When you want the best of both worlds, you listen to the Qawwali version of the Game of Thrones theme song!
The crossover of the adventure-fantasy series and traditional Qawwali featuring Pakistani Qawwal duo Zain and Zohaib took the internet by surprise.
Performed at a private function, this unique blend of Westerosi drama and traditional South Asian music created a buzz that transcended cultural boundaries.
Social media users were quick to express their excitement, praising the creativity behind the mashup.
The theme song of Game of Thrones is as iconic as the drama itself. It was composed by Ramin Djawadi in 2011 after creator David Benioff and D. B. Weiss approached him requesting a theme. Djawadi used the cello as the lead instrument for the music as he thought it has a “darker sound” that suited the show.
According to Djawadi, the show creators wanted the main title theme to be about a journey as there are many locations and characters in the show and the narrative involves much traveling. He said that he started humming what would become the theme tune in the car after seeing the visuals for the title sequence, and conceived of the idea for the theme on the drive back to his studio.
Djawadi said that he wanted to reflect the “backstabbing and conspiracy” and the unpredictability of the show: “… I thought it would be cool to kinda do the same play with the music. So even though the majority of the piece is in minor, there’s that little hint of major in there where it kinda switches and then it changes back again.”
Taking to platform X (formerly known as Twitter) a user wrote, “Zain Zohaib Qawwal (grandsons of Haji Rehmat Ali Khan, an old companion of NFAK) paint the theme music of Game of Thrones on the canvas of qawwali.
“A small stroke of beauté!” they added.
Zain Zohaib Qawwal (grandsons of Haji Rehmat Ali Khan, an old companion of NFAK) paint the theme music of ‘Game of Thrones’ on the canvas of qawwali. A small stroke of beauté! pic.twitter.com/wLkNTNcstu
— punnu – پُنّوں ???????? (@punnu__khan) December 19, 2023
One user shared a hilarious meme on the occasion and expressed their thoughts.
Game of Thrones qawwali uno , pic.twitter.com/VjzvmL5Bx4
— sssshawarma (@albotatiiss) December 19, 2023
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