A new shaam for Nabeel Nihal Project

Tanseer Dar of Karavan fame talks about latest collaboration and upcoming projects with former Aaroh member

KARACHI: Nabeel Nihal Chishty and Tanseer Dar may have long made a mark as musicians but the two continue to stay relevant in the current set-up as they release a new single every now and then, even if it’s occasionally. Building up on this trend, the duo recently released their single titled Shaam under the band name Nabeel Nihal Project.

Dar spoke fondly of his collaboration with Chishty, which dates back to their time with their respective bands Karavan and Aaroh. “We began collaborating three to four years back when Chishty was looking to join forces with someone for a separate project,” shared Dar. “He auditioned a few vocalists but they were unable to meet his requirements. So, he asked me to come on board,” he added.

Having initially pooled in for a single, Chishty requested Dar to perform vocal duties for the remainder of the album as well. “We even did a track for Chambaili [titled Kyun] almost two years ago, and then followed it up with another single, Khamoshi, which we released last year,” stated Dar.

Despite being an integral part of the joint venture, Dar explained that he didn’t have to do much work in the time leading into the album’s release. “Nabeel had wrapped most of the songwriting by the time I entered the scheme of things, but I did help him in reworking the melodies of a few songs.”

Unlike their previous tracks that were made into studio-shot videos, their latest single Shaam boasts a ‘beautiful’ video, filmed in the northern areas of Pakistan. “When we were about to shoot the music videos, a number of locations came to mind. We thought about doing it in Dubai and then Thailand, but eventually, we decided to film them in Pakistan only,” Dar said.



With three tracks having already been released, Dar hopes to release fresh music on a regular basis and has already signaled the making of their next single Khushi. The vocalist also hinted at a potential Karavan reunion in the near future, noting that it remains subject to an opening in the schedules of former band members.

“Asad Ahmed is busy touring with Ali Zafar, Sameer Ahmed has his own band Raahi, and Allan Smith is playing for Shafqat Amanat Ali. Hopefully, we can come together sometime,” shared Dar. But he’s unsure about the nature of the reunion and whether they would tour again as Karavan or return to the studios to record a few more singles in the future.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 25^th, 2015.

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