INTERVIEW WITH HARRY ANAND - I

Who : Harry Anand
About : Singer, Music Composer of popular remixes like Kaliyon ka Chaman
Website: None

You can check out the interview HERE : Interview with Harry Anand
Interview Date: July, 2003
Place: Bahrain
Pics:Interview Pics

Here I'm going to recollect how the interview with Harry Anand happened and describe the entire experience of the interview.

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INTERVIEW WITH HARRY ANAND - II

Who : Harry Anand
About : Singer, Music Composer of popular remixes like Kaliyon ka Chaman
Website: None

How it happened : Interview with Harry Anand
Interview Date: July, 2003
Place: Bahrain
Pics:Interview Pics

Nikhil Taneja(NT) : You started your career by being a jeweler. How did you discover your passion for music then ? And how did your first album, ‘Bollywood Remix’ happen ?
Harry Anand(HA) : Actually, from school time, I was very much involved in music. I used to sing in school and I was in the school band as well. After completing my schooling, I had never really thought of coming to Mumbai and being a music director or a singer or doing remixes for that matter.

When I came to Mumbai, I did my remix album, not for the market, just for my pleasure. I did 10 tracks and luckily, they got selected, I got a break and music has been my life ever since. ‘Bollywood Remix’ was a good attempt actually. There were no videos at that time for remixes, because at that time they used to promote only fresh pop albums. But even then, my album did extremely, extremely well and thanks to that, in a span on just 2 years, I had done at least 20-25 remix albums.

NT : You came into Mumbai with your brothers in 1994. How do you look back at your journey almost a decade later ?
HA : Well, if I see my graph today, I have grown steadily. Maybe I am moving very slow, but so far, people have loved whatever I have done, whether it is remixes or songs or whether it is a pop album. At least I have got a good fan following and people have appreciated my music. That is why, thanks to God, my success is growing and let’s just hope it lasts forever.

NT : In 1997, you started composing music too with Nitin Bali’s album, Na Jaane. How did it come about ?
HA : After doing my remix albums, I luckily got a break from Nitin Bali, who had heard my music. He came to be with Basheer of BMG Crescendo, and when they did a sitting with me, in just one day, they chose all my songs. That album also became a huge hit, largely due to the Punjabi song, ‘Sun Soniye’. Its first song had the combination of Ruby Bhatia and Nitin Bali and was inspired by a French composition. This album gave me a break in composing fresh music, and with the grace of God, I haven’t had to look back as yet.

NT : You had also done an album with Vikas Bhalla. Why didn’t that get released ?
HA : Vikas Bhalla’s album was really one of my best works. I don’t know why it wasn’t released. It is still with the music company. Maybe there was some paperwork problem or some financial problem. It still lies with them. Hopefully someday, it will see the light of the day.

NT : In 1999, your first album, Chaahat, was released but your potential was realized with your second album, Ittefaqan Pyar, which generated a lot of kind reviews. What mistakes did you try to rectify in your second album, which you might have found in the first one ?
HA : Actually, my first album Chaahat was my debut album as a singer and it gave me a chance to show my singing potential. Bhushan Kumar, of T-Series, gave me a chance for that album, as a friendly gesture and thanks to him I have reached where I am now. Chaahat did pretty well too; it sold around 5 lakh copies, which is very good for an upcoming singer.

After the good response for Chaahat, I did my next album, Ittefaqan Pyaar. At the time of Chaahat, I wasn’t very mature as a singer, though people did appreciate my compositions.

Ittefaqan Pyaar was a very big budget album; it cost us around one crore and had videos featuring Jas Arora, Aarti Chabbria and other good models. The video was directed by Ahmed Khan and all the songs had high production value. I did live music for it and used violins, group violins, the likes. I think that did the trick and it came out to be a good earner.

NT : You have stressed the use of live music in Ittefaqan Pyar. What is so different about it ?
HA : Live music is something everybody loves, because of the human feel that is there. It is very natural basically. When you play with keyboards, the music doesn’t really touch your heart, at least not as much as live music touches you, because at that time, they are playing the music live according to the song. So, as far as I am concerned, I don’t think there is any comparison to live music.

NT : You started remixes with your younger brother Vipin as a partner. Now though both you and your elder Brother Anand Raj Anand are very much on the scene, why isn’t he involved too much in your works ?
HA : Vipin is assisting my elder brother as an assistant music director. He has assisted my brother in all his films including Kaante, Jis Desh Mein Ganga Rehta Hai, Major Saab, etc. Vipin is the right hand to Anand. Actually, we are a very close knit family and even though we are three brothers, we have the same soul, and it doesn’t really matter to us whose name is shown in the credits. Also, we are planning to launch him as a mainstream singer, so we don’t want him to get too much exposure before.

NT : Your remix, Kaliyon Ka Chaman was an instant hit. But it was inspired by addictive, which itself was a remix of the original song by Lata Mangeshkar. Why did you decide to remix Addictive ?
HA : After Koi Sehri Babu of UMI 10’s first part, which was a folk song of sorts, we had to make something to live up to that chart topper. We wanted to make a song which would be a bigger hit than that. So we thought that since Koi Sehri Babu was a medium paced song, we needed a song which had a faster tempo. Well, we made 9 songs for that album and we were looking for a really hot song for the tenth one, and that’s one I happened to see the video of Addictive. It had Lataji’s voice in it. So I thought, if foreigners can use Lataji’s voice to see their songs, why shouldn’t I make aware to the Indian audiences that this song belongs to our country and this is the song. So I recreated this song and highlighted Lataji’s part in it. The song was rewritten by Dev Kohli and I recomposed it. If you listen to the original song, from the film Jyoti, you will realize how difference the remix is.

NT : What was your reaction to Saregama filing a suit against the makers of Addictive ?
HA : I think that was fair enough, since those people used Lataji’s original voice. So they were right at that and I think they won the case at last.

NT : Your latest remix, Kaanta Laga, a big hit too, is under criticism because of the video. Your comments ?
HA : As you’ve already said, the song is a big hit, and somewhere, the critics have also helped it. Because, like it’s written on cigarette packets, that ‘Smoking is injurious to health’, people tend to do it more. In the same way, the critics, by their negative publicity, helped in selling the album even more. It has already sold 10 million copies ! Otherwise, it was just like any other song !

NT : Switching tracks, tell us what was the response to your tours to the US and Holland ?
HA : Excellent. The audiences really seemed to like me. Normally, I don’t sing other’s songs. I would prefer singing my own songs. But if it is a live orchestra, I don’t mind singing any Mohd. Rafi or Kishore Kumar song. We have been listening to these golden melodies since childhood, so it’s an honour singing them. I sang Punjabi, Hindi and even English songs for them and it was a really good experience.

NT : Why is it, that though your first few tracks in Bollywood were appreciated by the audiences, you have not been playback singing too often ?
HA : Actually, even I wonder sometimes, why I didn’t continue playback singing, since both my songs in Bicchoo were pretty well received. But the thing was that when I watched the movie in a theatre and saw my song in it, what I realized, as a musician, and a very honest one at that, was that my voice wasn’t suiting Bobby Deol’s. It wasn’t mature enough.

You know, if you look at the legends of the music industry, right from Kishore Kumar to Sonu Nigam, all of them have hit it big time, only after the age of 30 or so. Kishore Kumar came in the limelight only at 40, Udit Narayan at 35-36, Abhijeet at 35 or so. I am just 31. So I am going to wait for another 2-3 years, and then make a come back.

NT : Your brother Anand Raj Anand has hit it big time with the music of Kaante. What part has he played in your life as a brother and as a mentor ?
HA : He has been a guru to me, and I have learnt everything from him. He has always been a great help to me and I respect him more than anything else in this world. He is more than just a brother to me. I am fully influenced by him.

NT : Do you think his success is going to open new doors for you in Bollywood too ?
HA : Definitely. After his success and my very own three hat trick successes in remixes, I have been getting lots of offers for movies. I am just looking for the right subject now. The moment I get a good subject, I will definitely compose for it. If AR Rahman can get his Roja, which made him get noticed, I am just waiting for my Roja to come.

