28 Facts About Shehzad Roy

Shehzad Roy was born on 16 February 1978 and is a Pakistani singer-songwriter, guitarist, activist, social worker, producer and humanitarian.

Shehzad Roy started his singing career in 1995 and has recorded six albums since.

Shehzad Roy received the Tamgha-i-Imtiaz in 2005, Sitara-i-Eisaar in 2006 and Sitara-i-Imtiaz in 2018 from the Government of Pakistan.

Shehzad Roy was selected to be a torch bearer for the 2008 Olympic Games.

Shehzad Roy was born in Karachi on 16 February 1977 to Kabir Roy and Nazli Qamar in a Punjabi family.

Shehzad Roy said in an interview to a Pakistani newspaper that his father always encouraged him to do whatever he had his heart set on because his father wanted to play cricket in his childhood, but was not allowed to do so by his own father.

Shehzad Roy finished his basic High School education in Pakistan Community School.

In 2008, Shehzad Roy released his sixth album, Qismat Apne Haath Mein in Karachi's juvenile jail to draw attention to the nearly 70,000 prisoners in Pakistan who had been awaiting trial for years.

On 6 September 2014 Shehzad Roy released a patriotic song "Mere Dhol Sipahiya" featuring Ayesha Omer.

In September 2013, Shehzad Roy performed with Guns N' Roses at a charitable event turned rock show, with performances from Guns N' Roses' Matt Sorum and Slash and Macy Gray in Los Angeles.

The event reached its climax when, Shehzad Roy, Slash, Sorum and Gray did covers of The Beatles' Come Together and Radiohead's Creep.

In 2007, Shehzad Roy came out with a musical collaboration between him and queen of Sufi soul, Abida Parveen.

In 2006, Shehzad Roy brought Canadian rockstar Bryan Adams to Pakistan for a charity concert, Rock for a Cause, to raise funds for Shehzad Roy's Zindagi Trust and to aid the victims of the tragic October 2005 earthquake.

Shehzad Roy released title anthem for 2017 Pakistan Super League "Ballay Ballay" on 30 January, on which he performed in the opening ceremony on 9 February in Dubai.

In 2011, Shehzad Roy discovered Wasu Khan, a villager from Baluchistan, on YouTube.

In 2012, Shehzad Roy produced and hosted the 8-episode documentary series titled Wasu aur Mein.

Wasu's unique perspective on Pakistan's history and his shrewd observations force Shehzad Roy to re-evaluate his own notions on progress, poverty and patriotism.

In 2013, Shehzad Roy produced and hosted the 22-episode documentary series titled Chal Parha.

On 1 June 2015, Dawn reported that Shehzad Roy had signed a film scripted by Anwar Maqsood, which will be directed by Ahsan Rahim and will feature Faisal Qureshi as a co-star.

However, on 28 January 2018, The News reported that Shehzad Roy had signed a film that was scripted by Qureshi.

In 2002, Shehzad Roy established Zindagi Trust, a non-governmental, non-profit organisation that strives to improve the quality of education available to the average Pakistani.

In 2016, Shehzad Roy launched an education campaign to reform the examination boards of Pakistan.

Shehzad Roy is expected to take part in a wide range of activities, including the marking of International Day against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking, supporting police and prison reforms, and advocating for gender-responsive prisons for drug abusers.

Shehzad Roy said, "I am not going to be a symbolic ambassador," adding, "I want to start bringing change from the ground up".

Shehzad Roy said that it was a cause he had started in 2009, and it was a must to teach a child what is a bad touch and how to deal with it.

In May 2013, Shehzad Roy performed in Rome on invitation from Pakistan's Ambassador to Italy.

Shehzad Roy delivered a major public address about education in Pakistan to a Chicago Council audience the evening of 29 October 2009.

Shehzad Roy has won the following awards over the course of his career:.