Talha Anjum | |
|---|---|
| Born | 3 October 1995 Karachi, Sindh, Pakistan |
| Genres | Hip-hop |
| Occupation | Rapper |
| Years active | 2013–present |
| Member of | Young Stunners |
Talha Anjum (Urdu: طلحہ انجُم; born 3 October 1995) is a Pakistani rapper and songwriter, known for being a member and co-founder of the hip-hop music band Young Stunners along with Talhah Yunus. Besides his band, he has released two solo albums and starred in the 2024 film Kattar Karachi.
Early and personal life
[edit]Talha Anjum was born on 3 October 1995 in Karachi, Sindh, Pakistan.[1][2][3] His younger brother, Umar Anjum, is also a rapper.[4]
Career
[edit]Talha Anjum and Talhah Yunus realized their potential during school and formed the Young Stunners. Based in Karachi, they introduced Urdu rap to the Pakistani music industry.[5][6][7] In 2013, their song "Burger-e-Karachi" brought them initial fame, followed by other tracks like "Maila Majnun" and "Laam Sai Chaura".[8] Though briefly separated and struggled during their solo careers, they then reunited in 2017 for their debut album Rebirth.[1] Later in 2021, their major releases included "Gumaan", "Afsanay", and the #HBLPSL6 anthem, "Groove Mera",[9][10] and the duo featured together in a live show at Pakistan Day Parade.[11]
Anjum then also began to appear separately and collaborated with other artists. In 2022, he collaborated with Karakoram and Faris Shafi to perform "Ye Dunya", a nu metal track from #CokeStudio14, which discusses the struggles and emotional support for eachother.[12] He released "Nevermind" with Indian rapper Calm (from Seedhe Maut).[13] In 2023, he released his debut solo album, Open Letter, which earned him two nominations at the 23rd Lux Style Awards.[14]
In 2024, he released "Kaun Talha", a self-intro and diss track in response to an ignorant comment by Indian rapper Naezy.[15] He then released his second solo album, My Terrible Mind, in collaboration with the US-based label Mass Appeal. In December, Anjum made his cinematic debut in the short film Kattar Karachi, a visual representation of the album, and also served as an executive producer.[2][16] Though the film underperformed,[17] it won the Lux Style Award for Film of the Year.[18] Next year, he collaborated with Ali Zafar and others for the #HBLPSLX anthem, "X Dekho".[19]
Style and influence
[edit]Anjum is inspired by Jaun Elia and his poetic style. He is known for using street language, local humour, and social commentary in his lyrics to connect with the newer generation.[1][20][21][22] He backs his unfiltered rap style and themes, though he clarifies that he does not intend to promote drugs and violence.[23] Indian rapper Badshah has also praised his writing style.[7][24]
According to the 2024 Spotify Wrapped, he became the most-streamed local artist in Pakistan.[2][25] He had 17 tracks featured out of the top 30 Pakistani tracks on the Spotify Global Impact list.[26] He was second to Atif Aslam in the previous two years.[27] In September 2025, he was named Gen-Z Pakistan's most favourite artist, with hip-hop as their most favourite genre,[28] and he retained the top position that year as well.[29]
Controversy
[edit]In 2025, Anjum faced a similar disturbance during some of his concerts in different cities of Pakistan, when objects were thrown at him, and the organizers had to forcibly remove the alleged perpetrator from the venue.[30] In November, Anjum faced backlash from Pakistani media for waving the Indian flag at a concert in Nepal, though he defended his action by distinguishing art from politics.[31] However, he issued an unconditional apology few days later, in a live TV show hosted by Nadia Khan.[32]
