On the surface, everybody, it seems, is talking about the revival of cinema in Pakistan. But really it’s the music industry that has given us some of the most memorable moments in the past few years. With a slew of initiatives propping up routinely, music has become exciting and vibrant and remains the brightest spot in the entertainment scene.
(L-R) The upcoming season of Cornetto Pop Rock will include artists Komal Rizvi, Ali Azmat, Qurram Hussain, Meesha Shafi, and Momina Mustehsan, seen here at the CPR launch event in Karachi.
INSTEP REPORT
At a star-studded launch event, the artist line-up for the upcoming second season was unveiled with aplomb.
Karachi: On the surface, everybody, it seems, is talking about the revival of cinema in Pakistan. But really it’s the music industry that has given us some of the most memorable moments in the past few years. With a slew of initiatives propping up routinely, music has become exciting and vibrant and remains the brightest spot in the entertainment scene.
Coke Studio, Nescafe Basement, Cornetto Pop Rock, Lahore Music Meet, Lahooti Melo and Patari Tabeer are some of the major initiatives that have not only brought experienced and new musicians to the spotlight but have also showcased the incredible diversity on which this industry thrives.
The most recent example in that direction is the initiative, Cornetto Pop Rock that began last year and is returning with its second season this year.
Featuring artists like Umair Jaswal, Zoe Viccaji, Ali Azmat, Noori, Komal Rizvi, Quratulain Balouch (aka QB) and Qurram Hussain (from Josh), the debut edition received an overwhelmingly positive response from fans which is why it’s not surprising that CPR is back.
As was the case with the preceding season, this upcoming season will also follow the same format, which means we can expect six new music videos and three live shows that will take place in Lahore, Islamabad and Karachi, respectively.
To mark the beginning of the new season, a launch event was held this past weekend at Studio 146 in Karachi where the promo for the series was launched. More to the point, the line-up of artists who will feature in Cornetto Pop Rock 2, were also present at the occasion.
The night began atrociously late but it was a star studded affair with actors and several musicians in attendance. We spotted Yasir Hussain, Junaid Khan, Wajahat Rauf, Omran Shafique, Gumby, Emu and many others.
Scheduled to begin at 8:30, the night actually began almost two hours late. One could see the stars dressed up for this musical occasion who were greeted by the effervescent Anoushey Ashraf on the red carpet.
Ashraf was also joined by Hasan Rizvi as the two took on hosting duties for the night and the artist line-up and promo for the upcoming season was finally unveiled. The new season will include Ali Azmat, Meesha Shafi, Quratulain Balouch (QB), Momina Mustehsan, Komal Rizvi and Qurram Hussain (from Josh) and other than QB, all these stars of music were present and happy to answer questions.
Of the six artists, we did manage to find a moment with Meesha Shafi who was optimistic about the initiative and also shared what this season will bring to the industry.
“I think it’s great,” she told Instep. “They (CPR team) are really pushing themselves. I think we should let them gain momentum a little bit. So far, what they have done has been successful. Last year they did live shows, which is always tricky. You actually get to perform for the fans and that’s something very different because no other platform is doing that. That’s something they should carry on. And then they are releasing music videos, which is great because we don’t have any music channels. The sounds are very fresh, youthful and not tragic. It’s motivational and upbeat.”
Apart from the six artists mentioned above, Ali Zafar, Atif Aslam and Zoe Viccaji are also associated with Cornetto Pop Rock 2. Though they won’t be a part of the six music videos, they will perform at select concerts. While Atif and Zoe will join the CPR 2 concert in Islamabad, Ali Zafar will perform with Ali Azmat at the Karachi gig.
Coming back to the launch event, the night reached a crescendo when Ali Azmat took the stage and played a combination of some of his most famous numbers including the Junoon tracks, ‘Mera Mahi’ and ‘Dosti’ to which the audience responded with cheers and echoes of encore. Azmat’s performance was easily the highlight of the night. Time will tell whether the new season can surpass some of the glorious collaborations that made season one stand out. As for live gigs, we can only say, bring it on!
