She’s a singer, song writer and composer. A gifted vocalist, Aliya Chinoy is all set to shine on the music scene with the release of her debut album ‘Almost Dawn’. It’s been a few years now since she has been singing hit singles like Slipping & Falling, Out of my Life, Fade Away to name some. Here, the gifted Aliya Chinoy shares plans about her upcoming album that is is set to be resealed in the first quarter of 2014, with our readers.
Q- What were you doing before you took up music seriously?
A-I was and still am a Painter and a teacher of Art. I’m passionate about all these things and am thrilled grateful to have them in my life.
Q- So when did you decide to become a singer?
A- Growing up singing was definitely something I was interested in. And it’s likely that at some point they dream of the idea of being a singer. I was lucky I fell back into this by chance and I just went with it. I started singing when I wrote my first song in 2009.
Q- Is music a career or a hobby for you?
A-I don’t think I would define it as a hobby, maybe a project of passion.
Q-Let’s talk about your debut album ‘Almost Dawn’?
A-The album ‘Almost Dawn’ is entirely in English because that is what comes naturally to me…what I’m comfortable with lyrically. I’ve been told that there’s a really small market for English music here in Pakistan and I do believe that’s true. So, honestly I’m not sure if our market is ready for an all-English album or not but I’m going to put it out there anyways and just hope some people enjoy it even if it is a small portion of the market.
Q- Please tell us about your style of music.
A-My song writing style is mostly Ballad. I never really learnt an instrument and I picked up playing the piano around 2009, the same time I wrote my first song. I play by ear and have enough basic skills to compose the songs. Kashan Admani at Dreamstation Studios along with Alfred D’mello bring their own take on the songs; changing the tempo or giving it a feel they think it needs. We went for mostly live instruments and live sound rather than a digital sound. We are happy with the end result of the album – Almost Dawn – and how the songs have come out. I think you could term the music as soft pop-rock.
Q- Who is the lyricist and composer?
A-I have composed and written the lyrics of all the songs on my album.
Q- Are your songs inspired from real life events?
A-Yes that is partly true.
Q- Any plans of exploring Urdu music in the future.
A-Interestingly enough I have written an Urdu song already. It came to me probably a few weeks before the album was finalised.
Q- Who’s your favourite musician?
A- I like a whole variety of music, from acoustic rock to classical and adult contemporary. Internationally they can range from Adele, Sarah McLachlan, Sheryl Crow and Maroon Five, Coldplay, Fray to Classic rock: Pink Floyd, Eagles etc. Locally I like the sound of Junoon, Ali Azmat, Strings, Vital Signs, Atif Aslam, Noori, Sajid and Zeeshan to name a few.
Q- Your future plans…
A-I don’t think I keep specific plans. I used to but now I like to keep it simple. Life’s too short and the ‘now’ is the only certainty.
