Displaying a blend of Western pop with traditional Sufi music, Justin Bieber’s pop classic “Baby” borrowed from qawwali at a university event in Lahore, Pakistan. This re-imagination divorced the exhilarating beats of the global hit from the soul-tinged qawwali textures, thus forming an unexpectedly interesting musical event. A Qawwali rendition of Justin Bieber’s ‘Baby’ at a Lahore university has gone viral, blending Sufi music with Western pop. The internet reacts with humor, praise, and calls for ‘Justice for Justin Bieber’!
The video that went viral is of a bunch of musicians performing an estranged version of “Baby” through traditional means in which a harmonium and a tabla were used and presented purely in qawwali style. Their lead vocalist has transformed the straightforward popism of the original melody into rich devotional techniques while rendering the lyrics pure Sufi voice hugging the public; amuse and captivate themselves by recording the occasion through smart phones. All these elements contributed to the event’s fast virality on several social media streams.
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It soon made it to the online buzz train and had probably crossed a lakh views in hours after it was uploaded. Fusionists sparked an uproarious debate about the piece being praised for its inventiveness or jabbed at for the way in which the song was so changed.
There was applause on social media for the creative twist, including praises for the musicality in melding of two different traditions. There were others too who found the reinterpretation hilarious and promptly goes to the comment section for their funny comments.
One of them said, “Yehi reh gaya tha dekhna”. Another remarked, “Dedicated to my desi baby.” A third commenter said, “Bieber crying in the corner.” Some fans even rallied behind the pop star, posting “Justice for Justin Bieber.” While some listeners found the fusion refreshing, others questioned whether the essence of qawwali and Western pop should ever be combined in such a way.
At One Time to be Known as the Baby Song, It Remains to Popularity
Released on January 18, 2010, the song “Baby”, a collaboration with Ludacris, became one of the introductory milestones in the career of this teen sensation, Justin Bieber. With its memorable hook and teenage yearning theme, the track swept through the globe, affixing Bieber’s fame as a pop icon internationally.
The year 2023 added another feather in “Baby’s” cap when it cleared the floor to enter the Club of Billion Streams of Spotify, where it consumed into a total of 16 instances bringing Bieber to that level. It even owned one of the most viewed musical videos right after release on YouTube, sealing the song into history with pop culture.
Buried a Music Experiment into the Public Discourse
The qawwali version of “Baby” is an unlikely representation of the universality of music that knows no boundaries of genre and culture. Once again, the viral performance that aired somewhere in Lahore proved that even after more than a decade, “Baby” is still able to touch the hearts of many by making them listen to it with a totally unexpected play.