Selected discography
[edit]Albums
[edit]| Year | Album | Track |
|---|---|---|
| 2023 | Open Letter | "Melancholy" |
| "Happy Hour" | ||
| "At The Top" | ||
| "Touch Base" | ||
| "Studio Gangsters" | ||
| "Two Tone" | ||
| "False Prophets" | ||
| "Desperation" | ||
| "Lost In Time" | ||
| "Kaam Pura" | ||
| "Flex" | ||
| "Glass Half Full" | ||
| "Downers at Dusk" | ||
| "Secrets" | ||
| "Open Letter" | ||
| 2024 | My Terrible Mind | "Back For More" |
| "Good Fellas" | ||
| "Run It Back" | ||
| "Young OG" | ||
| "Plug Shaart" | ||
| "30 Shooter" | ||
| "5AM In Lahore" | ||
| "Crazy, Maybe" | ||
| "Incurable Sadness" | ||
| "Heartbreak Kid" | ||
| "Lonliness" | ||
| "Jasmine" | ||
| "Sweet Talk" | ||
| "Let Go" | ||
| "Departure Lane" | ||
| "Rainy Days" |
Singles and collaborations
[edit]| Year | Track | Collaboration with | Producer(s) | Note(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | "Naraz Na Hona" | To honour the martyrs of 2014 Peshawar school massacre[33] | ||
| 2021 | "Surface" | Abdullah Siddiqui | ||
| 2022 | "Ye Dunya" | Karakoram & Faris Shafi | Xulfi & Sherry Khattak | #CokeStudio14 |
| "Topdown" | Shareh & superdupersultan | superdupersultan | ||
| "Nevermind" | Umair & Call | Umair | India-Pakistan collaboration | |
| "Death Wish" | Umair | From the single "Worth The Wait" by Talha Anjum & Umair | ||
| "4AM in Karachi" | ||||
| 2023 | "Been a While" | KR$NA & Umair | From the EP Time Will Tell by KR$NA | |
| "Wish 2 Die Freestyle" | Savage, Umair, Shareh | |||
| 2024 | "Kaun Talha" | Umair | Diss track directed towards Naezy | |
| "Fifty Enemies" | Umair, Shamoon Ismail | Released as a part of the single "Ghosts and Goodbyes" | ||
| "Love Lost" | Umair | |||
| "Smile" | ||||
| "Munde Busy" | Umair, Shamoon Ismail | Released as a part of the single "For Tha Dogs" | ||
| "Shots Fired" | Umair | |||
| "Kattar Karachi" | ||||
| "Channa Ve" | Rahul Sathu | |||
| "Citylights" | JJ47, Umair, Maria Unera | Umair | ||
| "Since Tum" | JANI | superdupersultan | ||
| "Runnin'" | JJ47, Jokhay | Jokhay | Released as a part of the single "10 Minute Drill" | |
| "Moonlight" | ||||
| "Rainy Nights" | ||||
| "Kardi Koi" | Abdullah Muzaffar | Atif Khan | Released as part of the EP Rags to Riches by Abdullah Muzaffar | |
| "BTDT" (Been There Done That) | Bilal Saeed | Released as part of the album Superstar by Bilal Saeed | ||
| 2025 | "X Dekho" | Ali Zafar, Abrar Ul Haq, and Natasha Baig | Lightingale | #HBLPSLX anthem |
| "Chal Dil Mere" | Ali Zafar | Lightingale | Recreated the song with additional lyrics for Zafar's album Roshni[34] | |
Filmography
[edit]- Kattar Karachi (2024)
Awards and nominations
[edit]| Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lux Style Awards | ||||
| 2024–25 | Open Letter | Most Stylish Musician | Nominated | [14] |
| "Downers At Dusk" | Singer of the Year | |||
| 2025 | Kattar Karachi | Film Actor of the Year - Male (Viewers' choice) | Nominated | [18] |
| Film of the Year (Viewers' choice) | Won | |||
| "Departure Lane" | Artist of the Year (Viewers' choice) | Nominated | ||
| Pakistan International Screen Awards | ||||
| 2021 | "Tum Tum" | Song of the Year | Nominated | [35] |
| 2025 | "Departure Lane" | Pending | [36] | |
| Artist of the Year | ||||
References
[edit]- ^ a b c "Straight outta Karachi: Urdu duo Young Stunners are back to revitalise Pakistan's rap scene". The National. 12 August 2017. Archived from the original on 9 May 2021. Retrieved 12 May 2021.
