‘B’wood is everyone’s ultimate destination’

Oct 14, 2012 - Papia Lahiri

The mellifluous voice can bring serenity in most beleaguered hearts. He has charmed us alike as the lead singer of the Pakistani band, Fuzon as well as Bollywood numbers like Mitwa, Yeh Honsla and the latest, Phir le Aaya Dil, from Barfi. Shafqat Amanat Ali is one of the most talented singers in the subcontinent and will perform on The Dewarist Stage at Bacardi NH7 Weekender today. We catch up with him.

Q. Being a part of the famous Patiala Gharana, tell us about your journey to one of the most popular voices of Bollywood.
I started learning classical music at the age of three from my grandfather. During college, I was introduced to western music and realised that there were many ragas or scales in classical music that fused well with western music. It was then that I started experimenting with classical fusion. After college, I started working on individual albums and jingles in Karachi.
I met my previous band members and we released Saagar. Aankhon Ke Sagar became a hit and soon thereafter, I got the offer to do Mitwa by Shankar Ehsan Loy.

Q. You have been singing for live performances and you have also done playback for Bollywood. Which role is closer to your heart?
Everything has its own charm and I like live performances as much as I enjoy playback singing. Both have their challenges and highs. Performing live is very exciting as everything is happening real time. Bollywood playback songs are music directors’ compositions and it’s a high translating their vision into a song.

Q. How does it feel being a part of Bacardi Weekender in Delhi?
I’m really looking forward to Bacardi NH7 Weekender. It’s happening on a fabulous scale and has a brilliant line-up of artistes. I’m looking forward to performing to hopefully the biggest crowd in India yet!

Q. Tell us a little about your collaboration with The Dewarists for season 2.
The Dewarists was a lovely experience. Salim Sulaiman are immensely talented and Fin has a great sound and energy too. The whole concept of collaboration of artistes to create something new is beautiful. And our ideas merged so naturally that it was one musical unit bringing in the individuality of all four musicians. I love how the track has finally shaped up.

Q. Do you see any difference in the musical scene in Pakistan and India, at present?
Pakistan doesn’t have a film industry so musicians are inclined to work on private albums. In India, Bollywood is everyone’s ultimate destination.

Q. Any other interesting projects in the pipeline?
I am working on an album that I plan to release digitally in the near future. There are few tracks of Bollywood lined up and few exciting performances in the subcontinent and overseas.

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