Stringing their
way to success
As a six- year-old I could hardly understand
music. But there was one tune, which I still
remember humming in my class when I was in
grade one. The song had a distinctly catchy
tune and had taken the Pakistani Pop scene by
storm. It started off as Sar kiye yeh pahar.
Then suddenly the band who sang this song
vanished. And whenafter eight years the
Strings launched their smash hit album called
Duur I realized that they were the same guys
whose tunes infused a craze of music inme at a
very young age.
After receiving loads and loads of laurels and plaudits for
their last release the duo is back in the
spotlight. Dhaani is their latest offering and
they seem to have a great deal of expectations
with this album.Meet Bilal Maqsood and Faisal
Kapadia, better known as Strings, as they
narrate their whole musical journey and talk
about the sheer hard work that has made them
who they are today.
Clad in extremely casual attire and with an attitude of the
guy next door they comfortably waitfor me to
start the chat.
They go down memory lane and reveal that a passion for music
was there in them since their childhood and
when the duo met each other in college they
thought they can compose music if they combine
their talents.
How did they keep a balance between their studies and music?
Music was just a hobby at that time. It was nothing more than
just a break from the tough schedule at the
college. They released their first album when
they were still in college and since then have
come a long way and their music has evolved
over the years, too.
"Now we are composing music with a completely different
attitude. Music is our profession now. Back in
college it was just a passion. We are more
concerned and focused in our music now because
we know that we and our families are dependent
on it." Other than being professional the duo
also have a different approach towards music
now. They are more educated, experienced and
have a lot more exposure, which enables them
to innovate and bring out new ideas and also
promote their music in a highly professional
way.
Has Bilal's work experience in an advertising agency
benefited the band in the marketing of their
albums?
"Yes, definitely, I have the required experience in chalking
out different strategies through which we can
publicize our music as much as possible," says
the experienced singer.
So what is Dhaani all about?
According to Bilal, Dhaani is directly related to nature if
you closely go through its lyrics. But this
was not planned. It just happened as a
coincidence. The lyrics have many references
to nature such as in the title track one
constantly hears words like badal, nadiya and
more. Also when the duo were composing the
tunes in Murree for about a month they were
more exposed to the exotic beauty of the
Northern areas and that gave them the idea of
having green patches and open skies on the
album cover. That's how Dhaani took its final
shape.
Does this album have anything new to offer?
Musically, Strings have mostly been on the romantic side. In
this album, too, there is the typical 'Stringish'
romantic feel. Though the album doesn't
completely fall into one particular genre,
Strings maintain that other than slight
changes they have retained their signature
sound in the album. "You have the same
processed electronic sound with a major use of
drum sequences and the rock element. Yes, we
have experimented with melodies in some of the
songs so that the listeners don't get the same
taste which they have experienced in our
earlier album," theduo explained.
"We do not finalize the tune of any song until and unless we
are satisfied with it. Everything may seem to
be fine with the melody but there is something
that fails to give us the inner contentment.
It might seem that something is missing. As
soon as we overcome this stage we start
recording the songs. So, it's certainly not a
piece of cake. We have to make sure that the
final product reflects our utmost hard work"
says Faisal Kapadia.
How did Duur come to be such a major hit in
India?
At the time of the release of Duur, Strings didn't know that
they were already a name in
India. Their all time hit Sar kiye yeh pahar
had been played in a number of clubs in India
in some remix versions. This helped them in
releasing their album simultaneously in India
through one of the well-known labels very
easily. The album was an instant hit there as
the people recalled the duo as the Sar kiye
yeh pahar guys.
Now, their latest album also includes one track recorded with
the veteran Indian singer Hari Haran. "The
idea of doing a song with Hari Haran came to
us very abruptly. We were just sitting one day
and a thought struck us from nowhere that why
not rope in Hari Haran for the Bolo Bolo as we
were a great fan of him. We called him and
discussed our idea and he agreed instantly!"
Hari Haran also liked Strings' melodies
earlier and thought that they were "melodic in
the compositions with interesting riffs and
tasteful arrangements, their singing is simple
and effective".
The song has a thumri element in it, which is an ancient form
of Indian classical music. Combining it with
Strings' modern rhythms the track is awesome.
"We have experimented with the tune in this
track and this is one of the major highlights
of the album. We will be shooting its video
shortly in
Dubai. The video, which will be featuring Hari
Haran along with them, will portray the
amazing ease with which people from both
India
and Pakistan live in Dubai. We will be shown
just having a quality time with those people
singing around beaches, etc".
Talking about the pivotal role which music videos play in the
success of an album, Faisal points out that
unless and until the video is visually
appealing a person will switch the channel no
matter how well the song is composed. The aim
is to provide a viewer with both quality video
and audio when he sits in front of the tube.
That's how the person would remember the song
when he hears it on audio players or in
concerts.
Their recent video Chaye Chaye is sizzling up the tube these
days with its glossy outlook. Directed by Jami
the video is a little puzzling at places.
So what is the main idea behind that video?
Bilal answers this one saying, "The video shows us being
arrested by an FBI agent. We try telling him
through our song that the actual crime is
committed by a girl, who with the help of her
glitz and glamour, causes a rift amongst
people wherever she goes".
So is this Strings' idea or Jami's?
"We leave everything on the director because it is his job
and he knows it best," say the duo.
According to Faisal, the present media boom is a healthy sign
for Pakistani music. Few years back people had
very different viewpoints for Pakistani music,
which was quite obvious, now slowly and
gradually they have started listening to
Pakistani music and these new channels seem to
have revamped the music industry.
But the negative impact of this boom is that anyone who can
play a guitar is appearing on the charts and
the number of singers regardless of their
singing talents is growing like mushrooms.
How does this affect a band like Strings?
Bilal instantly replies, "I think history is repeating
itself. Back in 1989-92 the situation was the
same. There was only one newly introduced
music channel and a lot of people who could
sing and produce videos started pouring in on
the scene. But only those survived who really
deserved to stay and had the potential of
carrying themselves ahead. Today, there may be
an excess of singers aiming to make it big but
they will not stay here for a long time if
they do not do something new." Well, it sounds
more like a jungle rule: 'Survival of the
fittest'.
So what do they think about the new talent?
According to Bilal, Fuzon is definitely amazing and Noori
falls in the same category. Whereas the lead
singer of Aaroh reflects enormous potential.
EP is also emerging as a promising band.
Strings fame is not just confined to
Pakistan but it has also reached other parts
of the world. Today, they are recognized as
one of the best bands of the sub-continent.
Their music has promoted a positive image of
our country by crossing different boundaries.
They seem to be at their peak now and who
knows their future may be even brighter.
Courtesy: Paktribune, 19th of November, 2003.
|