Pakistani-born singer and songwriter Ahsan Samraa has built a growing online following with his Punjabi songs. But behind the music is a story about how songwriting helped him through the most difficult period of his life.
A Student Far From Home
Born in Pakistan, Ahsan moved to the United States as an international F-1 student. He began his studies at Minnesota State University before transferring to a college in Texas, and he now lives in the Dallas area.
While he was studying, his family back in Pakistan faced a sudden financial crisis. The stress made it impossible for him to focus, and he failed that semester. For an international student, that put everything at risk.
“Our financial situation went bad in Pakistan. I couldn’t focus on that school term and subsequently failed,” Ahsan says. “I had to reapply for my reinstatement, or I could’ve been sent back to my country if I was denied. That was the darkest and most depressing time of my life, because a US visa was all I had achieved through my school career.”
Finding Hope in Music
Waiting for his reinstatement application took about a year. During that time, Ahsan turned to music to cope. He remembered the poems he used to write when he was younger and started writing again, discovering a talent for songwriting he had not fully realised.
“As I was already a good vocalist, I wrote my own songs, day and night,” he says.
His first song gathered a large number of views on YouTube within days, and that early response convinced him that music was the path he wanted to follow. One of his recent music videos passed 64,000 views on YouTube.
His Music Today
Ahsan’s channel, Ahsan Samraa Official, features Punjabi songs ranging from upbeat bhangra-influenced tracks to heartfelt romantic ballads. At the time of writing he had released four songs and was working on a full album. He describes his listeners and subscribers as part of his family and regularly shares new music and videos.
His reinstatement was eventually approved, and he is now a full-time computer science student while continuing to make music.
