Whisper to a scream

interview

Even though he's a relatively new entrant in the music industry, Atif Aslam needs no introduction. Going from Jal to 'Jal Pari' since 'Aadat' hit the airwaves, it has been quite a ride for the vocalist. So we caught up with Atif to talk about his music, fame, and his plans of venturing into the acting arena! By popular demand, here's Atif Aslam...

Us: Your debut album 'Jal Pari' has done extremely well since it was released last year. Were you expecting it to be as successful as it was?
Atif Aslam: First of all, thanks a lot for giving me this opportunity to speak to the readers of Us. I was also a very regular reader of Us in my school days. This is a wonderful platform for the young and talented people of Pakistan to express (themselves). The majority of my fans are teenagers and this interview will provide me a nice bridge to approach those fans.
Coming to my album, I wasn't expecting it to be this big a hit. Although I worked hard to record it and was considering it to be a good album according to my input, but God has been extremely kind to me by giving me this much success, which is far beyond my expectations. He has showered His enormous blessings on me, and I'm always thankful to Him for this.

Us: Any personal favourites out of the tracks on the album?
Atif: All of them are my heart's favourites, but I personally like 'Aadat' and 'Bheegi Yaadain'.

Us: In your opinion, how much of the success does the album owe to 'Aadat'?
Atif: Well, you always need to have a strong kind of song for entering into the music market, and 'Aadat' did really well. I owe a lot to it, but the biggest thing that came with it was the confidence boost I got, and I really felt that I should do more and better songs.

Us: So, how has fame been treating you since that song became a hit?
Atif: Everything is nice, but it is not an easy profession, even though it seems to be. It demands more attention and input than any other profession. Sometimes it literally burns you out because of the hectic schedules. It really feels great to give autographs and to receive special treatment, but at the same time, I feel that its a great responsibility on me not to disappoint my fans, and I also feel that when people love you more than anybody else, then they honour your words and they can be motivated to do good deeds because of this bond of likeness. I wish I could really do something for the youth of this country.

Us: How has your experience of performing live been so far?
Atif: I think the real spirit of any concert is that it should be live, from the vocals to the instruments - everything. This shows the real capability of the singer, whether he can rock the audience or not. By the grace of Allah, most of my concerts went very well. The livelier the audience, the better the performance.

Us: Any performance that stands out from all the rest?
Atif: One of my best concerts was the one that took place on the 29th of December last year at Alhamra Open-Air Theatre. Fun, screams, clapping, dance, autographs, photographs...there was everything. It was one of the highest-pitched crowds I had ever heard in my life, due to the screams of the 3000 girls in the audience. Second good one was at the National Park Islamabad with Noori where 32,000 people were present to attend the concert, and it really boosted our confidence manifold.

Us: Of the videos that you've done so far, which one is your favourite? And which one did you have the most fun making?
Atif: My personal favourite is 'Aadat'. Being my debut video, it was really full of excitement and fun. I performed 18 times on the whole song. It was shot at a warehouse in Karachi and we did continuous shooting for 15 hours. It was really tiring, but in the end I was really satisfied.

Us: Which video are you planning to release next? And when will it be out?
Atif: We are working on some other projects right now, and as soon as we get some time, we will be launching our next video. It will most probably be of one of the best hits of my album. I think there should be a balanced number of TV appearances. Otherwise, if you overdo it and release a lot of videos, then people get fed up of you.

Us: Your entire album is available for download very easily on various websites, including your own website (h3o.info). Don't you think this hurts album sales?
Atif: Well, this is a small world nowadays and the Internet is one of the best sources to send your message to a maximum number of people around the globe. So we've put the album there for our projection. Talking about the cassette sales, there are so many people who are producing pirated mp3 CDs underground and selling them in the market. So we thought that it's better that they should download our music from our website rather than downloading it from other websites and buying pirated CDs.

Us: What kind of music do you like to listen to? Any favourite artists? Influences?
Atif: We have a collection of more than 8,000 songs at home, and I have a very diversified kind of absorption for music of almost every nature. But my personal favourite is Ustad Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan Sahab. He has been a great source of inspiration to me. He is a heart mender; the healing capability of his songs and voice is matchless. The conditions of isolation, betrayal and being down to earth are so very well depicted in his songs that he is one of my all time favourites. His voice and music is so powerful that it literally shifted our youth towards our basics and core values. Along with Khan Sahab, Kishore Kumar is my inspiration; a very natural singer who never learned singing from anybody. The way he sang tragedy songs in India, no one else did.

Us: You've been juggling studies and music for quite some time now. Doesn't it all get too hard to handle?
Atif: It was really tough when I was in the last semester of BCS but again God was very kind to me and I cleared my graduation with a respectable GPA. I immediately joined MBA after graduation, but right now I am unable to give proper time to studies so I thought I'd better take a semester break.

Us: According to your website, cricket has been one of your biggest passions in life and you wanted to join the Pakistan cricket team as a fast bowler. Any regrets on going for a music career and not taking up cricket professionally?
Atif: Well, I think whatever God does, holds some good in it. I don't have any regrets for not taking cricket as my career but I would love to play a one-day international for the national team.

Us: When are you planning to release your second album?
Atif: I think it will take another year to release it, and I will try my best to give quality music to my fans.

Us: What's planned for the coming months?
Atif: Nothing special - doing music, concerts, and probably some TV serials as well to test my acting skills.

Us: Any message for your fans?
Atif: I would like to say that I would always need your support and prayers. I would also like to advise them not to waste their time and spend their free time in some kind of creative work, whether it is music, sports or something which makes their senses more sharp and active, rather than chasing girls in shopping malls.
In the end I would love to thank all of my fans, friends and family, particularly my parents and my brothers Shahzad, Shahbaz and Sheraz, for their unremitting support. God has bestowed me with a very supportive and talented family. My eldest brother Shahzad is an engineer as well as a photographer. He has always been a sincere guide for me on all the aspects of my career. Shahbaz is an MBA and a great dress designer. Also, he is managing my concerts and TV appearances. Lastly, Sheraz is a computer graduate like myself, a very creative graphic designer, and above all, my very good friend. God Bless you all. Love you all!

- By Sameen Amer

Us Magazine, The News - 11th March, 2005