Vital Signs (band)

Vital Signs (band)

Vital Signs were a Pakistani Pop rock band that formed in Rawalpindi in 1986. The group was formed by Rohail Hyatt (keyboards and guitars) and Shahzad Hasan (bass guitar), who were soon joined by Nusrat Hussain (guitar) and Junaid Jamshed (vocals). They were widely known as Pakistan's first and most successful pop band.

The band initially gained prominence from their music video of the song "Dil Dil Pakistan" first aired on PTV. Shoaib Mansoor, director of the music video and song lyricist, wanted the band to record the song which later on became a critical hit and was voted as the third most popular song of all time by BBC World. However, Nusrat Hussain, training to become an airline pilot at that time composed the song, left the band and suggested that Salman Ahmad replace him in the band. It members were signed to record label EMI Pakistan and afterwards released their debut album Vital Signs 1 in 1989. After two years the band recorded their critically acclaimed Vital Signs 2 (1991) with their new lead guitarist Rizwan ul Haq, who replaced Salman. The album saw the band travel to United States to perform, becoming the first Pakistani pop act to go abroad on a tour. Vital Signs released their third album, Aitebar, in 1993, which outsold its predecessor. The band asked Assad Ahmed, by then with Awaz and currently with Karavan, to play for their new album as Rizwan ul Haq left the band and his replacement Aamir Zaki. The band found renewed success and popularity with their album Hum Tum (1995), which was the highest selling Vital Signs album of all time.

After the release of their fourth studio album, the band concentrated on their personal projects and Vital Signs drifted away. Junaid Jamshed went on to pursue a career as a solo singer, Shahzad Hasan concentrated on his work as a music producer and Rohail Hyatt formed a production company.