Hitting the Right Notes
(c) 2008 Puja Goyal
Publication: Society Magazine
Date of Publication: July 2008 Issue
Most Pakistani bands entry into the Indian music palate has been somewhat similar. "After releasing our debut album Saagar in Pakistan, a representative of EMI India got in touch with us and offered us a record deal. We were really excited about the fact that people in India will listen to our music. Our Album was released in 2004 in India to a good response", says Shallum Xavier, vocalist Fuzon. Fuzon has been in India for five years now and has taken the country by storm with their eclectic yet retro sounds. There first album Saagar is the highest (non-film) selling album. Saagar has broken all records and is still selling in Pakistan. They have recently released their second album Journey in India. Fuzon is the brainchild of lead guitarist Shallum Xavier and producer Imran Momina aka Immu. The essence of the band is based on experimentation and collaboration between different soundscapes and musical disciplines.
Jal's lead vocalist, Ferhan Saeed, adds, "Our song AADAT first released in Pakistan. We were then approached by an Indian music company who wanted to release our song in India. Being a Pakistani voice, we were a little apprehensive about how Indians would take the Pakistani flavor; but both AADAT and WOH LAMHE were hits. Indian fans supported us a lot". Jal concentrates on "Alaap" and blends Urdu vocals with modern rock and stresses on the melodies and content. Other lead members of the band include, Gohar Mumtaz, its lead composer and lyricist and Shazi Aamir, the guitarist. Jal will soon release their second album, Boond - a drop of Jal in India.
Their stories of success belie the efforts gone into making a fantastic arrangement of eclectic Sufiana and classical Hindustani music intermingled with overtones of seasoned rock. So what is it that makes these bands so successful?
Publication: Society Magazine
Date of Publication: July 2008 Issue
Will music act as a catalyst to thwart the differences between India and Pakistan? Yes, if the success of Pakistani music in India is any indication
Jal's lead vocalist, Ferhan Saeed, adds, "Our song AADAT first released in Pakistan. We were then approached by an Indian music company who wanted to release our song in India. Being a Pakistani voice, we were a little apprehensive about how Indians would take the Pakistani flavor; but both AADAT and WOH LAMHE were hits. Indian fans supported us a lot". Jal concentrates on "Alaap" and blends Urdu vocals with modern rock and stresses on the melodies and content. Other lead members of the band include, Gohar Mumtaz, its lead composer and lyricist and Shazi Aamir, the guitarist. Jal will soon release their second album, Boond - a drop of Jal in India.
Their stories of success belie the efforts gone into making a fantastic arrangement of eclectic Sufiana and classical Hindustani music intermingled with overtones of seasoned rock. So what is it that makes these bands so successful?
"The Indian youth are saturated with film
music and badly need a fresh sound." -Ferhan Saeed
Ferhan Saeed is also exploring the answers to this question. "We used to ask the same questions 7 to 8 years ago. I think that India and Pakistan have a very special thing going; no one can deny that. This determines our selling point. The Indian youth are saturated with film music and badly need fresh sound. It is nice that Bollywood remixes are playing in discs; in concerts we need new sounds which appeal to the rocker generation and to the more sedate laid- back listeners."
Suresh Venkat, Lifestyle Editor for CNBC -TV18 elaborates, "In the mid to late 90s Indipop was all the rage. A few outstanding bands like Euphoria, Silk Route, and Sanjay Maroo got their due during this time. Unfortunately this time also saw a massive glut of terrible bands. Somehow most Indian bands just stopped connecting with their listeners. That and what seemed like a major slowdown in the music industry pushed Indian bands into relative obscurity. There's also the ethereal quality of "pathos" in many Pakistani singers' voice, probably inspired by Sufi poetry that most Indian singers simply don't have. Fuzon's ANKHON KE SAAGAR, is a good example of this quality.
Jonzie Kurian, Creative Director with Worldspace talks of the reasons for the Pakistani bands making it big in India, "Unlike Pakistan, loads of Indian bands seem to be concentrating on playing English. Pakistani bands on the other hand concentrate on Hindi/Urdu which could possibly explain their popularity." Another reason behind the success stories of these bands is that they do not sound "Bollywoodish" nor are they influenced by India's film scene. An ingredient to their well-founded success is that they have their roots firmly in place; hence, putting to use their own traditional music and grow with it instead of trying to be someone else and failing miserably.
Junoon comprising of Salman Ahmed, Ali Azmat and Brian O'Connell, is a landmark example of this new sound. Junoon was found by guitarist/ songwriter/medical doctor Salman Ahmad in Karachi in 1990. There hits include SAYONEE and YAAR BINA. Today, they are considered one of the most successful bands in the history of South Asian music. Its genre is defined as 'Sufi Rock', meaning a fusion of rock with sub continental Sufi music, imagery, and lyrics with modern melodies. Sufi lyrics primarily deal with Lyrics, matters of love and daily life; and as such are a simple yet a powerful medium of expressing sentiments and thought. Thus, Junoon was able to lend voice to traditional Sufi lyrics and make it "Hip" for the next generation. In India, 'Sufi Rock' is also considered a strong form of voicing one's opinion, hence termed, 'Rebel Rock'.
