Singer-songwriter, composer and a member of music group Sandaraa, Zeb Bangash is one of the most prominent artists to have emerged in the last decade. From one stunning debut album, Chup, as Zeb and Haniya to several iconic performances on Coke Studio to film and drama soundtracks to cross-border projects like Lipstick Under My Burkha, Zeb has done it all and she’s far from over.
Seen recently in Karachi at the Salt Arts 50th production featuring Naseeruddin Saami and Sons, Zeb not only introduced the legendary Saami sahab but also spoke of the relationship between a disciple and a teacher, made all the more special because she was speaking of her relationship as disciple with Saami sahab. For a star of her stature, it was not about her at all but rather about the legend in our midst.
In an interview with Rolling Stone earlier this month, Zeb spoke about a number of things including band culture in Pakistan, Sandaraa’s next and whether Zeb and Haniya will ever come together again.
Speaking of Sandaraa, Zeb told Rolling Stone India: “What happens is that we get together for a short while and then we do a bunch of work and then because we’re all in different bands and doing more than one project, we made this song as a live recording that we also shot. We got someone to film us and then I had to come back to Pakistan and we just got very busy with all this other stuff!”
The music group’s most recent release was ‘Farz Karo’ in January 2017 “as part of a 2017 performance and recording session in New York that was supported by the Chamber Music America Classical Commissioning Program. From a total of 10 songs, three were new compositions which drew from Urdu poetry.”
As Zeb described ‘Farz Karo’ to RSI, “It’s the fun, peppy kind of song of the three.” A second song from the same session is scheduled to come out soon, along with more material throughout the course of the year.
Zeb also spoke about band culture in Pakistan. She noted, “The band culture in our part of the world, even though we like to promote it, is slowly shrinking. People just get together when they have a gig. It’s more a singer-based culture. Even if you have the same musicians you play with, the overall participation is not too geared towards having everyone’s inputs.”
While Sandaraa material will release throughout the year, Zeb is working on an upcoming record collaborating with Indian artists. “I’m not allowed to say what it is exactly,” she confessed before addressing a question about Zeb and Haniya. She admitted that though the two artists are not pursuing it actively, never say never. “I think we’re having too much fun rediscovering ourselves and all of that. Of course, I love my cousin, so you never know! It could happen any time.”