NT : Which singers do you look up to for inspiration and which music directors would you like to work with, as a singer ?
HA : I would like to work with all the music directors. Every music director has a particular style of composing. So if you sing for that particular music director, it enhances your singing style also. That’s why I would love to work with every music director, right from AR Rahman to Anu Mallik to Rajesh Roshan. Their experience can make me a better singer too.

NT : Lastly, tell us something about your next album and your future plans.
HA : Right now, I am doing three remixes. In fact, I have just completed UMI – 10 Volume-4 and it will be releasing soon. It has got a very good Spice Girls’ remix song, ‘If you wanna be my lover’ and it’s song by Shamshad Begum ji. She is very old and has sung the song with a nasal accent. She used to sing in black and white movies. So this is a good mix of black and white with colour, of Shamshad Begum with Spice Girls(laughs). It is just an experiment. It might just click.

Apart from that, I am also working on DJ Doll Volume-II. And then, I am coming out with my own remix album called Harry-The Remix Don. I haven’t sung remixes till now, so this is going to be a first for me. And of course, I am also working on my own album, which is still in the production stage.

© Nikhil Taneja (nikhiltaneja@gmail.com)

INTERVIEW WITH VASUNDHARA DAS - I

Who : Vasundhara Das
About : Singer and Actress
Website: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vasundhara_Das

You can check out the interview HERE : Interview with Vasundhara Das
Interview Date: Summer, 2003
Place: Bahrain


Here I'm going to recollect how the interview with Vasundhara Das happened and describe the entire experience of the interview.

-------- To Be Updated --------

INTERVIEW WITH VASUNDHARA DAS - II

Who : Vasundhara Das
About : Singer and Actress
Website: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vasundhara_Das

How it happened : Interview with Vasundhara Das
Interview Date: Summer, 2003
Place: Bahrain
Pics: None

Nikhil Taneja (NT) :You started learning music at a very tender age of 10, when your grandmother encouraged you to take it up. At that time, were you interestered in it yourself or were you forced to learn it ?
Vasundhara Das(VD) : When I was 10, it I had really no understanding of music as such, and it was just that the family was so oriented to music, so we had been hearing a lot of music right from a really young age and so it was almost like it was natural. I don’t know, I can’t really explain it, but at that time, I would be very playful about it and wouldn’t take my lessons very seriously and you know how it is…when there is somebody at home, trying to teach you something…for some reason, you don’t happen to take it seriously! So, my grandma eventually got fed up and put me under somebody else, thinking that I might actually learn something there.

NT : When you actually started showing interest in the music field, what was your family reaction ? Apparently, your mother didn’t find it a safe career option.
VD : Well, its true in every sense…I mean when you see the number of people that are there in this business and the ratio in comparison to the number of people who actually make a living of a business like this…it is generally considered not very feasible. My mom was from a scientific background and everything and she said that you should have a definite option open for you, if you opt out…which is what she urged me to get a degree. But beyond that she never discouraged me from learning music because it wasn’t a feasible career option

NT : Is that the only reason you got yourself a qualified degree in Maths and Statistics ? If given an option, would you have considered something otherwise ?
VD : Umm…well I did seriously consider going full time into music, which is why my mom had to make these suggestions for me. You never know that tomorrow you might want be doing a marketing job, for which you need to get an MBA(giggles). You never know how things go…so at least the door is open. And then, quite by …I don’t know…elimination …I decided to do Maths and Statistics (laughs), because you know… I didn’t want biology, because I didn’t want to dissect(giggles). I didn’t want chemistry because there are too many formulae for me to learn. But fortunately I really loved maths, and I had some wonderful teachers along the way…so that was really great. And the college where I was studying…had a wonderful statistics department. So I actually ended up learning something out of it (laughs) !

NT : Tell us a little more about Freedom Jam, which you joined to get exposure to the Banglore music circle before you got your first break as a singer.
VD: Freedom jam was really sort of a get together for musicians…it was by musicians, for musicians…that kind of a thing…a democratic music process, if there is any sense to that (giggles) ! The concept being free music, because Banglore was going through a very bad patch, as far as music was concerned...because the police had shut down bands playing in bars, as they considered anything that is played along alcohol, under A category, called cabaret, which really didn’t make any sense… because not everything, not every performance is a cabaret. So, in any case, you can’t reason with them and they just decided, no, we are not going to have any music where alcohol is served. So a lot of the restaurants, which earlier used to have…say a little band set up or things like that, where musicians could actually perform, closed down. So musicians started to leave Banglore and stuff like that. So at this point some of us got together and said, okay, let’s do somethings...lets play somewhere. But there was nowhere to play! So then the consensus was, to make some place where people can play and people can come and look. So that’s where it all began…and the first freedom jam was actually of the 15th of august…on the independence day of the 50th year of indian independence. And we all kicked off…a lot of people came and you know, I was performing with River at that time(one of the two bands she had once been a part of)...and it was great. It was just a sort of place where people could come together and play music. And we actually met a lot of musicians and got to explore a lot… the different styles of music that you might not have otherwise considered.

NT : You are a person of diverse tastes. Had you taken up Spanish and Flamenco lessons calculatingly or was it because you had been influenced by them after interaction with a few columbian musicians ?
VD : Well, my exposure into Spanish music came through that entire Latin-American friends phase, after which I joined up Spanish class to learn the Spanish language, because I was so interested in their style of music. And that’s where I met this other friend of mine, who was a Spaniard, a teacher, who used to teach my Spanish, and it so turned out that she was a big fan of Flamenco...and she really loves music…and when she got to know that I was really learning Spanish because I wanted to sing and she started to get people to send me music…her friends sending me music from spain - that was so cool !

NT : You seem to be an opportunist. You made the first move to approach Magnasound for playback singing, where you met Praveen Mani. Had you thought it would work out ?
VD : I actually went to magnasound earlier on, and I met him through them and he was down from Canada, doing a few albums for them and that’s how I met him. And we got on really well together and we started to try out demos. When they were out, we tried out a few English demos and stuff like that. So my whole point was that, if in 3 days, I had 3 songs…so in 8 days, I would have had an album…but well it doesn’t go that way(giggles) ! We used to hang out a lot because we were trying to do these demos together, and through him I met Rahman, and through him Mani Rathnam and through him…the entire industry!

NT : Similarly, you had gone for the screen testing of Mira Nair’s Monsoon Wedding. Did your intutions tell you that the movie would come to be acknowledged in such a big way ?
VD : Well, when we were making it, it was really about making it. We never really thought beyond it. We were in the moment….because we were really trying so hard to be, so really, at that point nobody was focusing on anything but doing the movie...about actually making it. And I could tell you that much that even Mira really didn’t expect it to go off so well...you know, because she kept saying throughout that I don’t know…I think my next film is really going to be my crossover breakthrough. She had never really thought that Monsoon Wedding was going to be that crossover breakthrough (giggles). She kept saying this is my sort of a feasibility into my crossover breakthrough !

NT : Moving on to movies, an interesting fact is that when you approached AR Rahman for playback, he referred you to Mani Ratnam for the screen test of his upcoming movie. Why do you think that didn’t work out ?
VD : Well, it was quite simple. They had found somebody and she didn’t give them dates and that’s why they were looking for somebody else. That’s when I happened to meet Rahman, and that’s when this entire thing happened and then I went and tested for that. It was great, becase we all got down so well and Mani Sir is this really lovely person. He was looking at this girl, who comes into his office and looks completely sceptical, saying why have you called me here (laughs). Actually, he had been seeing these hoards of people coming to his office, saying please give me a role and there I was, asking what am I doing here (giggles) ! So it got strange for him and for me as well, because I just found myself in these outfits…and trying out different things ! So I really wasn’t adjusted to the idea...that would be one reason. Two, Shalini came back and gave him the dates, so in all fairness, the role was hers anyway.

