“I feel extremely sad that we had to come to this point.”

interview

Junaid Khan talks to Instep Today about his decision to leave Call and his future plans

Call recently announced vocalist Junaid Khan's departure from the band, but the news shouldn't really come as a surprise to those who have been following the singer's career. Junaid has been making strides as both an actor and a solo artist in the last few months. He has been working on his own music this year and also has a budding acting career, starring in a number of television dramas. In a chat with Instep Today, the singer talks about his decision to part with the band, urges his fans to respect his choice, and promises to continue expressing himself through his music.

Instep Today: Why did you decide to leave Call?
Junaid Khan: Well, I believe in any partnership, the individuals have particular roles and they stick to their respective roles so that the business runs smoothly, but then if they try to jump into others' roles for personal gains, then conflicts happen. Similarly, a band is a partnership too in which every band member has a role, like one is a vocalist, others are guitarists, bass player, drummer, etc, and if they try to grasp other's role then you disturb the equilibrium and hence raise conflicts. Most bands have broken up for this reason in Pakistan, which is quite unfortunate.

Instep Today: How do you feel about this decision?
Junaid: I feel extremely sad that we had to come to this point because I was a part of Call much before Xulfi and Sultan joined in, and Call was and will be like a baby to me, but now I think it was time that I let this baby go. I am really, really sorry to all our fans who have been supporting Call throughout, and I am sure that they'll be missing seeing the fun that we used to have onstage and while making music, but I will be requesting them to understand this decision and keep supporting us all and believing in us. I love my fans as they have loved our expression for the past decade. I can never repay them, but I'll try to come up with great melodies like we gave them before. We didn't disappoint them before and I'll surely try not to disappoint them in the future as well with my music.

Instep Today: You actually left the band a while ago. Why was the official announcement not made till now?
Junaid: I made the decision just around two months back, but we didn't announce it at that point as I was asked by the band members to rethink the decision, but I requested them to agree with this as it was better for all of us and they were kind enough to agree.

Instep Today: How did the other band members react to this decision?
Junaid: Well, of course no one would like to end a partnership which gave us such a wonderful experience, but I was of the thought that its better to let it go now than make room for us to disturb our relationship both personally and professionally. I will miss the wonderful time and experiences that we cherished all these years. We spent almost 10 years together and had our ups and downs, and I believe all these ups and downs teach you a lesson to learn from and improve yourselves as human beings. We three band members individually are much more mature and stronger now, and it is because of the life that Call gave us, and I thank the band members for sharing that life with me.

Instep Today: Are you still in touch with the other band members and on friendly terms with them?
Junaid: Yes, of course. We keep discussing the projects that individually we all are occupied in. Every relationship has its ups and downs, but what matters is that we keep respecting others till the end. Beyond all these partnerships, we are human beings and what makes us superior is the element of respect and love that we have for others.

Instep Today: You have been working on your solo album. How is that going? How soon will it be out?
Junaid: I am in the production stage these days. The songs have been written and arranged. 'Keh Do' is about to be released, and next will be followed soon. For me, every song is special and conveys experiences of my life and I want to keep sharing them with my fans. Whether it was 'Sab Bhula Ke' or 'So Close So Distant', I have been expressing my emotions through my songs and I'll keep doing so.

Instep Today: Can you please tell us about your future plans? What are you planning to do next?
Junaid: Well, musically, as I said, 'Keh Do' is about to be released, and I'll be kicking off my solo shows within the next week or so which I am really excited about. I'll be releasing the show dates on my page (www.facebook.com/junaidkhanoffial on Facebook and @calljunaidkhan on Twitter) so do watch out for those. Plus on the television front, I am shooting two new TV projects; I'll be releasing the titles along with the cast real soon too.

- By Sameen Amer

Instep Today, The News - 21st November, 2012