'We just struck a chord': Hari on collaboration with Noori

An ode to friendship, track celebrates cultural bond shared by India and Pakistan


Entertainment Desk March 15, 2016
The song was recorded in both Pakistan and India PHOTO: SCREENGRAB

Noori's new single Yariyaan with Indian folktronica duo Hari and Sukhmani has created waves across both borders. The two collaborators share their love for music and chance meet.

In a matter of chance, the Pakistani rock band and Indian folktronica duo shared the stage at an event, and instantly clicked.

"It was all very coincidental," Hari told India Today. "We'd heard them on Coke Studio Pakistan, but never live. They heard us there [at the event] for the first time and really liked our music. We just struck a chord from that point onwards. And that led us to making a song together. There was nothing calculated about it."

https://www.instagram.com/p/BCnqHMzKYiM/

Noori collaborating with Indian band for upcoming single ‘Yaarian’

Noor told The Express Tribune earlier, said the Indian band has a very different approach to music but they somehow managed to form a working relationship. “They’re different from us but it all worked out because we made the song on drums and bass and they put the finishing touches. I think we managed to retain the essence of both the collaborators.”

Although the musicians come from different genres, Hari said that they found common ground in the fact that for all of them, "music is the be-all and end-all of things."

He adds, "We make slow, folktronica type of songs while their sound is full of rock n roll. They are trailblazing. And the song Yariyaan is not one that can be slotted into a particular genre," added Hari. "It's got the rock n roll elements of course, and it's got the electronic elements as well.

"It's a very upbeat song, featuring all four voices, about the meaning of friendship," he explains. An ode to friendship, the track celebrates the cultural bond shared by the two bordering countries.

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Yariyaan was recorded in Pakistan and India. When Noori got a visa to India, the band performed at concerts as well as recorded parts of the song. "In fact, some of their first shows in India were with us," said Hari. "When we managed to get a visa for Lahore, we went there to shoot the video and finish the song as well."

“We heard their music and decided to fly to India. Once we were there, we agreed to work on a song. The song was sent back and forth and eventually they came to Pakistan for five days to shoot the video,” added Noor's wife, Mandana Zaidi.

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Catch the song here:

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