We seniors are equally responsible for ruining the industry: Goher Mumtaz

Jal front man Goher Mumtaz reminisces old times and how Pakistani aritsts have not learnt from their mistakes

KARACHI: Jal may have become a distant memory for most, but for Goher Mumtaz the band remains what has made him into who he is. The band that put Atif Aslam and Farhan Saeed on the map, comes back to life when Mumtaz gets a day off from shooting his TV serials or when Aslam and Saed end up singing a Jal song to lift a dead crowd at a show. The love for Aadat is such that you can’t live with or without it.

It took some time and soul-searching but Mumtaz has finally admitted that Jal is very much a one-man-army now. “Two years back, I was touring Bangladesh when a fan came and said, ‘You’re very lucky to have continued a live music career after being disbanded.’ I totally agree with that as so many bands couldn’t survive without a vocalist and I am very lucky to see people still asking me to perform,” Mumtaz tells The Express Tribune.

The post-Farhan period has been a humbling experience for Mumtaz and so has switching to television for bread and butter. But does that add to the memory of his music fans? “I don’t have an issue if I get gigs because of my screen presence. Maybe that is the case but it is highly unlikely,” he responds. “As much as our industry is all about who offers the complete package, you can’t change the fact that it is the boys who make a concert and they don’t watch dramas.”



With a line-up that has someone as talented as Salman Albert leading it, Mumtaz believes things are pretty much on the right track. The band is moving forward with the intent of releasing new music and not just cashing in on the brand name that it has turned into. “I enjoy performing live, be it in India, Pakistan or anywhere else. To keep us relevant, we need to throw in more new music for more new fans.”

Aslam and Mumtaz have both moved on from the initial differences and are now as close as they once were. Going solo comes with its set of blues as the feeling of three people uniting under one name is something that Mumtaz always ends up reminiscing. “I do miss the tours and the chilling sessions we used to have together but that’s about it,” says Mumtaz.  “I used to do more than 80% of the work even then so when the band broke up, I didn’t feel any burden. I didn’t have to worry about where the compositions will come from. I love music and will never get bored of it.”

The musician does, however, feel that both Saeed and Mumtaz staying together and still taking up acting could have been worse. “Now that we have started thinking more, who knows we would have had more issues now. Obviously you miss that time, but then…”

After Aslam’s departure, Jal survived 12 years and Mumtaz is content with that time span. For him, the disintegration of the band is part of a bigger problem. “Our society at large is getting more desperate with time and has started to ignore the bigger picture: we need to learn to be patient. I feel we are more concerned about the lives of others than our own,” he explains. “Whether it’s a married couple or a play or a song, you just like to see what the other has and you don’t, and that’s poisonous. We need to support each other as individuals who are part of a larger music industry.”

With time and experience came a lot of responsibility which Mumtaz believes neither Jal nor its fellows could have shouldered. “Despite trying for 12 years, the music industry has failed to unite,” he smirks. When Jal was just a bunch of newbies, they would look up to the likes of Fuzon, Junoon, Faakhir and Haroon for inspiring musicians to come together. It’s now 2016 and Mumtaz doesn’t see that happening anytime soon.

“Our biggest failure is that we kept on meeting but we never came to a consensus. And now that we are seniors, we are equally responsible for ruining the industry. We couldn’t make a music union because everyone has huge egos,” says Mumtaz.

“Sometimes, I feel that the fraternity is very close superficially but deep down inside, we don’t care about each other. When I am getting enough endorsements and making money, why would I waste my time sitting around, trying to fix someone else’s problems?”

Alongside Ali Zafar, Mumtaz played an active role in bringing Lahori musicians together, while Strings were doing the same in Karachi. And after doing all the leg work, when the musicians finally met, the response was rather disappointing.

“People were more concerned about who is going to take over the union rather than something more significant. So from 2008 onwards, I read all my emails but don’t respond to any.”

According to him, someone who is not an artist is needed to run around and take up concerns with relevant parties, as opposed to someone with a direct stake in the industry.

As much as Mumtaz would want to contribute, he feels the new generation of musicians has found a way with things and the idea of forming a union now is no more relevant.  “I think this union was much needed for the Indus Music generation. We don’t need it now because we have so many digital platforms that are willing to pay.”

Published in The Express Tribune, September 20^th, 2016.

Like Life & Style on Facebook, follow @ETLifeandStyle on Twitter for the latest in fashion, gossip and entertainment.