True Colours

interview

The band:
The pop-rock band Rungg broke onto the music scene last year with their first song 'Hum Na'. The video for the track was directed by Sheryar Haideri, and the ballad became the bands first number one hit. 'Hum Na' was followed by the more upbeat 'Meri Duniya' a few months later, and like its predecessor, 'Meri Duniya' also did well on the charts. The band has performed at various venues all over the country, and their debut album is expected to come out soon. You can visit Rungg's website at www.rungg.com.

The members:
- Iftikhar Habib - Vocalist
Influences: Sting, Steve Perry, Guns n' Roses, Aerosmith, Dream Theatre, Bon Jovi, Skid Row, Mohammad Rafi and Mehdi Hassan.
Has also played in: Once (recorded an English album 'Words Unspoken')
- Sarmad Abdul Ghafoor - Guitarist
Influences: Joe Satriani, Steve Vai, Tori Amos, Dream Theatre and Tool.
Has also played in: Still
- Zulfiqar-ul-Hassan - Rhythm Guitarist
Influences: Chris Cornell, Extreme, Queensryche, Dave Matthews Band, Dream Theatre, Steve Vai and Jeff Beck.
Has also played in: Surface Tension
- Wasim Kamal - Drummer
Influences: Deep Purple, Nirvana, Dream Theatre and Audioslave.
- Raheel Joseph - Bassist
Has also played in: Wet Metal, Music Math, Paras and is working with Jawad Ahmad.

Q&A
Us: When was Rungg formed and how did the band start off?
Iftikhar Habib: Rungg was formed about three years back by Sarmad and myself after our chance meeting in Islamabad followed by a very productive jam session in Lahore.

Us: What does the name of the band refer to?
IH: The name just popped up when we were thinking of various options. We initially thought of a name in English: 'True Colours'. This was later changed to 'Two Colours', and eventually got translated and squeezed to a simple name, 'Rungg'. Rungg as a name for a pop-rock act, we feel, is reflective of verve, colour, musical energy, creative diversity and life itself. These are the very attributes that our music has, hence the name.

Us: Tell Us about the videos that the band has done till now...
IH: We have two videos out so far for two very different tunes. The debut was of course 'Hum Na', a ballad, and the follow up is 'Meri Duniya', a hip n' alternative rock song. Both songs did really well on most charts. Significantly, both have topped the IM charts.

Us: So how important is chart success in your opinion?
IH: Chart success is reflective of general public opinion. Being number one at any stage is a great honour. It has earned us a substantial fan following in not just Pakistan but many other parts of the world.

Us: When is the album coming out?
IH: The album should be out by October-November InshaAllah.

Us: How do you like the experience of performing live?
IH: Performing live is a musician's high. We dig the experience. Every time!

Us: What's more fun: recording in the studio or performing live?
IH: Both situations have their own charm. You always learn and one always has a lot of fun in both the cases. But there is no comparison to how one feels when you're singing a song on stage and every one sings with you cause it's their favourite song.

Us: What do you think is more important: the lyrics of a song or its musical composition?
IH: Both lyrics and composition are equally important. It's the balance in creativity that brings out a great song.

Us: What role, do you think, have music channels played in the music industry? And has it been good or bad?
IH: Music channels have given talented people a great outlet for their creativity in Pakistan. It has raised the standard of quality music in our country. It's amazing to see so many channels flooded with budding artists.

Us: What's lined up for the coming months?
IH: The coming months have a lot lined up. Our manager has a long list...shows and video shoots primarily. See you guys on the road!

- By Sameen Amer

Us Magazine, The News - 27th August, 2004