Atif Afzal (also known by his stage name A-Zal)[2][3] is a New York–based singer-songwriter and composer.[4][5] He is known for his music compositions for the American television series Ms. Marvel (miniseries),[6] Loki (TV series), NCIS: Los Angeles and The Twilight Zone[7][8] and for the films Resort to Love, Prague, Pune 52, Monsoon Shootout and Baji.[9][10]
Atif Afzal | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Background information | |
| Also known as | A-Zal[1] |
| Genres | Pop music, Film score |
| Occupation(s) | Singer-songwriter, Music composer |
| Years active | 2013 - present |
| Website | a-zal |
Early life
editAfzal grew up in Hounslow, London and attended Hounslow Heath School.[11] He trained under an alumnus from the conservatoire Royal College of Music, London.[12] He studied engineering from K.J. Somaiya College and then worked at KPMG before starting a career in music.[13]
Career
editAfzal began his career in 2013 by composing the film scores and soundtracks of Prague,[14] Pune 52[15] and Baji.[16][17][18][19] He has also worked on international films including a German film, Gift,[20] a European film, Then a Hero Comes Along,[21][22] a New York short film, The Alternative[23] and Bachelor Girls.[23] In 2017, he scored the background music for Monsoon Shootout, which was produced by Anurag Kashyap and DAR Motion Pictures.[24][25][26][27] He also composed music for the Marathi film Charandas Chor.[28]
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.[13]
Afzal moved to New York in 2018 and studied music at New York University.[29][30] In 2020, he composed soundtracks for the American television series NCIS: Los Angeles and The Twilight Zone.[31][7]
In 2021, A-Zal composed soundtracks for Loki (TV series) and Alicia Keys produced Netflix film, Resort to Love.[32][33]
In 2022, A-Zal composed two soundtracks for Marvel Cinematic Studios' Ms. Marvel (miniseries).[34]
Filmography
editFilms
edit- Prague (2013)
- Pune 52 (2013)
- Horn Please (2013)
- Baji (2015)[19]
- That Sunday (2015)
- Bachelor Girls (2016)
- Monsoon Shootout (2017)[35]
- Charandas Chor (2017)
- Gift (2017)
- The Alternative (2018)[29]
- Then a Hero Comes Along
- Resort to Love (2021)[36]
Television series
editReferences
edit- ^ Daniela (27 July 2021). "Singer-songwriter A-Zal hits a "triple" with Marvel Studios, Netflix and Amazon Prime". Grit Daily News.
- ^ Njoka, Eric (June 25, 2022). "Musician Atif Afzal speaks to WION: All about A-Zal's 'Marvel'ous journey". WION.
- ^ Chopra, Swati (25 June 2022). "'The Benchmark Is Very High With Marvel': Ms Marvel's Music Composer A-Zal". The Quint.
- ^ Tagat, Anurag (12 October 2020). "New York-Based Music Director Atif Afzal Talks Metal Roots, Making It in the Composing Space -". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 22 October 2020.
- ^ "New York based Indian Singer-Songwriter Atif Afzal has released new mellow single". Radio and Music.
- ^ Tagat, Anurag (8 August 2022). "Composer A-Zal Talks 'Ms. Marvel' Music and Finally Telling His Own Story". Rolling Stone.
- ^ a b French, Jordan (11 December 2020). "Atif Afzal, The Indian Composer Behind Modern 'Twilight Zone' Music Tracks Has His Sights Set on the US Market". Grit Daily News.
- ^ Khatoon, Farah (30 July 2021). "Composer Atif Afzal creates a surreal world for Loki's finale". Indulge Express.
- ^ "Atif Afzal: Felt bad when my movie with Salman Khan got shelved". The Times of India. PTI. Retrieved October 29, 2015.
- ^ Service, Tribune News (January 28, 2015). "Third time lucky". The Tribune.
- ^ "A-Zal plans to collaborate with American rapper Cardi B for 17&11 Nights". Planet Bollywood. 11 October 2021.
- ^ "Singer-songwriter A-Zal talks about getting influenced by western music". Planet Bollywood. 27 October 2021.
- ^ a b Shetty, Anjali (November 26, 2017). "When I entered the industry, I knew nobody". Hindustan Times. p. 22.
- ^ Rafat. "Prague Music Review". Yahoo! News. Retrieved September 14, 2013.
- ^ Times News Network. "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.
- ^ Rajani, Kanika (February 6, 2015). "A Grand Score!". Screen. p. 35.
- ^ a b "Shreyas Talpade goes gaga over 'Baji' music director Atif Afzal | Marathi Movie News - Times of India". The Times of India. January 24, 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. IANS. Retrieved August 2, 2017.
- ^ Bhattacharjee, Rupanwita. "It was a bumpy ride: Atif Afzal". The Statesman. Retrieved December 2, 2017.
- ^ a b Singh, Arpita (November 24, 2017). "Monsoon Shootout composer used Skype to record music". India TV.
- ^ Press Trust of India. "Atif Afzal: Felt bad when my movie with Salman Khan got shelved". The Times of India. Retrieved October 29, 2015.
- ^ S Abid. "Atif Afzal ready to fire with MONSOON SHOOTOUT!". Glamsham.com.
- ^ Staff (December 15, 2014). "Atif Afzal lends his vocals for first Marathi track". radioandmusic.com.
- ^ "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. IANS. November 24, 2017.
- ^ a b Staff (April 9, 2021). "Atif Afzal (aka A-Zal) talks about his upcoming pop music album". Los Angeles Life and Style.
- ^ De Souza, Noel (August 17, 2021). "Meet A-Zal, The Indian Musician Who Composed Music for Marvel's Loki". Zee Zest.
- ^ Rajpal, Rocktim (21 September 2020). "Remix culture killing originality, says music composer Atif Afzal". Deccan Herald.
- ^ Lulla, Sonia (26 July 2021). "A journey worth marvelling". Mid-Day.
- ^ Sen, Debarati (August 13, 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.
- ^ Roy, Priyanka (June 28, 2022). "A-Zal chats with The Telegraph on what it takes to break into Hollywood". The Telegraph (India).
- ^ Tikare, Sachin. "Atif Afzal's score in Monsoon Shootout gets applause". The Free Press Journal. Retrieved March 29, 2018.
- ^ Sadhwani, Garima (8 August 2021). "A-Zal becomes a part of the 'Marvel'ous cinematic universe". National Herald.
- ^ Today, Telangana (14 August 2021). "Indian-American singer A-Zal composes Alicia Keys". Telangana Today.
- ^ Chandar, Bhuvanesh (12 July 2022). "Music composer A-Zal on working in 'Ms Marvel'". The Hindu.
- ^ Pereira, Karen (July 1, 2022). "Atif Afzal reveals secret Marvel film on the cards after composing music for 'Ms Marvel' and 'Loki'". The Times of India.
- ^ PTI (4 July 2022). "Ms Marvel track was originally for a Salman Khan film". Mint.
External links
edit
Media related to Atif Afzal at Wikimedia Commons