NT : When you were referred to him by Mrs. Anita Rathnam, did Kamal Hassan sign you without a hitch or did he make you vie for the lead actress role ?
VD : I don’t know how she heard about what (giggles)…I was just in Mani RatHnam’s office for about 5 days, then these various tests. Anita Rathnam told Kamal about me…I think she had heard about the test with Mani Ratnam. Usually that’s what happens - it starts from Mani Rathnam and goes around to 10 other guys. Then again, he had also heard PC Sriram, because PC Sriram is one of the better cinematographers…who Mani Rathnam, as well as Kamal Hassan, work with, a lot. So, what happened was, that PC Sir is also a friend of Kamal’s...so he also referred me to him. So then, he didn’t need to know more credibility. So that’s how I got called for that test and I just went in one morning and the evening I was chosen for this role.

NT : You have said in some of your interviews that you had refused the Abhishek Bachchan starrer, Tera Jadoo Chal Gaya because you didn’t like the script whereas in some others you have refused saying anything as such. Can you clarify the matter ?
VD : Well really, there was nothing in the role of the girl that they wanted me play…and that really doesn’t excite me, does it ?

NT : After Tera Jadoo Chal Gaya, haven’t you given a thought to acting inmainstream Bollywood movies ?
VD : Well, I have… in fact Monsoon Wedding, I would say, is quite a mainstream Bollywood movie. Its just been made differently, but I think it is quite a commercial movie. Its not, in any way, an art film. I am not averse to acting in sort of a film, I just have a few requisites for the roles that I play… and one of them, definitely, is strength of character. Two, is a sort of strength in the story. Three, is probably a character that’s one I can identify with, that’s what I want…and if I am not able to find that, I don’t think I will be able to do justice to the character.

NT : After working with stalwarts like Naseeruddin Shah, Kamal Hassan, Mohan Lal, Ajith, etc, has acting been easy for you or has it been all the more difficult to keep up with their standards ?
VD : Well….nice question (giggles). …Working with Kamal was a huge challenge…because, it was my first ever experience in acting and I was competing with probably the best actor in India at present, and I really don’t know how good or bad I was in that film. I remember Kamal actually laughing at me in the interviews because I used to say I really don’t know how this is going to work out…I am just doing this because it was just an experience! And he would laugh at me in public and would say she really doesn’t know what she has done in this film (laughs). And she really doesn’t know that she doesn’t look like a beginner in the film. And when I saw it, I realised what he was saying ! I don’t know how he got it out of me, I really don’t… but I do know that I identify with this character a lot…even though it was more sub consciously than very consciously and there was so much in this character that you got excited about and you wanted to be in it, rather than try to act it, you know. So that’s what it was with Kamal.

Then subsequently, with Naseer, it was more of a teacher-student relationship that I shared, because he was pretty much the father figure of the set of Monsoon Wedding. And we learnt a hell of a lot from him…about methods of stimulating your acting buds and things like that, which I, as a complete outsider to this industry, wasn’t aware of at all. So, that was great.

Umm...then, Citizen (with Ajith) was a completely different experience, because that was commercial mainstream cinema. And there is a hell of a lot that one has to deal with there…you have to be really strong and you have to pretty much close your eyes and do that. And so, that was again a learning experience, I would say. Then with Mohanlal, it was someone to look up to, in the sense that a great actor, who would be the same offset and onset, and you would just watch this guy (giggles)…he just sleepwalks into dialogues, without any effort whatsoever. He was just reeling them off(giggles).. It was just an incredible thing to watch…I mean how these guys...how well they do it! Again, I can’t compare Ajith in any sense with the other people that we have spoken about, for example, Naseer or Kamal or Mohanlal, but he was a really nice guy.

NT : Your debut song won you a filmfare. Did that ever force you to re consider your acting assignments and concentrate only on your music career ?
VD : No… because I thought, as I said, acting and singing are two different expressions of the same emotion… and if I can do both, there is nothing like it, because by then I had caught they acting bug, as they say it (giggles).

NT : From Rabba Mere Rabba to Gustakhiyan, Bollywood composers also seem to want to get hold of you. Can you tell us about your future music assignments in Bollywood ?
VD : I am doing a lot of playback singing…in Hindi, Tamil, Telegu, Kannada(giggles)…but otherwise, I am also working with another album of my own after Meri Jaan. So I am also completely going on my own track, as far as solo album or music is concerned…and I am still continuing that. So I do plan to get out an album sometime soon…in fact I am working on it right now...but I don’t know when or how that’s going to come out (laughs).

NT : Your debut music album had a bit of everything. What do you think went wrong with it ?
VD : (spontaneously) The marketing (giggles).

NT : What new are you coming up with in your next album and how long would your fans have to wait for it ?
VD :You just have to wait (laughs) !

NT : Finally, what are your future plans and which are your upcoming movies ?
VD : My future plans are to remain the singer and the actress and to accept these challenges and live upto them and my future movies. I don’t really know when they are going to be coming out, so I don’t really want to say anything about them (laughs).

© Nikhil Taneja (nikhiltaneja@gmail.com)

INTERVIEW WITH A1 - I

Who : A1 band
About : Anglo Norwegian boy band from UK
Website: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A1_(band)

You can check out the interview HERE : Interview with A1
Place: Le Meredian Hotel, Dubai

Here I'm going to recollect how the interview with A1 band happened and describe the entire experience of the interview.

-------- To Be Updated --------

INTERVIEW WITH A1 - II

Who : A1 band
About : Anglo Norwegian boy band from UK
Website: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A1_(band)

How it happened : Interview with A1
Interview Date: 27 September, 2001
Place: Le Meredian Hotel, Bahrain
Pic: Below.. Me with A1(plus a very unwanted hotel personnel of the hotel I interviewed those guys)

Nikhil Taneja(NT) : Recently, you won an award for the Best Album of The Year at the Disney Awards in London. How does it feel ?
Ben : That was great. When we win any awards, say awards for albums and stuff like that, are probably the ones that are most special. We have gone through the best haircut and silly things like that, so getting something for your music is actually really good. Umm…It’s actually quite interesting that it became best album of this year, when it was actually released last year. But that didn’t bother us, ‘cause we still got the Disney award. And it’s actually very special for us, because….I don’t know if you know, but we actually write the majority of our material…we wrote 10 songs for the first album, 11 songs for the second album. We have actually written sixty songs for the third album, but we have to try and cut down to 10 songs or 12 songs or whatever. So, well, we felt really really good and I don’t know if you or anybody else voted for us. But if you voted for us and you were in England at that time, thank you very much !

NT : According to you, how are you different from other bands ?
Mark : Well, I guess, you know, that the main difference that we mentioned in the last question as that we do a lot ourselves and I think, as far as pop bands go, we are the only band of our kind that , you know, does play everything live, does a lot of the producing, does a lot of the writing. Officially, in today’s age of pop music, not enough bands do play live, not enough bands do sing live, and that’s where we stand apart from other bands, and it’s very important to us. And I guess, that’s the main difference. You know, we are still essentially a pop band, we are not anything else…we are just a good pop band, that loves to take part in the other side of things. That’s the main focus for us. I guess, if you look at the past lot of pop bands, I think that makes us quite different.

NT : What is your inspiration for the songs you write ?
Christian : I think, a lot of times, we come up with things just somehow. We can be walking, and get a certain melody in our head. And every time we get a certain melody in our head, you know, when you get time next, you can put your ideas together and try to shape them into a song. I think, you take what you experience and you take what you see around you. It could be a movie that inspires you, or a story and a little bit of fiction and a little bit of fact from your own life and then you put it together and try to shape them into a song. You know, like any movie or any movie, that you have to put a little bit spice in the story, a little bit a truth in the story to make it look real.

