cross the pop music history of Pakistan, artists who are always held in the highest esteem are singers. If a singer has gravitas, he or she, as a solo artist or with a band, gains fans in the country and beyond. There are plenty of examples including Atif Aslam, Kaavish fronted by Jaffer Zaidi and Hadiqa Kiani. Times may change and genres may change, but the person at the front will always mean more. Take, for example, the music group Junoon. Until Ali Azmat was the frontman, the band was Pakistan’s pioneering rock sufi act. When Azmat moved towards a solo direction and Salman Ahmed took his place as front-man while continuing his roles as guitarist and songwriter, Junoon was not the same. When the band reunited for a series of shows in and outside the country after more than a decade, they were welcomed with open arms by fans. It is perhaps for this reason that there is room for a Faisal Kapadia, even after 33 years as the lead singer of Strings, to operate as a solo artist today, or for Sajjad Ali, Atif Aslam, Hadiqa Kiani and Meesha Shafi to remain relevant as the industry shifts from pop rock and indie pop to rap and electronic sounds. The success of Afusic, Hasan Raheem, Maanu and Mehdi Maloof (among many more) reinforces this simple fact. There will always be room for good singers in Pakistan and many, if not all, will find an audience as long as they can sing well. Singing is not an art restricted to classical music or folk or qawwali. In every major format, the importance of a good singer cannot be overstated.

This is one very important reason to remember before thinking of Pakistan Idol as an unimportant show. Have we had iconic and lasting shows such as Coke Studio that paid attention to singers as well as the musi-cians involved in making a song? Yes, but nothing lasts forever. If the virality of Pakistan Idol says anything in this day and age, it is the confirmation of this idea.

Onto the episodes.

Episode 29 was built entirely around the familiar. It was about Pakistan’s pop heyday, complete with nods to cassette culture and the icons who made those tapes worth treasuring. Host Shafaq Ali kept things moving smoothly, but the episode’s real anchor was guest judge Mekaal Hasan. His presence reminded everyone that Pakistan’s pop scene may centre on singers, but without musicians like him, the ecosystem would always be incomplete.

Samia Gohar opened with Nazia Hassan’s ‘Aag’. Her technique was spot on, but it felt as though something held her back emotionally. Nostalgia can be remarkably powerful if you are willing to put everything out there, but when you play it safe, dull is the word that comes to mind and that works against you as an artist. Nabeel Abbas followed with Jawad Ahmed’s ‘Ucchayan Majajan Aali’ and completely shifted the mood. His performance was about the sheer joy of music. Given that this is one of Ahmed’s most popular songs, covering it is a challenge, but at this stage of the contest, contestants need to push themselves and come out on top and Abbas managed to do just that.

Mehtab Ali faced a different challenge with Hasan Jahangir’s ‘Hawa Hawa’, a song so overfamiliar that it risks tipping into parody. He found a way to make it his own without messing with the spirit of the song. As a viewer, it was easy to see that he came prepared and understood both the music and the lyrics.

Muhammad Minam was a different story. He has a voice that you could listen to all day, but when he sang Faakhir Mehmood’s ‘Deewana’, it expo-sed a weakness in his delivery and the performance felt some-what awkward. It’s a good reminder that familiar songs don’t just magnify your stren-gths, they can also expose gaps and weaknesses.

Then came Hira Qaiser and the episode came alive. Her choice of ‘Jhok Ranjhan’ by the Mekaal Hasan Band was not an easy one, but she moved through its shifts and textures with control and conviction. What really made the performance stand out was the emotional weight she brought to it. When Mekaal Hasan spontaneously invited her to perform the song with his band, it wasn’t just a compliment, it was recognition of her talent.

All in all, Episode 29 worked because even while performing covers, no contestant attempted to mimic the past. Instead, there was a clear effort to engage with the songs and put a personal spin on them.

Episode 30 kept that momen-tum going but tightened things up even more. Asim Azhar joined as guest judge and brought a different energy, less focused on the past and more on the future. He has built his career on reinvention and creative risk, so his perspective felt current and real.

He also added value with his comments on demo recordings. His point, that rough and unpolished versions often capt-ure more truth than the final product, resonated strongly. The idea that imperfection can carry honesty set the tone for the episode.

The show also dropped the elimination segment for this episode, making it feel less about survival and more about artistic growth.

Zain Baloch showed restraint in his rendition of Ali Haider’s ‘Purani Jeans’. His take was controlled and confident, show-ing his growth as an artist and echoing the idea that simplicity is sometimes the best approach. Making a song complicated is not always necessary and Baloch understood that well in his rendition.

Faryal Amber continued her upward trajectory with her per-formance of Hadiqa Kiani’s ‘Boohey Barain’.

She approached the song with an ease that made it feel as though it had always belonged to her. By not overthinking it, Amber delivered something genuine.

Merab Javilin tackled Nazia Hassan’s ‘Boom Boom’ and managed to balance honouring the original while making her version feel fresh. It was not memory-driven indulgence for its own sake, but reverence for the original. Aryan Naveed also surprised viewers with a rene-wed and energetic take on Faakhir Mehmood’s ‘Mahi Ve’.

He crossed the rubicon confidently, especially since some of his earlier performances felt hesitant and even led to perceptions of complacency.

Asim Azhar closed the episode with ‘Jind Mahi’ from his latest album, reflecting afterwards on the importance of honesty and noting that nothing lasts forever. It reinforced the episode’s central idea: nostalgia isn’t only about looking back fondly, but when handled well, it can actually push you forward.