The right way to fall: Natasha Ejaz

With Uth Records, Pakistani audiences witnessed a young and talented artist in the form of Natasha Ejaz.

KARACHI:

With the 4th episode of Uth Records, Pakistani audiences witnessed a young and talented artist in the form of Natasha Ejaz. She has been part of several theatre productions, and is currently training in audio production in Malaysia. The Express Tribune spoke to Natasha Ejaz about her new single “Right Way to Fall” which has been getting back to back hits on YouTube.

Do you feel that with this release, you will only be able to penetrate the Pakistani market on a very superficial level?

NE: I think Uth records released this song at a fork in the road. At this point, there’s really no predicting what kind of music reaches audiences at what level. Songs have a life of their own, it’s our duty as musicians to put them out there and let them live.

It seems that despite vocal brilliance this type of music will always be lumped together with western music. Do you agree?

NE: Let’s not kid ourselves, so much of what we hear in Pakistan today has the propensity to be lumped together with what you call “western” music. And frankly, I don’t see what is wrong with that. I’m not saying that we let go of our heritage. However, I do believe that adding a ‘desi’ touch to a song just for the sake of trying to be accepted by a larger audience is hypocritical. Music is evolutionary, it changes, and people change. I think that in the coming years, it will broaden and give room to more fusion. Music is neither a western nor an eastern phenomenon. Today more than ever, it’s a universal phenomenon with undeniable cross cultural marriages in sound.

Do you think your music will make it beyond radio play lists?

NE: I hope so!

Who do you idealise as a musician/ vocalist? Do you get inspiration from any of the local artists?

NE: I am influenced by a myriad of genres and artists. I’d have to say locally, ranging from Nazia Hassan’s honeysuckle voice to the soul driven power of Abida Perween. I specifically love the folk music of Rajasthan and Pakistani pop music from the 70s through to the 2000s. Sajjad Ali, Strings, Vital Signs, Junoon, Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, Sajid and Zeeshan, Zeb and Haniya, Noori... I could go on.

Do you eventually plan to release an album? If yes, would it be only English music or some Urdu stuff as well?

NE: Yes I do - but not for a while. Right now I’m concentrating on singles. My next original song happens to be an Urdu one. I would imagine that my album would have a healthy dose of both.

You have done dance, theatre and acting on stage and recorded music. How do you see yourself as part of the entertainment industry?

NE: As a healthy addition.

What should the music industry and the audience expect from ‘Natasha Ejaz’ in the coming few years?

NE: The lesser they expect specifics from me, the more surprised they will be with whatever I do. So I choose not to answer this question.

Anything you want people to know?

NE: I like doughnuts.

Right Way to Fall

Uth Records, a television production that brings young, undiscovered musical talent to the forefront, has taken audiences by a storm with the introduction of ‘Yasir and Jawad’ (Y&J).  While the Y&J fever hasn’t yet ended, we have been introduced to yet another young and talented artist, Natasha Ejaz. Her sweet and refined vocals accompanied by her composition abilities make the track “Right Way to Fall” a complete treat.

Kudos to music producers, Gumby and Omran Shafique, for giving the song an electronic feel. This saves the song from ending up as just another English pop song by a Pakistani artist. The composition itself is very mature and as it is composed by the singer herself, it is almost tailor made for her voice. An interesting part of the release is the video itself. The director, Zeeshan Parwez, has attempted to give the video a very ‘MTV classics’ feel, a treatment which works very well with the song. The video has Natasha standing in front of a studio mike with a powerful back light exposed in the back ground, lending a very 80’s look. “Right Way to Fall” is a very well produced track, all in, another successful venture by Uth Records.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 28^th, 2011.