Memories by Hasan Raheem ft. Justin Bibis came out, and the collaboration proved yet again why it works. It has a massive cross-cultural appeal- where Hasan Raheem brings his electric, chill-pop element and combines it with the raw folk driven Punjabi vocals of the talented duo of sisters. Sania and Mugadas, or as they are popularly known, the Justin Bibis gained viral fame in 2015 when they covered “Baby” by Justin Bieber as their mother played the beats on a clay pot.
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There was something so magical about that kind of unfiltered joy – three women creating music with whatever they had, wherever they were, unintentionally giving voice to a kind of grassroots musical rebellion. It wasn’t polished or produced, but it was real, and people listened.
In February 2022, they were featured in the song “Peechay Hutt,” alongside Hasan Raheem and Talal Qureshi. It was, at the time, a rare kind of hybrid that took the world by storm. It was equal parts gritty and glamorous, local and global. The track didn’t just sound good; it felt like a cultural moment. With Memories, they return to that same formula but more refined. The nostalgia in Hasan’s sound – airy, ambient, emotionally charged, finds grounding in the Justin Bibis’ bold, grounded vocals.
The result is a track that travels across sonic landscapes, reminding us that collaborations rooted in contrast can often produce the most resonant harmony. But perhaps what makes this collaboration resonate even more deeply – especially with young Pakistani audiences – is not just the sound, but the optics. Hasan Raheem, with his soft-spoken, non-aggressive persona, subverts traditional masculinity in ways that feel quietly revolutionary. He doesn’t overshadow the Justin Bibis – instead he shares space with them. Their presence isn’t tokenistic or ornamental; it’s central.
In a culture where women, especially those from working-class or rural backgrounds, are often erased from the pop-cultural spotlight unless they’re polished to a certain kind of perfection, the Justin Bibis’ continued presence feels quietly feminist. And when that visibility is facilitated by a male artist who does not make a show of his allyship, but simply creates room – it matters. It sets a brilliant precedent for what art can achieve when representation is not an afterthought but is heavily intertwined with the creative process.