NT : What response did you get after doing a cover version of A-Ha’s popular 80’s song ?
Mark : It’s quite funny, when a lot of our generation of fans, a lot of the kids have actually come up to us and said, ‘We just heard this song on the radio and it was a cover of your song, ‘Take On Me’. So we were like, ‘That’s the original !’. So obviously, what we set out to do, we achieve, because we thought that it was such a great song and a lot of kids in today’s generation haven’t really experienced that…which is the same case for a lot of great songs of the past. We don’t really have a habit of doing covers…it’s the only cover we’ve done as a single. But we just really thought that it would lift our careers from a certain point to another level, which is what we really wanted to do. And, you know, because it is nothing like a cover version for people to recognize it, because people can grasp the song instantly, since they have already heard it a few times. So, I think cover songs serve their purpose, and it did well for us, and after that, we got ourselves our first no.1, and after that, we went back to writing songs ourselves. So it did very well for us, and apparently, A-Ha really liked the version we did, something even I was surprised about, ‘cause a lot of A-Ha fans came up to us and said that they liked the version we did, because, you see, it is a very popular song from the 80s…a very very popular song from the 80s – it is a classic. So, I am glad we could be faithful to the original and not mess it up.

NT : Do any of you ever plan to go solo ?
Christian : I don’t think that would be for quite a while yet. I think we enjoy working together and you know, initially, before we joined the band, I think we all wanted to be solo. That’s what we were really going for. None of us really thought of being a band, especially a boy band. You know, we are into something related to music. When we met each other, though, i.e., when we came up together as a band, we realised quickly that we thought we have a special connection, that we write better songs together than we do single, and perform better than we do single, and so we bring out the best each other and so we have a really really really working collaboration. And we just love the music we make together. We enjoy each other’s company and we are going to stay that way for a long time. But, you know, maybe in the future, when we realise that we are too old to be a boy band ..
Ben : ..Paul’s already too old !
Christian : ..Paul’s already too old, but we thought..
Paul : I am 26, and I think by the time I want to finish, I should be over 30. Actually, I am thinking about getting married and having kids and stuff.
Christian : But, you know, one day in the future, maybe, we might to bring out our solo albums, ‘cause we do write a lot of songs individually.

NT : What are going to start on, when you get back ?
Christian : We are going to get on with the new stuff. Before we came, we were busy working on the new single, and it’s going really well. Our producer, who is being working with U2, Travis…he’s got so many artistes. So, together, when we work with him, we try to create a little bit of a different sound, definitely moving on from what we have been doing in the past. And I think that people won’t really be surprised by the new material that we have got, as it’s still essentially pop, though it’s got a slightly tougher and more interesting edge to it, ‘cause it’s a lot better than the, you know, the plastic pop that goes around. It’s got a bit more depth to it, which, I think, will give it a wider appeal. So, it’s going to be really exciting. So that’s what’s are next focus – finish the third album and start promoting stuff, and get to international stuff – start touring the world again !

NT : What inspired you to write, ‘My Girl’ ?
Ben : Well, it’s actually a very sad story for a kind of a loving song, really ! It was actually where the gir (makes a face as if he were crying) didn’t treat me very well. (Normal again) So I thought I would write a song to describe how I would like to be treated by a girl. So, that’s that basic story. …She was horrible, wasn’t she !!

NT : You guys write your own lyrics, play your own instruments and choreograph your own songs. Any regrets of not being able to do something ?
Mark : We don’t do our own catering, we don’t COOK, and that’s probably best we don’t do that – we don’t want to keep vomiting the whole night !! So we don’t do our own cooking. To be fair, we don’t we do all of our own choreography. Paul offers a lot of info on the current styles, ‘cause he is a wonderful dancer. But we have a lot of great choreographers who work with us. We are actually indirectly managing ourselves !!

NT : How long have you guys know each other now ?
Christian : It’s been 4 years now.
Ben : 4 years !! That’s long !!
Paul : 4 glorious years !
Mark : It’s been great ! We’ve been together for 4 years, and we’ve been releasing singles for 3 years now. It just goes by so quickly. It’d kinda nice being together, because it’s really important to have friendship, and our friendship has been going really well, ‘cause if it didn’t we wouldn’t have stuck it out this long ! I mean, the kind of pressure that you have on yourselves in these kind of bands, it’s good to have friendship, so that you can turn to each other for different things and stuff.

NT : How did you guys come together ?
Ben : That’s a very long and boring story…you really don’t want to know ! That’s really the question we get asked the most, everywhere we go. But basically, the short version is, we were all at Saints Breeze, and bumped into each other. Mark was at the check out, I was behind the meat counter, Paul…what were you doing ?
Paul : Inspecting shirts..
Ben : …Inspecting shirts, and Christian was actually the shop manager, and we all got together and thought, hey why not create a boy band, and that’s what we did.
Mark : Yup, and it was a Saints Breeze on the A1, which is a road in U.K. So we called _­ourselves A1, instead of Saints Breeze…Saints Breeze is kinda like a big supermarket. Actually, I want to give you the right answer, because we always give these joky answers and then, they get printed and that’s what everybody believes. The quick story is, basically, our manager wanted together a pop band, a boy band, so as to speak, but with a slight difference, so that everybody could sing to high standard, write to a standard, play musical instruments, etc. And, so they basically searched throughout the country, they went to music universities, they went to pretty much everywhere, and after three years, we have come forward. … I know Ben’s story is much better !!

NT : Your Japanese record company has given you your own cartoon series over there. Who thought of this concept and how well has it been received ?
Mark : Hunh…our own cartoons !
Ben : Yeah, well, when we were going over to Japan, early last year, they wanted to bring us in a slightly different way. They didn’t want to just bring another band that has arrived on the screen. So they actually created a cartoon, this was ethic in Japan, and partnered by Sony. And they made these cool cartoons, and they put every British caliche in the book, in there – red buses, bowler hats and James Bond. Christian’s from Norway and he loved it, he loved it !! And it was all in this one cartoon. It wasn’t a serial or anything like that, it was just a one-off special just to introduce people to us. We loved it…we thought it was hilarious ! But, uh…well, we would be quite embarrassed if anybody else saw it. But it was great ! We liked it ! And it served its purpose, and when we later went over there, all the CD front covers had red buses over there ! It was good…it was just a way to introduce ourselves to the Japanese audience, you know, because it was a lot of fun. And it worked…it was realty good !!

INTERVIEW WITH SHAAN - I

Who : Shaan
About : Popular Indian Playback Singer

Website: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shaan_(singer)

You can check out the interview HERE : Interview with Shaan
Place: Bahrain
Pics: None

Here I'm going to recollect how the interview with Shaan happened and describe the entire experience of the interview.

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INTERVIEW WITH SHAAN - II

Who : Shaan
About : Popular Indian Playback Singer
Website: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shaan_(singer)

How it happened : Interview with Shaan
Interview Date: August,2001
Place: Mumbai
Pics: None

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INTERVIEW WITH JAGJIT SINGH - I

Who : Jagjit Singh
About : Legendary Indian Ghazal Singer
Website: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jagjit_Singh_(singer)

You can check out the interview HERE : Interview with Jagjit Sngh
Place: Bahrain

Here I'm going to recollect how the interview with Jagjit Singh Sir happened and describe the entire experience of the interview.

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INTERVIEW WITH JAGJIT SINGH - II

Who : Jagjit Singh
About : Legendary Indian Ghazal Singer
Website: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jagjit_Singh_(singer)

How it happened : Interview with Jagjit Singh
Interview Date: Summer,2001
Place: Bahrain
Pic: Below, at the hotel lobby where I interviewed him

Nikhil Taneja (NT) : You started singing in the late 50s. How has the face of music changed since then?
Jagjit Singh (ST) : It’s been almost 50 years since I have been seeing changes in the music scene. Lots of things have changed. The standard of poetry has gone down. Because of the growth of science, Indian equipments and sound have improved so much that the singing quality has gone down, as you have the facility to correct your faults, through these machinery and equipments. In the process, the introduction of visual music has done harm to real music, you see. Due to this, people only see the music and don’t care to hear it and as they get to see it on their television sets, they don’t buy the cassettes or CDs. So, that is a big change in scene. Also, non-professional people have entered into this field. Some people have money, and they can afford to make videos. The media people don’t mind showing these videos free of cost. Music has thus gone into wrong hands. But I am sure it won’t stay like this. It will change in the near future.

