South Asian-Canadian fusion band Josh came to Lahore to film the second music video from their recently released album Beyond Kismat. According to the band members, the album has already become a glittering success and sold over 55,000 albums in four weeks. The band was on the rooftop of Mian Yousuf Salahuddin’s haveli trying to reincarnate Delhi in the city of Lahore. The single “Yeh Zameen”, which is being directed by Maram and Aabroo, was actually composed by Rahul Dev Burman in 1982. The song has been modernized and given a ‘Josh twist’.

You can check out the whole interview at – Express News

Raghav has redefined the term joy ride with his latest video, “Top Of The World”, which is the third single to release off his forthcoming album, The Phoenix. “TOTW” has impacted heavy on Canadian radio and now Raghav follows up with a stellar video to match the celebratory vibe of this latest smash.

“Top Of The World” was shot in Vancouver and directed by S6 Boy. Raghav says that he had a very specific vision in mind for the video:

“With “TOTW” we wanted to capture the essence of feeling passionate and excited about life. Wherever you are, whatever you’re doing, you always want to have that sense of elation. I’m fortunate to love what I do and with the start of 2012, I wanted to share that message with the fans.”

Pop icon Sajjad Ali, who surprised everyone with his catchy number “Kir Kir” at “Coke Studio Season 4”, is now all set to make everyone hungry with his latest song “Qeemay Aalay Poore”. To some, Ali’s latest melody might sound like a not-so-witty version of “Aalu Anday” by Beyghairat Brigade, but the acoustic sound and the food metaphors are the only things the two have in common.

The song was aired on January 1 and is now being widely circulated on the social media.

“It’s one of the most unplanned songs I have ever made,” laughs Ali, who changed the dynamics of music in Pakistan with his album Babia 93 in 1993. “My daughter, who was playing the guitar on three chords, asked me if I could make something out of it and the first phrase that came to my mind was ‘Qeemay Aalay Poore’ because that’s her favourite dish.”

Ironically, the light and funny feel of the song has a very deep-rooted message which Ali says, comes in the last stanza when he sings about people who are deprived of basic necessities. “It’s necessary for any artist to have a message behind whatever he is doing,” says Ali. “We lose our sanity if we feel hungry at an odd time and don’t find anything in the fridge. What about all those thousands of people who are dying of hunger every day?”

Mixed reactions

While some find his latest venture amusing, other fans are disappointed and are of the opinion that the pop icon should have come up with something better following the success of “Kir Kir”.

“It is their right to criticise and I respect their opinions,” states Ali. “Some people even disliked ‘Kir Kir’ and thought that there was not much into that song. At the end of the day, I do what I feel like doing.”

This is the first ever acoustic number released by Ali and for the pop sensation, the message in the song and his daughter’s wish were above anything else. “I felt that the best way to convey the message is to keep the song as devoid of instruments as possible, hence I went for an acoustic number,” says Ali. “It was about telling my daughter that you can make a song on three chords as well,” states the proud father.

The maestro is with his family in Dubai these days, but living away from his homeland hasn’t stopped him from occasionally appearing in morning shows and contributing to “Coke Studio”. The next big thing coming Ali’s way is working for Bollywood, details of which the singer is not ready to share yet. “Yes, there are a number of projects lined up in Bollywood but fingers crossed for now,” says Ali excitedly.

Ex Aaroh member and our good friend  Kamijee has remixed the the title song of the very famous Pakistani drama Humsafar. The drama serial currently the talk of the town everywhere.  It stars Fawad Khan, Mahira Khan, and Naveen Waqar.

LISTEN | OST– Humsafar”

You can also check it out on Youtube

Let us know what you think.

The VJ, who made phrases like ‘dost scene on hay’ and ‘party on hay boy’ a part of the Pakistani youths’ everyday conversation, is back on the music front with his latest single “Jaan Lo”. Dino Ali’s latest offering is a love song, but the singer managed to highlight the fun side of love with his light voice and jazzy tunes. Additionally, the black and white video of the song adds to the experimental side of this song and unlike his previous videos, this one doesn’t show Ali singing to a pretty girl.

From mellow “Merey Liye” to jazzy “Jaan Lo”

“I make music for myself and those who appreciate my voice. Each of my previous songs was a step towards discovering my signature sound,” states Ali. The versatile artist, who is on a journey to find the ‘deeper meaning’, believes that he has finally found his voice with “Jaan Lo”. While talking about the feedback his work has received, Ali confessed that criticism from polished musicians like Ali Azmat, Najam Sheraz and Ali Zafar enabled him to improve the quality of his projects. He adds, “Shani Haider, who produced my latest music video, is the man who helped me find my sound in the soul/Motown/RnB genre.”

