“It was the worst of times. It was the best of times” perhaps no one ever thought that Charles Dickens’ words from A Tale of Two Cities would fit so perfect to the situation our music industry suffers from today.
“It was the worst of times. It was the best of times” perhaps no one ever thought that Charles Dickens’ words from A Tale of Two Cities would fit so perfect to the situation our music industry suffers from today. On one side we have initiatives that are promoting music, telling the audience that music is alive and kicking in Pakistan; on the other hand music videos have become rare and concerts an anomaly. In such times, quite a few artists are trying their best to take Pakistani music industry out of the quicksand it is stuck in.
A singer by passion and profession, Zoe Viccaji is one example of a dedicated 
vocalist who knows no bounds. Her resilience has helped carve a niche for her music, proving that in a country that may shun and oppress most creative forms, sincere music stays relevant. Instep catches up with the talented singer about her latest projects.
Instep: Your debut album ‘Dareeche’ was an instant success. Do you see a second album coming out soon?
ZV: I’m not too sure what soon means in the grand scheme. For now I’m working on the concept of a trio, which entails releasing songs in groups of three. Doing an entire album is a very long and daunting process and I want to experiment a little more before I get into another album. But hopefully you’ll be seeing something new within the next two to three months - we are nearly done with the second song already!
Instep: What kind of music do you see yourself making in the future? What’s working in Pakistan these days?
ZV: I’m currently working on music with a very different sound to what was in the album. Over the last three years I’ve been performing live a lot, and found that I really enjoyed singing songs that had a specific groove and rhythm. I don’t want to specify any genre, as it’s a mix and still in the making, but I will say it’s a lot more upbeat. I’m not sure what works and doesn’t work in Pakistan, but at the moment I’m trying to not think about that. I want to work more on the kind of stuff that I really enjoy listening to. I can only hope that if I enjoy it, then my audience will too.
Instep: Why is there such a decline in artists/musicians releasing their music? Is there a reason behind the sudden demise of music albums coming out of Pakistan?
ZV: I think its picking up again though. There are quite a few new artists from Pakistan releasing music. A lot of it is more niche and indie music, but it’s happening nonetheless. As far as pop music goes, I’m not entirely sure why that went down hill. I think it’s because we lack the platforms and distribution network that used to exist with the few TV channels in the past. But look at the various platforms online that are coming about; look at the way our film industry is picking up too –things don’t look so bleak anymore.
Instep: Talking about music in Pakistan, can we expect some music videos being released for your popular songs?
ZV: Yes hopefully one of the ‘trio’ songs will be accompanied by a music video. My music producer and I were just debating this today, and discussing whether it was worth investing in a music video or releasing a song as audio only. I’d be interested to know what our audience thinks.
Instep: Coke Studio has been an interesting platform for you. Do we see you on the show in the upcoming season?
ZV: No not this coming season. I heard that Coke Studio will no longer be repeating artists in two consecutive seasons or maybe that’s what they told me so that I wouldn’t feel bad!
Instep: Are there new projects coming out from Zoe Viccaji that one can anticipate?
ZV: Yes a few. There are two separate collaborations with two fellow artists. I can’t say anything yet because I need to check in on what the release plans are. And then there is the trio, which I was talking about. The audio is nearly ready, but the video will take some time.
Instep: What do you see lacking in the Pakistani music industry scene right now that you would want changed for the better?
ZV: Live shows. Live shows. Live shows!
Instep: Can one expect to see Zoe Viccaji on more concert stages for the public than corporate events?
ZV: As an artist it’s very tough to be your own singer, songwriter, and producer, let alone assuming the role of organizer and manager too. I arranged one public show in 2011 and I remember how much that took out of me. I keep wishing that there were more events and people organizing public shows, because I’ve always thoroughly enjoyed the few times that I have performed in shows open to the public. I am told security issues are what cause this dearth of public events, but that makes no sense to me, we have theatres and movie houses and security is well managed in those cases. I will be organizing by the end of this year.
