AntoineScaby at 19:50, 3 January 2026

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{{Short description|Indian singer and songwriter}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=December 2023}}
{{Use Indian English|date=December 2023}}
{{Infobox person
| name = Aabha Hanjura
| image =
| caption =
| birth_name = Aabha Hanjura
| birth_date =
| birth_place = [[Srinagar]], [[Jammu and Kashmir (state)|Jammu and Kashmir]], [[India]]
| alma_mater =
| occupation = {{flat list|
* Singer
* songwriter
* composer
}}
| years_active = 2012–present
| module = {{Infobox musical artist
| embed = yes
| instruments = {{flat list|
* Vocals
}}
| genre = {{flat list|
* [[Sufi music|Sufi]]
* [[Folk music|folk]]
* [[Pop music|pop]]
}}
| label =
| associated_acts = ''Sufistication''
}}
}}
'''Aabha Hanjura''' is an Indian singer, songwriter and composer who sings primarily in the [[Kashmiri language|Kashmiri]] and [[Hindi]] languages, as well as in [[Punjabi language|Punjabi]], [[Dogri language|Dogri]] and other languages. Hanjura is the lead vocalist of [[pop band]] '''''Sufistication''''', which she founded in 2012. An [[Indie music|indie artist]], she is known for music that blends Kashmiri and other [[Folk music of India|Indian folk]] and [[Sufi music|Sufi]] styles with contemporary [[pop music]].

==Early life and education==
Hanjura was born into a [[Kashmiri Pandit]] family in the Kanipora locality of [[Srinagar]] in the state of [[Jammu and Kashmir (state)|Jammu and Kashmir]] in India. When she was three, she and her family were displaced from the [[Kashmir Valley]] during the [[Exodus of Kashmiri Hindus|Hindu exodus]] due to insurgency in the state.<ref name=TheHindu>{{cite web |last=Murthy |first=Neeraja |url=https://www.thehindu.com/entertainment/music/aabha-hanjuras-new-folk-song-has-with-a-touch-of-punjabi/article65442345.ece/ |title=Aabha Hanjura's new folk song has a touch of Punjabi |work=[[The Hindu]] |date=24 May 2022}}</ref><ref name=NDTV>{{cite web |last=Sharma |first=Maya |editor-last=Varma |editor-first=Shylaja |url= https://www.ndtv.com/india-news/article-370-jammu-and-kashmir-kashmiri-singer-aabha-hanjura-may-we-soon-reunite-with-our-homes-2080912 |title="May We Soon Reunite With Our Homes": Kashmiri Singer On Article 370 Move |work=[[NDTV]] |date=6 August 2019}}</ref> She grew up in [[Jammu]], which she recalls also being unstable due to the insurgency, but less so than the valley.<ref name=DP2020>{{cite web |last=Sharma |first=Sakshi |url=https://www.dailypioneer.com/2020/vivacity/her-love-letter-to-kashmir.html |title=Her love letter to Kashmir |work=[[Daily Pioneer]] |date=18 July 2020}}</ref> She did her schooling in Jammu and received training in [[Hindustani classical music]]. In 2005, she and her family moved to [[Bengaluru]] in southern India.<ref name=TheHindu/> In Bengaluru, she took classes for [[western classical music]]. She graduated with a degree in commerce from [[Jain University|Jain College]].<ref name=TheHindu2>{{cite web |last=Govind |first=Ranjani |title=Voice of the Valley |url=https://www.thehindu.com/entertainment/music/aabha-hanjura-sound-of-kashmir/article29057973.ece/ |date=13 August 2019|work=The Hindu}}</ref>

