30 eventful years of ‘Strings’: The dynamic duo shares about their journey, Pakistan’s music & more

When ‘boy bands’ were not a thing and anyone hardly ventured into the music industry as a mainstream career option, two young lads decided to create wonders by coming together in an iconic musical association back in 1988.

They were initially backed up by two more members who later disbanded the team; only to propel the remaining two to make a massive return in 2000 as the duo that later ruled the Pakistani pop music scene for years that followed.

Integrating their exceptional talents into a joint effort, the two formed an unforgettable partnership three decades ago in what now the world knows as the iconic ‘Strings.’

Giving Pakistan and the rest of the world tracks like ‘Duur, Sar Kiye Yeh Pahar, Dhaani and Mera Bichra Yaar’ alongside many, ‘Strings’ contributed to the revival of music in Pakistan with the turn of the century.

2018 marks thirty glorious years to the formation of the momentous ‘Strings’. And to celebrate the historic journey of vocalist Faisal Kapadia and ace guitarist Bilal Maqsood, morning show Geo Pakistan paid tribute to their undying services for the country’s music industry.

The good news, however, for Strings’ fans worldwide is that the band has announced to release eight wonderful tracks compiled in a single album named ‘30’ signifying its remarkable journey of music spread over a span of thirty years. Earlier this month, ‘Strings’ released the album’s first song named ‘Sajni’ which everyone loved absolutely.

The next song ‘Kho Jaun’ will make its much-awaited debut online on April 6, revealed Faisal.

Some of the album’s songs have been written by Anwar Maqsood , some by Bilal, the latter has also worked for the composition.

When asked by programme hosts Huma and Abdullah about how the singers manage to engage the younger generation with their music, Bilal stated that ‘we are keen to learn more about the new-age music with time’ in order to produce increasingly relatable music.

Reminiscing old times when the music scene of the country deteriorated beyond belief  post-Mumbai attacks that led to a curb in Pakistani artists collaborating with Indian musicians, Bilal shared, “In 2008 after the attacks when Strings worked with Indian artists quite often and there were no musical activities here in Pakistan; no concerts, music bands or channels, we decided to raise our voice for the political scenario in the region. Our songs ‘Mai Tou Dekhun Ga’, ‘Ab Khud Kuch Karna Pare Ga’ were made to further peace; you’d see that our single Beirut echoes this majorly.” He said this in a response to a question made about whether the music that they produce is influenced by current affairs or not.

Talking about the issue of nepotism in the tenth season of Coke Studio, in which family members of renowned artists featured alongside their celebrity father, mother or brother, the duo shared that the idea behind it all was to showcase ‘generational connect’.

“The highlight of the season was the unison of two very different generations coming together to commemorate ten golden years of Coke Studio, so to say that we were featuring artists as a result of nepotism is wrong,” stated Bilal.

Faisal and Bilal further shared that some of the high-points during their Coke Studio years were during season 7 when they recorded Chaap Tilak with legends Rahat Fateh Ali and Abida Parveen. Similar happened while recording Amjab Sabri and Rahat’s rendition of Rung.

Shedding light about the moment when they were approached by Columbia TriStar Films of India to include their single Najaane Kyun in Hindi version of the Hollywood blockbuster Spider-Man 2 in 2004, the duo said that it was so surreal that they thought that it is some sort of a prank.

The dynamic duo  that really stood the test of times in all these 30 years, when other bands split and had major hiccups their way, successfully completing three magnificent decades is a milestone in itself, which ‘Strings’ has achieved ever so beautifully.