MUSIC PROFILE

‘Kaghaz Ka Jahaz’ is to Kashmir what ‘Sar Kiye Yeh Pahar’ is to Strings and ‘Manwa Re’ is to Noori. In other words, it is the song that means more to the fans than any other; they made us conscious of these bands and their power to create really good original music that offers a personal narrative.

So, not surprisingly, when Kashmir the band (that won Pepsi Battle of the Bands last year) performed it on the show, it earned them a standing ovation from judges Meesha Shafi, Atif Aslam, Shahi Hasan and Fawad Khan.

The song picked up an LSA nomination in the category of Best Emerging Talent earlier this year and went on to win.

But as Bilal Ali – vocalist of Kashmir – remembers, on the day when the group was supposed to perform this very song on Pepsi, just half an hour before they were scheduled to take the stage, they struggled with the poetry. "Until the last minute, we had the composition but not the words," begins Bilal in this group interview where he is joined by Ali Raza (Piano/Synth), Zair Zaki (Rhythm Guitar) and Shane J. Anthoney (Drums/Percussion).

"No one believes us," he laughs, "but 30 minutes before the performance, this song was written. Even on the stage, during the sound check, I had forgotten the melody. In the last verse, I repeat Kaghaz Ka Jahaz because the actual lyrics were something else."

After singing the verse he had forgotten but now remembers in an endearing display, he explains what the song is about.

"The song is about the hardships we faced," Bilal says. "The band has been around for the last 7 to 8 eight years. We’d go to producers and the dreams they’d give us never turned to reality. They would quote a certain amount and built our expectations and we’d think ‘oh, maybe this producer will do justice’ and it has happened on three to four occasions where we’d save money and go to producer(s) and it would never materialize the way we wanted it to."

But the band isn’t holding onto grudges. In this non-cosmetic interview, their answers are not rehearsed nor do they reflect self-interest, only observations and honest personal stories.

You’d think the band would develop some amount of arrogance but that isn’t the case. If anything, even as they continue to grow in confidence onstage, they still remain an introverted bunch.

Struggling to articulate themselves on occasion, they remain grateful for everything that has come their way. That includes the newest Pepsi Pakistan TVC in which, among other things, Fawad Khan is singing ‘Kaghaz Ka Jahaz’. When asked to comment on it, Bilal noted, "It was overwhelming; it was almost unbelievable…"

Adds Shane: "So, the thing is, we thought that after reaching a certain level, we’d get to perform with the judges. We just thought maybe they would have such a segment (in Pepsi Battle of the Bands, 2017) and we were all looking forward to it but it didn’t happen so this fulfilled that, but on a much bigger scale because it’s a TVC. For me and for all of us, it was a very big deal."

"We are huge fans of EP; the first song we did on Pepsi was ‘Hamesha’ so it was a big deal for us to have Fawad Khan performing with us and singing our song," continues Bilal.

As for whether Pepsi lived up to the promises that were made to the group when they won and they respond unanimously: "yes."

Expanding on it, Bilal Ali notes, "We were told we’d get the royalties for our music, we’d get an album and a music video. We also got the prize money, which was rupees 50 lakh. They promised us one video, which they have done, but they might give us two."

Navigating their way since winning Pepsi, the band has taken its prize money and invested in making their own studio so it allows them to not be dependent on other producers while also allowing them to hone their skills in the technical aspect of recording, engineering and so on.

"The studio will be finished by this month and we plan to make music videos for ourselves as well," says Bilal.

To that end, the band has shot a music video for the song ‘Khwab’, which is directed by Salman Noorani, who also helmed Mooroo’s ‘Mariam’.

The entire Pepsi experience allowed Kashmir, the six-band unit, to interact with some of the industry’s most prominent names including returning judges of this season, Meesha Shafi and Fawad Khan as well as last year’s program judge, Atif Aslam and along the way pick up things.

"They weren’t just giving us advice but after our performance, they’d come backstage and tell us where we were going wrong. I had a sore throat after a performance and I was told by Meesha, Fawad and Atif to improvise and change my voice if I can’t put the high scales up at that moment," recalls Bilal.

For Kashmir, their first few days on the sets of Pepsi were star-struck moments that amplified as the season went on and a number of artists, in addition to the judges, came to the show and performed. As Shane states, "Those moments make you grateful."

Another thing that emerges in the interview is that while they all laugh and agree to answers given during the interview, it is Bilal who is the spokesperson for the band. I ask him how he is doing in the role of the band’s default spokesperson, and they all burst into laughter. As Zair notes, they’re all introverts. However, there is no resentment about the fact that in a band, for a lot of people, the most familiar name is that of a vocalist, followed by the lead guitarist.

"I sort of am speaking for everyone, I want them to speak, I don’t know why they don’t," laughs Bilal. "They know that I do not wish to be the one to speak; I run from this default role."

"He’s gotten good at it," says Shane.

"There was a time when I would look down when I sang. Now I can look up. And the credit goes to the band," says Bilal, before adding: "We’ve been friends for a long time and are not together because of the band; we’re friends and we do everything together. We understand each other and everyone has an input and even though we listen to different genres, when we’re making a song, we go with what is sounding good. It is not about sticking to one idea. Whatever sounds good to the ear, we go with that."

One mission they all agree on is that the music is not going to stop. And though they refuse outright to take a stand on politicians and the present political scene with general elections 2018 coming up on July 25, they do plan to give back but are cautious about how to go about it.

"We want to become ambassadors for social awareness," begins Ali Raza, "and we’re working on that as well. Pepsi has this hashtag #AbHamariBariHai (it is our turn) and so what do we want to do?"

"We want to do concerts and raise money for NGOs that help people," says Bilal. "We have TCF involved with one particular issue. But we hope to work with other NGOs. We don’t know exactly how to go about it all and execute it because it is not easy. You go for charity and it ends up going to the wrong places."

For a lot of them, the title of winning Pepsi has brought some amount of validation in a society where people still don’t think of music as a valid career option. And from the looks of it, they plan to make the most of it.

As for future goals, it’s about "produce as much music as we can right now," says Ali, "start experimenting with mixing techniques as well. We’re grateful to Xulfi bhai," – who produced some of the songs featured on their debut album – before adding: "We want to produce our own songs in the near future, try for foreign tours."

"It may take time, maybe even years, but we want to put on shows that are theatrical. We want to tell a story. It should feel like an experience," says Bilal.

"And just keep playing music," concludes Zair.