Faisal Kapadia and Bilal Maqsood of the Pakistani rock band Strings talk to TOI about the music scene in India and Pakistan during their recent trip to Bangalore
Your last album was released in 2008. Any plans to produce anything new?
Faisal: We released Dhaani in 2003 and after five years we launched Koi Aane Wala Hain in 2008. So you can expect an album in 2013. Initially, we didn’t think of releasing one because the dynamics are changing and the industry is changing. As musicians and as a band it is our responsibility to release new music for our fans because an entire community listens to Strings.
Bilal: We have 20-25 songs ready. We just have to pick them, and are waiting for the right time.
Have you chosen a name for your album?
Faisal: No, because we weren’t thinking of releasing an album in the first place. We just planned on releasing a single every month because that’s how the scenario is around the globe. The west, for instance, is not driven by the film industry. So artists release their albums regularly. Whereas here, there are 20 new songs releasing every week. There is an influx of Bollywood music. So, there is not much space, and in order to do justice to our album, we need to create that space.
What do you have to say about the music scene in India and Pakistan?
Faisal: For a while, Pakistan’s music industry has been non-film based. The music scene in Pakistan is dominated by ghazals, qawwalis and sufi music. The country is also brimming with pop and rock bands. India has a vivacious music scene. Although Bollywood exerts a lot of influence over here, there are a lot of independent bands performing and music festivals emerging. Musicians have a healthy platform to play different genres of music with a huge and widespread fan following.
Bilal: Bollywood music was very different in the early 90s and Pakistani music was a very progressive genre at that time. The reason we became popular in India was because people discovered a new genre that didn’t exist in India then. Over the years, Bollywood has acquired a lot from Pakistani music. If you talk about the current Bollywood songs, they have a hint of Pakistani-style music. Bollywood has taken our music to a completely different level. Now, Pakistan is out of musicians because all of them are in India. Now we need more musicians in Pakistan to come up with new stuff. You have raised funds for several causes through your concerts. How do you think music can help heal the world?
Faisal: Music has tremendous potential to make a difference in the common man’s life. If you look at the news or social media, on the one side, you’ll see political conflicts between India and Pakistan reported; on the other side, you see that Shah Rukh Khan’s movies have broken all the records in Pakistan. If you remove the music and entertainment part, all that is left are serious political and social issues. So this blows things way out of proportion. Music, art, sports as well as films help maintain a healthy balance and help people come closer. The industry plays a huge role in making the world a better place.