Shallum (Fuzon) believes, "It is because Pakistani Pop Music has a very unique sound which can't be duplicated by any other Pop Industry anywhere in the world. The uniqueness comes from the culture, the road to modernism, fusing different ideas from different genres, the history of Pop Music and the dedication, determination and the vision of some of our leading Musicians/ Artists." Corroborates Suresh Venkat,"Pakistani bands have their roots in the Hindustani classical and Sufi traditions, both of which are profoundly moving and emotive forms of music. Pakistani bands like Fuzon, Mekal Hasan band, Junoon, Strings and The Call have managed to create a beautiful synthesis between classical and modern. I think that's the secret of their success".
Perhaps the non existence of a stable and popular film industry in Pakistan has also contributed to the rise of Pakistani Bands; and musicians like Shallum and Ferhan seem to agree. "We don't have a Bollywood like influence in Pakistan. Influences matter and you become what you listen to; there are traces that can be seen in your music. In Pakistan everyone has a guitar in their hand now and suddenly everyone is woken up to music," informs Ferhan Saeed. For many, a hit rock album can prove to be the ticket to Bollywood and global acclaim.
The dearth of original sounds in Bollywood has contributed to the growth of Pakistani musicians getting into playback music for films. Jal's WHO LAMHE is probably the most famous songs of the past five years thanks to Mahesh Bhatt's film Zeher. Atif Aslam, the original singer of the song, who was estranged from the band, is now pursuing a Bollywood music career. "We recently recorded a song for MUMBAI CUTTING (a Bollywood movie) which will be out in a few weeks. Since the release of our first album Saagar we have been getting a lot of offers by various production houses, but we have been very selective as we intend on working only on those scripts that gel with our bands sound and style of song writing. Two songs from the first album, TERE BIN and KHAMAJ featured in Nagesh Kukunoors film Hyderabad blues -TWO", says Shallum.
Despite experiencing a great high in terms of the response in India, Ferhan has a word of caution, "People like the Pakistani fresh new sound, and this is the essence of our music. Although getting into playback is a good opportunity to experiment with, it is important to stick to our own style. If Bollywood starts showing in our albums then it will become monotonous. We will end up making ordinary songs"
Strings possibly are the oldest bands in India with the released of their self titled album in 1992. Back then the absence of cable TV, good marketing strategies and other mediums couldn't justify the talented musicians' efforts. They later released the album Duur in 2002, containing their most famous 'SAR KIYE'; the album was an instant hit after which followed albums like Tu hai kahaan and Dhaani. Bollywood dreams were not far behind. Spiderman 2's NAJANEY KYUN and Zinda's self titled song released in 2005, are now playing on every request show at radio stations. Junoon's Ali Azmat also recorded GARAJ BARAS for Pooja Bhatt's Paap.
Mihir Joshi, media and promotions manager of EMI Music India, in an interview had said that Pakistani Bands have found the perfect combination to suit Indian audiences. Indians are big rock music fans and therefore when the sound is rock but the languages are - Hindi and Urdu - the audience is able to connect". Well, with Pakistani bands and their kind of music creating ripples in India, one also wishes that the music acts as a binding factor between the two nations.
Suresh Venkat, Lifestyle Editor for CNBC -TV18 elaborates, "In the mid to late 90s Indipop was all the rage. A few outstanding bands like Euphoria, Silk Route, and Sanjay Maroo got their due during this time. Unfortunately this time also saw a massive glut of terrible bands. Somehow most Indian bands just stopped connecting with their listeners. That and what seemed like a major slowdown in the music industry pushed Indian bands into relative obscurity. There's also the ethereal quality of "pathos" in many Pakistani singers' voice, probably inspired by Sufi poetry that most Indian singers simply don't have. Fuzon's ANKHON KE SAAGAR, is a good example of this quality.
Jonzie Kurian, Creative Director with Worldspace talks of the reasons for the Pakistani bands making it big in India, "Unlike Pakistan, loads of Indian bands seem to be concentrating on playing English. Pakistani bands on the other hand concentrate on Hindi/Urdu which could possibly explain their popularity." Another reason behind the success stories of these bands is that they do not sound "Bollywoodish" nor are they influenced by India's film scene. An ingredient to their well-founded success is that they have their roots firmly in place; hence, putting to use their own traditional music and grow with it instead of trying to be someone else and failing miserably.