==Musical career==
Hanjura auditioned for the second season of television show [[Indian Idol (Hindi TV series)|Indian Idol]] when she was seventeen and was slated to appear on it as a contestant but says she did not because she believed the music industry was not a safe space for women at the time<ref name=STP>{{cite web |last=Chakravarti |first=Deepshikha |url=https://www.shethepeople.tv/art-culture/kashmiri-folk-singer-aabha-hanjura/ |title= Kashmiri Folk Singer Aabha Hanjura Talks About Being A Woman In The Music Industry |work=[[SheThePeople]] |date=23 April 2023}}</ref> and instead wanted to continue her education.<ref name=MM>{{cite web |last=Basu |first=Vijayeta |url=https://mumbaimirror.indiatimes.com/others/sunday-read/small-talk-meet-the-sweet-valley-girl/articleshow/77045167.cms |title= SMALL TALK: MEET THE SWEET VALLEY GIRL |work=[[Mumbai Mirror]] |date=19 July 2020}}</ref> In 2012, Hanjura founded a [[pop band]] called ''Sufistication'', a play on the words ''[[Sufi]]'' and sophistication.<ref name=DP2019>{{cite web |last=Saksena |first=Shalini |url= https://www.dailypioneer.com/2019/sunday-edition/---language--is-no-barrier-to-music---.html |title='Language is no barrier to music' |work=Daily Pioneer |date=25 August 2019}}</ref><ref name=KL>{{cite web |url= https://kashmirlife.net/abha-hanjura-show-was-a-hit-officials-150942/ |title=Abha Hanjura show was a hit, officials |date=17 September 2017 |work=[[Kashmir Life]]}}</ref> In 2013, she visited her former house in Kashmir in search of inspiration for her music.<ref name=TheHindu/> She quit her corporate job to focus on music full-time.<ref name=MM/>

In June 2017, Hanjura released the single ''Hukus Bukus'', combining several Kashmiri lullabies, poems and rhymes set to a [[chanson]] influenced composition with western and Kashmiri instruments.<ref name=TheHindu2/> The song eventually went viral and became popular,<ref>{{cite web |last=Singh |first=Deepali |date=17 July 2018 |title=Kashmiri music makes a foray into popular culture |url=https://www.dnaindia.com/bollywood/report-kashmiri-music-makes-a-foray-into-popular-culture-2637968/amp |work=[[DNA India]]}}</ref> and was used in a [[No Fathers in Kashmir|2019 Indian film]] by [[Ashvin Kumar]].<ref>{{cite web |author=Ruchita |title=Kashmiri folk-fusion artist Aabha Hanjura on unheard 'Khoobsurat' melodies of Kashmir & more [Exclusive] |url=https://www.ibtimes.co.in/kashmiri-folk-fusion-artist-aabha-hanjura-unheard-khoobsurat-melodies-kashmir-more-exclusive-830456 |date=20 November 2020 |work=[[IBTimes]] India}}</ref> It also featured in the first season of Indian television series ''[[The Family Man (Indian TV series)|The Family Man]]'' the same year.<ref name=STP/> The song was also used in a video by [[Indian National Congress|INC]] politician [[Rahul Gandhi]] during the Kashmir section of his ''[[Bharat Jodo Yatra]]'' in 2023.<ref>{{cite web |url= https://indianexpress.com/article/trending/trending-in-india/aabha-hanjura-song-hukus-bukus-rahul-priyanka-gandhi-8414568/lite/ |title=Singer Aabha Hanjura reacts to her song 'Hukus Bukus' being used in Rahul, Priyanka Gandhi video |work=[[Indian Express]] |date=1 February 2023}}</ref>

