Mehnaz Begum

Mehnaz Begum was a Pakistani singer who specialized in ghazal, thumri, dadra, khayal, drupad, reciting salam, noha and marsiya. She was the daughter of celebrated sub-continental singer Kajjan Begum. She received her initial training in music from her mother and then from other classical singers. She started her career as a playback singer in the early 1970s and soon became popular among the Pakistani film music directors. She sang for many famous actresses and received several Nigar Awards for her songs. She also sang ghazals and light classical music for Pakistani television shows and radio programs. She was influenced by the styles of Mehdi Hassan, Noor Jehan, and Lata Mangeshkar. She died of respiratory failure in Bahrain while traveling to the United States for treatment. She was buried in Karachi and was honored with a Presidential Award for Excellence.