Junoon comprising of Salman Ahmed, Ali Azmat and Brian O'Connell, is a landmark example of this new sound. Junoon was found by guitarist/ songwriter/medical doctor Salman Ahmad in Karachi in 1990. There hits include SAYONEE and YAAR BINA. Today, they are considered one of the most successful bands in the history of South Asian music. Its genre is defined as 'Sufi Rock', meaning a fusion of rock with sub continental Sufi music, imagery, and lyrics with modern melodies. Sufi lyrics primarily deal with Lyrics, matters of love and daily life; and as such are a simple yet a powerful medium of expressing sentiments and thought. Thus, Junoon was able to lend voice to traditional Sufi lyrics and make it "Hip" for the next generation. In India, 'Sufi Rock' is also considered a strong form of voicing one's opinion, hence termed, 'Rebel Rock'.
Shallum (Fuzon) believes, "It is because Pakistani Pop Music has a very unique sound which can't be duplicated by any other Pop Industry anywhere in the world. The uniqueness comes from the culture, the road to modernism, fusing different ideas from different genres, the history of Pop Music and the dedication, determination and the vision of some of our leading Musicians/ Artists." Corroborates Suresh Venkat,"Pakistani bands have their roots in the Hindustani classical and Sufi traditions, both of which are profoundly moving and emotive forms of music. Pakistani bands like Fuzon, Mekal Hasan band, Junoon, Strings and The Call have managed to create a beautiful synthesis between classical and modern. I think that's the secret of their success".
Indian bands are heavily influenced by film music, and most musicians and producers seem to agree. Suresh reflects on why Indian bands do not have a longer shelf power compared to Pakistani Bands, "Indian bands need to work on a new sound, new lyrics and a new ethos. Songs by Indian bands need to stop sounding like low budget versions of Bollywood songs or cheesy Bhangra inspired Bling-Bling. We need a new "honesty" in Indian rock that's true to its Indian ethos and one that sings about modern contemporary India. I think we also need more Indian rock in Indian languages. Kannada rock, Tamil rock, Bengali rock and of course Hindi rock. Lyrics and music need to move beyond the Bollywood staples in terms of verse, rhyme, meter etc"."We need a new "honesty" in Indian rock that's true to its Indian ethos and one that sings about modern contemporary India."
- Suresh Venkat
Perhaps the non existence of a stable and popular film industry in Pakistan has also contributed to the rise of Pakistani Bands; and musicians like Shallum and Ferhan seem to agree. "We don't have a Bollywood like influence in Pakistan. Influences matter and you become what you listen to; there are traces that can be seen in your music. In Pakistan everyone has a guitar in their hand now and suddenly everyone is woken up to music," informs Ferhan Saeed. For many, a hit rock album can prove to be the ticket to Bollywood and global acclaim.The dearth of original sounds in Bollywood has contributed to the growth of Pakistani musicians getting into playback music for films. Jal's WHO LAMHE is probably the most famous songs of the past five years thanks to Mahesh Bhatt's film Zeher. Atif Aslam, the original singer of the song, who was estranged from the band, is now pursuing a Bollywood music career. "We recently recorded a song for MUMBAI CUTTING (a Bollywood movie) which will be out in a few weeks. Since the release of our first album Saagar we have been getting a lot of offers by various production houses, but we have been very selective as we intend on working only on those scripts that gel with our bands sound and style of song writing. Two songs from the first album, TERE BIN and KHAMAJ featured in Nagesh Kukunoors film Hyderabad blues -TWO", says Shallum.
Despite experiencing a great high in terms of the response in India, Ferhan has a word of caution, "People like the Pakistani fresh new sound, and this is the essence of our music. Although getting into playback is a good opportunity to experiment with, it is important to stick to our own style. If Bollywood starts showing in our albums then it will become monotonous. We will end up making ordinary songs"
Strings possibly are the oldest bands in India with the released of their self titled album in 1992. Back then the absence of cable TV, good marketing strategies and other mediums couldn't justify the talented musicians' efforts. They later released the album Duur in 2002, containing their most famous 'SAR KIYE'; the album was an instant hit after which followed albums like Tu hai kahaan and Dhaani. Bollywood dreams were not far behind. Spiderman 2's NAJANEY KYUN and Zinda's self titled song released in 2005, are now playing on every request show at radio stations. Junoon's Ali Azmat also recorded GARAJ BARAS for Pooja Bhatt's Paap.
Mihir Joshi, media and promotions manager of EMI Music India, in an interview had said that Pakistani Bands have found the perfect combination to suit Indian audiences. Indians are big rock music fans and therefore when the sound is rock but the languages are - Hindi and Urdu - the audience is able to connect". Well, with Pakistani bands and their kind of music creating ripples in India, one also wishes that the music acts as a binding factor between the two nations.
Comments