NT: As ghazals were popular only amongst select audiences during the times you sung, did you think you would be successful ?
JS : Ghazals were popular everywhere. During the 50s and 60s, 90 % film songs were based on ghazals. So you cannot say that they were limited to select audiences. Only a few ghazal singers like Begum Akhtar, etc., who were not in films, had limited audiences, for the very same reason. But, otherwise, ghazal songs were very popular. Most of the old songs of Talat Mehmood, Lata Mangeshkar, Hemant Kumar, etc., are all based on ghazals.

NT : We see a new pop singer or a bhangra singer on the music scene everyday. Why don’t we get to see ghazal singers that often ?
JS : Because we, ghazal singers, don’t have anything visual to show ! We don’t dance, we don’t wear funny clothes, we don’t keep half naked girls with us. So that’s why they don’t believe in singing ghazals.

NT :Among the new ghazal singers, who do you think will be able to follow in your footsteps in the field of ghazal singing ?
JS : At present, I can't pinpoint a single one, but whosoever works hard, will ultimately be successful. There are few boys, like, Mohammed Vakil, Shyam Vaswani, Vinod Sehgal, Jaspinder Singh, who I think are quite good. So let us see, who is the best and who is the most talented.

NT : You have worked with lyricists like Javed Akhtar, Gulzar and a variety of other lyricists. According to you, whom do you best get along with?
JS : It’s not the poet who is the best. It’s his work, which speaks for him. So I don’t mind working with anybody, provided his work is good. Actually, I am very selective. I select the best lyrics. Even with Gulzar or Javed, I select their lyrics based on my choice, according to what I feel is good.

NT : You have cut out albums, the proceedings of which have been donated to funding organizations like CRY and National Association of Blind. Are you still affiliated with them, and if yes, in what way ?
JS : We do some concerts for them, occasionally. Other than CRY and NAB, I have also sung for Save the Children, Cancer Society, etc. There are so many funding societies, and when they come to me, I can’t refuse.

NT : Your Punjabi songs get widely acknowledged, like we witnessed in the concert yesterday. Why don’t you cut a Punjabi song album for a change ?
JS : These songs are all from my old albums. Most of the Punjabi songs I sing at concerts are all from my past albums. And why do I do a full album ? Small doses of everything are good. (Smiles)

NT : What makes a good ghazal singer ?
JS : You must know the language, first of all. You must know music, you must be trained in music and singing, whether you sing for bhajans or for pop albums. You must have formal training. You have to have a good, cultured voice. You should also be educated. So, these are the things which make a good human being, and of course, a good musician.

NT : Could you please tell us something about your guru, who discovered such a great music maestro in you ?
JS : (Laughs) Neither he discovered me, nor I discovered him. We met, because of destiny. And we started exchanging notes of music. He started teaching me and I started grasping it. But ultimately, you have to work hard to get success.

NT : Does one necessarily have to be a ghazal lover to understand ghazals ? Why do you think the youth of today is a bit more inclined toward the other forms of music ?
JS : No, you are mistaken there. Today’s youth is inclined towards ghazals also, towards me also (laughs) ! Youth is always divided. They have no mind. They always go towards the fashion. And when they realise that pop music, etc is nothing, they come back to ghazals.

NT : Apart from the depth and wording of lyrics, upon what criteria do you choose the album in which you sing ?
JS : The language has to be understandable, apart from being meaningful, of course. The thought has to be so good that it can touch your heart. There has to be some surprise factor in the poetry. That’s what I choose upon.

NT : Can you name your 5 most favourite ghazals ?
JS : I can’t pinpoint at 5 particular ghazals, really. But, some songs like, ‘Yeh Daulat Bhi Le Lo’, ‘Ahista Ahista’, ‘Tum Itna Jo Muskura Rahe Ho’, ‘Mera Geet Amar Kar Do’ are really close to my heart. But there are so many that I can’t really tell which are the 5 most favourite ones.

NT : What do you do when you are not singing ?
JS : I do shopping, I meet friends, I go out…I just have a good time.

NT : What would you call as your most memorable moment from your career of more than 40 years ?
JS : Most memorable moment ? Actually…nothing has come surprisingly or suddenly. I have worked hard for everything. There are so many moments that have come and gone in my life. I have sung in some of the most prestigious places of the world, like, Royal Festival Hall, Lincoln Centre, Royal Albert Hall in London…these are all memorable places for me, all memorable moments throughout.

NT : How many hours do you still riyaz in a day ?
JS : I never count the hours. When I sit, I sit (Smiles). Sometimes I riyaz continuously for two hours, three hours or four hours at a stretch.

NT : Finally, what are you currently working on and what are your future plans ?
JS : Currently, I have been working on another album. It has been written by Javed Akhtar. It will be released soon. I have also just released a bhajan album last week – Jai Siya Ram. I haven’t made up my mind yet, as to what to start next. But I am definitely starting a new album soon.

INTERVIEW WITH MEHNAZ - I

Who : Mehnaz
About : Indian Pop Singer
Website: http://www.mehnaz.com/

You can check out the interview HERE : Interview with Mehnaz
Place: Bahrain
Pics: None

Here I'm going to recollect how the interview with Mehnaz happened and describe the entire experience of the interview.

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INTERVIEW WITH MEHNAZ - II

Who : Mehnaz
About : Indian Pop Singer
Website: http://www.mehnaz.com/

How it happened : Interview with Mehnaz
Interview Date: March,2001
Place: Bahrain
Pics: None

She is a wannabe Miss India. She has even awards for trying to be Miss India ! She is the dream catcher, who comes in the dreams of several young men, charming each one with her beauty. She has given hit songs in Hindi as well as English, the latest one being the one with Air Supply, ‘You Are’. Something is nothing for her. She aims high. She wants more knowledge and she is still learning to sing! The girl who has given smash hits like ‘Main Hoon’ and ‘Miss India’, Mehnaz, opens out in an informal chat.

Nikhil Taneja(NT) : Did you venture into music just because your father was also into it ?
Mehnaz Hossein(MH) : Nahin nahin...my father was never really ‘into’ music, my family is very musical…they are very fond of listening to music and I just encouraged it. I got into music because I think since I was a child I was always singing in school, and I loved the entertainment business. I have danced for 6 years professionally and I’ve even trained for Indian classical. And when I was in 9^th or 10^th standard, everyone said why don’t you do a demo. So I just recorded a demo…a tape and the music record company heard it and they called me and they offered me a contract and I just took it.

NT : How supportive was your family on your decision to take up singing ?
MH : My family is my biggest backbone, my biggest support. People say that Mehnaz, but you are a Muslim girl, isn’t your family conservative ? Not at all…they are really broad-minded. They love music. Like, I said, that when I was a kid, the environment at home was lovely. My parents, my brothers, my sisters-in-law are all just so supportive. They are everything to me.

NT : You have taken training for dance under Shaimak Davar for 6 whole years. What relationship do you share with him and did this training help you in any way to promote your career in music ?
MH : Most definitely. I would think…my basic grounding in dance was thanks to Shaimak. For 6 years I trained intensively with him. I was in his professional dance company. I taught too…he has a dance institute in Bombay and I was teaching on his behalf. I was an instructor. It was wonderful exposure. Shaimak is an excellent teacher. I used to look up to Shaimak as a Guru, but today I see him as a friend. He’s really wonderful. And I really really attribute a lot of my confidence on stage to the training Shaimak gave me.

NT : Your first solo show was in Muscat almost 6 years back. How has the journey been from then till now ?
MH : (Chuckles) Oh wow ! It’s definitely been wonderful because my first show(solo) was in Muscat on New Year’s eve, way back in 95. And...God ! So much has happened in these 5 years. I’ve done so many more shows, of course, I’ve got a lot more confident. I enjoy the shows now. Initially, I used to be scared to go on stage…you know, I wouldn’t enjoy myself on stage because I was all the time thinking of the outcome that will people like it, am I looking okay, am I dancing okay, am I singing okay. But now, it’s like I totally enjoy myself. I go on stage because I want to have a good time. And I guess when the artist is liking it herself, the audience loves it. It just shows.

