Strings of hope can take you far

Faisal Kapadia and Bilal Maqsood, the dynamic duo of the sensational Pakistani band, Strings have rocked the sub-continent’s music world since the release of their album, Duur in 2001. One of their major achievements has been their opportunity to be part of the soundtrack of Spiderman II with the song ‘Najanay Kyun’. During their recent visit to Dhaka, they spoke to Hussain Amir Ali

   Xtra: Tell us about the beginning of Strings.

   Strings: Well, Bilal and I were both students of the Commerce College in 1989 doing our Intermediate level studies. The two of us along with two other friends of ours decided to start a band and that’s when Strings originated.

   How was the public response towards such a young group of musicians?

   Till 1988, when Ziaur Rehman was the president, Pakistani music was declining. There was not much entertainment for the people but after the president’s death there was a major change. Horizons for entertainment started to broaden and diversify and the people gave us a lot of encouragement. For us, 17 and 18 year old boys, it was overwhelming to receive so much support.

   It was the unconditional support from our family, friends and well-wishers that motivated us to release our two albums, Strings (1990) and Strings 2 (1992).

   Bilal, was there any advantage for being the son of the famous playwright, Anwar Maqsood?

   Yes of course! Initially it helped Strings a lot. His influence enabled us to get a chance to play in concerts and other events. But once the people recognised us and appreciated our music, we entered the grand stage of Pakistani music ourselves.

   Strings suddenly vanished after the release of the Strings 2. What exactly happened?

   As soon as we recorded our second album, I went to USA to pursue a degree in Business Studies. Bilal joined the arts college and two other members permanently settled in their fields of work.

   Why was Strings reformed after such a long break?

   We had finished our studies by then and Faisal was back in Pakistan again. Our passion for composing good music took the better of us and we decided to start again in 2000. Eventually, in 2001 we released our album Duur.

   Did you ever, in your wildest imagination, dream that one day you would be at this stage?

   No, never. I always was into the business sort of thing while Bilal was more into the advertisement sector. It was this passion for music that pulled me back. Our families just wanted us to be successful in any field we chose. I am happy to have taken the decision of coming back to this line and succeeding in it, as it bore us the fruit of my family’s unconditional support.

   Why did you release your albums Duur (2001) and Dhaani (2004) in India as well?

   When Strings 2 was out in the market, our song ‘Sar ki yaen’ was appreciated in India as well. So when we got back together and planned to release our next album, we were approached by a couple of music labels to release the album in India as well. Thankfully, both our albums fared well with the Indian audience and this helped us to make a stable position in the music industry of the sub-continent.

   Apart from that, an exposure to the worldwide media helped spread the music a lot and that is exactly what India had to offer. Though the fans in Pakistan are very enthusiastic, India gave us exposure to a very big market.

   During the last Indian cricket team’s tour of Pakistan, you along with India’s Euphoria sang the theme song for the series. You have also sung one of the theme songs for the ICC Cricket World Cup 2003. What is this connection between Strings and cricket?

   Basically, we love cricket and these two events were good opportunities for us to merge both, music and cricket, together. The Indian tour was an important series as it relieved the tension between the two nations. Our song aimed to spread the message of friendship and it received great response from everyone.

   How has underground music grown in the sub-continent in the past few years?

   The present generation are more into the Rock and Roll genre and classical music has now taken a backstage after its long lasting dominance. The present underground scene has grown tremendously and new bands are coming up everyday in Pakistan. The most recent band stepping in the Indian industry is Jaal, which has been a part of the sound track of the Bollywood movie, Zeher.

   The industry in Pakistan is booming while the underground music industry in Bangladesh has astonished us. We never expected to see such a large industry here and so much enthusiasm among the people over band music.

   How has this trip to Bangladesh been?

   Awesome! We were surprised to see that we have such a fan base here. We never expected that people here listen to our music as much as they do in Pakistan. They knew our songs very well and it’s always fun to perform in front of a participating crowd.

   Your advice to the aspiring musicians in this country.

   Bangladesh has some brilliant musicians and it is producing great musicians for the future as well. The industry is huge and the Bengali band culture is growing. All I’ll say to those who want to make it big time is that you have to make a place in your country first. Once you are successful in your country then the world will follow.

   It’s very difficult in the beginning but don’t lose hope. You can never compose good music if you don’t have the passion or are just there for the album making. And you should always be consistent with your performance.

Courtesy: NewAGE Xtra: April 1st - April 7th of 2005 Edition