- ^ a b c Asfa Sultan (17 December 2024). "'Hip-hop changed my life': Talha Anjum on his epic year and victory lap with Kattar Karachi". Dawn Images. Archived from the original on 30 June 2025. Retrieved 30 June 2025.
- ^ @talhahanjum (3 October 2013). "It's my birthday" (Tweet). Retrieved 14 August 2025 – via Twitter.
- ^
- @talhahanjum (7 September 2013). "My younger brother Omer Anjum" (Tweet). Retrieved 14 August 2025 – via Twitter.
- Umer Anjum's channel on YouTube. Retrieved 14 August 2025.
- ^ "How Young Stunners Became Game Changers in Pakistani Music". ARY News. 6 September 2021. Archived from the original on 11 December 2022. Retrieved 9 December 2022.
- ^ Sheheryar Khan (7 March 2022). "A New Generation of Pakistani Musicians Rises". Dawn Aurora. Retrieved 12 December 2022.
- ^ a b Ahmer Naqvi (26 January 2025). "The Icon Interview". Dawn. Archived from the original on 5 February 2025. Retrieved 15 August 2025.
- ^ Mohammad A Qayyum (21 April 2014). "Beat that! Pakistani rap rises: a tale of two Talhas". The Express Tribune. Retrieved 15 August 2025.
- ^ Maheen Sabeeh (14 February 2021). "Aima Baig, Young Stunners and Naseebo Lal join forces for PSL anthem". The News. Retrieved 11 December 2022.
- ^ "SPOTIFY WRAPPED: Arijit Singh, Atif Aslam amongst top streamed artists in Pakistan". Geo News. 3 December 2021. Retrieved 15 August 2025.
- ^ "Have you heard Coke Studio's latest Pakistan Day special?". Dawn Images. 20 March 2021. Archived from the original on 9 July 2023. Retrieved 14 August 2025.
- ^ "Urdu rap and heavy metal collide in Coke Studio's latest song 'Ye Dunya'". Dawn Images. 12 February 2022. Retrieved 19 November 2024.
- ^ "Talha Anjum drops new music track 'NEVERMIND' in collaboration with Indian rapper Calm". Dawn Images. 25 August 2022. Archived from the original on 16 April 2024. Retrieved 15 August 2025.
- ^ a b
- "And the nominees are". The Express Tribune. 7 April 2025. Archived from the original on 7 July 2025. Retrieved 29 April 2025.
- "And the winners are…". The News. 11 May 2025. Archived from the original on 22 May 2025. Retrieved 20 May 2025.
- ^ Asfa Sultan (12 June 2022). "Indian rapper asks 'Talha kaun?' — Talha Anjum responds with a brutal diss track". Dawn Images. Archived from the original on 20 July 2025. Retrieved 15 August 2025.
- ^ Mohammad Kamran Jawaid (5 January 2025). "The Icon Review: Karachi Without Depth". Dawn. Archived from the original on 30 June 2025. Retrieved 30 June 2025.
- ^ قیصر کامران (29 December 2024). "طلحہٰ انجم کی ڈیبیو فلم 'کٹر کراچی' شائقین کا دل جیتنے میں ناکام" (in Urdu). Aaj News. Archived from the original on 30 June 2025. Retrieved 30 June 2025.
{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) - ^ a b
- "The nominations for the 24th Lux Style Awards are out". Dawn Images. 4 December 2025. Retrieved 5 December 2025.
- "Karachi hosts the Lux Style Awards 2025". The Express Tribune. 12 December 2025. Retrieved 13 December 2025.
