Sabina Yasmin

Sabina Yasmin (born 1953) is a Bangladeshi singer. She is one of the notable playback singers in Bengali movies. She has won 12 National Film Awards as Best Female Playback Singer in Bangladesh. She has recorded more than 1,500 songs for films and over 10,000 songs in total.
Recently she has been conferred 'Firoza Begum Gold Medal'.

1960s

Yasmin has sung for films, radio, television and gramophone companies. She has been active in the Bangladeshi music industry since the 1970s.

1970s

When Yasmin entered the film industry, her co-eval Shahnaz Rahmatullah was the number one singer. In 1970, the film Jibon Theke Neya was released. It contained the song "Eki Sonar Aloy" which elevated Yasmin as the leading singer. In 1971 Bangladesh was involved in a battle for independence against Pakistan. At this crisis, Yasmin sang some patriotic songs "Sob Kota Janala","Swajan Harano Diner Samarane","Sei Railliner Dhare","Swadhinata Tumi" etc. She came to the limelight with the song "Sudhu Gaan Geye Porichoy" in 1972 film 'Abujh Mon'. She sang "Tumi Je Amar Kobita","Tumi Achho" etc. duets with Mahmudunnabi. Yasmin received the first Bangladesh National Film Award for Best Female Playback Singer in 1975 for her songs in 'Sujon Sokhi'. Yasmin received three consecutive National film awards : in 1978 for Golapi Ekhon Train E, in 1979 for Sundari and in 1980 for Kosai. Composer Alauddin Ali was instrumental in making her the number one singer. He composed songs for her in Sundari, Kosai, Apanjan, Golapi Ekhon Train E, Noyonmoni, Basundhara and many more. She sang "Osru Diye Lekha","O Amar Rosiya","Ei Mon Tomake Dilam,"Ei Prithibir Pore" etc. songs in the 1970s.

1980s

Veterans such as Ferdausi Rahman, Shahnaz Rahmatullah left playback singing. She sang numerous timeless hits for Yasmin including "Koto Sadhonay Emon Bhagyo Mele", "Shoto Jonomer Sadh", "E Jibone Tumi Ogo Ele" and many more. Her rising popularity dragged her to Indian cinema. In 1985, she sang "Cherona Cherona G Haat" and "Jalpari" with Kishore Kumar in the Indo-Bangladesh joint production Anyay Abichar which had music by R. D. Burman.

1990s

Yasmin earned National Awards in 1991 for Danga and 1992 for Radha Krishna. In 1994, Kanak Chapa came to the music scene with the film Tomakei Chai. Yasmin sang many songs in the 1990s.

2000s

By the year 2000, Kanak Chapa was already most sought after playback singer. Yet Yasmin got to sing numerous hit songs composed by top-notch music directors. She achieved National Film Award for her rendition of Tagore song "Boroshar Prothom Dine" in Dui Duari (2000). In 2004, her song "Preme Poreche Mon" in 'wrong number' topped the music top charts. She achieved her 12th and last National Film Award for 'Dui Noyoner Alo'.

2010s

Yasmin sang several hits in the 2010s also. She sang a duet with the winner of Channel I Sera Kontho, Imran. In these years she sang for new generation of actresses like Apu Biswas, Sahara, Racy etc. Her song "Premiker Buk Jeno Sukher Nodi" featured in top charts for many weeks.

Yasmin shared a great on-screen rivalry with Runa Laila. Yasmin was the number one singer of Bangladesh from 1970 till 1974. In 1974, Runa stepped into Bengali cinema singing the popular "Ganeri Khatay Swarolipi Likhe" in Swarolipi film. From the very first days, Runa gave Yasmin stiff competition. Moreover, she had an edge over Yasmin; she was a renowned singer in India and also Pakistan. Runa recorded a lots of hit tracks in the 1970s and 1980s. Though she contested well with Yasmin, Sabina escaped her lead position till 1993. They sang a lot of female duets together, for example, "Tumi Boro Bhagyoboti" in the film Pratinidhi. Yasmin had a great pairing with Syed Abdul Hadi, Mahmudunnabi and Khurshid Alam whereas Runa collaborated with Subir Nandi and Andrew Kishore. Yasmin garnered 9 National film awards in the 1970s and 1980s, while Runa received 4 National film awards.

Yasmin has three sisters — Farida Yasmin, Fauzia Yasmin and Nilufar Yasmin. Her father, Lutfar Rahman, worked in Provincial Civil Service of British India and her mother Begum Mouluda Khatun was a vocal artist who took lessons from the musician Ustaad Kader Baksh. Sabina is the aunt of Agun (son of Khan Ataur Rahman and Nilufar Yasmin), a musician and Reenat Fauzia, a sitar player.

Yasmin has married three times. She has a daughter, Fairooz Yasmin (Badhon), a singer, from her first marriage with Anisur Rahman, and a son, Srabon, from her second marriage with Amir Hossain. She is currently married to Suman Chattopadhyay, an Indian Bengali lyricist, composer, singer, and political activist.

In July 2007, Yasmin was diagnosed with Non-Hodgkin lymphoma.

Yasmin's best mentor was Alauddin Ali. He gave her one to another hit tracks in the 1970s and 1980s. She earned three consecutive National Film Awards in 1978-80 for Golapi Ekhon Train E, Sundari and Kosai respectively.