Musicmix: Haroon dons the Freddie Fiction persona for new single ‘Lie to Me’

Lahore:From the popularity of Awaz to a well-established subsequent solo career, singer Haroon has enjoyed considerable success over the last three decades. But for his latest venture, the Islamabad-based singer has chosen to embrace an alter ego. Donning the persona of Freddie Fiction, Haroon has been experimenting with new sounds and releasing English songs aimed at a global audience.

His latest offering is the single ‘Lie to Me’, his fourth track – following last year’s political anthem ‘Just Let Me Breathe’, the anti-love love song ‘I Don’t Love You’, and ‘Avenger’ which served as an ode to strong women – under the Freddie Fiction moniker.

“’Lie to Me’ is more of a commercial love song, albeit with a slight twist,” the artist tells Instep Today. “It has a really pretty melodic chorus in the vein of pop songs from the ‘60s and ‘70s.”

The track explores the darker side of love, although its peppy vibes may suggest otherwise. “The song has been described to me by listeners as uplifting, catchy, and upbeat, which is interesting because the lyrics are a bit desperate,” he laughs. “The lyrics have a slight dark romantic twist, suggesting sometimes it is better to live in denial than face the painful truth.”

The single’s video has been directed by the artist himself and was filmed on two different continents. “[The video was shot] in Africa, at sea level, on the sun-drenched beaches of Zanzibar, and 2,800 meters above sea level, on the snowy peaks of Mushkpuri [in the Nathia Gali Hills of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa] – a record for a music video film shoot with the greatest disparity in altitude.”

But filming the clip on the “sunny beaches of Zanzibar and the snowy peaks of the Himalayas” had its challenges. “In order to reach the destination of the spectacular mountains, the film crew of six and I embarked on a long drive into the mountains and a further three-hour perilous hike uphill in the snow with heavy camera equipment. The peak’s unbelievable views were worth the ice slipping and feet blisters!”

The video’s plot revolves around a pilot whose plane has crashed into the Himalayan mountain range. “He knows that he is hundreds of miles from civilisation, and out there in the cold without provisions, he will likely die,” the singer explains. “However, in his mind, he conjures up an alternate reality. He envisions himself on a sun-drenched beach with a beautiful woman, perhaps the target of his affections. In the end, as the snow falls around him and it’s getting dark, the temperature drops below freezing. He settles down and closes his eyes with a smile because in his mind, he is somewhere else and happy. The last shot is of the two of them together at the sunny beach. Did he perish on that mountain or did he make it out to reunite with the girl? That’s for the viewer to watch and decipher.”

There is a lot more to come from Freddie Fiction, the artist promises. But for now he is hoping listeners will enjoy his new song just as much as he enjoyed making it.