In 2019, she released two singles titled ''Dilbar Yuier Valo'' and ''Chalo Chinaro Ke Gharon'', respectively in Kashmiri and Hindi.<ref name=DP2019/> She released two singles in 2020, ''Nundbane'', from a poem by poet [[Mahmud Gami]], and ''Khoobsurat''.<ref name=DP2020/><ref>{{cite web |last=Purkayastha |first=Pallabi Dey |url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/hindi/music/news/aabha-hanjura-talks-about-the-inspiration-behind-her-song-khoobsurat/articleshow/78982313.cms |title= Aabha Hanjura talks about the inspiration behind her song 'Khoobsurat' |date=11 October 2020 |work=[[Times of India]]}}</ref> In 2022, she began releasing tracks for an [[extended play]] (EP) called ''Sufistication Folk Sessions'', featuring several folk songs in multiple [[north India]]n languages,<ref name=TheHindu/> with ''Sahibo'', a Kashmiri prayer by poet [[Mehjoor]], and [[Folk music of Punjab|Punjabi folk]] song ''Kale Rang Da Paranda''.<ref name=MD>{{cite web |last=Pinto |first=Nascimento |url=https://www.mid-day.com/lifestyle/culture/article/uniqueness-of-kashmiri-music-can-be-described-with-its-sonic-identity-aabha-hanjura-23235952 |title=Uniqueness of Kashmiri music can be described with its sonic identity: Aabha Hanjura |date=14 July 2023 |work=[[Mid-Day]]}}</ref> She also released a ''[[ghazal]]'' influenced romantic single in August 2022.<ref>{{cite web |last=Tagat |first=Anurag |title=This Is My Music: Aabha Hanjura |url=https://rollingstoneindia.com/this-is-my-music-aabha-hanjura/ |work=Rolling Stone India |date=10 August 2022}}</ref> The last track of the EP, a [[Western Pahari languages|Pahari]] folk song, was released in March 2023.<ref>{{cite web |last=Kadam |first=Bhagyashri |url=https://lehren.com/regional/aabha-hanjura-new-song-mere-hikduye-gadbad/164785/ |date=24 March 2023 |title=Aabha Hanjura's Mere Hikduye Gadbad Is A New Age Blend Of Folk |work=[[Lehren]] |access-date=18 June 2023 |archive-date=18 June 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230618080526/https://lehren.com/regional/aabha-hanjura-new-song-mere-hikduye-gadbad/164785/ |url-status=dead }}</ref>

==Artistry==
Aabha Hanjura is known for making music that combines Kashmiri and other Indian traditional and folk styles with contemporary pop music.<ref name=NIE>{{cite web |url=https://www.newindianexpress.com/entertainment/hindi/2020/Nov/04/bringing-long-lost-sounds-to-the-mainstream-2218959.html |title=Bringing long lost sounds to the mainstream |work=[[The New Indian Express]] |date=4 November 2020}}</ref> She describes her music as "eclectic folk-pop."<ref name=NIE/> She lists [[Lalleshwari]], [[Waris Shah]], [[Bulleh Shah]], [[Surinder Kaur]], [[Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan]], [[Reshma (Pakistani singer)|Reshma]], [[Jagjit Singh]] and [[Junoon (band)|Junoon]] among influences.<ref name=MD/><ref>{{cite web |last=Kejriwal |first=Rohini |date=7 February 2014 |url=https://www.deccanherald.com/amp/content/384884/sound-kashmir.html |title=The sound of Kashmir |work=[[Deccan Herald]]}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last=Khurana |first=Suanshu |url=https://indianexpress.com/article/lifestyle/art-and-culture/aabha-hanjura-singer-songs-from-the-valley-6232156/lite/ |title=Art's job is to catalyse things: Sounds of Kashmir singer Aabha Hanjura |work=Indian Express |date=24 January 2020}}</ref> Her and her family's displacement from their homeland in the Kashmir valley, and a visit to her former house in the valley that she undertook as an adult, have shaped her artistry.<ref name=DP2020/> She states that she wishes to popularise Kashmiri music,<ref name=KL/> create a positive dialogue and build empathy towards [[Kashmiris]]—both Hindus and Muslims—through her music.<ref name=TheHindu/> Apart from her mother tongue Kashmiri, she has also sung in other north Indian languages such as [[Dogri language|Dogri]], [[Punjabi languages|Punjabi]], [[Hindi]] and [[Urdu]].<ref name=DP2019/>

==Personal life==
Hanjura is married and has a daughter.<ref name=STP/> She lives in Bengaluru.<ref>{{cite web |last=Sudeep |first=Theres |url=https://www.deccanherald.com/india/karnataka/bengaluru/not-just-a-musician-also-a-storyteller-aabha-hanjura-820925.html |date=3 April 2020 |title=Not just a musician, also a storyteller: Aabha Hanjura |work=[[Deccan Herald]]}}</ref>

