A man of multiple talents, Ali Aziz Sethi didn’t take to music as a serious endeavour until he graduated from the US’s prestigious Harvard College in 2006. Thereafter he studied Hindustani classical music under the watchful eye of some impressive mentors, including Pakistani master of the qawwali and khyal singing forms, Ustad Naseeruddin Saami; and celebrated ghazal vocalist Farida Khanum. By the time the Lahore-born star—who penned 2009 novel The Wish Maker to great critical acclaim—was ready to make his debut in the world of singing, he had a genuine international crossover opportunity lined up: His song “Dil Jalaane Ki Baat” was featured in Mira Nair’s 2012 film adaptation of Mohsin Hamid novel The Reluctant Fundamentalist. Following that, Sethi performed in multiple seasons of Pakistani music TV series Coke Studio, sang on a handful of film soundtracks and released a succession of covers and original singles along the way. He grew his fan base—not least for his much-lauded work in reimagining folk music—and he performed at the likes of New York’s Carnegie Hall and London’s Royal Geographical Society. Ever the academic, his political deconstructions of modern society earned him a place in TIME magazine’s TIME100 Next list in September 2022 for taking ancient ragas and reconceptualising them for application to modern life. That same year, Sethi joined singer Shae Gill on “Pasoori”, an emotional breakup song that became a smash hit in India ahead of his 2023 EP Paniya, which mixed classical poetry and lyrics of love and longing with a dreamy musical ambience over four equally tranquil tracks.