Alan Walker releases ‘Alfaaz’ Relight with James Arthur
File photo: Alan Walker in his signature black hoodie, 2015 press photograph (Wikimedia Commons) — not from the new track's recording.
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s biggest song of the year has a new life. ‘Alfaaz (Alan Walker Relight)’, a reworked version of Hamza Malik and Zain Zohaib’s hit ‘Alfaaz’, was released on Thursday, bringing the Norwegian DJ and producer together with British singer James Arthur. The original, released in July 2026, topped Spotify’s daily charts in Pakistan and India and became the only Pakistani song to reach No. 26 on Spotify’s Daily Global Top Songs chart.
Put together in weeks
Walker told Dawn’s Images that the track came together in just a few weeks. “The first time I heard ‘Alfaaz’, I knew the song had something special,” he said. The first demo was ready in under a week, and within a week and a half James Arthur was locked in to add vocals. Walker flew to Lahore for a whirlwind 24-hour visit to work in the studio with Malik and Zohaib, and Arthur’s final vocals arrived a day or two after the trip.
A video, and a team behind it
The video for the Relight version premiered on Walker’s YouTube channel, directed by Kristian Berg and filmed in about 12 hours. Rather than starting over, it continues the world of the original video. The project was presented by Kreatell and Giraffe, the creative platform led by Zulfiqar J. Khan (Xulfi) and CEO Muhammad Ibrahim. Walker said the experience convinced him Pakistani music can travel worldwide — and the numbers behind ‘Alfaaz’ already make that case.
