Biography

Two eras ago from today, a song was created by Ethun Babu, a Bangladeshi lyricist and composer. He approached many legendary singers to perform that song, but he was denied. Then a young artist, Asif Akbar, took up the song ‘O Priya Tumi Kothay’ and the history was made on 29 January 2001. Now he is one of the best singer in Bangladesh

Asif Akbar was born on March 25, 1972, in Comilla. His father, Ali Akbar, was a lawyer and mother, Rokeya Akbar. During his childhood, he was more interested in cricket and mischief rather than music. He was incredibly naughty and rebellious, which led to numerous complaints being filed against him. As a result, his father would often beat him. At one point, his father assumed that Asif, the sixth child among his seven siblings, had possibly gone astray. Asif enrolled in Comilla Zilla School and completed SSC from this school in 1989. Then he attended Comilla Victoria College and completed his HSC, Hons, and Master’s Degree from this college. He married to Salma Asif Mitu.

Alongside his illustrious singing career, Asif Akbar finds immeasurable joy and pride in his role as a devoted father. He is blessed with two sons, Shafqat Asif Rono and Shafayet Asif Rudro, who are the embodiment of his love and hopes for the future. Asif Akbar’s daughter, Aidah Asif Rongon, completes the circle of love in his family, bringing sunshine and laughter to their lives. While Asif Akbar’s musical talents have touched the hearts of many, his greatest achievements lie in the love and nurturing he provides to his children. He finds inspiration in their smiles. Asif Akbar’s journey as a renowned singer intertwines with his profound commitment to family values. He embraces the challenges and joys of fatherhood, finding a delicate balance between his musical pursuits and creating cherished memories with his children.

Despite his lack of affinity for music, many musicians in his vicinity inspired him for his solid voice. He received inspiration and formed a musical band called ‘Fickle Boys’ in Comilla. He received a great response by covering popular songs with their band.

The journey of country music began in the 1990s. He recorded his first audio song title “Kono Shilpir Tulite Aka Kono Chobi Noy”, lyricist Bakiul Alam, tune and music composed by Monowar Hossain Tutul. Later on, that audio song was released in an album called “Amar Prio Bandhobi”. Asif Akbar received his first break with co-artist Alam-ara Minu in the movie ‘Raja No. 1’, & the song ‘Amari Bhagge Tomari Naam’ is written by one of the famous lyricist Moniruzzaman Monir and composed by the legendary musician Shawkat Ali Emon, and he started working as a playback singer for films. The rest of the story is well-known. After releasing the album ‘O Priya Tumi Kothay,’ he became an overnight sensation and the most popular singer in Bangladesh.  Each of his albums achieved immense popularity, with sky-high levels of success. It is better to say that “O Priya Tumi Kothay” album was sold unimaginable 6 million official copies which is high-sold record in Bangla Music Album.

He consistently releases solo albums and also as well as numerous duet and mixed albums, all of which have garnered tremendous popularity. He temporarily retired from commercial singing on 2010, but returned to the Bangladeshi music scene with his solo album titled X Prem released in 2013. Asif Akbar received the Meril Prothom Alo Award for Best Singer (Male) for five consecutive years from 2001 through 2005, the Bangladesh National Film Award for Best Male Playback Singer for 2006, and for 2013, a record sixth Meril Prothom Alo Award for the performance of his song “X Prem”.

Apart from music, another important thing in Asif’s life is cricket. Before conquering people’s heart by music, he conquered people in Comilla and its surrounding’s heart by cricket. One day, Salma Asif Mitu, his wife fallen in love with cricketer Asif. His wife loved his cricket very much. He made a song “Sabash Bangladesh” based on cricket and no other song could surpass the popularity of this song. Writing is his another passion along with cricket. He started from childhood in school, he used to write in school adjunction. Later on, he used write on sports on local and national daily newspapers. He regularly writes on facebook on various topics. A number of people love the way he writes. With all his facebook status, a book was published named “Potkora to Manhattan”. Writer Sohel Atal wrote a book “Akbar Fifty Not Out” on Asif Akbar’s biography.

Asif Akbar made his acting debut with the film “Gohiner Gaan”, which has been directed by Sadat Hossain. The film featured a total of nine songs recorded by Asif. Asif Akbar plays the character of a singer in the film while Tanzika Amin has acted opposite him. Seasoned actor Syad Hasan Imam has played the character of an 84-year-old father.

Asif Akbar has contributed significantly to his country and has received the pure love of numerous listeners. While Asif has lived a life without imperfections, he does carry one regret, and it pertains to his father. On the day Asif Akbar became one of the top artists in the country with soaring popularity, he wishes his father, Ali Akbar, could have been filled with pride. However, Asif is uncertain if that was the case, as his father was extremely sick during that time. Although his child became one of the most popular figures in the country, his father couldn’t fully experience it. This regret continues to weigh heavily on Asif.

In addition to his singing career, Asif Akbar is a true humanitarian, dedicated to making a positive impact on society. He firmly believes in creating a world that is accessible and inclusive for all individuals, regardless of their abilities. He used to help in varieties way like making sure education expenditure for poor students. Asif Akbar has embraced his role as a catalyst for change, bringing hope and support to communities in need. His involvement in enlightened humanitarian work has touched the lives of many, leaving an indelible mark on both local and global scales.

Recently he has been appointed in “Hello Superstar” app as country head of Bangladesh and West Bengal of India. This marks Asif’s first job in his entire career as a musician.