From the name of the band to their music, everything about 'Strings' is special. In the City for a musical week recently, this Pakistani pop band spent some time with Metrolife.It's been almost 13 years since they came back into the music industry, after their initial stint till 1992. Ask them about the change in the music scene since then and Faisal, one of the members, replies, "Music has changed drastically.
We started when there were no radio stations and just one national television channel. And then slowly, there were many radio stations and pop music became really popular. But now, everything is digital, and music has gone from television again. Channels are more about reality shows now. "Ask them if they would do a reality show if offered one and Faisal is quick to reply, "We came back to music because of the love of it.
We were passionate about our music and we didn't think about being famous. But if it is just about trying new things, then why not?"The duo recount the decision to leave their comfortable jobs and come back to music, saying, "It wasn't hard at all. We had tremendous family support and we were smart to do our initial recordings after office hours, so that we would be ready for the leap. It's easy to talk about following one's dreams — but one has to be realistic about the same too. It's not that easy for a pop musician to survive."
They're often mistaken to be an Indian pop band. But when asked whether this upsets them, Bilal — the other half of the duo — jumps to reply, 'Never. We got our biggest break — the song for 'Spiderman 2' — because we were mistaken to be an Indian band."
Faisal adds, "I think for the layman, there is no difference between an Indian and a Pakistani band and that is why this confusion happens. There are no boundaries in music."
Apart from pop, the other genres they like vary from Indian classical music to bands like 'Coldplay'. They've had collaborations with 'Euphoria', 'Indian Ocean' and many others and they love different songs from each of these bands. Bangalore is one city the duo often comes to. Ask them about the music scene here and an excited Faisal answers, "Bangalore always excites us. We all love Bollywood songs but we feel more comfortable in a City like Bangalore where there's a band culture and people are excited about all kinds of music."
Bilal adds, "This openness is truly seen in the Bangalore Habba. It's a capsule of so many different things together and we love it."Any wise words for up-and-coming musicians?
The duo answers together, "Earlier one just had to prove their talent. Nowadays, marketing is a key element and so be ready to explore any medium to market your music. And everyone is looking for variety — just like in the case of 'Gangnam Style'."
We started when there were no radio stations and just one national television channel. And then slowly, there were many radio stations and pop music became really popular. But now, everything is digital, and music has gone from television again. Channels are more about reality shows now. "Ask them if they would do a reality show if offered one and Faisal is quick to reply, "We came back to music because of the love of it.
We were passionate about our music and we didn't think about being famous. But if it is just about trying new things, then why not?"The duo recount the decision to leave their comfortable jobs and come back to music, saying, "It wasn't hard at all. We had tremendous family support and we were smart to do our initial recordings after office hours, so that we would be ready for the leap. It's easy to talk about following one's dreams — but one has to be realistic about the same too. It's not that easy for a pop musician to survive."
They're often mistaken to be an Indian pop band. But when asked whether this upsets them, Bilal — the other half of the duo — jumps to reply, 'Never. We got our biggest break — the song for 'Spiderman 2' — because we were mistaken to be an Indian band."
Faisal adds, "I think for the layman, there is no difference between an Indian and a Pakistani band and that is why this confusion happens. There are no boundaries in music."
Apart from pop, the other genres they like vary from Indian classical music to bands like 'Coldplay'. They've had collaborations with 'Euphoria', 'Indian Ocean' and many others and they love different songs from each of these bands. Bangalore is one city the duo often comes to. Ask them about the music scene here and an excited Faisal answers, "Bangalore always excites us. We all love Bollywood songs but we feel more comfortable in a City like Bangalore where there's a band culture and people are excited about all kinds of music."
Bilal adds, "This openness is truly seen in the Bangalore Habba. It's a capsule of so many different things together and we love it."Any wise words for up-and-coming musicians?
The duo answers together, "Earlier one just had to prove their talent. Nowadays, marketing is a key element and so be ready to explore any medium to market your music. And everyone is looking for variety — just like in the case of 'Gangnam Style'."