The name Qurram Hussain aka Q is most commonly associated with the music group Josh that features the singer-songwriter alongside one Rup Magon.
The singer-songwriter from music group Josh talks to Instep about carving a parallel solo career and the learning process he went through
while working on soundtrack of the upcoming Pakistani film, Rangreza.
The name Qurram Hussain aka Q is most commonly associated with the music group Josh that features the singer-songwriter alongside one Rup Magon. Based out of Canada, the group has appeared on Coke Studio in its early years and has a reputation for putting up electrifying live shows across multiple territories. With a couple of studio records to their name, Josh is a band that has survived in an age where bands break up far too often.
Rumours about Josh breaking up, unfounded as they are, have been firmly put to rest after Hussain and Magon appeared together on the finale of Pepsi Battle of the Bands where they unveiled a new track. It is also equally true that both members are pursuing solo paths as well, with the blessing of each other.
Magon has done a number of films, with The Black Prince being the latest release and is penning a book on South Asian cuisine. Qurram Hussain, on the other hand, has participated in both editions of Cornetto Pop Rock and has produced four songs for the upcoming Pakistani film, Rangreza.
Sitting at a restaurant at the PC Hotel in Karachi, Hussain is surprisingly forthcoming and affable during the course of this interview. He’s receptive to criticism even as he explains his own point of view.
The interview begins with Cornetto Pop Rock, a music initiative that made its inaugural appearance last year and returned with a second season earlier this year. As part of the two seasons, Hussain managed to release three songs and played a number of live shows. In season one, he joined forces with Komal Rizvi on the song ‘Desan Da Raja’ while in the second season, he released two singles: a solo track called ‘Turn up the Music Mr. DJ’ and a collaborative track called ‘Aaja Na’ with singer-songwriter Maria Unera. The songs (accompanied by colorful music videos) have gained strong numbers since arriving on the interwebs, which speaks to Hussain’s growing star-power. Though there is a genuine effort to introduce the audience to electronic and dance, the execution feels less certain. There is an electro-feel that is palpable and a strong desire to innovate but upon hearing the tunes, one feels that it could’ve been better.
When posed with this viewpoint, Hussain calmly begins: “Fair enough. I guess there’s always subjective opinion and everybody’s entitled to them and it’s totally fine. As an artist what we try to do is what sounds and feels good to us.”
Expanding on his mindset as a producer particularly in regard to the electronic/modern genre that was the centerpiece theme in his CPR tunes, Hussain explains that it was simply his mandate.
“In season one, ‘Desan Da Raja’ was the only song that fit that super modern vibe. Otherwise, most of the other songs in the season fell towards the rock category. And I knew that even in this second season anything I’m going to do, I want to make sure it stays modern and the brand also suggested the same. With ‘Aaja Na’ for instance, I wanted to have that contemporary Bieber, Calvin Harris treatment to the music. You also have to respect the season and the launch pad and at the end of the day it’s Cornetto Pop Rock, it’s for Pakistan. If it was just purely a song I was making, I would make it lot more experimental because it’s my expression of art. In this case (Cornetto Pop Rock) I wanted to have something that was modern but yet simple and fun enough that people can sing along to it and digest it.”
Hussain is of the view that the mass audience in Pakistan is not listening to experimental electronic music just yet. “What comes in Bollywood - like that song ‘Nashe Si Chadh Gayi’ (from Befikre) that had that electro vibe, vocal chop – is somewhat acceptable but beyond that no one has gone too far in it. So I was like ‘we gotta play it a little bit safe and keep it simple’.”
Though Cornetto Pop Rock 2 has concluded, Hussain will continue to shine in the spotlight this year, courtesy of the four songs he has scored for the upcoming Pakistani musical film, Rangreza that counts actors Urwa Hocane, Bilal Ashraf and Gohar Rasheed as principal cast.
Unlike an album or a single that paints the narrative of an artist, film songs have to do with the story, the circumstances and the characters. Music, when done right, can shape the narrative as was the case with films like Moor and Khuda Kay Liye.
Elaborating on the process he went through while working on the Rangreza soundtrack, Hussain says that it was a good journey and one that forced him to learn. “Making music for myself is a selfish process because I don’t think about the audiences or who I’m going to connect with,” he noted. “If it connects with people, good and if it doesn’t, it doesn’t. In case of a film, you know that you will have to respect certain boundaries. Before, when I would be doing something for a project, I would send a full demo with music and everything but that was taking too long and it was a lot of work for a potential no. So then the process became simpler where I started sending a melody. Once the melody and the lyrics get an approval, then you find a musical reference. It is fun for me now to have something where the idea is already preconceived.”
Hussain is entrenched in the music scene to a degree that he is often approached for projects. And he tends to keep an open mind. “On some occasions, I’ve been approached by someone who wants an upbeat, dance song. The reference point is usually Bollywood. My conversation with them is that okay, we have a reference. But now let’s think ahead.”
As Hussain sees it, the movie process, in context of music, takes longer. A song produced for a film can be made months in advance but will only make an appearance when the film is releasing. “By then, the music scene changes and new things enter the market. You have to employ foresight; it is important. As far as Pakistan is concerned, the artists who succumb to a producer’s whims are usually the ones who are struggling to find avenues to get their music out. The bigger guys will always want to have a little bit of creative control.”
Coming to the end of the interview, it is obvious that Hussain is optimistic about the future of music. “The Pakistani movie industry is giving artists an outlet. It is going to take a while before record labels come back. The bigger struggle facing artists that is most discouraging is how to release something. Either you go to Coke Studio or put it up on YouTube but the Pakistani masses are not used to having Internet. It’s coming now so what do you do with your music? At least now, with movies, things are more encouraging. Cornetto Pop Rock, in that vein, was a very big for Pakistan because they were making regular videos for any type of song. I cannot do a song like ‘Aaja Na’ on Coke Studio because it’s too electronic. Coke Studio has a different sound.”
