All Pak Music Blogs: 08/05/08

No strings attached

They croon soulful vocals, strum the guitar effortlessly and can give John Abraham a run for his money. Every girl’s dream we would think. But apparently, every guy’s too.

Bilal Maqsood and Faisal Kapadia of Strings need no introduction. The internationally acclaimed Pakistani band burst onto the Indian music scene in the year 2000 with their hit single Sar Kiye Yeh Pahaar and have been creating history ever since. It’s been an incredible journey for the talented duo who is riding high on the success of their brand new album Koi Aanay Wala Hai, which has been released after a span of four years.

Says Faisal Kapadia, lead vocalist, “Our latest album is a reinvention of sorts. Bilal and I wanted a sound that was fresh and different from whatever we have done in the past. As artistes, we have matured tremendously over the past four years and Koi Aanay Wala Hai is a product of that.”

Bilal is quick to add that while there has been a change of sound and they have dabbled with a few more genres, the essence of Strings still remains the same. And what is that, we ask? Pat comes the reply. “Soulful, simple and sensuous music, that is straight from the heart,” says Bilal Maqsood, lead guitarist.

He also says that unlike their previous albums, which caught on to the listeners immediately, this album is one that will grow on you.

Classifying themselves in the genre of pop-rock, the twosome say that they do not derive any inspiration from contemporary music. “While today’s musicians are exceptionally talented, we don’t particularly draw inspiration from anyone. We play for the love of music, we play for ourselves. If we are not satisfied with how a particular number sounds, chances are, the world won’t hear it either,” says Bilal passionately. While the two don’t look upon contemporary music for inspiration, they are hugely inspired by Bilal’s father, Anwar Maqsood, who penned the lyrics for their initial songs.

Chennai’s vibrant rock scene has not gone unnoticed by the duo, who came to the city last in the year 2006 for a concert. Quiz them about the music scene in Chennai and they grin widely. “We are very impressed by what Chennai has to offer for its music lovers. It’s great to see young talent being encouraged and given a platform to perform. Chennaiites seem to know their music well and the rock scene, especially among the college crowd seems to be bustling. There is just so much energy and it is infectious,” says Faisal.

In a country where Bollywood dhin-chak is the first and last word on music, how do these boys fit in? “We don’t want to fit in; we simply want to experiment and Bollywood is just another genre for us. It maybe good money and a lot of Pakistani singers are taking to Bollywood in a big way, but pop music is our mainstay. We look to connect with our fans through that and with an exception of maybe Zinda and Shootout at Lokhandwala we haven’t dabbled too much with Bollywood music. It would be a nice challenge though,” say the duo.

The band also has an international track to its credit. They were chosen to compose the original soundtrack for Spider-Man 2, an incredible honour for the duo. “We didn’t know this opportunity was coming our way. It just fell into our lap; we didn’t take a conscious effort to promote ourselves, but were elated when it happened.”

What’s up next? Apart from enjoying the success of their recent album and collaborating with bands like Parikrama, the rockers are busy with some UNICEF related work and are looking to compose music for films as well.

There has been no looking back for the Pakistani boys; who have left an indelible mark on Indian soil as well. With oodles of talent, and personalities to match, all we can say is...rock on!

Source: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/I...ow/3321764.cms

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