Ali Sethi Details

Ali Aziz Sethi (Urdu/Punjabi: علی سیٹھی; pronounced [əˈliː ˈseːʈʰiː]; born July 2, 1984) is a Pakistani singer, songwriter, composer, and author. Sethi rose to prominence with his debut novel, The Wish Maker (2009). In 2012, Sethi began focusing on his musical career and made his film debut as a singer in Mira Nair's 2012 film, The Reluctant Fundamentalist, with the song Dil Jalane Ki Baat Karte Ho. In recent years, Sethi has released numerous cover singles and has appeared on several seasons of Coke Studio Pakistan. Sethi began releasing original music in 2019 and has collaborated with Grammy-winning producer Noah Georgeson. His most recent single for Coke Studio – Pasoori (2022) – became the first Pakistani song to feature on Spotify's "Viral 50 - Global" chart, eventually climbing to the top of the chart in May 2022. With 412 million views on YouTube as of October 16, 2022, Pasoori is currently the most watched Coke Studio music video of all time.

Sethi is noted for his ability to blend Hindustani classical ragas with contemporary Western arrangements. He is also known for combining his live musical performances with historical narrative, cultural context, and critical commentary. In September 2022, Sethi was included in Time magazine's Time 100 Next list and was recognized for his ability to use ancient classical ragas "to challenge and expand notions of gender, sexuality, and belonging."