India is fast becoming a hot-spot for international artists, and our very own band Jal seems to have climbed the bandwagon. The lip gloss sporting boys are now headed to Agra to shoot their next music video. Well, we know there’s nothing new in that piece of info but guess where the video is meant to be shot… the Taj Mahal! That’s right one of the wonder of the new world will be a setting for a song from their album. The lads said that the romantic monument is an …

Islamabad got a good healthy dose of rock as Entity Paradigm, Jal, Call and many other bands performed on 13th march 2004 at the opening of the Open Air Theater in the scenic “Shakarpariyan”.
The event was organized by Dream Weaver Productions (known for the highly acclaimed murder mystery musical “8 women” performed at Al Hamra Lahore in December 2003) and the Capital Development Authority. Tickets were affordable at rupees 500 a piece.
Fans poured in to experience the glory of their best-loved bands. The event was extroverted, but sadly there were …

Music has a greater influence than cricket, when it comes to improving Indo-Pak relations, believes Faisal Kapadia, lead vocalist of Pakistani band Strings. “In cricket one team wins and the other loses, while in the exchange of music concerts, it’s the audience that wins ultimately,” says he. Faisal alongwith Bilal, the lead guitarist, make up the band. Many a time they have performed live in India.
What’s the band’s take on the controversies of lip syncing, of late doing the rounds in India recently? “Often we are asked to do so …

Two years ago Arooj Aftab was a middle-class Pakistani teenager living her life according to plan: She was working studiously under the watchful gaze of her parents to finish a two-year advanced-level degree in math and economics, and planning a sensible career in accounting.
At the same time, Aftab was pursuing an interest that was not at all part of the well-established cultural framework. She was teaching herself to play the guitar. As if this weren’t radical enough, Aftab began writing her own songs. Forbidden by her father to enter a …

Interview: Moazzam Abbasi
Hair and Makeup: KR Crew
Photography: Khawar Riaz
You are not only the queen of the local music industry, but happen to be the only big female pop star. Why aren’t there more female singers from good families out there? How have you managed to retain this monopoly?
This is something that has always confused me. I fail to understand why here is no influx of good girls into this field especially since I have already paved the way for them. Girls from solid family background can take up singing as …

Mizraab, a progressive metal band, is the brainchild of numero uno guitarist Faraz Anwar. The band has faced numerous problems in album release due to their heavy metal sound mixed with intelligent lyrics which do not fit in the usual mould of sad excuse for poetry with the masses are accustomed to.
First, they mysteriously ‘disappeared’ on Indus Music. Then, the release of their album, Maazi Haal Mustaqbil (MHM), has been floundering for a while now, with different release dates being announced at regular intervals. And yet there is no sign …

From Hum Na to Meri Duniya, your music seems to be very diverse in terms of musical expression. Are you trying to find your niche or this diversity is an attempt towards generating mass appeal?
Ifu: Diversity is the one salient feature in our album. However it is not an intentional effort for commercial reasons but is just the natural mood resulting from the sort of song writing we did. The music is simple, catchy & accessible. In this creative process if the album had become diverse and thus has mass …

THERE’S a first time for everything as singer Khadija Hayder proved with her debut album ‘My First Time’.
The singer has already featured the The Secret Service album, D-Classified, and the compilation album Love Is… But now Khadija has surpassed herself with the release of her debut album.
My First Time has been released by AP Productions and offers a variety of musical styles including pop and bhangra.
Khadija collaborated with lyricist Akhtar Hussain and producer JKD to bring out her first solo work. The result is uplifting and refreshing – a sure …

Ali Azmat’s latest offering Social Circus has firmly reaffirmed Ali Azmat as the king of Rock n’ roll in Pakistan. Breaking away from the traditional aura of Junoon, Ali has gone all guns blazing in this latest offering of varied moods and personal life experiences. In fact it seems that Ali has tried hard to stay away from traditional Junoon territory and in doing has fallen flat on its face with glaring moments of mediocrity. However, the major portion of Social Circus stands out as original and inspiring musical extravaganza.
Social …

19th of june saw ANESTHEZIA rocking their heads off at THE PLANET. The show started off a bit slowly but once the infectious band took over the stage it was all worth the money. The band were supported well by KSP. There were problems- mainly technical, still the band were simply amazing. The show kicked of with the powerfull MIL TU ZARA. The hard rocking sound of the band made the cafe shake and cry for more. The powerfull vocals of shoaib and the guitar leads of adeel were as …