Strings talk about upcoming concerts

Strings plan to kick off the new year with the release of another patriotic song and a possible US tour. PHOTO: FILE

KARACHI: Band member Bilal Maqsood spoke to The Express Tribune about the band’s current projects and upcoming tours.

How do you feel about Strings’ upcoming tour to India?

We are really excited about going to India. Insha Allah we’ll be performing in Hyderabad Deccan, Delhi and Mumbai. India is always fun. We always come back energised and full of fresh ideas.

What is lined up for the coming year?

We are currently in the studios recording another patriotic song. Hopefully we will release it in January 2011.

Which places do you plan to tour in 2011?

We are in the process of finalising a tour of the US. Plus Dubai and India are always on the plate.

How was your latest song and video “Ab Khud Kuch Kerna Paray Ga” received?

As much as we wanted to record and release the song, we were equally unsure about the response it would receive. Since the message was from the heart and hard-hitting, it struck the right note with the audiences. The response was overwhelming. Apart from a small section of people who thought the video should have been more positive, everyone just loved it and thought it was very inspiring and motivating. We just wanted to let the anger of our system out but in a constructive way. We believe this video got us a lot of new fans who see Strings in a different light.

Strings has also performed at a number of charity concerts recently. What was the band’s motivation behind the move?

We have been blessed. By the grace of God, Strings has been around for a long time. It has been 20 years since we released our first album, in 1990. We see bands breaking up, musicians quitting music, friends losing their jobs, relatives being shot and robbed, our country being torn apart, but somehow we still manage to survive. In the darkest of times in our careers, we have seen light – a hope to keep on working no matter what. We want to give back because we believe that is how we keep going. The more you give, the more you get back. It might sound a little selfish but it’s true.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 12^th, 2010.