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Singer Asim Azhar took to Instagram on Wednesday evening to announce a milestone in his career — the release of his first independent album, Asim Ali, slated to drop on November 24.

The announcement carried extra meaning — it was also Azhar’s birthday. “On my birthday, I want to introduce the world to Asim Ali,” he wrote in his caption, revealing that the album’s title is a personal nod to his real name.

The video shared alongside the announcement takes fans on an emotional journey through Azhar’s evolution as an artist. It opens with a voiceover by his mother saying, “There’s a worldly Asim Azhar, and there’s an Asim Azhar who’s close to the heart.” From there, the montage unfolds through glimpses of his early years — baby Azhar dancing to ‘Kaho Naa Pyaar Hai’, footage from his first concerts, and a clip of him covering Bruno Mars and Travie McCoy’s ‘Billionaire’.

The nostalgia continues with flashes of his career highlights, including a memorable moment on the ramp of Fashion Pakistan Week alongside Hania Aamir, which appears alongside the track ‘Lost n Found’.

The video concludes poignantly with another voice note from his mother: “I can lie, but Asim Ali cannot.”

The 10-track album, Asim Ali, features the following songs: ‘Asim Ali’, ‘Khabbay Sajjay’, ‘Na Ja’, ‘Changes’, ‘Lost n Found’, ‘Sugar Rush’, ‘Jind Mahi’, ‘Pari’, ‘U Got This’ and ‘Strangers’.

The album marks Azhar’s first independent release after years of hit singles and collaborations under major labels, a move that seems to represent both creative and personal liberation. If the teaser is any indication, Asim Ali will be an intimate portrait of the man behind the artist, and a love letter to his beginnings.