==Filmography==
===Film===
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! Year
! Title
! Song
! class="unsortable" | Notes
|-
| 2019
| ''[[No Fathers in Kashmir]]''
| "Hukus Bukus"
|
|}

===Television===
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! Year
! Show
! Song
! class="unsortable" | Notes
|-
| rowspan="3"|2019
| ''[[The Family Man (Indian TV series)|The Family Man]]''
| "Hukus Bukus"
|
|}

==Discography==
===Singles===
*"Hukus Bukus" (2017)
*"Khanmoej Koor" (2018)<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.dnaindia.com/entertainment/interview-i-wanted-to-make-the-song-my-own-aabha-hanjura-2658378 |title='I wanted to make the song my own': Aabha Hanjura |last=Singh |first=Deepali |work=DNA |date=3 September 2018}}</ref>
*"Dilbar Yuier Valo: Roshewalla Part 1" (2019)<ref name=RS2019>{{cite web |last=Tagat |first=Anurag |url=https://rollingstoneindia.com/watch-aabha-hanjura-new-two-part-video-release-roshewalla/ |title=Watch Aabha Hanjura's New Two-Part Video Release 'Roshewalla' |date=31 July 2019 |work=[[Rolling Stone India]]}}</ref>
*"Chalo Chinaro Ke Gharon: Roshewalla Part 2" (2019)<ref name=RS2019/>
*"Nundbane" (2020)<ref>{{cite web |last=Britto |first=David |url=https://rollingstoneindia.com/sufi-folk-artist-aabha-hanjura-sings-about-kashmirs-beauty-on-nundbane/ |date=15 July 2020 |title=Sufi-Folk Artist Aabha Hanjura Sings About Kashmir's Beauty on 'Nundbane' |work=Rolling Stone India}}</ref>
*"Khoobsurat" (2020)<ref>{{cite web |last=Monalisa |first=Monika |url=https://www.newindianexpress.com/cities/bengaluru/2020/Nov/23/aabha-hanjura-with-a-note-of-positivity-2226731.html |date=23 November 2020 |title=Aabha Hanjura: With a note of positivity |work=[[The New Indian Express]]}}</ref>
*"Madano" (2022)<ref>{{cite web |last=Iyengar |first=Shriram |url=https://www.mid-day.com/mumbai-guide/things-to-do/article/sufi-on-her-mind-23240100 |date=9 August 2022 |title=Sufi on her mind: Aabha Hanjura's Madano is a musical expression of her love for Kashmiri culture |work=Mid-Day}}</ref>

===Albums and EPs===
*"Sound of Kashmir"
*"Sufistication Folk Sessions" (2022–2023)
**"Sahibo" (2022)
**"Kale Rang Da Paranda" (2022)
**"Punjabi Folk Boliyan" (2022)
**"Kala Sha Kala" (2022)
**"Banku Deya Chachua" (2023)
**"Mere Hikduye Gadbad" (2023)<ref>{{cite web |last=Lulla |first=Sonia |url=https://www.mid-day.com/entertainment/bollywood-news/article/kashmiri-folk-musician-aabha-hanjura-showcases-notes-from-her-land-23277456 |title=Kashmiri folk musician Aabha Hanjura showcases notes from her land |date=27 March 2023 |work=Mid-Day}}</ref>

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
* {{IMDb name|nm10206739|Aabha Hanjura}}

{{Portal bar|biography|music}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hanjura, Aabha}}
[[Category:People from Srinagar]]
[[Category:Kashmiri people]]
[[Category:Kashmiri Pandits]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Indian women singers]]
[[Category:Indian Idol participants]]
[[Category:21st-century Indian composers]]
[[Category:Indian singer-songwriters]]
[[Category:Hindi-language singers]]
[[Category:Urdu-language singers]]
[[Category:Singers from Jammu and Kashmir]]
[[Category:Performers of Sufi music]]
[[Category:Year of birth missing (living people)]]

Aabha Hanjura - Revision history

AntoineScaby at 19:50, 3 January 2026