Pakistani 'Ms Marvel' rapper Eva B: I'm more than just my niqab

The musician's Urdu track 'Rozi' features in the first episode of Disney+ series about a Muslim superhero

Eva B reveals the story behind her hit track and shares an important message for fans. Photo: Eva B

Episode one of the Disney+ show Ms Marvel is a thrilling display of culture and faith.

Some viewers have criticised the series for not being relatable enough, or too niche (read: Pakistani and Muslim), but it still has plenty of fans as it's currently the highest-scoring Disney+ Marvel Cinematic Universe TV series, with online user reviews surpassing every other MCU movie, too. It even tops Black Panther, according to a recent Forbes report.

Scroll through the gallery below to see scenes from 'Ms Marvel'

Iman Vellani as Ms Marvel, left, and Matt Lintz as Bruno. All photos: Marvel Studios

Iman Vellani plays Ms Marvel/Kamala Khan in 'Ms Marvel'.

The series came out on June 8.

The release of the series coincided with the official launch of Disney+ in the Middle East.

Marvel fans in the Middle East can watch the show on Disney+.

Rish Shah as Kamran, left, and Iman Vellani as Ms Marvel.

Kamala Khan, left, is the first Muslim superhero.

From left: Yasmeen Fletcher as Nakia; Matthew Lintz as Bruno; and Iman Vellani as Kamala Khan.

Kamala Khan, aged 16, first appeared in an August 2013 edition of 'Captain Marvel', and landed her own comic book series in February 2014.

In the comic book, Khan develops polymorphous powers owing to inhuman genes and takes over the former identity of her hero Carol Danvers.

She has the ability to shapeshift and has powers of elasticity.

She was in part created by comic book artist Sana Amanat, who has said the character was sparked by her own experiences as a Pakistani-American Muslim.

From left: Mohan Kapur as Yusuf, Iman Vellani as Kamala Khan, Saagar Shaikh as Aamir and Nimra Bucha as Najma.

It’s a big responsibility for the Pakistani-Canadian actress, 19, and one that is eagerly anticipated.

While Khan’s religion is an important part of her character, it doesn’t define her.

Kamala represents so much about fan culture what it is to be a Marvel fan, says Vellani.

Kamala Khan is also a student, a sister, a confused teenage girl and a huge Marvel fan.

The show shares the experiences of Muslim teen superhero Kamala Khan in New Jersey, US — played by Pakistani-Canadian actress Iman Vellani. It is exactly what makes the show so unique, diverse and highly rated by this American-Pakistani writer.

As the first episode came to a close, I was in awe of how scriptwriters had woven cultural references into the storyline — from passages and prayers from the Quran to Urdu dialogue and music.

Then the credits rolled and I was completely won over with a punchy Urdu rap track Rozi by the Pakistani female rapper known as Eva B.

She is one of many Muslim women who are making their voices heard in spite of their faces being veiled. Saudi niqab-wearing influencer Amy Roko, for instance, also raps, and the past few years have seen a rise in niqabi creatives who are seeking to rectify stereotypes about face veils on social media.

But Eva laments the fact that the media coverage resulting from her song’s appearance on Ms Marvel has, for the most part, focused on her niqab.

“For no reason, these people are giving the niqab all this hype. They think niqabi girls don’t do anything. But I’m just as normal as any other regular girl here. There’s no need for the hype, I really don’t like it,” Eva, 23, tells The National.

“Nobody is forcing me to wear it. It’s my own decision to. It’s good that I can go out and about without being recognised.”

Rozi was produced with Los Angeles-based composer and singer Gingger Shankar. It was first created in 2019 and then reproduced for Ms Marvel.

“Gingger messaged and said the Ms Marvel team were asking for our track Rozi for their first episode, so we remade it,” says Eva, who wrote and rapped the lyrics about courage and confidence in the face of adversity.

“Whatever issues I’m having, or problems I’m facing, I write them into my lyrics — I empty my heart out into my lyrics,” Eva says.

She first started rapping at the age of 15, citing Eminem’s hit tracks Lose Yourself and Love the Way You Lie as some of her inspirations. She records lyrics in both Urdu and Balochi, an Iranian language spoken by those from the ethnic region of Balochistan.

Speaking in Urdu from her neighbourhood in Lyari, a densely populated part of Karachi, she says she noticed a spike in her fame after collaborating in a Coke Studio Pakistan song that aired on Pakistani TV in January.

