If there’s one silver lining to the Junoon break-up, it’s the fact that it pushed front-man and vocalist Ali Azmat in the spotlight as a solo musician. The hints of brilliance seen in some of his earlier Junoon compositions like ‘Tara Jala’, ‘Sajna’, ‘Sapnay’ and ‘Dosti’ broke on through full-scale as Azmat reinvented his sound which culminated in the album, Social Circus, circa 2005.
Ali Azmat is also a part of the new music initiative, Cornetto Pop Rock, that includes a series of live shows and quirky collaborations. Among them is a new song feat Ali Azmat and Noori.
MusicMix
Pakistan’s original rock star reflects on the reasons behind lack of album releases in mainstream music.
Karachi : If there’s one silver lining to the Junoon break-up, it’s the fact that it pushed front-man and vocalist Ali Azmat in the spotlight as a solo musician. The hints of brilliance seen in some of his earlier Junoon compositions like ‘Tara Jala’, ‘Sajna’, ‘Sapnay’ and ‘Dosti’ broke on through full-scale as Azmat reinvented his sound which culminated in the album, Social Circus, circa 2005.
The album, introspective and intricate, caught music fans by surprise because of how much it had to offer and won Azmat critical and commercial acclaim. Mostly, it cemented the fact that Azmat is just as talented as his Junoon mate Salman Ahmed if not more.
With his second album, Klashinifolk, released in 2008, Azmat established another fact: he’s not stuck in the Junoon universe anymore. Collaborating with some of the industry’s most inventive names (Gumby, Omran Shafique, Kamran “Mannu Zafar”), Azmat produced a record that is as timeless as it is innovative.
Since then, he’s appeared on Coke Studio (twice), judged Pakistan Idol (in its inaugural edition), acted in a film (Waar), lent his voice to a few Bollywood projects, a sports anthem for Pakistan Super League and some solid music videos. What’s missing from all this though is a full-length album.
Azmat, who lives in Lahore with his family and was recently in Karachi at the Hjirat meet-the-cast press exercise, spoke to Instep on the sidelines of the event and revealed his reasons for not releasing a full-length record.
Ali Azmat, Atif Aslam and Lanny Cordola visit The Guitar School in Lahore
Speaking to Instep, Azmat noted, “Albums are not being made because there is no platform to support or promote them. Television channels are not interested in music. Those that are interested will ask for Rs. 25,000 per airing. The country has no record labels.”
Though independent artists continue to release quality work at a consistent pace, the concept of albums in mainstream music is fizzling out. If an album does come, it’s after years and years as was the case with Noori whose third album, Begum Gul Bakaoli Sarfarosh, came after almost a decade.
Acknowledging the fact that monopolistic record labels, in the past, have left a sour impression on the industry at large, Azmat observed that the mechanism that goes in promoting an album no longer exist. Not one to give up, however, Azmat explained, “Having said that, I have an album ready. It makes more sense to release singles and/or give songs to films. Some songs that go into films can stem from the album…”
Remarking on the difficulties faced by artists across the country, Azmat further observed, “The music scene is changing world over. Music sales are dwindling while record labels look for different ways to make money and to fleece the artist because artists didn’t make money in the old model also. It boils down to this: if an artist cannot make money, how can he go to the studio and re-invest. It’s like a self-defeating syndrome.”
So, what of new music from Ali Azmat? He has sung two songs on the Hijrat soundtrack. Outside of that Azmat is also a part of the first season of Cornetto Pop Rock, a new music initiative that includes a series of shows and some quirky collaborations.
“There’s a new song with Noori, I’ve composed it like two weeks ago but Noori boys and I have to finish it in the next ten days or so,” concluded Azmat.
