Shallum Xavier, one of the co-founders of music group Fuzon and a solo artist and producer as well, is looking forward to taking the stage at an upcoming American music festival that will take him and his band to sunny California.
During a recent interview with Instep, he discussed the upcoming festival and many other things including his views on the present wave of Pakistani cinema.
“Fuzon will be performing in Los Angeles in the first week of August,” revealed Shallum. “This performance is being organized by Grand Performances, which presents high-quality music, dance, theater, and more at the breathtaking California Plaza in the heart of Downtown LA. For more than 30 years, Grand Performances has delivered the best of global culture to inspire community among the diverse people of Los Angeles, and reflect the many cultural interests across the region. We are very excited to be a part of this event.”
Speaking about the present wave of Pakistani cinema and whether he plans to become a part of it, the guitarist, songwriter and producer noted, “I am very happy to see the growth in the film scene of Pakistan. It’s at an infant stage but I am sure it will progressively develop with the passage of time. I would love to create songs and background score for Pakistani films if given an opportunity. I have done it for India on quite a few occasions so it will be great to work with our own film industry.”
Among the film projects Shallum has worked for, as Fuzon, is an Indian-Hollywood production called Mother. Expanding on the experience, he told Instep: “We were very happy and excited to work with the producers and director of the Indian film Mother. Our songs and background music were very well appreciated by the Indian audience and the production team. It is always great to collaborate and work on international platforms.”
Fuzon may not have worked on local films just yet but Shallum has certainly worked on a number of television serials with more music in the pipeline. Speaking about working on TV drama OSTs, he shared: “Song composition and music production are my strong suit. I enjoy them as much as playing my guitars on stage. I have worked with Angeline Malik on many background scores and OSTs. I have always considered it a worthwhile and creative experience.”
He added: “I am currently working on two original soundtracks. I have really started enjoying this component of music production and composition. One must be focused while receiving the brief from either the director or the producer of the project. It’s important to be flexible and prepared to create a few versions to ensure the satisfaction of the director/producer. The tune must be hummable in order to attract the viewer to the TV play/serial.”
On a parting note, Shallum also spoke about social media and how important it is for promoting music. “Social media has given freedom and liberty to all performers and artists to share their music and videos with the world at their will and convenience. This has helped many individuals in gaining attention and success both locally and internationally. These days having a strong social media presence is as important as making good music.”
