Karavan ( ) was a hard rock band from district Karachi, Sindh, Pakistan, formed in 1997. The band was founded by former Awaz lead guitarist Asad Ahmed with bassist Sameer Ahmed, who were soon joined by drummer Allan Smith and vocalist Najam Sheraz. Karavan is known for fusing Eastern percussion and melodies with modern rock. Since its inception, the group has released five albums, including four studio albums and one live album.
They released their debut studio album, Rakh Aasm, in 1997. After two years, the band recorded their second album Safar with their new vocalist Tanseer Ahmed Daar since Najam Sheraz left the band to pursue a solo career. In 2002, Karavan released their third album Gardish, which included singles like "Aagay He Aagay", "Dil Ki Pyaas" and "Shor". After eight years, the band released their fourth album Saara Jahan (2010).
History
Formation and early years (1997–2000) Asad Ahmed started working on an untitled project with longtime friend and bassist Sameer Ahmed. In February, after auditioning over fifty singers for their band, the duo picked Najam Sheraz, previously the lead vocalist of the band Wet Metal. Two months later, the trio made their national debut. Their first performance as a band, Karavan opened up for Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan at the Channel V concert.
Then the band started working on their debut album. After eight months, the band finished recording their debut album in August. In November, the band released their debut album, Rakh Aas. The band's first video premiere was banned by PTV due to the band sporting long hair and clothing deemed outlandish. By the end of the year, drummer Allan Smith marked his first appearance with the band.
Karavan started off the new year by playing a sold-out concert at PACC in Karachi. Their first single video, "Rakh Aas", passed the censor board and was aired on PTV. In May, Karavan performed at the Karachi Club, which was the last show by Najam Sheraz as part of the band. The band Circle, which opened for Karavan that night, had Tanseer Daar as their lead vocalist. The band started auditioning for a lead vocalist and on 31 December, Karavan announced Tanseer Daar as their new lead vocalist.
The song Umeedain was recorded and released as the single for the World Cup album. Meanwhile, Tanseer finally made his live debut with Karavan by performing at the Pepsi World Cup concert. After releasing their single for the World Cup, Karavan started working on their second album Safar. They recorded their second album from June to November. On 31 December, Safar was released and the first single "Beqarar" from the album was shipped to different radio stations in the country. In January 2000, Karavan toured to promote their second album and shot a one-hour documentary on the making of the album, "Safar – A Visual Evolution". The documentary was aired on PTV world in two parts. It was broadcast in over 36 countries and to over 40 million people. Karavan continued to tour behind Safar as sales of the record started to increase.
Gardish (2001–2003) In February 2001, Karavan re-released Rakh Aas and Safar with new covers and new tracks. In June, the band starts writing new material for their third album named, Gardish, and by August they recorded the third album in a barnstorming, 15-day session. The mixing of the album was done by next year in January till February.
In March, Karavan shot the video of the first single from their third album, "Aagey Hi Aagey" and the single made its debut on a new music channel, Indus Music in April. Karavan played this single for 30,000 people at the Dreamworld Resort and later played new songs in front of a crowd of 10,000 at the PAF Museum in Karachi. The band released Gardish in August. With the release of their third album, Karavan toured three major states in the US going to Houston, New York and Chicago in June 2003. By November, the band played at the UN World Food Program Show held in Islamabad. In December, Karavan released the second single from their third album, "Yeh Zindagi Hai", along with a video of the single.
Mainstream success (2004–2008) On Independence Day, Karavan played at the unveiling of the largest national flag at the national stadium, sponsored by Shell Pakistan. In November, Pakistan Tobacco organised a rock fest with Karavan as headliners playing to a 2500-thousand-strong crowd in Islamabad. In December, the band was nominated for the "Best Live Act" at the 2005 Lux Style Awards.