An interview with Fahad Ahmad - Talented singer/songwriter who recently opened for Strings

By Aaliya Naqvi-Hai

Fahad Ahmad is a New York based Pakistani singer, songwriter, and composer. Morphing infectious western pop/rock with impassioned Urdu lyrics, he leaves audiences revved and uplifted. Fahad has been composing music from an early age – initially part of the band Eternal Zeal, and now as a solo artist.
 
The media has been quick to recognize Fahad's easy-on-the-ear voice and unique sound, with appearances on ABC's High School Musical Reality Show, AVS, cover of Rivaaj magazine, and a feature story in Anokhi magazine.

Fahad's debut single Teray Bina generated over 100,000 downloads, and receives regular play on MTV Pakistan, AAG, and the Musik.

Fahad composed the score for 7.6, a short documentary film about the catastrophic 2005 earthquake in Pakistan. 7.6 won Best Short Film at the 2006 South Asian International Film Festival and was screened at the 2007 Cannes Film Festival.

Fahad has performed at numerous sold-out concerts across United States, including the Lincoln Center in New York City, and in Pakistan – both headlining and opening for performers such as Pakistani pop band Strings, Indian pop artist Sona, Canadian duo Josh, and British bhangra sensation RDB. Currently, Fahad is working on finishing his first album.

I spoke to this talented musician about his journey in this field. 

Q.  Why music? As opposed to other artistic fields 

A.  People relate to music on a societal and personal level. On a societal level music connects people, within and across cultures in a way nothing else does. On an individual level music is the most powerful way to conjure emotions and inspire. In an instant, music can brighten your mood, or propel you into a state of melancholy.  

As a young kid I was always drawn to one art form or another. Initially I was into drawing and painting. As I approached my teen age I started connecting with music on a far more emotional level and hence picked up a guitar.  

Q. Could you tell us a bit about how you got started in the field?

A. I initially took it as a hobby. I used to play guitar with my best friend during summer vacations. I put together a band called Eternal Zeal while still in high school and released a song called Aashna. In the early 90’s the song went up to number 5 on Music Channel Charts in Pakistan. I ended up giving up that dream and came to US for higher education and career. But my love for music never faded. I continued composing songs while in school and later while working in banking. And, I picked up singing along the way. As I started getting positive responses from my friends and people at various performances I took singing more seriously. Then there came a point when I said this is too much I am waking up every morning singing new melodies, and thinking about beats and rhytums so I need to do something about this on a professional level. Hence I started working towards my album and released my first single Teray bina in early last year.

Fahad opening for Strings - Photo courtesy Faisal from Pakmusic.net

Some rapid fire questions -   

Q. Where did you grow up? 
A. Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, the U.S.

Q. Where did you go to school?
A. Karachi and Philadelphia

Q. What did you want to do after you graduated?
A. Banking in New York City

Q. What did you end up doing after you graduated?
A. Banking in New York City 

 Q. What were your first inspirations? What kind of music do you enjoy composing? 

A.  Like everyone else who grew up in that time Michael Jackson and a lot of pop artists from the west were my main inspiration. From Pakistan Nazia and Zoheb and Vital Signs were my initial influences. And then a lot of gazals and classical music from artists such as Muni Begum, Abida Parveen, Pankaj Udas, Asif Ali, and not to forget Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan. I think it was 10 grade maybe when I read a lot of Urdu poetry and was taken in. 

I enjoy composing across various genres. I will compose a rock track one day, a soft rock track the second day,  a musical piece the third day, and a dance track the fourth day. So to be honest I just go with what I feel like making. And I don’t think about it, it just happens. 

Q.  What obstacles did you face in your quest? 

A. My main quest was to leave the security of a job and corporate world to pursue my passion and dream. And if you don’t have history of musicians or artists in your family which I didn’t, it’s even harder to do that. However, I have been able to deal with that.

