Of all things a lady desires to be called, an amplifier is the last. Unless she is married to a mechanic, of course. Care for a change though, for now a Woofer-Amplifier is quite the new Romeo-Juliet, Jack-Rose and Edward-Bella. And young couples love earning this oddball moniker. Imran Khan, a Dutch resident of Pakistani origin, shot to
fame when his Woofer Tu Meri, Main Tera Amplifier, became an overnight sensation in the country. So much so, that even those who preferred their lyrics sensible side up, couldn’t help but dance to his tunes. Thus, adding Khan’s name to the long list of singers from across the border, with tracks declared hits from the first click.
Sound Wave
Origins of non-filmi music in India have undulated between both sides of the border in the past 40 years. While the brother-sister duo of Nazia and Soheb Hassan, Hassan Jahangir and Vital Signs ruled charts in the subcontinent in the seventies and eighties, nineties saw the ubiquitous Indi-Pop (with all genres of Punjabi, rap and soul included in the category) on a high. And today, it’s mostly the lush haired, rich Urdu accented Pakistani singers feasting on the musical pie, after the lion’s share of Bollywood. And with the Hindi film industry accepting them with open arms and studio doors, their popularity is widespread, not restricted to the metros, but permeating to small towns as well.
Atif Aslam, one of the most bankable singers in the country today who’s delivered hits in films as well as solo projects, feels that the lack of an established industry in his country leads musicians to explore their own voices and a new underground culture. “India is way more exposed in terms of both films and music, thus creating better opportunities for artistes here. Thankfully, with the love and popularity I have received here, I have played not only in metros, but also places like Kanpur, Chandigarh and Pune,” he says.
Shafqat Amanat Ali, former vocalist of the band Fuzon, agrees that the absence of an industry lends an original touch to the music of Pakistani singers. “Every singer in India views Bollywood as his ultimate destination, thus acquiring a certain kind of sound. Whereas, Pakistani musicians don’t have a premeditated notion and make music as they think they should,” he says.
One of the earliest bands to have forayed in the country, almost coinciding with the Indi-Pop wave, was Junoon. One that despite changes in line-up and several breaks, remains one of Pakistan’s most popular imports. Salman Ahmed, founder and member, believes that there has always been a mutual admiration among the fans and artistes on both sides of the border, especially when it comes to music. Recalling one of his most memorable concerts, he says, “It was in Srinagar, where thousands of college students defied the threats of militants and jumped over barbed wires to see us perform at a concert for the South Asian Foundation. There were threats against the group as well, but we refused to relent. And that concert became a historic instance of guitars silencing the guns,” he recalls.
Talent Travels
While musicians back home have full respect for the talent from the other side of the border, also give credit to the vastness of our music industry that is more than willing to acclaim flair and skill, no matter where it’s from. Kailash Kher, who has collaborated with several musicians from Pakistan, feels that it’s the ability to sing well that makes one popular and not their origin. “Singers like Rahat Fateh Ali Khan and Shafqat Amanat Ali are extremely talented musicians, with Rahat belonging to a family that has given illustrious musicians for generations now. Both of them along with the others are popular because they appeal to the masses and have trained and unique voices,” he says, adding that the border between both nations is no more than 70 years old, before which every singer belonged to the Indian subcontinent.
Shekhar Ravijani, from the music duo Vishal-Shekhar, feels that our industry is constantly scaling new frontiers and new collaborations are taking place every day. “It’s not just singers from Pakistan, but even international artistes who are producing hits in India. Artistes like Snoop Dogg, Akon and Shakira are coming down to our industry as well,” he quips.
Sufi Strains
Boasting the biggest film industry in the world has its own pitfalls. While it’s constantly churning movies and entertaining the masses, it demands a certain monopoly. Something that Pakistani music doesn’t entail and is free to follow its own curve. With a highly evolved underground sound and an almost non-existent film industry, the music has been able to retain an identity of its own. Nitin Shetty, the business head of Phat Phish, one of the oldest independent record labels in India, feels that Pakistani musicians might be inspired by world music but not entirely influenced by it, unlike the music from India. “With an exception of few bands like Indian Ocean and Parikrama, no other music from India sounds Indian, but rather a part of the music coming from South East Asia, which is why there is no sense of real identity for us,” he says.
Citing the reason for their massive popularity in India he tells us that by not catering to pre-set standards, Pakistani music is more identifiable and connected with its basal sound. “Their music has distinctive traits of Sufi and their own local flavours, something that the common man easily associates with and laps up quickly,” he says. And it is this Sufi core that has made Pakistani music way more international than ours.
Samiran Gupta, owner of the record label India Beats, explains. “In the absence of enough opportunities, Pakistani musicians started collaborating with the west way earlier than we did. That allowed them not only to adapt and evolve into fusion but also master it, before we even had embraced it. And now when the Sufi-fusion wave has hit us, they are the only experts with a certain quality of sound available,” he says, adding that it makes them get more work and be more heard, thus making them more popular.
He also feels that riding on the peace wave between both nations, singers from Pakistan are viewed as messengers of peace and thus get a warmer welcome and stronger acceptance. “With the number of live shows done by them, their popularity is at an all time high. So, it makes economic sense even for a record label to cut a deal with them.”