Evolution of Pakistani music with Indus Music

With the current turmoil our country is facing and the way news channels have taken over, Ali thinks it has become very hard for musicians to promote their songs. “Frankly speaking contemporary music channels in Pakistan only want to make money. Many music channels are following the Bollywood music plus Bollywood masala technique to increase demand.” However, Ali is still hopeful as he believes that, “The recent dependence on the internet has enabled artists to promote their music through portals like iTunes. Whether it’s the US, the UK or even the Asian market, music has become popular via the internet, so my advice to upcoming musicians is that the internet is definitely where it is at.” He adds, “I believe Indus Music was the best time for music, from the initial boom of new music and bands in 2002 to the last batch of talent in 2005 — these three years were the promotion that the musicians of Pakistan needed and I’m very lucky to have been a part of that.”

What the future holds

Ali states that, “After eight years of TV shows, radio programmes, one album, two long plays, four music videos and travelling the world, I needed a break.” Currently, he is doing a radio show on the Asian network, Buzz Asia, in London. When asked if he will be making more music, Ali states, “Considering the positive feedback “Jaan Lo” has received, I also have a few collaborations in mind.”

Do modern VJs have what it takes?

Ali believes that the new generation of VJs does not have the originality to gather a fan following for themselves. “I have met a couple of these new kids who want to be VJs for two reasons: The first is the easy money and secondly, is the fame. They seem to have no knowledge or respect for music and this isn’t going to take them far,” states Ali. According to the artist, the reason why most people thought VJs like Anoushey Ashraf and Faizan Haque were special, was because they had a ‘what you see is what you get’ attitude, something which, according to Ali, is lacking with the “new kids”

Pakistani singer-cum-actor, Ali Zafar, is working hard on his newest film London Paris New York, which marks his debut as a composer after already proving himself as a playback singer in films like Mere Brother Ki Dulhan and Tere Bin Laden, reports The Hindustan Times.

The multitalented Zafar says, “It’s not going to be conventional — I want to create fresh sounds. And since the film touches on different emotions, I can experiment with genres. I will also use as many ‘live’ instruments as possible to give the songs an organic feel.”

The musician is working on every aspect of his music; writing songs, putting them to music and recording them at his home studio. “It’s an intense process but wonderfully satisfying.”

There is no doubt that Zafar’s fame is growing and while shooting in London, the star says he was overwhelmed by the crowds that gathered to see him giving a take. According to a press release, Ali said that he assumed he wouldn’t be recognised in the city and was very surprised that so many fans showed up holding up posters and asking him to autograph albums.

Meanwhile, there’s been talk of him being signed on for another Yash Raj production after Mere Brother Ki Dulhan, but Zafar shrugs off the rumours. “I’m sure I’ll get a call if there’s something. Otherwise I’ve already got my biggest compliment from Yashji (Yash Chopra) who at the film’s success party complimented me on my performance.”

Pop rock band Strings, comprising of Bilal Maqsood and Faisal Kapadia, dazzled the people of Karachi, with their exhilarating concert at the garden area of Beach Luxury Hotel on November 25.

The evening was definitely an ode to the people of Karachi, mostly youngsters and university students, who turned up in large numbers. This concert was the last leg of their Gillette Style Gurus tour after the band had already performed in Lahore and Islamabad.

The pop rock band, who walked to the stage completely charged, performed live for the young students present amongst the audience. “Strings live in action are absolutely fantastic, loved the energy, ambience and patriotism that Strings’ songs portrays. It was a rocking night,” said fan Faryal Siddiqui who was present at the concert.

The band, known for its strong poetic lyrics, kicked off the event with “Koi Aane Wala Hai” which was followed by “Najane Kyun” (Spider Man 2’s soundtrack), “Uski Zulfein Khuli” and the political “Ab Khud Kuch Kerna Parega.” An interesting point in the concert was when Strings reached the climax of “Zinda Hoon” (from the Bollywood film Zinda) and the microphone stopped working for a bit, however, the singing duo were so well-tuned that they never let the music die and delivered the song perfectly.

Before they moved on to “Titliyan”, Kapadia requested the stage lights to be switched off and asked the crowd to put their hands up in the air while holding their cell phones. The band performed the song while their fans swayed holding their lit cell phones and then released balloons up in the air.

Following this was “Sar Kiye Yeh Pahar”, a song that in Kapadia’s words, ‘gave Strings their identity’ more than two decades ago. Maqsood, who generally remains on the guitar, sang the melody with such precision that it took the audience back many years to when the song was released. The singing duo then moved on to “Mera Bichra Yaar” followed by “Duur”, which was thoroughly enjoyed even by the older ladies in the audience who were spotted singing along. The band also performed “Dhaani”, “Sohniyeh”, “Mein Tou Dekhoonga” and their World Cup hit number “Hai Koi Hum Jaisa” during the one-and-a-half hour concert.

