INSTEP OVERVIEW

Shaan E Pakistan Music Achievements (SEPMA) 2019, the two-day event that took place in Lahore last week, celebrated music and acknowledged some of the best artists in the field. The proceedings commenced with a Music Summit that was held on March 21 at the Shahi Qila and paved way for some constructive discussion surrounding the future of music in Pakistan. With Tina Sani, Arshad Mehmud, Saqib Malik and other veterans onboard, the summit also invited younger artists such as Raania Durrani of Salt Arts and Hajra Yamin to share their views.

This was followed by the Awards Night the next day (March 22) at Royal Palm Golf & Country Club that honoured lesser known artists, mostly musicians who have been consistently producing good music but do not get the recognition they deserve.

The awards were distributed under diverse music categories including Best Rock Music - Karakoram, Best EDM Music - Abdullah Siddiqui, Best Indie Music - Poor Rich Boy, Best Drama OST - Sami Khan, Best Playback Singer (Male) - Mulazim Hussain, Best Playback Singer (Female) - Natasha Humera Ejaz, Best Pop Music - Chand Tara Orchestra, Best Jingle - Shaani Arshad, Best Hip-Hop/Rap Music - Abid Brohi, Best Traditional Music - Sounds of Kolachi, Best Music Video Director - Jami and Best Lyrics - Shuja Haider. These are categories that are often neglected at other award shows.

Speaking to Instep the next morning after the award show, Natasha Humera Ejaz - winner of Best Playback Singer (Female) trophy - rightly pointed out, "There were things at the event yesterday that are going to shape what is accepted in mainstream tomorrow and I think that’s a huge thing. I was awarded for lending my vocals to the song (‘Bol’ from Cake) but this kind of song never fit into our films before; it was Asim’s vision that he incorporated one. So, this recognition sets up new, diverse ways to see cinema and consume music in cinema."

Likewise, Ahsan Bari, lead vocalist of Sounds Of Kolachi that won the Best Traditional Music Award, is of the view that a "whole new narrative" is being set.

Babar Sheikh of Chand Tara Orchestra, who won the Best Pop Music trophy, added, "Over the course of the year, if the team behind the event doesn’t intentionally make it three times the size of what it was yesterday, I think it has a very fair chance of survival in a good way. In Pakistan, we don’t let things have their due course in growing or evolving into something and rather wish to expand it overnight due to which they lose credibility. I am glad to see the winners - these are the people who have toiled for it, toiled for their careers and have actually done stuff consistently. More than the award, it is a big deal for an artist to be recognized for their work."

These are musicians who have a strong body of work to their credit and have been making original music as opposed to relying on tedious covers. The major highlight of SEPMA 2019 is acknowledging these artists who are trying to carve out a niche for themselves in mainstream media.

SEPMA 2019 is a collaboration of Huma Nassr, brains behind Shaan e Pakistan that had its fifth run this year, and Irfan Pardesi of Zee Foundation (title sponsor).

Reflecting on this year’s event, Huma told Instep, "We started off with a big bang with Indian artists but that didn’t materialize. However, we had thought of recognizing achievements in music earlier as well. India is just an element, it is not a major aspect of Shaan e Pakistan; it is a platform where we invite Indians to be a part of it."

Tina Sani, who won the Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan award, noted in her acceptance speech, "One should always dream big. Platforms like these are rare for musicians in Pakistan; we are often blamed for working abroad to get recognition. We are fortunate to have so much talent in Pakistan - from Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan to Mehdi Hassan sahab to Madam Noor Jahan and Abida Parveen.

We have so many diverse voices in our country - these young musicians know that we are not into cloning voices and this is why we see various voice textures from all over Pakistan. I am delighted for the recognition I have got today under SEPMA 2019 that is recognizing its own people."

The award ceremony was attended by Meera Ji, Saqib Malik, Tina Sani, Ali Zafar and others while it featured an amazing lineup of performances. Shafqat Amanat Ali stole the show with the finale in which he sang along Tina Sani Ji while Javed Bashir won hearts with his soulful tracks, in which he was joined by Sanam Marvi as well as Aima Baig. Abdullah Qureshi, who opened the show, music groupKhumariyaan and Fariha Pervez also brought their A game to the table. Hosts for the evening, Juggun Kazim, Ahmed Ali Butt and Faiza Saleem entertained the audience, with their spontaneity and comic timings.