Internet sensation One Pound Fish Man returned to a hero’s welcome in Lahore on Thursday.
Hundreds showed up at Lahore airport to honour Muhammad Shahid Nazir, who scaled the British music charts with “One Pound Fish”, which he originally composed to entice shoppers at the east London market where he worked.
Upon his arrival, Nazir said he would be visiting France in two weeks and had returned to Pakistan to obtain his visa.
The song became a YouTube hit after someone filmed Nazir singing it at the market and Warner Music signed him up for a record deal in the hope of getting the coveted Christmas number one spot in the charts.
Nazir said the song came to him in a flash after his boss asked him to do something to encourage customers to cough up a pound ($1.60) for a fish.
“This song is gift of God to me, I just sang it on the spot,” the father-of-four told reporters at the airport.
Around 250 people including local politicians met him at the airport, showering him with rose petals and chanting “Long live One Pound Fish”.