Q.  What has your family’s reaction been to your music career?

A.  Love and support with some reservation about this being my fulltime venture for the long run.  

Q.  What aspects of music making do you enjoy? 

A. To be very honest I enjoy the whole process of making a song. The conception of a melody or rhythm, composing it, arranging it, writing words to it, recording it at my home studio and eventually in the professional studio, and finally producing the final sound. Collaborating with musicians is also a lot of fun as everyone brings their own style to the table. 

Q.  Please tell us about your current work/engagements? Please elaborate on your previous album and the upcoming one. 

A.  I am currently working on finishing my first album. Teray bina, which was my first single will be included in this album. It’s a pop rock album with a lot of catchy and infectious melodies. Songs will range on a variety of topics.  Additionally I have been asked to work on scoring a few sound tracks for independent films in US. I am evaluating a few of those. A few bands have approached me to produce them which is also something I am really interested in.  

Q.  What would you say your evolution as a singer has been? 

A.  I view myself as a lifetime student of music. I am constantly evolving as a singer and also as a musician.  

Q. What has been a memorable experience from amongst these engagements? 

A.  There are too many to pick one. There are plenty of memorable struggling experiences and memorable exhilarating experiences. I get really excited when a song shapes up better than I had initially conceived it. It is also a huge rush when the crowd appreciates your music on the stage.   

Fahad with Faraz Ahmad on guitars, opening for Strings, - Photo courtesy Faisal from Pakmusic.net

Q.  How would you say your music is different from that of others/what sets you apart/what are your unique elements etc. 

A. My music is different in a variety of ways. My whole album is not about just one emotion. I have covered variety of topics such as friendship, life’s frustration to the point of breaking, political upheaval, conversation with God and of course, love. I think the album offers lots of catchy and memorable melodies. Also since I recorded most of my album here in US, there is a difference in overall production of the songs. 

Q.  Please tell us about the scene for Pakistani American singers/songwriters.  Who are some of the other artists that you come across, the type of music they are producing etc. 

A.  South Asian music scene in US is mostly Indian cross over artists. There are very few resident Pakistani American singers/artists. A lot of them are focused on singing in English and or having albums that are largely in English with some eastern influences either in lyrics or in music. I know a lot of them especially in the New York area. Some of them are really talented. We are always learning from each other and support each other. In fact a few of us collaborated on a song called Equal Tomorrows for MTV Iggy. We took Faiz Ahmed Faiz’s poetry translated some of it in English and kept some of it in Urdu. I was the only Pakistani artist in that collaboration. You can check it out at MTV Iggy’s website. Type in Equal Tomorrows. 

Q.  What has been the audience response so far? 

A. Respose to my first single Teray bina has been very positive. At concerts audiences have been very supportive. I get a lot of emails about my song and my concert performance. I am always humbled by the love.  

Q.  What keeps you in this field? 

A.  Passion for music cause the money ain’t that great.. haaaa 

Q.  How has your work affected your personal life? 

A.  It is quite fulfilling to do what you are passionate about on a daily basis. Unlike an office job, music doesn’t happen on a 9 to 6 timeframe. Plenty of music happens in wee hours of the night. Other times you are doing something and all of a sudden you get an idea (also known as aamad in Urdu) in your head and you have to write it down or pick up a guitar and compose it right away. I think that is exciting and takes away from the monotony of daily routine. Also you communicate and connect with people through music in a different way.  

When you are touring all over the place you meet new audiences and interesting people. And you get inspired in new ways.

Q. What advice can you give aspiring musicians?  

A. Figure out what you are passionate about, learn your art, practice like there is no tomorrow, don’t be discouraged by negative comments but learn from them, and get your material out in a timely manner. 

Q.  Anything else you would like to share with us? 

A. I think we have a certain responsibility to represent our culture out here in the West. Let’s make sure we are doing a good job of it and support each other. 

I am looking forward to sharing my album with the audience. I hope you enjoy my music. Check out my site www.fahadahmad.com and join my group “Fahad Ahmad” on Face book to stay tuned for new developments.

Fahad, thank you so much for taking the time to talk to us.  We wish you the very best of luck in all your future endeavors.

Till next time,

Khuda Hafiz,

Aaliya Naqvi-Hai

aaliya@pakusonline.com