Nabeel Shaukat Ali to release single from India

The singer has come a long way in proving that he is vocal powerhouse and is definitely here to stay

LAHORE: When one thinks about Nabeel Shaukat Ali, the very first thing that instinctively comes to mind is his melodious number from Coke Studio titled Bewajah. Since his epic win at the popular Indian-Pakistani singing talent show Sur Kshetra in 2012, Nabeel Shaukaty. After almost a year of working out details, Nabeel is releasing a song from India titled Bulleya. The track will be his rendition of the famous Sufi saint Bulleh Shah’s kalam.

He has already proved that he could have easily started off with an original but his reason for launching this as his first song in India is special. “I chose this particular Kalam because I want to give a message of peace which can’t be given merely through words,” explained the singer. “The time is ripe for building relationships and Sufi music carries a universal message. We thought we would start on a meaningful note with Bulleh Shah’s poetry.”



Nabeel has sung and composed the song while Adnan Kandhar has directed the video. Kandhar, who also worked with him on Kooch, has shot the video across various locations in Naran, Kaghan and Gilgit. The song is set for release on August 27 with SaaiBaba Telefilms in India. “They are artist managers between India and the world over,” said the crooner. Nabeel explained that that he had first met the owner and managing director, Gajendra Singh during his stint at Sur Kshetra, where he was also the producer of the show.

“We wanted to reach out to the masses and that’s possible through an artist management company like theirs. T Series also gave me a contract but I went ahead with SaiiBaba Telefilms because they take care of everything.” Nabeel has a number of concerts lined up in Dubai, UK, America, Canada and India, and the management company will be taking care of the song release on all channels.

After releasing this single, he plans on dabbling with playback singing across the border, something he has experience with in Pakistan. After a stupendous performance during at Coke Studio last year, fans were waiting for him to return to the same platform but were left disappointed. On not being a part of the show this season he said, “Their policy is that whoever does two songs in one season cannot be a part of the next so hopefully I will be a part of the next season.”

Nabeel added that he is not afraid of experimenting with his music and looks forward to innovative ventures in the future. “When I first entered the industry and started doing OSTs, I used to sing all kinds of songs and that was challenging. It has taught me to be experimental with my music.”

Published in The Express Tribune, August 15^th, 2016.

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