Credit:- www.screenindia.com
Junaid Jamshed, the new singer-composer from across the border to make his presence felt on the Indi-pop scene, isn’t taking the hackeneyed road to success with tried and tested tunes. Instead he prefers to go off the beaten path, and experiment with a new sound in his album aptly titled Us Rah Par…
Rakesh Bhatnagar (VP, Times Entertainment) on Junaid:
Did Times Music acquire the rights of Us Rah Par after seeing it on the music channels?
Not really. Junaid’s album was already released in Pakistan. And the music channels, who are always looking out for new artists and videos, picked up the video on their own, and played it on the music channels here. At that time our talks with Junaid were on, and we hadn’t tied up with him yet, which is why you didn’t find the Times Music name in the credit-line. Now the video comes with our credit-line.
How did you discover Junaid?
Through common associates. When we met him, we found that he is a great singer and composer, with a great voice and quite presentable too. He has all the qualities of a pop star and he is quite popular in Pakistan. So we decided to take him on.
Times Music seems to be introducing a lot of new artists from outside India.
Not many. Junaid is only the fourth artiste from outside India being introducded here by Times Music. We had earlier brought in the bhangra-pop group Sahotas from UK, and later, popular Punjabi pop singer Malkait Singh too switched over to Times Music from another music company. We had also released an album with a Hungarian artist named Diana, but that didn’t click. We do plan to introduce a lot more pop artists now.
What’s the response to Us Rah Par?
It’s quite good. The initial sales are satisfactory. Junaid’s album has a different kind of music. I’d call it soft pop, and this type of music works out well with the listeners. If this album clicks, good for us.
— SK
Some time back, say a couple of months ago, a haunting voice, a soulful tune, and a stylish, aesthetically shot music video had captivated our senses. Telecast only occasionally, sometimes on MTV or Channel [V], it aroused our curiosity. But the only information we could get were the two credit lines, in the beginning and the end of the music video telecast, stating that the song was Aankhon ko aankhon ne and the singer was Junaid Jamshed. Something, call it the sixth sense, or our experience in music journalism, gave us an inkling that the artist was not from India, but at the same time, from the sub-continent. Then the song stopped playing on the two channels, and one fine day, May 16, 2001, to be precise, we got to see the same song at the Times Music launch of the album titled Us Rah Par, and the singer-composer Junaid Jamshed in person.
Well, Times Music had acquired the rights of the album and was releasing it in India. And we learnt that Junaid was a popular pop singer from Pakistan, who like his fellow musicians Bilaal and Faisal (of the pop group Strings), had realised the potential of the Indian music market and was keen to release his album here. “It’s the politicians who create a rift and poison the minds of the people across the two borders. Otherwise, the common man in both countries shares the same art and culture, and loves each other’s music. We love watching the cricketers of each others’ countries play. We love Sachin Tendulkar make his tons. We love Indian music, and Indians here love our music, which they find different. So music is one of the binding factors between the two nations,” opines Junaid.
The singer-composer has all the makings of a pop star. Besides making good music, he has looks to match. Tall, good physique, a typical long Pathani face, well-etched features, and brandy eyes. Holding his guitar, and answering the questions in style, with a relaxed look, he sure makes a presentable picture. Little wonder then that the music video of his album revolves around Junaid.
The video, though aesthetically done, and featuring a bevy of Pakistani beauties, has a complicated story, and is a bit difficult to follow. Junaid volunteers to explain the story, “It’s about a man, a musician, that’s me, who’s dead, but who wants to meet his beloved. So he asks God to give him just a day on earth. God grants him his wish, and he sees his beloved, but she can’t see him, though she feels his presence. She does manage to see him at dusk, but by then his time limit is over, and he disappears.”
Shooting for the video was taxing, the singer-composer says. “We shot the video in the desert, and it was arid and dry, and the sun was shining brightly. To add to that, my arm was injured and I had to wear a heavy amulet, which kept piercing the wound. I had to look sad in the video, and I came up with perfect expressions because I was really in pain,” Junaid laughs.
Born in Karachi, Junaid has been singing for almost 20 years now. He took up music seriously when he was 19 years old, after he discovered that he could churn out tunes on his Spanish guitar in a jiffy. He then started singing his tunes at college functions, and his covers of the Eagles and George Michael were a hit with the college crowd.
Junaid then became the lead singer of the local pop group Vital Signs and was with them in the late 80s and 90s. After the group disbanded, Junaid moved on to becoming a solo artist, and cut a few solo albums.
Us Rah Par is his first album released in the Indian market. The singer-composer says it took him three years to make the album, the title of which also explains Junaid’s philosophy in life, i.e. to opt for the less-travelled path. The 11 songs in the album centre around love, and the sound, typically Pakistani, with the influence of pop-band Junoon, is a beautiful blend of the Eastern and Western instrumentation. “I have combined the sounds of the synthesiser, sarangi, bansuri and bass guitar to come up with a new harmony,” says Junaid.
Does he miss his band Vital Signs? “Yes I do miss my band and my partners a lot,” answers Junaid, “Earlier, after composing a song, I could fall back on my team-mates for their opinion, and with their inputs, I would improve my composition. Today, I am alone, and I don’t get a second opinion. So I have to assume that the music I am making is good,” he smiles.
Influenced by Mohammed Rafi from the East, and Pink Floyd from the West, and of course the rock-band of his country, Junoon, Junaid says that he wants to touch the heights that these greats have achieved.
What’s next, we ask. “Another video, which should be aired after sometime, and lots of promotional events organised by Times Music, who do real good publicity. Then, I want my album to be released internatioanally. Pop albums from the sub-continent have the potential to do well in UK, and if they click there, you get recognition. I want my album to hit bigtime there,” he concludes.
Promotionwise, Times Music is leaving no stone unturned to see that Junaid becomes a household name. If he does, then the fact that music knows no boundaries, will assert itself yet again.