Meesha Shafi is at the top of her game. Every song she has sung since making her debut appearance on Coke Studio (in its excellent third season) has made a lasting impression on listeners.
MusicMix
The fourth release from Cornetto Pop Rock 2, ‘Yaar Mere’ finds the singer in miraculous form.
Meesha Shafi is at the top of her game. Every song she has sung since making her debut appearance on Coke Studio (in its excellent third season) has made a lasting impression on listeners. She has held her own in collaborative efforts seen on multiple seasons of Coke Studio with the likes of Chakwal Group, Arif Lohar and Naeem Abbas Rufi. Her vocal dexterity is on full display on the soundtrack(s) of films like Moor and Manto and she is one of those rare musical beings who can take a jingle and turn it into an anthem.
Though Shafi is a style savant and possesses some serious acting skills, a glimpse of which was seen in Geo TV’s Mor Mahal and before that in films like Waar and The Reluctant Fundamentalist, it is her rich, unique and imitable voice with that unquantifiable ferocious intensity that has us sonically mesmerized. The word that comes to my mind is miraculous.
The most recent example of how very good she is can be heard on the single, ‘Yaar Mere’ which is the fourth release from Cornetto Pop Rock’s ongoing second season. After two below average releases, the season has improved by leaps and bounds.
Prior to release, Asad ul Haq, the executive producer of ‘Yaar Mere’, had told Instep that the theme of this song is longing. And now that the audio and video has released, we can confirm that it remains a central, unifying theme.
While the last release from Cornetto Pop Rock 2 was a duet between Ali Azmat and Quratulain Balouch and was accompanied by a video that was purely performance-oriented, Shafi’s most recent effort, ‘Yaar Mere’ is accompanied by a video that has a narrative running through it. As per the press statement, the video is the depiction of a “couple separated by fate” who long for each other. “Meesha plays herself as a superstar and the model Huni Jalaf plays her star-crossed lover and a struggling artist in London. The video shows them both singing the same song, Meesha at a Cornetto Pop Rock concert and Huni at a street corner.”
As far as the audio landscape is concerned, the song is electric. Though it stays within the promised parameters of the genre of pop/rock, it has enough layers to keep you guessing. Add to that the amount of power, emotion and texture Shafi has sung it with and you have a song that will stay with you long after it stops playing.
It’s also not surprising to note that the song is getting a positive response from fans as well as industry insiders on social media and is gaining momentum with every passing second. Endorsed by the likes of Umair Jaswal and Feeha Jamshed, it’s a testament to Shafi’s talent and ability to move people across the board.
Speaking about her experience of working on ‘Yaar Mere’, Shafi said in a press statement: “I had an amazing experience working on this song. The video is very close to my heart as it shows the aspects of a relationship that are not easily understood and the ones we often neglect but are always defining our lives.”
In an extensive interview with Instep earlier in January of this year, Shafi had hinted at new music possibilities and stated: “2017 will be a good year for an EP is what I’m thinking.”
Given the stature of all her releases including ‘Yaar Mere’, one can say with certainty that whenever Shafi does release an EP, it will be greeted by absolute love. Until then though, check out ‘Yaar Mere’, it is very good.
