ince winning Pepsi Battle of the Bands in 2017, Kashmir
is actively working to create new music. Featuring Bilal Ali, Vais Khan, Zair Zaki, Shane Anthony, Ali Raza and Usman Siddiqui, Kashmir is very much together and getting ready to release their sophomore album, titled Zindagi.

Unlike their first album that featured a number of songs from their performances on Pepsi Battle of the Bands, Zindagi will feature new songs.

As Bilal Ali confirmed, ‘Saaya’ is the title of the single from the album, which is called Zindagi.

Talking to Instep, Bilal Ali, the vocalist and chief songwriter for the band spoke about the sentiment behind the song.

“This song is a lament about time. Sometimes it feels like time just isn’t on your side. Time doesn’t seem to be friendly, it’s not an enemy but it doesn’t feel like a friend.

“This song is about letting my feelings out as catharsis; the song is not a complaint but rather an acceptance of how I feel. It’s important to accept and give words to how you feel even when the feelings aren’t positive.”

Discussing the direction Zin-dagi will take after a successful debut album, Bilal Ali confirmed that it will not contain previous songs and is an organic, all-new record.

“This album features completely unheard tracks except for the one we’re about to release and even that was just a minute long glimpse of the song.”

Head over to their YouTube page and you will find several songs that are also new and have been released in the recent weeks and months such as ‘Chal Hutt’, ‘Ehsaas’, ‘Ayi Bahaar’ and ‘Zindagi’. Whether any of these songs make the cut to the final album remains to be seen but Kashmir is cementing its place in the burgeoning music scene with its unique sound of music.

Momina Mustehsan, Spotify’s Equal
Ambassador, talks about Spotify Talks

ince launching the Equal Ambassador initiative, Spotify has made sure the ambassadors are a part of their global playlists as well as billboards in the heart of New York City.

Beginning with Arooj Aftab, previous ambassadors include by design many female artists including the late Nazia Hassan, Hadiqa Kiani, and Natasha Baig among others.

Adding to its initiative of highlighting female musicians via the global music series - Equal - in Pakistan, more efforts are being made by the streaming giant that has introduced Spotify Talks.

Notes a press statement: “Spotify Talks, a digital series covering hard-hitting conversations, with the first episode dedicated to celebrating being a woman artist in Pakistan and the impact of [Equal] to date.”

In the first episode, Anoushey Ashraf is the host with present Equal ambassador Momina Mus-tehsan joining Natasha Baig, Zoha Zuberi and Rutaba Yakub.

Speaking about Equal initiative and Spotify Talks, Momina Mus-tehsan said in a statement: “Pakistani women in music are resilient - they manage to bring their own seats to the table despite limited opportunities by proving their abilities to extents that cannot be ignored.”

They added: “Platforms like Spotify are crucial for that. They serve as equalizers to tackle systemic inequalities historic to conventional broadcast.

A program like Equal helps extend a seat to a global table, with the purpose of passing it forward for others to join.”

The first episode of Spotify Talks is scheduled to launch on Monday, September 26, (tomorrow) at 4:00 pm, giving listeners insight into the industry and how women maneuver a path for themselves in a male-dominated industry.