Pakistan welcomes home ‘One Pound Fish’ singer
28 Dec 2012 6:05 AM IST
Muhammad Shahid Nazir, the man behind the 'One Pound Fish' song, was welcomed by hundreds of fans on his arrival in this eastern Pakistani city after being sent home from Britain on the expiry of his visa. Fans, politicians and relatives presented garlands of roses to Nazir at Lahore airport as he broke into an impromptu version of the song that charted at 29 on the Official UK Singles Chart. He also sang a Punjabi version of the song, which he said he intended to record in future.
Nazir, who hails from Pattoki town of Punjab province, became a sensation on YouTube earlier this year after people posted videos of the song he composed to attract shoppers to the east London market where he worked. He has said he came up with the song spontaneously after his boss asked him to shout to bring in more customers.
Warner Music signed Nazir, 31, to a record deal in the hope of getting the ‘One Pound Fish’ song to the coveted Christmas number one spot.
‘This song is gift from God to me. I just sang it on the spot,’ the father-of-four told reporters at the airport. ‘On the first day, I started slowly and on the second day, I sang more loudly.’ Fans shouted ‘Long live One Pound Fish’ and TV news channels interrupted their live coverage of the death anniversary of former premier Benazir Bhutto to show the return of Nazir.
Amateur videos and Warner Music's official video of Nazir's song have been viewed nearly 15 million times on YouTube. British media reports have said Nazir was deported after the expiry of his visa.
Nazir, who hails from Pattoki town of Punjab province, became a sensation on YouTube earlier this year after people posted videos of the song he composed to attract shoppers to the east London market where he worked. He has said he came up with the song spontaneously after his boss asked him to shout to bring in more customers.
Warner Music signed Nazir, 31, to a record deal in the hope of getting the ‘One Pound Fish’ song to the coveted Christmas number one spot.
‘This song is gift from God to me. I just sang it on the spot,’ the father-of-four told reporters at the airport. ‘On the first day, I started slowly and on the second day, I sang more loudly.’ Fans shouted ‘Long live One Pound Fish’ and TV news channels interrupted their live coverage of the death anniversary of former premier Benazir Bhutto to show the return of Nazir.
Amateur videos and Warner Music's official video of Nazir's song have been viewed nearly 15 million times on YouTube. British media reports have said Nazir was deported after the expiry of his visa.
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