NT : How is it that you’ve only sung for off beat films till now ? Don’t you have any plans of shifting to play back for commercial films ?
MH : I do, definitely. I did sing for off beat because I signed for Bombay Boys and then I sang for Split Wide Open with Air Supply and now Snip. I have been talking to different directors right now. So very soon you’ll get to see Mehnaz in a different light.

NT : You had once said that Mausam was a ‘mature’ album. Can you please elaborate ?
MH : Sure. Mausam was my second solo album after Miss India and the whole direction of it was totally different. Miss India was the first album…it was teeny-boppy and it established me as a singer. But Mausam was more mature in terms of lyrics, production-wise, musically. I think when people hear the product and compare it to Miss India, they definitely see a difference. And even as a singer, I thought I evolved a lot because I learnt so much, doing the album. I worked with different music directors. It wasn’t one person who did the whole album. So, it was a very good learning experience for me.

NT : How was the experience of working with Air Supply ?
MH : (Wide smile) That was like a dream. Because…I don’t know. Have you heard of them ?

NT : Yeah…they were popular in the 80s.
MH : (Smiles) You have…wow ! Because when I was a kid, I mean, Air Supply was very big in the 80s. And I hadn’t ever thought of ever doing a duet with then. But it just happened at the Channel V Awards 1996. When I won that year, they were performing. And then, the company spoke about collaborating with the artists. And it just happened. I went to LA and I recorded with them and I couldn’t believe I was there. I just couldn’t believe it. Graham, who was one of the guys, was singing his famous song, making love out of nothing at all, on the piano, and I was actually standing with him and singing. And it was like a dream. It was wonderful working with them. They are great musicians and I learnt a lot.

NT : Now that you have sung in collaboration with Air Supply in English, any plans of opening a solo English album ?
MH : I don’t think a solo English album would work in India because the thing is, in India, right now, Indian music is what sells and Indians are not very open to listening to an Indian artist singing in English as much as a foreign artist. So if I ever do an album, I think it would definitely be outside India and if it works and sells, I think then it would do well in India also.

NT : A lot has been written about the controversy involving you and Anaida. How far is it true and what really happened ?
MH : Nothing really happened. Its just that, I guess, when you are in the limelight and when you are in the news, people just write things about you. I think you should just take it in from one ear and take it out from another. I don’t have any hard feelings towards her. I wish her well and hope she feels the same way. And there is nothing much remembering about because, I guess, she’s gone her way and I’ve gone my way and they are just silly rumours that float around and no one takes them seriously.

NT : You are a trained classical singer, you have cut pop albums and you have also sung play back. Which among these is your personal favourite and why ?
MH : The thing is, that when you are singing for your own album, it’s very intense, because, you know, the whole album is you, it’s your voice, you are working on 8 to 10 songs. And when you are doing play back, it’s a very big challenge, because you go and you sing that one song because the music director briefs you, because either that song is picturised on another actresses face or if the song is concept based, they want a certain kind of attitude. They are looking for something. So it’s a challenge doing playback, because you have to live up to the wishes of the director. But when you are doing your own album, it’s you. Much easier that way.

NT : Since the time you debuted, pop music has changed quite a lot. Now you can see a new singer debuting every alternative day, irrespective of the fact that he or she has training in music or not. What do you have to say about this ?
MH : What I think is that quality will prevail. There are people who are one album wonders. They come and they go. But eventually, if you are good, you will sustain and you will stay. I think they need to stand up with a stable music company because you need a very solid backing. And I don’t know, when you watch television, today the singers that are being remembered the most are actually the serious singers, the play back singers, the ghazal singers. They are coming in and doing songs and their songs are hit. So it’s your quality of music. If you do good work, it will definitely show.

NT : What will you call as the ‘turning point’ in your music career ?
MH : Let me see… I think it has yet to come. (smiles)

NT : You’ve also modelled in a few shows. Any plans of taking modelling seriously ?
MH : No no no. I don’t model really. I just did this one show with Shaina, who is a very famous designer. She’s a personal friend. She basically had this show, and she asked me to wear one of her outfits. And I did only for her. And I enjoyed it. I mean it was Mehnaz in a different light. But the show was basically about women achievers, walking down the ramp. And what she tried to portray in the show was that anybody can wear her clothes. Be it a singer, be it a dancer, be it a doctor, whatever it is. That’s what she did. She picked ladies from different fields and asked her to wear any of her outfits. And I wore a sari and I walked on the ramp, and it was most comfortable. And someone who had probably come to the show, would feel that ‘Okay, Mehnaz has worn a sari, so it’s simple. Maybe even I can do it.’ I thought it was a very interesting idea , and so I did it.

NT : How have you been associated with Ms. Diana Hayden ?
MH : I know Diana since 1995-96. She used to basically manage me and Anaida, at BMG. At that time, Diana had just come back from Hyderabad. My career had just started, and Diana was there with me, so as to speak. I have lovely memories. Like I told you that I was very scared of performing, you know, I used to get nervous. But she was just excellent. Because before every show of mine, she used to calm me down. She was a great manager basically. Very tough. And she wouldn’t give in to my nonsense. Seriously, because you have to be careful. You can’t give in to an artist. And I learnt a lot from Diana I would definitely, very proudly say that I am very happy that she was there when I started off my career. And she’s been a wonderful friend. Although she’s won Miss World, her rapport never changed with me. She managed to keep in touch. I was the one, in fact, who thought that, you know, she’s become Miss World. This is serious now. But Diana kept her relationships with all her friends. And, even today, when she comes to Bombay, she will come home. She loves my Mom. She’ll chat with my Mom. It’s cool. It’s wonderful. The relationship is wonderful. And I hope it stays that way.

NT : Who is your idol and who inspired you to take up music as a career ?
MH : I have many idols. Like I was growing up listening to Whitney Housten, String, Bee Gees, etc, but I think my inspiration is not a person or a thing, but my inspiration is the goal that lies ahead of me. My aim, my dreams are what inspires me.

NT : Are you happy with the songs you have sung throughout your career ?
MH : Oh yes, of course. For me, I don’t look at anything in a negative way. I look at everything as a stepping stone. There are things that happen because of a reason. Every song is a turning point because when you record, when you work with other people, you are always learning. You are not going a step back. You are always going a step forward. Whichever way my career has taken shape, I know it’s going in a certain direction, because it has to go somewhere.

NT : What are you currently working on and what are your future plans ?
MH : Currently, I have not yet started working on any album. In fact, I am looking for the direction of music, where I want to go for my third album. So I think that’s going to take a while. It may take, like, 3 months. Besides, as I said that I am talking to different directors now. Ii am trying to get into play back. So, that should be happening soon. And of course, my life carries on all the time. I am very busy performing.

NT : Any regrets ?
MH : None.. none. Never.(smiles) Actually….I have one small regret. The thing is, that I am a little lazy sometimes, by nature.

NT : Yeah, I have read that you love sleeping.
MH : Oh yes(chuckles)…I looooove sleeping. You said it. But actually, when I was a kid, maybe I was doing too many things, like I was doing Indian dancing, western dancing, I used to play badminton, I was an athelete and everything. I just wish that I had taken learning the keyboard seriously at an early age. That’s all I regret.

NT : With name, fame and critically acclaimed awards, what is your aim in life now ?
MH : My aim in life is……actually, I don’t see myself doing a job or anything like that. Thank God that my passion is my hobby and my hobby is my passion. I love what I am doing. I don’t see it as monotony. Every day is a surprise, everyday there is something different happening. You are travelling, there is a shoot, you are meeting people, you are singing, you are performing. I just want to keep doing what I am doing, get better at it, because I am training with my Guruji, he comes on twice a week, I want to get better with my vocals, learning more knowledge, I think is important, and use that knowledge and move ahead with my music.

