How 2020 Turned The Tables of Music in Pakistan?

Music in Pakistan was in a sad state when the year 2020 began; there were no music videos being produced and hardly new singers were coming up with their own songs. The only songs that were doing rounds were either cover songs or collaborations on special occasions.

However, with the pandemic on the rise and the arrival of Velo Sound Station (VSS), the music scenario in Pakistan has changed considerably.

Not only has the emergence of Bilal Maqsood’s brainchild VSS made things easier for the newcomers but it has produced more original songs than tributes and the listeners have found them likable, such was their thirst for new quality content.

Let’s take a look at some of the songs that have made the miserable 2020 bearable for music lovers in the country, and how they helped in shaping the future of music in Pakistan.

In order to appreciate the good stuff, let’s start with the worst one!

Let’s start with where we were, before moving to where we are headed. Coke Studio’s (CS’s) latest season clashes with Velo Sound Station but the clash falls flat when CS unleashes the Frankenstein of music, a song they thought might do good but didn’t.

Before we move ahead, let’s listen to this reading of a daily newspaper with music in the background, also known as Dil Khirki.

At first, I thought it was some kind of April’s Fool prank; then I realized that a fan might have hacked the Coke Studio page and posted his rendition of a song he came up with during a bathroom break but after watching the huge credit list, I was left stunned.

If this is the kind of music that we will produce in 2020, then it is better we ban music to keep our ears safe.

This Mehdi Maloof number makes Ahad Raza Mir and Momina Mustehsan’s version of Ko Ko Korina sound better.

Yes, it might be an experimental song but who was the genius who decided to use it at the beginning of pandemic hit season and then stick to it?

If it was Rohail Hyatt then I am deeply hurt because he was the person who made Coke Studio a giant when it began; he shouldn’t be the one ending its life in a way that people remember it as Joke Studio afterward.

Then there are the Velo Sound Station numbers!

Coke Studio became huge during Strings’ reign as showrunners; with Bilal Maqsood at the helm, Velo Sound Station is now entering the industry and making waves due to their original content.

Yes, Umair Jaswal’s Gagar and Meesha Shafi’s Boom Boom weren’t original renditions but they weren’t bad as well.

At first, Umair Jaswal’s rendition of Gagar doesn’t sit down well with some of the listeners who were still in awe of Alamgir’s song but after going through it on multiple occasions, you will appreciate it if you take it as a different song.

The same goes for Meesha Shafi’s Boom Boom which pays tribute to Nazia Hasan, but also keeps it simple for the benefit of new listeners out there.

Her detractors feel that if she could visit Pakistan to record a song, she could also appear in the court on the same trip, but let’s keep music and court separate here.

The careers of both Ali Zafar and Meesha Shafi have suffered from this controversy (Ali’s more than Meesha) and the sooner it is brought to a conclusion, the better.

And then there was Strings, back in the element.

It is hard to imagine that the duo of Bilal Maqsood and Faisal Kapadia has been around for 30 years, because not only do they look young, but they sound young as well.

With Pyar Ka Rog, they have proved that music is ageless if you keep rediscovering yourself.

The numbers rendered by Aima Baig, Atif Aslam, Abdullah Qureshi, Shamoon Ismail as well as Uzair Jaswal and Sara Haider has a separate fan base, which is exactly what the ‘music doctor’ ordered.

Listen to them and appreciate the good that music is throwing at you that too in the days of the pandemic.

The year 2020 should have come a lot earlier!

Many singers came up with their music videos during the pandemic and if that’s not impressive, I don’t know what is.

Some made their comebacks, some collaborated with the best and a few even won awards internationally for Pakistan.

Read Also

Why Pakistan’s Tour to New Zealand Was in Jeopardy?

Let’s go through these songs to find out who did what that put the music industry in Pakistan on its right path.

On one hand, there is Nazia Zuberi Hassan’s Naina came out as a breath of fresh air and was appreciated by those who love melodious songs.

The former Rashk member keeps it very simple and that’s what made her song become one of the memorable ones of the year.

Haadi Uppal follows his father’s footsteps and comes up with Te Quiero featuring Aima Baig; the romantic song not only features the two as a cute couple on screen but is made magical through their rendition that we so badly missed!

Even Aashir Wajahat known for acting in his father Wajahat Rauf’s films unleashed a few songs this year that went onto become popular amongst the younger generation.

His Toota Tara featuring Faryal Mahmood was not just a visually attractive song but also gave the listeners what they wanted, instead of what they needed!

And last but not the least, there was Shani Arshad’s Ki Jana, the music video of which won the Best Music Video Award at the Miami Short Film Festival.

Directed by Nabeel Qureshi and featuring Sonya Hussyn and Mohsin Abbas Haider, this song inspired many directors to come up with their own stuff.

It wouldn’t be surprising if music videos make a comeback on our TV channels.