Natasha’s journey has been mired with struggles, the most important being meeting the audiences’ expectations. PHOTOS: PUBLICITY
Natasha Ejaz is undeniably one of the most original and distinct musical acts to have taken over the local music scene off late. The dynamic actor-dancer-singer recently released the song Khwab from her debut extended play (EP) , Till the End of Time. Khwab is a jazzy tune that transcends the listener through a catchy melody and Natasha’s velvety vocals.
The surreal sound and vivid imagery are a manifestation of the singer’s concept of dreams and personification. “I wrote Khwab because I was fascinated with the idea of personifying dreams and I wanted to explore the conversation our imaginations would have with ourselves, if they were ever given the ability to speak,” Natasha tells The Express Tribune.
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In the music video, Natasha uses her ballet moves to swerve and tumble from one place to another. “The idea behind the video was to try and extenuate the spiral of escapism and reality that everyone is inherently a part of by virtue of being alive.”
She uses lyrics to convey her perception of what a dream would be like to the listener. “The song is about my idea of dreams, which is that they are cheeky, mischievous and allusive. The lyrics are a conversation that I am having with myself regarding the different perspectives that I have about dreams, and the chorus ‘khud say bacha lay mujhe’ suggests one of them.
Natasha’s background in theatre comes in handy when she tries to explore her limits not just as a singer, but as a performing artist at large. “I think my love for literature and theatre guides my writing process every now and then. That is how Khwab came about, I decided to explore a concept for the fun of it,” she quipps.
If the stars align, Natasha has plans to release more videos of the remaining songs from Till the End of Time. As of now, she has also collaborated with photographers Kohi Marri and Shahrukh Khurshid to complete the music video for her song Raqeeb.
‘Sing for all you’re worth’
A still from the video Khwab
Having acted in the play The Bald Soprano last year, Natasha is eager to grasp another opportunity to act in a theatre play in the future but wants to focus most of her energy into making more music. “Going back to my musical roots is something I’m really excited about. My band members are an accomplished bunch and are amazing to work with. I’m working towards exploring more avenues in the future and making our music available to a wider audience.”
Since her mother is an artist, brother an illustrator and sister a model, Natasha has always had a strong support system. “I’ve been fortunate enough to come from a supportive family that has stood by everything I have done. I also have very loyal fans who make an effort to support me on every level.”
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Analogous to any other musician in Pakistan, Natasha’s journey has been mired with struggles, the most important one being the dichotomy between the audience’s expectations and her own.
She concludes the conversation on a more holistic note, saying how there is no point of a life that does not give you a spark of creativity. “I want to be able to wake up every morning and look forward to a creative process. It’s not easy to make it big just by being honest to your artistic endeavours. This struggle still remains but I’m just lucky that there’s something that keeps me going.”
Published in The Express Tribune, November 25th, 2015.
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