"I've been through a lot in life," said an adamant Alif Alauddin over the phone. The artiste, a guardian for young musicians and arguably the face of musical anchoring, has been silently fighting sever kidney issues over the last 10 years. Now, eighty percent of her kidney is damaged. However, outside of her family, no one knew about it, until recently.

"In my case, this disease is genetic. My mother had it, and I got very strong mentally, while taking care of her," said Alif, when asked how she derived the strength to face this dire issue head-on. Her mother, singer Salma Sultana, passed away in 2016. Her father Alauddin Ali, one of the greatest Bangladeshi composers of all time, fights cancer to this day.

Over the years, Alif has been carving her own legacy, worthy of her parents' name. Alongside many hit songs, she became the face of Music Buzz, one of the most popular musical shows in the country. "One of the worst things in this pandemic is that we can't do Music Buzz regularly anymore. However, we will be arranging some special episodes remotely," she says.

Even though the treatment of her kidney disease is ongoing, Alif does whatever she can to keep herself busy. She is now involved with the budding YouTube channel GMX, where shows Geek Myth, Khobor Achey and Banglar Bajna are taking over the internet. At home, she is a part-time chef, and spends time with her daughter. "My daughter is a blessing in my life, she is my strength. It makes me happy to see how enthusiastic she is about music. She is learning to play the piano, ukulele and drums, all of her own accord."

Alif wants to beat her medical condition and come back in full swing. "I have so much more that I want to do – both as a solo artiste and as a member of Pentagon. Keep me in your prayers – I will come back stronger," she concludes.