INTERVIEW WITH JUNOON BAND - I

Who : Junoon
About : International Rock Band from Pakistan
Website: http://www.junoon.com

You can check out the interview HERE : Interview with Junoon
Place: Bahrain
Pics: None

Here I'm going to recollect how the interview with Junoon band happened and describe the entire experience of the interview.

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INTERVIEW WITH JUNOON BAND - II

Who : Junoon
About : International Rock Band from Pakistan
Website: http://www.junoon.com

How it happened : Interview with Junoon
Interview Date: November,2000
Place: Bahrain
Pics: None

Nikhil Taneja (NT) : How would you define music ?
Salman Ahmad (SA) : Music for me, is an expression for me, is an expression for love and passion.
Brian O’ Conell (BC) : Music is an artistic expression of the soul.
Ali Azmat (AA) : Well, it’s better not to define music. Because, if we give it a definition, it loses its meaning. It has a different effect on different types of people, whichever way your perceive it. Our music is basically supposed to be fusion.

NT : You went to the United states and a choir to play the song Azadi. How was it like, to command over an entire choir of 42 people ?
SA : It was a great experience, because I always wanted to compose music for movies. And I might do that in the future too. And so, when I got the offer to compose the song for the movie, Jinnah, I realized that the movie is set in the year, 1947, or in the early 20^th Century, you can say. So, I wanted a very classical sound to it. So, I flew to the US and John Alec, after some discussion, suggested Paul Schwartz, who set up the orchestra. And when I played the melody to Paul Schwartz, it really started forming itself. It was a lot of fun, in all.

NT : Ali, how was it like to sing a duet with Samina Ahmed ?
AA : It was great.

NT : Salman, you played against the Pakistani team in an exhibition match called, ‘star wars in floodlight’. How was the experience ?
SA : Oh(Exclaims dreamily)! It was an unfulfilled dream, which came true, because I’ve always wanted to be a cricketer. I started playing cricket with Wasim Akram. Even if you give me a bat right now, I’ll start hitting. So anytime when I am playing cricket or music with anybody, I am just in their in the place.

NT : A lot of teenagers look up to Junoon as role models. Does Junoon consider itself as one ?
SA : There is a certain amount of responsibility which comes with being a celebrity. And I think, we understand our responsibility, and we try to publicly project a certain sort of image, that is good for young people.
BC : Well, if we are role models, we’d like to project our vision of hope and peace and harmony between nations. So, if that is being a role model, it’s great. But it’s quite a lot of responsibility when the kids do look up to you.
AA : I don’t know about that. We are just musicians, we are not trying to be role models here. If someone places us at that hot seat, I can’t really say anything about it. But, if the people look up to us, it must be because of the positive attitude that we give out. And it’s all about positive attitude. So, I am not sure about in what context, the kids take us as role models. So, I can’t really comment on this.

NT : A lot of people want artists like you to go to the west and record albums with western artists. So, do Junoon have any plans like this ?
BC : No, no, no. We have no intentions of doing that. If any other artists shows our musical vision, we’d consider collaborating, only if it was organic. Certainly not to get any sort of publicity or anything like that.

NT : Salman, you once said in an interview that, ‘The day I’d stop innovating, I’d stop playing music’. So, what’s next in innovation ?
SA : Well, I believe that, if I feel that I can’t compose new songs, I’ll just finish this whole business. But, with the grace of God, new compositions are creations keep coming in, and we are currently working in our studio, on our new album, which I am very very excited about, because, it has got new mood for the 21^st century.

NT : Your lyrics happen to be a bit tough for everyone to understand. Words like, ‘haq numa’, ‘raz-e-haq’, ‘dasht’, ‘kattan’, etc. are found only in albums of Junoon. Any plans of making them simpler ?
SA : I always believe that we should always leave something for the listener also. I mean, if you spoon-feed people, they get bored very easily. Everything becomes simple and does not last that long. It’s not that I make it difficult on purpose, but the song demands it. Like in the song, Sayonee, ‘Kaun mode mauhar’, is a symbol of a change in direction. We can very simply say that, ‘Yeh kis tarah badlein hum’, but it doesn’t have the same feeling, it doesn’t have the same intensity as, ‘Kaun mode mauhar’. And then people write to me, and send letter to each of us, and ask like, ‘What does this word mean?’. So it’s interesting for them. They get some homework to do.

NT : Ali, are you satisfied with the type of songs that you have sung throughout your career ?
AA : Yeah, pretty much, I guess. Because, if people respond to the songs, they must be the right type of songs to sing.

NT : Brian, you are not from Pakistan. So don’t you have problems understanding the lyrics ?
BC : No, I have been living in Karachi now, for 9 years. So, I have learnt the language, and there are no language barriers, for me anymore.

NT : Recently, you were invited to the Roskilde festival, where an unfortunate incident took place. What exactly happened ? And did you play or did they abandon the show because of the deaths ?
Mr. Shehryar Ahmad(Manager of the band – S-A) : Well, actually, we were invited to play over there. We could see that although the people could not understand anything we sang, they were really enjoying the show. What happened was, that the people, who were at the back, wanted to come in the front, to hear us better and see us clearer. And this resulted in a stampede, and the poor people in the front got crushed. It was really horrible. A terrible incident to happen ! We were almost about to finish our concert, when this incident took place.

NT : You claim to promote Sufism. But, do you think it is having any effect on the people ?
S-A : We don’t try to ‘promote’ Sufism. Actually, Sufism has had an effect on Salman. So when he writes the lyrics of any song, he feels good about writing songs and topics that influence him. I, as the manager of the band, can say that, I think that this has had a positive effect, generally. I mean, I don’t want to over-state our importance. But, like in the concert, we did recently with Sonu Nigam, in Dubai, we applied the same philosophy, not necessarily just of Sufism, but what Junoon believes in, and that is to bring people together. And, I think we did a great job in bringing people of India and Pakistan together, who, we believe, want peace, but the leaders don’t allow it to happen. So, even if it takes us a 100 years, we would still believe in spreading the message of piece, and Inshahallah, if God wills it, we think that soon in our lives, there will be peace. Like in last year, the Prime Minister of India came to Pakistan, and that was a historic time. I mean, since partition, it was the first time something like this has ever happened. And I, as a young person who was so excited, I and everybody in Pakistan, everybody prayed for it, everybody wanted it to happen.

NT : What inspired you to name the group as Junoon ?
S-A : Junoon, the word, came to Salman in a dream. An old, Ustad sort of guy, came to Salman and started shaking him up. Salman was wearing clothes like those of Rajas and Mughals, and that guy is shaking Salman out of his sleep and saying, ‘Tumhein Mosiqui Ka Junoon Hai…Junoon hai, Junoon hai’. And that is when Salman woke up. This was just in the days, when Salman had gotten together with Ali, and they were searching for a name for their band. So, he woke up Ali, who was in the same room, and said, ‘Ali, let’s name the album Junoon’. And Ali was like, ‘OK, whatever ! Now let me just go back to sleep.’ So that was how the band was named.

NT : When can fans expect your next album to come out, and what does your next album have in store for your fans ?
S-A : They are recording their album now, which is tentatively going to be titled either Ishq, which means Love, or Safar – e – Ishq, which means the Journey of Love. It should come out sometime around late January or in the beginning of February.
SA : We have got a special treat for the people in this album, because we are experimenting with a lot of rhythms of the world, different cultural rhythms of the world. Because, I feel that people all over the world are moved by rhythm. And since our music is meant for all types of people, we keep this in mind…to be able to move people.
BC : The album will be a logical progression of Junoon’s music, so far. It will be similar to Parvaaz, in the sense, that we’d be using a combination of western percussion and eastern influence.
AA : Well, you’ll have to wait and see, I guess. It’s different. Composition wise and music wise, it’s more rockish, but at the same time, very desi. So they’ll have to hear it for themselves and decide.

