15-year-old Saania and 13-year-old Muqqadas Tabaydar, rechristened ‘Justin Bibis’ are the latest internet sensation from Pakistan. An amateur video of the sisters singing Justin Bieber’s track Baby went viral and life hasn’t been the same for the Tabaydar family.
According to a BBC report both Saania and Muqqdas had to drop out of school since their family could not afford to educate them. But not knowing English didn’t stop them from learning Bieber’s song, which they first sounded out and then transcribed in Urdu. The girls who have been singing Pakistani and Bollywood songs since they were kids, found an emotional connect to Bieber’s hit song Baby when they first heard it.
“When we heard Baby, we started dancing and jumping around and we just lost ourselves to it,” says Saania. “When I heard the song, I forgot to eat or drink. I was just listening. I kept practising and practising until I learned it by heart.” adds her sister.
The sisters who live on the outskirts of Lahore have now been featured performing live on local Pakistani channels. Air travel, beauty parlours, interviews by local and international media - it’s been a big shift in their life. Their mother Shahnaz is so indebted to Justin Bieber for their new found fame that she feels he’s her son.
The Justin Bibis’ single big wish now is to get to meet Justin Bieber himself and sing with him. Considering that the singer himself was a YouTube discovery, their wish might just be granted.
You can read the BBC report here
You can watch the Justin Bibis in action in the video below.