The track, Kana Yaari, features her rapping in Balochi vocals, and sporting a bright orange outfit and matching niqab in the video. “After Coke Studio, the world came to know about me. The girl from Lyari who raps,” she says.

Yet, she has remained largely under the radar when out in public.

She keeps her face veiled in public, photos and performances, practising purdah — the wearing of a burka or abaya with a face covering.

“My brother said I should wear it while rapping so nobody could recognise me,” she explains. “I wear it generally, it’s our culture here in Lyari, it’s just my life, I don’t leave the house without my burka.”

Eva B in the studio. Photo: Eva B

Some ultra-conservative critics in Pakistan have questioned Eva for using her voice publicly.

“Lots of people commented and said a girl’s voice should also have purdah, blah blah blah,” says Eva. "It isn’t possible to please everyone."

She advises fellow South Asian women, who might be struggling to find a balance between societal norms and their own passions, to simply follow their dreams and drown out the critics.

“The world will keep talking, no matter who you are,” she says. “If you don’t do anything, they say: ‘She isn’t doing anything’, and if you do something, they say: ‘She’s doing too much'.

"Don’t listen to it. If someone says you need to become a tailor, but you want to become a model, focus on becoming a model, not a tailor. Whatever makes you happy, do that.”

Her words reflect the theme behind her Rozi lyrics, as well as the empowering messages conveyed in the first two episodes of Ms Marvel.

Unfortunately, Eva still hasn’t had a chance to start watching the series due to streaming limitations with Disney+, although the first two episodes are set to debut in cinemas across Pakistan this Thursday.

Meanwhile, many Marvel fans in the UAE, where Disney+ has recently launched, continue to wait for the platform to fix some of its streaming issues so that they, too, can witness the debut of Marvel’s first Muslim superhero — along with the incredible feat of this modest female rapper from Karachi.

Scroll through the gallery below to see Iman Vellani and co-stars at the 'Ms Marvel' premiere

Iman Vellani at the premiere of 'Ms Marvel' on June 2, 2022, at El Capitan Theatre in Los Angeles. Photo: Invision / AP

Vellani plays Kamala Khan, also known as Ms Marvel, the world's first Muslim superhero. Photo: Invision / AP

Laurel Marsden arrived at the premiere in a refined ensemble. Photo: Invision / AP

Alysia Reiner, who plays Sadie Deever. Photo: Invision / AP

Travina Springer dazzled in a green dress on the red carpet. Photo: Invision / AP

Mohan Kapoor waved to fans at the event. Photo: Invision / AP

Rish Shah arrived wearing a smart casual outfit. Photo: Invision / AP

Laith Nakli, who plays Sheikh Abdullah in the show. Photo: Invision / AP

Saagar Shaikh, who plays Kamal's older brother Aamir Khan in the Disney+ series, looked relaxed on the red carpet. Photo: Invision / AP

The Red Dagger is played by Aramis Knight, who wore an eye-catching outfit at the event. Photo: Invision / AP

Ali Alsaleh, who plays Aadam in the show, on the red carpet. Photo: Invision / AP

Meera Menon, who directed episodes two and three of the series, joined the show's cast and crew at the premiere. Photo: Invision / AP

Zenobia Shroff plays Muneeba Khan, Kamala's mother. Photo: Invision / AP

Samina Ahmed joined the star-studded cast. Photo: Invision / AP

Yasmeen Fletcher wore a stunning black dress with gold-trimmed accessories to complete her look. Photo: Invision / AP

British-Nigerian actress Adaku Ononogbo, who plays Fariha, looked elegant in front of fans. Photo: Invision / AP

Xochitl Gomez, who plays America Chavez in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, at the premiere. Photo: Invision / AP

Cast member Matt Lintz. Photo: Invision / AP

Executive producer Louis D'Esposito, left, and president of Marvel Studios Kevin Feige. AFP

Actress Vardah Aziz portrayed Zainab in Ms. Marvel. AFP

Jordan Firstman, who plays Wilson in the Disney+ series, at the event. AFP

Anjali Bhimani wore an elegant dress, completed with a clutch bag, while attending the premiere. AFP

Double Oscar-winning director Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy attended. AFP

Mehwish Hayat at the premiere ahead of the show's Disney+ debut on June 8. AFP

Actress Iman Karram wore a vibrant outfit paired with chunky heels on the night. EPA

Malvika Sheth joined cast and crew at the Ms Marvel premiere. EPA