Rovalio

The future of Pakistan’s electro-pop landscape is in good hands if producers such as Rovalio are anything to go by. Within a year of learning the ins and outs of music production, a teenaged Rommel Yazdan Khan caused a stir by providing the cool, reggaetón-inspired backdrop for Shamoon Ismail’s 2019 single “Magic”. Inspired by Lil Uzi Vert and Flume, the Gilgit-born artist made it very clear that he had a talent for left-field hip-hop beats, racking up millions of streams for his intricate yet punchy sounds on Talha Anjum’s “12 Bajay” in 2020. Eager not to be pigeonholed, that same year he released fizzing and heady dance tracks for clubbers (“Nykui”) and IDM fans alike (“Saaye”). As the young producer continued to experiment, he found something of a signature sound in the soft-edged synths of 2021’s Lovesick EP, often leaving space for a vocal or string-lead hook. This caught the attention of Coke Studio, who commissioned Rovalio to produce the promo for the music TV show’s 14th season—the result was “Shuru Karein”, a stirring and ethereal track that balances traditional instrumentation and a deep, supporting rhythm. This cemented what had already begun to seem inevitable: Before the age of 20, the Islamabad-based artist had become one of Pakistan’s most in-demand producers. One artist who’s proven a perfect match with Rovalio is singer-songwriter Abdul Hannan, whose smooth, sinuous voice finds a natural home on romantic R&B bop “Bikhra” and acoustic-pop earworm “Iraaday”.