Just minutes after Strings left the stage, a fan sent them a text message asking how they felt after performing in Karachi. To that, Kapadia replied; “It was electrifying, loved the people of Karachi. It’s good to see them getting out of their homes and having some fun.”

The Coke Studio episode that the whole world has been waiting for is finally here! Pakistan’s rock bad Jal along with Quratulain Balouch rock Coke Studios with the song ‘Panchi’ and ‘Tere Ishq’.

Check out the rocking performance and let us know what you think!

Click here to view the embedded video.

Click Play Below and Download Track!

Coke Studio is the single most-watched musical event in the history of Pakistan. This year it shows no signs of slowing down, with the first episode from the latest season already receiving a record number of views online and on television. Coke Studio has become more than just a music show — it has captured our imagination and has come to define Pakistan.

However, in the wake of Coke Studio’s tremendous success, the rest of the Pakistani music industry has become a barren wasteland. You can count the number of new album releases on both your hands; there are no other record deals; new music videos and singles have ground to a screeching halt; and the big name artists seem to be focusing on anything but new music.

You would think that Coke Studio would have galvanised the rest of the industry. You would think Pepsi or other corporations would rush to create competing shows. You would think musicians would take their cue from the stunning collaborations and innovations they displayed while on the show and go out to do more of the same. People should have been riding the wave of the Pakistani pop rebirth and taking advantage of the public’s desire for well produced original music. But the opposite seems to have happened.

Could it be, that inadvertently, Coke Studio has killed off the rest of the industry because no one can compete with it?

It isn’t so much a matter of competition as it is of shifting perception. Artists and the public are regarding Coke Studio not as a launching pad but the endgame, the pinnacle of success. For any artist, getting on to Coke Studio is the ultimate achievement, at the risk of forsaking other goals.

There is a perception that once you’re on Coke Studio, you’ve made it. Of course this is true in many ways: there is great prestige in being on the show, to be regarded as an equal amongst legends, to receive the kind of worldwide exposure that you wouldn’t get anywhere else and to be given the opportunity to showcase your best to the public. But that’s exactly what it is, an opportunity, and sadly most musicians aren’t making the most of it.

Young upcoming bands, emboldened by the appearance of less-than-well-known acts like Aunty Disco Project and Bilal Khan on the show are now making a Coke Studio appearance their number one priority. There’s nothing wrong with this, but they’re going about it the wrong way. Bands will always gain popularity the slow old-fashioned way: by writing good songs, playing live and growing an audience over a long period of time. But increasingly, Coke Studio is being seen as a quick fix. Bands and new artists are too focused on becoming overnight sensations and are looking to the show as their ticket to fame and mass popularity. Rather than focusing on creating music and keeping their audiences happy, their efforts are going into lobbying for a place on the show.

This isn’t helped by the public’s sometimes overzealous reaction to Coke Studio. It seems like the only songs they can remember from anybody are the ones that came out in the summer when they were all tuning into the show. It makes artists who aren’t on Coke Studio feel understandably irrelevant.

What this does is put an unholy amount of pressure on the show. From being a place of experimentation and collaboration, it is now seen as the nation’s sole provider of quality commercial music and if it can’t provide that for even a single song, it is vilified beyond reason. If this continues, artists on the show will no longer allow themselves the creative freedom and risks that allowed them to make such monster hits as “Aik Alif”, “Jal Pari” and “Alif Allah”. Subsequently, we’ll see musicians trying to safely replicate the massive success of those earlier hits with the same formula and not doing what they’re supposed to do which is to innovate and create.

Think about your favourite artists from Coke Studio and what they’ve done since their appearance on the show. Ali Zafar is focusing more on movies. So is Atif Aslam. Noori pops up here and there with rumours of their new songs but we’re still waiting on them. No one’s ringing Saeein Zahoor’s number. Meesha Shafi has left her band and who knows what happened to Arif Lohar.

Of course, the decline in the music industry can be attributed to many factors in Pakistan, the state of the country, drying up finances, waning audience interest etc. But it isn’t going to get any better if Coke Studio becomes the only source of music in the land. What are we going to do when it ends?

The boys are back! Qurram Hussain and Rup Magon the duo of JoSH band are set to release their 4th album, “Beyond Kismat” on May 15th worldwide. Watch out for the snippet of the music video soon to be released for the brand new single, “Pyar Ho Gaya”