Template:Use mdy dates Template:Infobox musical artist
Atif Afzal, also known by his stage name A-Zal, is an India-born, London-raised, New York–based singer-songwriter and composer. He is known for his music compositions for the American television series Ms. Marvel (miniseries), Loki (TV series), NCIS: Los Angeles and The Twilight Zone and for the films Resort to Love, Prague, Pune 52, Monsoon Shootout, and Baji.
Early life and education
Atif Afzal was born in Mumbai, India, but grew up in Hounslow, in London, England. He attended Hounslow Heath School.[1]
He studied engineering at the K. J. Somaiya College of Engineering and then worked at KPMG before starting a career in music.[2] He trained under an alumnus from the Royal College of Music.[3]
Career
Afzal is known by his stage name A-Zal.[4][5]
Afzal began his music career in 2013 by composing the film scores and soundtracks of Prague,[6] Pune 52[7] and Baji.[8][9][10][11][12][13]
He has also worked on international films, including a German film, Gift,[14] a European film, Then a Hero Comes Along,[15][16] a New York short film, The Alternative,[17] and Bachelor Girls.[17] In 2017, he scored the background music for Monsoon Shootout, which was produced by Anurag Kashyap and DAR Motion Pictures.[18][19][20] He also composed music for the Marathi film Charandas Chor.[21]
Afzal's film albums have been released on major record labels including Universal Music Group, Times Music, Zee Music Company and Saregama. He has also sung the songs 'Shravan Shravan' in the film Baji and 'Chor Chor Saare' in the film Charandas Chor.[2]
Afzal moved to New York in 2018[22][23] and studied music at New York University.[24][25] In 2020, he composed soundtracks for the American television series NCIS: Los Angeles and The Twilight Zone.[26][27]
In 2021, A-Zal composed soundtracks for Loki (TV series) and Alicia Keys produced Netflix film, Resort to Love.[28][29]
In 2022, A-Zal composed two soundtracks for Marvel Cinematic Studios' Ms. Marvel (miniseries).[30]
In 2023, the artist released his single "Lonely Town". The music video for the single received nominations at the 2023 Montreal Independent Film Festival and the 2024 American Documentary and Animation Film Festival.[31]
Filmography
Films
- Prague (2013)
- Pune 52 (2013)
- Horn Please (2013)
- Baji (2015)[11]
- That Sunday (2015)
- Bachelor Girls (2016)
- Monsoon Shootout (2017)[32]
- Charandas Chor (2017)
- Gift (2017)
- The Alternative (2018)[24]
- Then a Hero Comes Along
- Resort to Love (2021)[33]
Television series
Discography
Singles
References
- ↑ A-Zal. From Mumbai to Hollywood Soundtracks. www.famemagazine.co.uk. Retrieved 2025-01-29.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 When I entered the industry, I knew nobody. Hindustan Times(November 26, 2017).
- ↑ A-Zal Unveils New Infectious, Funky, Feel-Good Summer Pop Single “Movie Script”, Kagdi, Safaque. WPRI.com. Nexstar Media Group, Inc.(24 July 2023). Retrieved 21 September 2025.
- ↑ Musician Atif Afzal speaks to WION: All about A-Zal's 'Marvel'ous journey. WION(June 25, 2022).
- ↑ 'The Benchmark Is Very High With Marvel': Ms Marvel's Music Composer A-Zal. The Quint(25 June 2022).
- ↑ Prague Music Review. Yahoo! News. Retrieved September 14, 2013.
- ↑ Shalmali Kholgade is music director Atif Afzal's lucky mascot. The Times of India. Retrieved January 28, 2015.
- ↑ 'Baji' Music Director Atif Afzal. Dailymotion.
- ↑ I had the liberty to compose. Absolute India(January 15, 2015).
- ↑ A Grand Score!. Screen(February 6, 2015).
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 Shreyas Talpade goes gaga over 'Baji' music director Atif Afzal | Marathi Movie News - Times of India. The Times of India(January 24, 2015).
- ↑ Atif Afzal: Felt bad when my movie with Salman Khan got shelved. The Times of India. Retrieved October 29, 2015.
- ↑ Third time lucky. The Tribune(January 28, 2015).
- ↑ Adgully Exclusive: "My inspiration is A.R. Rahman"- Composer and Singer Atif Afzal. www.adgully.com.
- ↑ Composing music for global films is exciting: Atif Afzal. Business Standard India. Retrieved August 2, 2017.
- ↑ It was a bumpy ride: Atif Afzal. The Statesman. Retrieved December 2, 2017.
- ↑ 17.0 17.1 Monsoon Shootout composer used Skype to record music. India TV(November 24, 2017).
- ↑ Atif Afzal: Felt bad when my movie with Salman Khan got shelved. The Times of India. Retrieved October 29, 2015.
- ↑ Atif Afzal lends his vocals for first Marathi track. radioandmusic.com(December 15, 2014).
- ↑ Abhijeet Sawant joins hands with Bollywood music director Atif Afzal for Baji. Urban Asian(February 5, 2015).
- ↑ 'Monsoon Shootout' composer used Skype to record music. The Statesman(November 24, 2017).
- ↑ Template:Cite magazine
- ↑ New York based Indian Singer-Songwriter Atif Afzal has released new mellow single. Radio and Music.
- ↑ 24.0 24.1 Atif Afzal (aka A-Zal) talks about his upcoming pop music album. Los Angeles Life and Style(April 9, 2021).
- ↑ Meet A-Zal, The Indian Musician Who Composed Music for Marvel's Loki. Zee Zest(August 17, 2021).
- ↑ Remix culture killing originality, says music composer Atif Afzal. Deccan Herald(21 September 2020).
- ↑ Composer Atif Afzal creates a surreal world for Loki's finale. Indulge Express(30 July 2021).
- ↑ A journey worth marvelling. Mid-Day(26 July 2021).
- ↑ Musician A-Zal: Anywhere you go in the world, you will always hear Bollywood beats being played - Times of India. The Times of India(August 13, 2021).
- ↑ A-Zal chats with The Telegraph on what it takes to break into Hollywood. The Telegraph (India)(June 28, 2022).
- ↑ A-Zal: De tocar en el metro de Nueva York a cantante pop. Billboard Argentina(3 June 2024).
- ↑ Atif Afzal's score in Monsoon Shootout gets applause. The Free Press Journal. Retrieved March 29, 2018.
- ↑ A-Zal becomes a part of the 'Marvel'ous cinematic universe. National Herald(8 August 2021).
- ↑ Indian-American singer A-Zal composes Alicia Keys. Telangana Today(14 August 2021).
- ↑ Music composer A-Zal on working in 'Ms Marvel'. The Hindu(12 July 2022).
- ↑ Template:Cite magazine
- ↑ Atif Afzal reveals secret Marvel film on the cards after composing music for 'Ms Marvel' and 'Loki'. The Times of India(July 1, 2022).
- ↑ Ms Marvel track was originally for a Salman Khan film. Mint(4 July 2022).
- ↑ A-Zal Seeks Belonging in the Big Apple in 'Lonely Town' Video. Rolling Stone India(19 October 2023).
- ↑ A-Zal’s Frenzied ‘Fa Fa Fa’ is His Way of Addressing Racism. Rolling Stone India(27 June 2024).