Shehzad Roy

Shehzad Roy, who was born on 16 February 1977 in Karachi, is a singer, social worker and humanitarian. His father is a business man and mother is a PhD holder house wife. He has an older sister who is married and lives in USA. He was moved to USA after his grade 5 and stayed there for few years.

Shehzad Roy became famous when he made his debut in music in 1995 with his first album Zindagi. At the time, he was only in grade 11. Even though he went on to get a Bachelors in Commerce, it was clear to him that music was going to be his career.

 In the late 1990s, Roy became one of the most popular singers in South Asia. He has recorded five hit albums, including the 2008 Qismat Apney Haath Mein (Fate Lies in One’s Own Hands).  As Roy’s humanitarian reach grew, so did the tone of his songs. He went from mainly singing romantic songs to songs that reflected social issues.

In 2007, Shehzad Roy came out with a musical collaboration between him and queen of Sufi soul, Abida Parveen. Previously, she has never collaborated with any other musician on any project and this is also her first proper music video to date.

Shehzad Roy is the president and founder of Zindagi Trust, a non-profit charitable organization that seeks to educate the underprivileged children of Pakistan. The Trust springs from his passion for helping impoverished and uneducated children. Roy says I feel very sad when I see a child working on the street or not going to school. The Trust is my best effort to do something about that.

The program has 25 schools across the country and uses unique teaching methods along with incentives to entice children to attend. If children pass daily assessments they are rewarded Rs20. Some people say it’s wrong to bribe children to be in school says Shehzad but well-off kids are rewarded for their marks all the time. There is no reason poor children should not have the same support.

Shehzad uses the proceeds from his concerts to support Zindagi Trust but has been spending his time making the organization more self-sufficient. Shehzad Roy is credited for bringing Canadian music legend Bryan Adams to Pakistan for a charity concert. The concert was the first ever show done by a foreign music legend. Bryan Adams was impressed by the system of ‘I am paid to learn’ campaign.

In 2004, Shehzad Roy was the youngest recipient of the Tamgha-e-Imtiaz, one of the highest Civil Honours award for excellence in serving humanity. For his organization’s earthquake rehabilitation in Kashmir, he was awarded the Sitara-e-Eisaar.

The famous TV drama ‘Wasu aur Mein’ follows the travels of Shehzad Roy and Wasu Khan, a villager from Baluchistan. Brought together by their common passion for music, Shehzad and Wasu realize that they have a lot to learn from each other. Wasu’s unique perspective on Pakistan’s history and his shrewd observations force Shehzad to re-evaluate his own notions on progress, poverty and patriotism. As the show moves through several cities, the two of them try to understand what being a citizen of Pakistan means and realize what the future holds for them in this country. Currently Roy is presenting a reality television show Chal Parha at Geo News.