Fresh off the heels of his debut hit, “Movie Script,” which charted on iHeartMedia’s Mediabase Activator Chart, A-Zal, the New York based pop artist is back with his poignant single “Lonely Town” released on October 6, 2023.
A-Zal’s self-directed music video for this track earned a nomination at the 2023 Montreal Independent Film Festival in the Best Music Video category. The Montreal Independent Film Festival (MIFF) is steadily making a name for itself as a leading international platform for independent filmmakers.
The music video, graded in black and white minutely captures the artist’s everyday struggles being a subway musician and trying to set his foot in the ground. As opposed to the animated style music video for his debut single “Movie Script”, this video is a story-telling narrative style video. The music video captures popular New York locations such as New York, City – Midtown, Manhattan, Dumbo, Brooklyn and Central Park.
A-Zal personally expressed his deep connection to the video, stating, “I decided to self-direct this video as I wanted to exactly replicate my day as a subway musician to my audience”
This single serves as an intimate reflection of A-Zal’s journey as an emerging artist. From his days of busking in New York subway stations to his remarkable collaborations with Marvel Studios and radio chart-topping triumphs in the US, A-Zal has traveled a significant distance. In 2018, A-Zal made a pivotal decision to relocate to the USA, leaving behind the familiar to chase his American music dream, establishing himself in the vibrant heart of New York City. Amidst the city’s dazzling exterior, he discovered a sense of solitude that became a wellspring of inspiration for “Lonely Town.”
A-Zal, also known as Atif Afzal, is an American pop singer. He is the first pop singer of Indian origin who is breaking into the American pop music scene. He released his debut single “Movie Script” in August 2023 which charted in US radio skyrocketing to the Mediabase TOP 40 Activator Charts in just its second week of its release.
“Movie Script” was the first single to release from his upcoming album “17 & 11 Nights”, which received great reception by the audience, press and radio. The song entered the Mediabase charts in just its first week and peaked at #51 position in the fourth week. A-Zal stood out as one of the only three independent artists in the top 51, competing alongside major label artists.
“Lonely Town” was the second single to release in October 2023. It’s music video has been nominated at the 2023 Montreal Independent Film Festival under the best music video category. The song received press attention from popular publications including Wonderland and Rolling Stone.
Born in India, A-Zal’s family migrated to the UK and his childhood was immersed in British pop culture while living in Hounslow, London. This combination of influences helps A-Zal brings a fresh and unique perspective to his music. He moved back to India as a teen to study and ultimately composed film scores for International and Bollywood Productions including the films “Gift”, “Prague” and “That Sunday”. He also wrote the score for “Monsoon Shootout” which received critical acclaim at the 2013 Festival de Cannes in the Midnight Screenings section.
He migrated to the USA in 2018 after he was granted the Extra-Ordinary Ability visa. Soon after arriving in the USA, A-Zal collaborated with major film studios such as Marvel Studios, CBS Network and Netflix. His soundtracks have been featured in many television series and movies including the popular “Ms. Marvel”, “Loki”, “NCIS: Los Angeles”, “The Twilight Zone” and “Resort to Love”. He wrote two soundtracks for two episodes of Ms. Marvel (season 1), one soundtrack for one episode of Loki (season 1), one soundtrack for one episode of NCIS: Los Angeles (season 11), and two soundtracks for one episode of The Twilight Zone (season 2). He also wrote one soundtrack in the Netflix film Resort to Love.
