Junoon (meaning "obsession" and/or "passion" in Urdu) is South Asia's most popular Rock band, based out of Karachi, Pakistan, and formed in 1990 by guitarist/ songwriter/medical doctor Salman Ahmad. At the time, Junoon consisted of two other members: Ali Azmat on vocals and Nusrat Hussain on keyboards.
Though the band's first album, the self titled Junoon barely made a dent, their second album Talaash(the search) began creating a cult following for Junoon. It was only after their 1995 release of their third album Inquilaab (Revolution), that Junoon developed a nationwide fan following, blending rock guitars and bluesy vocals with eastern elements like the use of tablas (traditional south asian hand drums), raga-inspired melodies, traditional Pakistani folk music, and Eastern inspired poetry. The band were one of the first bands in Pakistan to insist on playing live music where most music was sampled and programmed synth pop. Heavily influenced by rock bands like Led Zeppelin, Junoon aimed at combining loud guitar riffs with the tranquility of sufi poetry by the likes of Maulana Rumi, Allama Iqbal and Baba Bulleh Shah.
Success didn't come easy to Junoon as they tried to defy traditions in a conservative country like Pakistan. Their politically influenced songs were often subject to censorship, which led to the eventual ban from all state run television and radio during the rule of former Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif. It was during this time that the band gained a tremendous following through out South Asia when they turned to neighbor India's private satellite and cable channels for coverage.