FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE JUNOON FAMILY covers John Lennon’s ode to peace : “IMAGINE,” m.youtube.com/watch?v=Mm1-uk… First Single from SWEET SIXTEEN Salman Ahmad reunites family and Tappan Zee High School friends for a project rooted in music, education, and community TAPPAN, NY — JUNOON FAMILY will release “IMAGINE,” its cover of John Lennon’s anthem , as the first single from SWEET SIXTEEN. In a time of division and war, the song introduces an album shaped by a simple belief: making music together can bring people closer. For Salman Ahmad, SWEET SIXTEEN is a homecoming. In his memoir Rock and Roll Jihad, he recounts the journey from Pakistan to America that shaped his life and his family’s. Music classes at South Orangetown Middle School and Tappan Zee High School introduced him to the Beatles, Led Zeppelin, Jimi Hendrix, Santana, and the classic rock that became part of his musical foundation. In 1978, Ahmad worked as a busboy at the Blauvelt Coach Diner, saving $200 to buy his first guitar: a sunburst Carlo Robelli Les Paul. “It was a magical, mystical moment,” he recalls. Nearly five decades later, on May 30, 2026, Ahmad welcomed Tappan Zee friends and family to his home for a backyard concert. The gathering brought together 89 friends and family members—and two dogs—and rekindled the spirit of their teenage jam sessions. On June 8, that spirit continued in a recording session at the studio of Junoon percussionist and engineer Taylor Simpson. The JUNOON FAMILY musicians are Ahmad on guitar and vocals; drummer, film scorer, and multi-instrumentalist Glenn Schloss, whose older sister Joy played keyboards in Ahmad’s high school garage band; Tappan Zee alumnus and keyboardist Albert Ahlf; Ahmad’s son Sherjan, a singer, songwriter, and guitarist; and his son Imraan Ahmad Khan, a bassist, filmmaker, multimedia creator, and Tappan Zee alumnus. SWEET SIXTEEN brings together 16 classic rock songs drawn from the soundtrack of their lives and the memories of the friends and family who shared that backyard afternoon. Simpson recorded the performances. Sherjan and Imraan are preparing the recordings, and Ahmad and Schloss plan to mix the album at Schloss’s Pro Tools studio in Nyack, New York. The project also reflects the music-and-education mission Ahmad and his wife, Dr. Samina Ahmad, have pursued since 2008 through SSGWI.org. Dr. Ahmad is the video director and co-executive producer of SWEET SIXTEEN. Ahmad envisions the album alongside a video collage featuring the Tappan Zee community—a celebration of music, friendship, and unity. “The music I discovered in Rockland County changed my life,” says Ahmad. “With SWEET SIXTEEN, I wanted to return to the people and place where that journey began, and share the joy of playing together again.” “IMAGINE” is the first introduction to a planned series of 16 songs and accompanying videos on the Junoon YouTube channel and digital music platforms. junoon.com

IMAGINE junoon.com