This is the age of fusion in music, and there is no other Pakistani musician who has more international collaborations to his credit than Qurram Hussain of JoSH The Band.
Qurram, known as ‘Q’; has created wonderful remixes with DJ Domeno, Nelly Furtado, Priyanka Chopra, Pitbull, Shafqat Amanat Ali Khan and Komal Rizvi.
The latest song of JoSH, – Kama – is blessed by the World’s No 1. DJ Hardwell. The famous DJ also unprecedentedly made a guest appearance in the song’s music video.
Qurram has recently stepped up as music director of upcoming Pakistani musical romance film, Rangreza.
During the recordings for the soundtrack of the film, Pakistan Today got an opportunity to talk with this dapper artist, who has recently graced the cover of different fashion and lifestyle magazines in Pakistan.
Pakistan Today (PT): What drew you to music?
Qurram (Q): I was a very inquisitive child interested in exploring the music instruments, how all the layers came together to make the full song.
Although I sang at the school functions in Karachi and I love singing, my real passion has always been towards the music making process, and till date that remains what keeps me going.
PT: JoSH is an Indo-Pakistan music duo. How did you come up with the idea of making a music band with an Indian Sikh?
Q: Well, it was not all intentional. Rup had already formed JoSH with his brother in Montreal, Canada.
I saw them perform live once, and I knew that if we collaborated this would be something bigger and better.
The Indo-Pak factor was never in our minds, the most important thing was the energy which just got us together into making new music and the rest I guess fell in place after a lot of hard work!
PT: Did Rup Magon make any objection to your first solo collaboration as ‘Desan Da Raja’ (Suni Kuri)?
Q: We are very good friends and appreciate each other’s work. Rup has also taken up several solo acting projects.
‘Desan Da Raja’ was just a different type of song. I think we are diversifying a bit with Rup’s acting and I’m getting involved in some Pakistan centric projects.
However, the music bug is not ready to leave us anytime soon. Personally, these days I’m more drifted towards Sufi rock.
PT: ‘Desan Da Raja’ has become the most popular wedding song in Pakistan. Did you and Komal expect such a big success from the track?
Q: Yes, and that’s why we put a lot of energy, time and hard work into the song. There could be no other better song to express my solo musical self because it’s a classic Pakistani track that I grew up listening to.
Even though it was mostly at weddings, its melody resonated with me all my life. I am very happy that ‘Desan Da Raja’ (Suni Kuri) ranked among the fourth most watched video in Pakistan by the YouTube.
Besides, it also remained in Top-5 most downloaded songs on all major music websites. It has recorded 5.1 million views on Facebook.
When Komal and I were rewriting the lyrics and remaking this song, we were very cautious that the track evokes the same feeling of joy and celebration as did the original classic.
PT: Tell us something about the music of Rangreza?
Q: Pakistani film industry has gone through a major upgrade in the last couple of years. So, I agreed to step in.
Rangreza is my first Pakistani film as music director and playback singer. I can’t reveal much about the story and music of the film at this point.
I am recording four songs for the love story starring Urwa Hocane and Bilal Ashraf.
All these songs are of different genres. I am also the voice of Bilal Ashraf in the soundtracks of the movie.
PT: Any plans for more music collaborations in 2017?
Q:Collaborations give musicians a chance to bring a little bit of each of them in a new creation. Lots of learning and innovation happens during this process, and that’s what is most amazing about it.
Things are taking shape for my next collaboration, and I will reveal details as soon as things are finalised. Until then, let it be a mystery to everyone. One thing I must tell is that she is very talented and pretty.
PT: How are Indian and Pakistani music industries different from each other?
Q: I strongly believe and seen that fans tend to love the same beats, want the same thing.
In India, it can be seen that there are more music channels and support of mainstream media to the music and film industry.
In Pakistan, media seems to be more drifted towards politics, political future, or about some drastic incident that took place, which doesn’t feed the soul. Music learning avenues are also very limited in Pakistan.
