In recent years, Indian independent music has witnessed the rise of voices that are deeply regional yet globally resonant. Among them, Faheem Abdullah stands out as an artist whose journey reflects both the creative resilience of Kashmir and the evolving pathways available to musicians outside traditional industry centres.
Image Source: Instagram
Image Source: Instagram
Born on 29 September 1997 in Srinagar, Faheem Abdullah—initially known to the indie circuit by his moniker The Imaginary Poet—is a singer-songwriter, composer, filmmaker, and poet whose work traverses music, visual storytelling, and cultural expression. Singing in Urdu, English, and Kashmiri, he has carved a space that blends personal emotion with broader artistic ambition.
Early Life and Creative Foundations
Faheem Abdullah’s early years were shaped by Kashmir’s complex social and emotional landscape. According to local profiles in Rising Kashmir, he is largely self-taught, having developed his skills in music and filmmaking through practice rather than formal conservatory training. His inclination toward storytelling extended beyond music into cinema, visuals, and event production.
He later pursued postgraduate studies in English Literature in Bangalore, an academic background that appears to have influenced his lyricism and narrative sensibility. Language, metaphor, and emotional articulation play a central role in his songwriting, often lending his music a poetic, reflective quality.
Mad in Kashmir and Filmmaking Beginnings
In 2019, Faheem co-founded Mad in Kashmir, a Srinagar-based film production initiative aimed at nurturing local creative talent, later expanding these professional efforts through his banner NH1 Films. These platforms focused on music videos, documentaries, and visual storytelling rooted in Kashmiri realities.
His directorial debut came with the music video Baalyaaro (2020), followed by Jhelum (2020). Jhelum was particularly significant: it marked his emergence not only as a director but also as a singer-songwriter, drawing attention for its atmospheric tone and emotional restraint. The song later found international exposure, being featured in a BBC World documentary, an early indicator of his cross-border reach.
Independent Music and Breakthrough
Faheem Abdullah’s early independent releases established him as a promising voice within India’s growing indie ecosystem. Songs such as Judayi received airplay on platforms like BBC Asian Network, while Jhelum gained traction for its understated portrayal of longing and place.
However, his major breakthrough arrived with “Ishq”, a track from his debut album LOST;FOUND. Released in May 2024 in collaboration with the independent label Artiste First, Ishq quickly went viral across streaming platforms and social media. According to Rising Kashmir, the song accumulated millions of streams, extensive Instagram reel usage, and significant YouTube viewership, making it one of the most widely circulated indie songs from Kashmir in recent years.
Album: LOST;FOUND
LOST;FOUND is a 14-track concept album structured around emotional disorientation and rediscovery. The semicolon in the title symbolises pause, survival, and continuation—a theme reflected throughout the record.
The album blends indie pop, blues, folk, and soft rock, with tracks such as Sajde, Waavo, Chak Chuk Blues, Ae Yaad, and Jhelum expanding Faheem’s sonic range. Kashmiri media described the album as a journey from inner fragmentation toward emotional clarity, while also highlighting its technical polish and lyrical accessibility.
Importantly, the album’s launch in Srinagar marked a moment of local recognition, attended by artists, audiences, and cultural observers from the Valley.
Entry into Bollywood: Saiyaara
In 2025, Faheem Abdullah entered mainstream Indian cinema by performing the title track of the Yash Raj Films production Saiyaara, directed by Mohit Suri. The song was co-created with fellow Kashmiri musician Arslan Nizami, with music by Tanishk Bagchi and lyrics by Irshad Kamil.
This collaboration represented a significant professional milestone. In interviews cited by Rising Kashmir and The Times of India, Faheem described the experience as surreal, noting the symbolic importance of representing Kashmir in a mainstream Bollywood musical space.
The success of Saiyaara expanded his audience beyond the independent circuit and positioned him as a bridge between indie credibility and commercial cinema.
Industry Partnerships and Career Direction
Following his Bollywood exposure, Faheem entered into a collaboration with T-Series, signaling a new phase in his career that includes commercial singles and wider distribution. While some observers view this transition as a natural progression, others within indie circles have debated the balance between artistic independence and mainstream engagement—an ongoing conversation common to many artists navigating similar trajectories.
Artistic Identity and Themes
Faheem Abdullah’s work is characterised by:
Emotional introspection rather than overt political commentary
Poetic lyricism, shaped by literary influences
Genre fluidity, moving between indie, blues, folk, and cinematic ballads
A subtle but persistent sense of place, with Kashmir often present as mood rather than message
His music tends to avoid spectacle, relying instead on atmosphere, restraint, and emotional sincerity.
Reception and Public Perception
Within Kashmir, Faheem is often cited as an example of how local artists can achieve national and global visibility without immediately abandoning regional roots. At the same time, discussions around his career reflect broader cultural tensions—between locality and industry, authenticity and scale.
Critically, his vocal tone and melodic sensibility are widely praised, even by those who remain cautious about his mainstream turn.
Faheem Abdullah’s journey—from a self-taught filmmaker in Srinagar to a nationally recognised singer—illustrates the changing contours of Indian music and storytelling. His career does not follow a linear path but instead reflects experimentation, adaptation, and negotiation between worlds.
Whether through intimate indie tracks or cinematic film music, he continues to occupy a space where personal emotion meets expanding ambition, making him one of the most closely watched artistic voices to emerge from Kashmir in recent years.
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