Arslan Asif : music, drugs and passion

Arslan Asif, a vocalist, guitarist, composer and also the lyricist of all his songs, is on a roll these days and Pakistan Today got down with him.

What developed your interest in joining the music industry?

In the sixth grade I heard Junoon’s album ‘Parwaaz’ for the first time. I heard the song ‘Bulleya’ on repeat for at least six months and they were my favourite.

My parents promised to buy me a guitar once I completed my matriculation and that was part of how I got to love music more. I moved to Islamabad and started practicing guitar on my own for two years without getting any lessons.

I finally found a teacher who had also taught the singer Salman Ahmed of Junoon and Junaid Jamshed of vital signs. I learned to play the guitar and the theory of music from him.

My first single ‘Choo lun mein aasman’ launched in 2007, and then I came up with the second song ‘Char Din Ki Chandni’. So far, I have produced eight audio tracks and four music videos.

Generally, families object to pursuing music. Did you face similar hurdles?

I never faced such a problem, because my parents’ only concern was that I complete my education before getting involved in music.

Your vocals seem to be inspired by Ali Azmat. Is it because you have been listening to Junoon from an early age?

Yes, I have been listening to Ali Azmat’s music since their fifth album ‘Parwaaz’ came out in 1999. The reason that my vocal tone has become similar to his is that while listening to him I practiced until I started learning music theory in 2007.

Do you only do songs to promote social issues?

No, there is usually a balance. Although, I try to create songs that are meaningful and can help raise awareness about the problems in our society. Artists are able to raise more awareness on certain issues because of their popularity. They can reach out to a larger audience and spread important messages.

I play ‘love songs’ as well but normally I focus on writing music about social issues, but  I am not interested in writing about political issues.

Tell us more about your work?

The first ever video I made was for the song ‘Char Din Ki Chandni’ and was shot in Lahore. It featured Usman Pirzada and the model Shabra, along with six junior artists.I had to play a Rajhastani vampire due to budget limitations for the studio effects.

The second video ‘Chu Loon Mein Aasman’ was shot with an iPhone 4 and the location was a single room.  The video came out in 2011 and it was the first one in Pakistan that was shot with an iPhone 4. It had been shot using Chroma key compositing and the entire scene in the video was developed through special effects.

You probably have idea that making videos through Chroma requires high definition cameras to produce best results; this is why it took us a long time to finish this video project.

My latest track ‘Apne Karam’ came out in December 2015. It was also based on social issues. The upcoming single ‘Aaj Kal’ is a love song and it will be released in a couple of months.

Which genre of music do you think your songs fall in?

I played hard rock in the beginning, but as I got more involved in the industry, I realised that the audience prefers to listen to lighter music. So now I mostly play music for commercial purposes.

You have also sung in Punjabi, do you plan on exploring more languages?

I have produced a couple of songs in Punjabi. The song ‘Punjabi Babay’ is about the perverted nature of old men in Punjab. Artists in Pakistan should not avoid writing songs in different languages because diversity helps us to learn.

Have you performed in front of live audience?

I have performed in a lot of educational institutes in Islamabad. I have been able to perform in front of crowds since 2007, hence I think of myself more of a performer rather than a recording artist. My aim is to start performing in different cities across Pakistan.

I have not compiled an entire album because record labels no longer exist in Pakistan.The audio is launched first and the video is made only after considering the reviews from the audience.

What message would you like to give to the upcoming musicians in Pakistan?

I always tell the young musicians to avoid getting involved in drugs in order to become a part of this industry. It had tarnished the image of musicians in our industry. I have come across several artists who tend to avoid it despite being under pressure.

The fans consider artists, musicians as role models, so it is important for us to set a good example.