daal di.
  47. He edited the music video for Haare himself. In fact Haare bhi maine khud hi edit ki thi
  48. His first proper ticketed concert was held in Islamabad. the first proper ticketed proper concert was here in Islamabad, Hill Joint pe.
  49. He says the venue was full and the show sold out. Matlab Hill Joint poora bhara hua tha. Sold out tha.
  50. He estimates the crowd at about 400 to 500 people. I don't really exactly know the figure but 400-500 400-500 honge.
  51. He decided to create an Instagram account where people could message him and fill in a Google form. I'll just make an Instagram and people can just message and fill a form, Google form.
  52. He wrote a script that produces a monthly Excel file, such as one for November 2023 and one for December. maine script likhi hui hai ke woh November 2023 ka ek Excel banegi, December ki ek banegi
  53. He says that on the sound side, the problem is that there are not really proper engineers. it sound wise masla yeh hai ke we don't really have proper engineers.
  54. He says he has spent 6 to 8 hours at venues waiting for his turn to perform. main 6-6 main 8-8 ghante bhi raha hoon venue pe kyunke meri performance ki baari hi nahi aa rahi
  55. He says a tech rider lists an artist's requirements, equipment and monitoring gear. Ek tech rider hota hai jiske andar aapki saari requirements, aapka equipment, kaunsi monitoring gear aapko chahiye
  56. He says that, coming from an engineering background, he is used to sprints and retrospectives. Main engineering background ka hoon, mujhe aadat hai sprints ki, retros ki
  57. He says that if it comes down to arbitration or something like it, he would go for it, because it is not just about him. if it comes down to arbitration ya koi aisi cheez to I would go for it because it's honestly not just about me
  58. He says payments sometimes do not arrive for eight months. But bhai thoda bahut I mean aath aath mahine payment nahi aa rahi.
  59. He says an artist in Pakistan cannot survive on one show a year. For an artist in Pakistan, agar aap saal mein ek show karte ho, aap survive nahi kar sakte.
  60. He says that with AI advancing so far, one should use it as a toolkit. future mein if you think AI itna aage ja raha hai, use it as a toolkit.
  61. He says AI needs a dataset of his voice before it can recreate it. AI ko bhi meri aawaz ka dataset chahiye, tabhi woh recreate karega na.
  62. He says that if someone turns themselves into an influencer and keeps putting their life out there, its value eventually drops considerably. If you turn yourself into an influencer and you just start putting your life out there, uski eventually value bahut kam ho jayegi.
  63. His EP is named Diya. basically EP ka naam hai 'Diya'.
  64. The EP has four songs, one of them a one-minute track. Chaar gaane hain. Um, usme se ek gaana aisa hai jo ek bada different format hai jo ke sirf ek minute ka hai.
  65. He says he has tried, to some extent, to pen down an identity crisis, frustrations and problems. identity crisis aur, you know, your frustrations and your problems, kuch hadd tak unhein pen down karne ki koshish ki hai.
  66. He still feels fear before going on stage. aaj bhi mujhe stage pe chadhte hue woh khauf rehta hai ke koi cheez kharab na ho jaye
  67. He says he always makes the point never to take things for granted. Like always main hamesha yeh baat karta hoon ke for granted kabhi nahi lena.
  68. At GIKI he was a cover artist. So, Giki mein to main yahi tha, cover artist hi tha.
  69. He says he went into a remote job immediately after graduation, in the time of the 2020 pandemic. Graduation ke baad ek to 2020 pandemic, ganda time, remote exams and then immediately remote job.
  70. Abdul Hannan is a singer, songwriter, guitarist and producer. Abdul Hannan is a Singer, Songwriter, Guitarist and Producer.