Aima Baig shares her highs and lows, her daunting battle with Arthritis and what her focus is on, right now in an exclusive! Scroll on to read her awe-inspiring journey.
Representing Pakistan at home and beyond, Aima Baig is a Pakistani musician and song writer who started her journey at only 16 years old. She has been in the limelight since 2016 having sung for many dramas and movies. She has also worked in Coke studio for consecutive 2 years. Did you know she was also a part of the show Mazak Raat?
But do we really know who Aima Baig really is? As a daughter, a sister, an artist and more importantly, as a human? We doubt. So continue to scroll down as we present to you an unfiltered, raw and very real conversation with the starlet in an exclusive at FUCHSIA HQ.
She started off with a mighty yet admirable saying; “With fame, there does come responsibility.”
The Happiest Phase Of Her Life Is Now
Aima urged people to get to know her first and then talk about her. She shares, she thinks she is the happiest she has ever been in her life right now. “I dont go on social media anymore, I dont post anymore. Recently I did a cover and I was looking at the comments and I was looking for all the bad ones, but then I stopped and thought for a second, what about all the good comments? I should rather focus on the good. “
Her Battle With Depression
It takes one to be strong and brave to be able to share their battles and Aima Baig is certainly that. She shared:
“I went through major depression, I think its still a part of me. I am living with it now and I just know how to handle it now. So I have learnt not to show everything to the world, I have learnt to stay private, you cant share everything, I was the kind of person who was really into social media, I was bubbly, spontaneous but then i didn’t know that there would so much hatred coming in between. Now at 28, I am at that kind of age where you are almost there. Though you can never learn enough mentally but i feel i have matured a-lot. So I tell myself I have done a good job at keeping myself away from social media and not taking anyone’s negative energy. I only want positive and peace in my life. Nothing else.”
Aima Baig
How She Discovered She Had Arthritis & How She Dealt With It
She shared she has arthritis since she was 21 years old, she was even on a wheelchair at a point.
Her difficult journey with Arthritis began post a trek she did with her friends. In her final year of university, she went on a trekking trip with her friends, while her friends decided to take a break and stay down, she went ahead to continue with her trek. While trekking she took a break and sat down on a rock, which is when she heard a loud hiss. Turns out there was a snake, she panicked. There was a little space ahead of her so to save herself she jumped, one leg of hers slipped but she was carrying her dad’s beloved camera in a heavy bag and refused to let go of it and at once, she felt a considerable jerk in her spine.
She didn’t think nor feel much except for later, some now constant pain in the spine for months and finally decided to go to a doctor for an MRI when she started having more troubles sleeping or doing anything. She says at that time, her mom was alive and she took her to the doctor saying how she is only 21 and she shouldn’t be having these problems. The doctor told her she had a problem in her discs for which she was prescribed medicines. But they weren’t working and what happened is she got addicted to painkillers as her pain got really bad and wouldn’t go away. She said she had so many pain killers for 2-3 years that her autoimmune condition was messed up and she got arthritis. There was no progress, the pain was spreading all over her body and she kept ignoring it.
She also shared: “I have a finger I cant really straighten up, I never paid attention to it. People in the comments really always pointed it out.” She urges:
“If you think you might have it, please go to a doctor, it might become worse and turn into a disability. It can go away but it can never go away permanently. It can be triggered at any point in time. Mine is way better because I have been working on it for a long time. I do cardio everyday which I feel is really important. So this was also a huge part of my depression.”
Aima Baig
Her Mom Has Been Her Inspiration
“I never cried when my mom passed away, I stayed quiet even after a while. I was very close to my mom, almost till the end I used to sleep with her.
Aima Baig
My mom is the reason I started music. Her favourite was the Mamma Mia song, she would make me french fries as I loved potatoes and in the background, this music would be playing and she would tell me to sit on the sofa. I would watch my mom grooving to Mamma Mia and thats where i got my inspiration from. My mother got me the permission, not my father. Even my father has the most beautiful voice, sometimes we sing together.”
“My father was a scientist, an electrical engineer who devised formulas for conglomerates. I used to ask my doctor why have I gotten this disease? My doctor used to tell me you have bottled up all your issues, sadness. What people dont realise is depression and stress lead to diseases. I had the arthritis in my body but my unsaid troubles and worries triggered it into existence. My mother never smoked, she didn’t even know what a cigarette was, she never did anything else. She died of cancer. She got cancer and then she died because of it. And what was her problem? She didn’t share what was going on inside her, with the kids. And then when we got her diagnosed, she was in the second or third stage but it was too late.”
There was a point she says; “I couldn’t even lift the mic, so then they put me on steroids. If you watch me in coke studio season 11 or 12, I was swollen. My entire face was swollen. You can clearly tell that this person is taking steroids. At that time, I used to take 12 steroids every morning. Because I couldn’t get up without it, I went through major arthritis. And then it turned into rheumatoid arthritis which is your deeper in your nerves.”
Were There Times She Absolutely Broke Down & Talked To God
Aima Baig shared: “I performed many Umrah’s before but the recent umrah I did, I felt like I had been summoned. Just out of nowhere, my father came to me and said, let’s go for Umrah, a couple of years ago. I had tried committing suicide as well in between, I didn’t want to live because I am a very sensitive, soft hearted person and used to be an otherwise jolly person. I went through this stupid scandal which no one knew about. It wasn’t just me but also what my family was going through, mai kamray mai band hogai thi but Allah wanted me there.
There was a clear, undeniable intensity I performed this Umrah with, the past ones were done khushi khushi mai, but with this, I knew Allah wanted me to heal. My dad has also been my biggest support ever. The attempt was the stupidest mistake ever, my dad said forget about who Aima Baig is, aren’t you our daughter, our sister first? It was stupid to think of giving my life up but what was bothering me at that time was the character assassination I was facing.
But I have gotten equal love also, I have covered pretty much in life, what I wanted; awards, performing around the world, Allah gave me all at an early age. I went through really hard times but i also went through beautiful times. I have grown a real thick skin now.”
Is It Difficult To Find Love?
When Rabia Mughni, editor FUCHSIA Magazine finally asked Aima; with so much fame and success is it difficult to find love? She said:
“Its impossible, its becoming impossible. But achay log bhi hain, actually log achay hotay hain but unkay amaal unko acha ya bura banatay hain. Bohat dafah admiou say bardaash nae hota kay aurat unn say zayada kaama rae hai ya famous hai. Even though they might have liked you based on this but aurat ke independence inkay liye asaani say hazam honay wali cheez nae hai.
It’s not easy to fall in love all over again, you are not able to trust again. But it is just because we are public figures tou humari life ke baat khul kay kartay hain, bas har kisi kay naseeb hotay hain. Right now I am focusing on my music, my album is coming out but rather my 1st chapter is coming out!”
Aima Baig
Here is her full interview:
