Strings look back at last interaction with Amjad Sabri

Strings members recently shared a heartfelt post on their Facebook page about their interactions with Sabri

The country is still reeling from the shock of qawwal Amjad Sabri’s brutal assassination. It came as a shock that no one has been able to overcome. The news shook the industry and many artists associated with the singer are mouring the loss of a national icon.

Strings members,  Faisal Kapadia and Bilal Maqsood, who are also the executive producers for Coke Studio 9, recently shared a heartfelt post on their Facebook page about their interactions with Sabri, and the impact he had on their lives.

The duo met Sabri in 2015 when he was called over to approve Atif Aslam’s version of Tajdar-e-Haram, which would go on to become one of Coke Studio’s most popular releases. “Five minutes into our meeting, we were talking to him as if we were age old buddies,” they wrote. “Soon after the viewing, on his way out, he couldn’t resist the pool table lying in our studio lounge. He played like a champ and crushed everyone he played with.”



Following the first interaction, Strings decided to schedule another meeting, this time with a different agenda.

“This year, we called him and spoke to him about the idea of a possible collaboration with Rahat Fateh Ali Khan, which he very graciously accepted,” they continued. Coke Studio 9, helmed this time by multiple producers and expected to air from August 14, will include the collaboration of the two giants of the music world.

“We knew when these two giants are sitting on a platform, the only thing you can expect is magic. On recording day, after a small briefing session, we skipped the rehearsal and went straight into recording. Sabri started singing in his grand sonorous voice and blew everyone away. We all cried that night. These two masters took us to a very different journey, a journey we can never forget. Just 25 days later, Sabri is not with us. We still can’t believe it.”

Published in The Express Tribune, June 27^th, 2016.

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