Her acoustic cover of a Saraiki folk song has crossed 112 million views on Instagram and travelled all the way from Lahore to reels in India, Europe and the Gulf. So who is Shanzy Sial, and where does “Chalre Chalre Waal” actually come from?
Who is Shanzy Sial?
- Name on Instagram: Shanzy_Sial (@its_shanzy01)
- Based in: Lahore, Pakistan
- Followers: about 655,000 on Instagram (13 November 2026)
- Describes herself as: an artist and a “medico”, so music sits alongside a medical path
- Music: acoustic covers of Saraiki, Punjabi and Urdu songs, on Instagram, YouTube (Shanzy Music) and Spotify
- Biggest hit: her “Chalre Chalre Waal” cover, 112 million+ views
Shanzy’s style is simple: an evening setting, a guitar, friends around her, and old songs sung softly. That stripped-back feel is exactly why her covers travel so well on reels. Her account says her international events are managed by an events company, a sign the cover has turned into live bookings.
The cover that changed everything
Shanzy first shared clips of the song earlier in 2026. Her “part 2” reel passed 17 million views, and the full cover, recorded with Lahore singer Mohsin Lashari, went past 112 million. This is her “part 2” clip that came before it:
She hasn’t stopped there. Her newer covers, such as “Sami Meri War”, “Sohni Ay Tor Teri” and “Sohna Sanwala”, regularly pull in hundreds of thousands to millions of views.
The story of “Chalre Chalre Waal”
A Saraiki folk song. “Chalre Chalre Waal” comes from the Saraiki folk tradition of southern Punjab, the region around Multan, Bahawalpur and Dera Ghazi Khan, called Saraiki Waseb. Saraiki is often described as “the sweet language”, and many of its folk songs are about love, longing and beauty. The title roughly refers to curly locks of hair.
Many singers, no single original. As Gulf News notes, there is no one definitive recording; the song has passed from singer to singer over generations. It is also known in some versions as “Tediyan Reesan Kon Kare” and is most widely associated with folk singer Muhammad Hussain Bandialvi.
The Rokhri version. The late Shafaullah Khan Rokhri, one of the best-loved Saraiki folk singers (1966 to 2020), recorded a popular version released in 2017. After Shanzy’s cover went viral, Rokhri’s son Zeeshan Khan Rokhri released his own version as a tribute to his father.
Back in fashion. For many listeners in Pakistan, this was a song their parents played on cassette in the early 2000s. Shanzy’s cover introduced it to a whole new generation, and to listeners in India, where Punjabi singer Sunanda Sharma and UP Police sub-inspector Nishant Mishra made their own viral versions.
What’s next for Shanzy?
With more than half a million followers, millions of views on almost every new cover, and international events now on her calendar, Shanzy Sial is one of the breakout voices of 2026. Read how the song took over reels here: Chalre Chalre Waal: The Saraiki Song Taking Over Instagram Reels.
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