INSTEP EXCLUSIVE

Qurram Hussain, one half of music group Josh, who are based in Canada but have a strong following in Pakistan among other countries, has a lot on his plate in 2019.

As Josh, Qurram Hussain has been a part of some of Pakistan’s biggest music projects such as Coke Studio (check), Pepsi Battle of the Bands (check) and Cornetto Pop Rock (check). With four albums to Josh’s name, the duo has moved on to its fifth studio album, but as Qurram told Instep, they are not in hurry to release it but would rather focus on getting it right.

He told Instep, "The Josh album is a trickier beast, simply because of the pressure that comes with that release for us. When we announced that we will be putting out an album, we felt the process will be smoother and easier, but it’s taken us more time to nail down the right ‘sound’ that we will come back with. We do want to deliver on our promises always, but not at the cost of a mediocre product. So the work is being done, and I hope we can achieve what we set out to do soon!"

In between playing his part in Josh and playing shows in Pakistan when the opportunity appears, such as December 2018 where they played multiple concerts across Pakistan, Qurram Hussain is also developing a solo career, as a music producer and DJ. Qurram has created remixes with DJ Domeno, Priyanka Chopra, Pitbull, Nelly Furtado, Sukhbir Singh, Shafqat Ammanat Ali Khan and Komal Rizvi. He also produced four songs for Rangreza, a Pakistani film starring Bilal Ashraf, Urwa Hocane and Gohar Rasheed in the past.

His latest project is also a film but with international ties. Titled Stealing Vows, the upcoming film is an action comedy based on South Asian characters. Said to be in English, it follows the story of "four wedding vendors" who go on a heist spree "in hopes of finding their own happily ever after".

Written by Bobby Singh Brown and Ali Hassan, who are both seasoned writers from Canada, it is being helmed by Bobby Singh Brown with Ali Hassan, Gabe Grey, Vas Saranga and Gia Sandhu starring as protagonists.

Qurram’s role in the film is extensive. He is going to be "doing all the songs and the score of the film" and will work closely with writer/director Bobby on the music. In fact, they are presently trying to finish all the songs.

Speaking to Instep about his upcoming project, Qurram Husssain said in an exclusive conversation: "Since this movie is based on the wedding industry, each wedding will require a wedding song, and there are a few different styles that match the requirement for each wedding. It’s a lot of fun to try to think outside the box and figure out fresh ideas, musically. Bobby has been a music producer himself, so it’s very easy to communicate our thoughts, and the process has been quite smooth."

Qurram added: "Stealing Vows is a very smart and witty film, which is what attracted me to the project to begin with, but the type(s) of music we are exploring now and the way the songs are taking shape is going to offer some brand new sounds for the mainstream international music markets. It’s time to put more desi music out there that the world can listen and dance to!