NT : By performing in India, during the time of the nuclear blasts, your band tried to create harmony between India and Pakistan. To what extent, do you think, that music can create harmony between two countries ?
S-A : I think, Music is the best way to promote peace because, till now, politicians have not been able to do it. People trust artists, more than they trust politicians. So, if artists speak about something, it has a better impact. Like, Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan being popular in India, or for that matter, Junoon being popular in India, has for Pakistani people, created a love for India as well. For example, if I am a Pakistani and I see that a Pakistani artist goes to India, and Indian people give him love or respect, it will tell me that Indians are not my enemies. Similarly, I think Indian people will know this, but I will say it any way… Similarly, the most popular movie star in Pakistan is Shah Rukh Khan, and the second will be probably Salman Khan. And among my mother’s generation, or for that matter, among my generation, the most popular movie star was Amitabh Bachchan. So, that is another example, that Indian artists and celebrities are well respected in Pakistan. So that should be the biggest sign for everybody to realize, that we should stop fighting about all this. The people don’t have time for this. And on top of this, this is so important for our people, who are mostly very poor. India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Nepal, etc can’t afford war. We can’t afford nuclear weapons, like America and Russia have. We are not that rich ! And our leaders should just stop trying to be world’s super-powers. They should first get roads built for the people. They should try to get education for our people, they should try to get health-care for our people. Think about war as LAST, or NEVER.(Laughs) I mean, that’s silly. We have got our priorities backwards. I mean, they try to tell each other, tell the people of stuff like, ‘Oh! We won’t survive unless we spend all this money on defence’. But, we won’t survive anyway. I mean, if you don’t feed the people, you don’t teach them how to read or write, you won’t survive anyway. So, what’s the point ? (Laughs)
SA : Well, we can take a recent example of the concert we did in Dubai, with Sonu Nigam. Apparently, by what people told me, this concert had the largest crowd and was the longest concert in the history of Dubai. And, the people there, were from different spokes of life. There were Pakistanis, there were Indians, there were Bangladeshis, and everybody was having such a great time. So, music, definitely, is a healer. I mean that, I used to be a doctor, and then I realized that I am also doing a healing role through music as well. So, music is a great healer, and it is very powerful.
BC : Well, I think, music like most arts, has the ability to reach into people’s souls, rather than any political speech, and it crosses cultural barriers, and language barriers, as well. So, I think, with that in mind, any message of celebrity music, goes right into the soul, and hopefully works better than speeches.

NT : Tell us something about your two international awards, the first one by UNESCO, and the other one by BBC.
S-A : UNESCO, happened last year in Paris. We were invited by UNESCO, to talk about peace, and to sing a song with an Indian singer, by the name of Yesudas. He is a very popular singer in South India. And he is also very outspoken about peace and well-respected in his genre. And like I told you, we always hop at such opportunities, because we think that it’s a struggle that everybody must believe in. And until every Indian and Pakistani does not force their leader to say, ‘We HAVE to have peace now’, they won’t do it. And so, at every chance we get, we try to promote peace. And this was the reason they gave us an award, which was for peace. It was music for peace. The concept was called, Music for Peace.
And we were at the BBC Asia Awards, last November. And they gave Junoon an award for culture, ‘Achievements in Asian Culture’. And that was at the Mega Mela, which is the biggest Asian sort of festival, outside South East Asia.
BC : It was nice to get recognized amongst people. Among the awards, the more special one to me was the UNESCO award, because we were recognized for our contributions towards peace, and not just music.
AA : UNESCO gave us an award for excellence in music, and trying to promote peace through music. And since we try to do that a lot, UNESCO gave us an award for it. BBC also gave us an award on similar grounds, for promoting peace, and bringing people together, and asking Indian and Pakistani audiences to shut down the differences, and go one with their lives.

NT : You got your first acknowledged hit in the form of Jazba-e-Junoon, which later went on to become the official song of the Pakistani Cricket Team, in the World Cup, 1996. Did you plan the song that way, or did it become the official song because of the patriotism in it ?
SA : Initially, the song was about my own struggles in my life. I was thinking that we, as Junoon, were working so hard for about 6 years, and we had very little success. So, these lines came to me, that ‘Hai Jazba Junoon’, which means, ‘Spirit of Passion’, and ‘To himmat na haar’, which means, don’t give up. The message of the song was not to give up. Because, he, who strives hard, touches the skies. So, when the world cup was there, the cricket team heard it, and they all went ga-ga over it. Wasim Akram said, ‘I love this song’. And Javed Miandad and all these others cricketers also liked it. So, when the PCB heard it, they said, ‘Yeah. We are going to make this the official song of the World Cup.’

NT : According to you, how are you different from other bands ?
SA : I think ,we are unique in the sense, that we use folk music, folk rhythms in a way, which I don’t think other bands or artists do. We take folk rhythms and use the power of rock, to make it really powerful. And, we have guitars there, and there are no keyboards in our music. There are hardly some keyboards in our music. So, it is entirely guitar-driven. The message, also, is very important in our music. It’s not just, tu-turu-tu-tara(He sings a particularly common tune that most people use in their music). I mean, those songs are also good, but our music has a certain message, we want to give out. So, it’s unique.
BC : We are different from other bands in the sense that although it is our only job, and our full-time job, we have never been in it for money. We’ve always been self focused, and I think that we should tribute most of the success of Junoon to that.
AA : We are just different, because we are different people. So we create music in our own perception, and as it’s our own style, I guess we are different from other bands, as it is only OUR music.

NT : Do you try to emphasize on any particular point or do you try to give any sort of message through your music ?
SA : The message of the celebration of life, is our message. Life is a beautiful gift, and it should be celebrated, in all its facets. Amongst all people on earth, there is a goodness. And music brings that goodness, that feeling, into the music. So when you hear a song like, ‘Yaaron, yehi dosti hai’, or ‘Khudi ko kar buland’ or ‘Jazba-e-Junoon’. These songs are about the celebration of the human spirit. That is what our music is about.
BC : Yes, we do. Our message is of peace and love across nations, and alliance and relationship with our higher power, God.

NT : Which foreign band would you compare yourself with ?
SA : I say, our music is, Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan – meets U2 – meets Santana. So, if you put these three elements together, you get an idea of what Junoon might be.
BC : Santana itself is good enough. Certainly not any boy bands. They don’t have any soul. Apart from Santana and Sting, probably no one else

NT : What is each of yours passion, other than music ?
SA : Cricket has always been my passion.
BC : My family !(He says spontaneously)
AA : I don’t have any other passion, other than music.

NT : What do you have to say about the crowd in Bahrain ?
BC : They were wonderful. The Bahraini people are extremely warm and caring, and I think they had a great time in our show. I could see that ! (Laughs).
AA : It was great. We had a great time.

NT : What can the Junoonis now expect out of you ?
SA : I definitely would like our music to reach all four corners of the world. Not just South Asia. Our music should go to South America, Europe and all. So, they should expect us to keep on striving hard.
BC : I think we’d probably be continuing the same way we are going now. And hopefully we’ll be bringing our music to more foreign places, just to spread the good will. And that’s it. We’ll continue going the same way we are going now, but hopefully on a larger scale.
AA : I don’t really know what for them to expect out of us. It is really up to them.

NT : With name, fame and international, critically acclaimed awards, what is your aim in life now ?
SA : My aim is to go beyond the stars. Your aim is always so high, that you always keep on trying, and you never feel that, ‘Now I have done enough. Now it’s time to rest.’ Till the day you die, you always keep striving. You always keep aiming for the stars.

NT : Finally, what message would you like to give to your young fans, who will be reading this interview ?
BC : Well, firstly, I’d like to thank each and everyone of our Junooni fans, because without them, we’d not be where we are now. We are going to tribute all our success, simply, to our fans. And my message to the fans, besides thank you, is, follow your dreams, and get to know God better, because he guides your steps throughout life.
AA : I’ll be saying to them that be yourself, believe in yourself, because that’s pretty much the hardest thing to do.