Arif Lohar

Arif Lohar (; born 18 April 1966 ) is a Pakistani singer associated with Punjabi folk music and an occasional actor.

The son of the renowned folk singer Alam Lohar, Arif Lohar became popular in Pakistan and India after his famous song "Jugni" with Nooran Lal in 2006. He usually sings accompanied by a native Punjabi musical instrument resembling tongs, called chimta. His folk music is representative of the traditional folk heritage of Punjab.

Early life Arif Lohar was born on 18 April 1966 in the village Achh to a Lohar Punjabi family. His father was Alam Lohar, who belonged to the village of Achh in Kharian Tehsil, Gujrat District, nearby Kotla Arab Ali Khan, and was a prominent folk singer.

Music career Arif Lohar has performed on more than 50 foreign tours around the world during the last 20 years, including performances in the UK, United States and the UAE.

In 2004, he performed in China for the opening of the Asian Games, in front of a crowd nearing 1 million. He once performed in North Korea for the late General Secretary Kim Jong-il as part of an international delegation of peace and goodwill.

In 2005, Arif Lohar was awarded the Pride of Performance Award by the Government of Pakistan. To date, he has more than 150 albums (including many Singles – LPs) to his credit and recorded more than 3,000 songs, mostly in the Punjabi language.

In 2006, he made headlines in the Punjabi music world by releasing his album "21st Century Jugni", with music produced, arranged, and mastered by Mukhtar Sahota in Wolverhampton, UK, which was released by Internalmusic UK.

In June 2010, Arif Lohar participated in Coke-Studio (a Pakistani live session programme by Rohail Hayat). During Coke-Studio season 3, Arif Lohar performed "Alif Allah (Jugni)" with upcoming musician Meesha Shafi. Filmmaker Saif Ali Khan bought the rights to "Jugni" for use as a feature song in his Bollywood movie Cocktail. Other versions of "Jugni" have also been featured in Bollywood movies, including an adapted version that first appeared on "21st Century Jugni" album in the film Diary of a Butterfly. He also sang in the Bollywood film Bhaag Milkha Bhaag (2013).

He has also sung in multiple Punjabi films in Pakistan and India.

Acting career Arif Lohar has starred in around 45 movies, mostly in the Punjabi language.