Atif Aslam opens up about having a lonely childhood

Atif Aslam, in a rare interview, has opened up about his childhood, relationship with his brothers and how he ended up becoming a singer.

Speaking to Anas Bukhash on his show AB Talks, Aslam said: “I’m the youngest amongst my siblings. My stubbornness comes from there.”

“When I was a kid, I never bonded with my siblings because of a drastic age difference. I am the youngest, and got beat[en]-up the most.”

Aslam further said: “I have always been a naïve, sensitive kid who would disconnect with the world if I was not feeling right or in the correct head-space. I guess because of my personality being so disruptive, I never made great friends and went through a lonely patch at that time.”

The award-winning singer also shared that the strict environment in his household restricted him from being open with his parents.

“As a child, I have never been expressive because in my household we never hugged or cuddled each other,” shared Aslam. “I knew they [parents] loved me and I loved them back but to be affectionate towards them was out of the box, maybe because I was too scared of an aggressive reaction.”

Atif also revealed that while growing up he wanted to become a cricketer but later gave up because his parents were not satisfied with it.

“I worked really hard at it but my parents took it as a hobby and didn’t know how good I was. That led to me giving up on cricket as I was skipping classes,” shared Aslam.

Talking about his journey into the field of music, Aslam confessed: “I think I explored myself in that. I did not have any sort of an outlet and was in dire need of one. I became quiet and lonely,” adding that listening to Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan (NFAK) changed his interest and helped him cope.

“About 23 years ago, my brother introduced me to NFAK. While I felt alone and at my worst, his [NFAK] music calmed me, brought me closer to God and when I started praying, I started getting the answers.”

“During that time, I explored and found my own voice,” he shared further. “I didn’t know that this would become my career. It all started when we were shifting, the house was empty as the night sky prevailed at almost six in the evening. I started singing, my voice echoed through the four walls and upon reaching the high-notes, I was scared of my own voice.”

Revealing more about his first song, Aslam shared that he invested his own pocket money into recording that one song he penned in his free time.

“I recorded my first song Aadat out of my pocket money. It took me a few seconds to upload it on the internet when there was nothing like WhatsApp. People started loving it and led to the making of a music video. The rise of my career began at that moment.”

Aslam also expressed his love for his fans, acknowledging how being a successful male singer leads to a women-centric fan base. The 37-year-old revealed how balancing that with married life is sometimes difficult.

“In fame sometimes, things get tricky make you feel powerful. You have the opportunity to talk to anybody around the world but if you misuse that… it’s sort of difficult to look in the mirror because you know you’ve gone wrong somewhere,” stated the singer.

Concluding the interview, Aslam appreciated and lauded his wife for standing by his side despite him being difficult at times.

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