- ^ Maheen Sabeeh (6 April 2025). "In conversation with Natasha Baig". The News. Archived from the original on 7 July 2025. Retrieved 8 April 2025.
- ^ Band Baji (6 February 2022). "Soundcheck: Moody Blues". Dawn. Retrieved 19 November 2025.
- ^ Manan Kansil. "Story Behind the Title of Gumaan". Inqalab. Retrieved 19 November 2025.
- ^ Fizza Naveed (3 February 2025). "Young Stunners remind us that rap's hardest flex is still fragile masculinity". The Express Tribune. Retrieved 19 November 2025.
- ^ "Talha Anjum clears the air on promoting Violence, Drug use through Music". Daily Pakistan. 6 October 2025. Archived from the original on 6 October 2025. Retrieved 18 November 2025.
- ^ "Badshah praises a rap reality show contestant for his rap performance on Charlie Chaplin". The Times of India. 28 September 2022. Retrieved 20 November 2025.
- ^ Anurag Tagat (28 December 2024). "Talha Anjum Talks 'My Terrible Mind,' Acting and Fans in India". Rolling Stone India. Archived from the original on 30 June 2025. Retrieved 30 June 2025.
- ^ "Musician Talha Anjum leads Global Impact list on Spotify Pakistan". Business Recorder. 21 February 2025. Retrieved 19 November 2025.
- ^
- "Spotify streams unwrapped: Year 2023 belonged to Atif Aslam, Kaifi Khalil and Shae Gill". The Express Tribune. 30 November 2023. Retrieved 14 August 2025.
- "Spotify in 2022: Atif Aslam, Talha Anjum top list of most-streamed Pakistani artists". Business Recorder. 2 December 2022. Archived from the original on 3 October 2024. Retrieved 19 November 2025.
- ^
- "Hip Hop is Gen-Z's favourite genre on Spotify in Pakistan". The Express Tribune. 31 August 2025. Retrieved 19 November 2025.
- Amit Gurbaxani (12 September 2025). "Talha Anjum and Umair top the list of Pakistani Gen-Z listeners; favourite acts". Music Ally. Archived from the original on 12 September 2025. Retrieved 19 November 2025.
- ^ "Talha Anjum remains undefeated as Pakistan's top artist in this year's Spotify Wrapped". Dawn Images. 4 December 2025. Retrieved 5 December 2025.
- ^ "Talha Anjum keeps getting pelted with bottles at his shows — the problem isn't his music, it's society". Dawn Images. 23 October 2025. Retrieved 15 November 2025.
- ^ "انڈین پرچم لہرانے پر پاکستانی گلوکار طلحہ انجم پر تنقید: 'مجھے جنگی جنون میں مبتلا حکومتوں کی کوئی فکر نہیں'" (in Urdu). BBC Urdu. 17 November 2025. Retrieved 19 November 2025.
- ^ "Khaqan Shahnawaz says Talha Anjum waving the Indian flag isn't the problem — Nadia Khan's reaction is". Dawn Images. 21 November 2025. Retrieved 22 November 2025.
- ^ "30 days: Honouring victims of the Peshawar attack through music". Dawn. 16 January 2015. Archived from the original on 13 August 2015. Retrieved 14 August 2025.
- ^ "علی ظفر نے اپنی نئی البم 'روشنی' ریلیز کر دی" (in Urdu). Samaa TV. 20 December 2025. Retrieved 20 December 2025.
- ^
- "PISA announces nominations with special awards for TikTok stars, Instagram celebrities". Dawn Images. 7 September 2021. Archived from the original on 4 August 2025. Retrieved 15 November 2025.
- "The winners of the PISA Awards 2021 are here". Dawn Images. 6 November 2021. Archived from the original on 29 October 2022. Retrieved 15 November 2025.
- ^ "The nominees have been announced for the third edition of the PISAs". Dawn Images. 15 October 2025. Retrieved 15 November 2025.