The Commuters are here to face the music

Band’s Pakistani-Canadian vocalist Zeeshan Zaidi wants their music to be personal and universal

KARACHI: If there’s one thing that makes The Commuters’ front man Zeeshan Zaidi stand out, it’s his multicultural roots.

Zaidi was born to Pakistani parents in Canada but grew up in the Philippines. Now 42, he has spent most of his life in the US. In 2010, he formed his band there, along with Uri Djemal, Ben Zwerin and Paul Amorese. The alt-rock band based in Manhattan, New York, just released their latest song Before I Was Born. Zaidi wrote it just after the birth of his first child.

His journey isn’t one typical of rock stars, considering he has been brought up in different cultures and studied law and business at Harvard University. “Yes, it’s kind of a crazy background,” he admitted to The Express Tribune. He talked about how he wanted The Commuters’ music to be personal and universal simultaneously so that more people can relate to it.

PHOTO: FILE

“Thematically, I’ve always aimed to create music that people can relate to. For me, music is all about a shared human experience and the ultimate in songwriting is to construct lyrics and melodies that broad groups of people can relate to, personally and emotionally,” Zaidi said. “It’s really that simple — but definitely not easy. Beyond that, I’m always striving to create melodies that are strong and accessible and memorable.”

In his long career, the rock star has partnered with major music labels like Sony BMG Music Entertainment where he worked with artists such as Avril Lavigne, Pink and Usher. He called the experience truly inspiring. “To work on their careers – in some cases from the very beginning, and in others, on some of their biggest albums — was an honour and a fantastic education,” said Zaidi. “What’s amazing is that while they’re all very different musically, they do have a few crucial things in common, including how incredibly devoted and hard-working they all are.”

But in 2010, Zaidi realised it was time to pursue his own dreams. “After years of procrastinating, I woke up one morning and said to myself that ‘One day, I will no longer be on this planet and I don’t want to regret never even giving my dream a shot’,” he said.

PHOTO: FILE

Djemal was a childhood friend who had been encouraging Zaidi to continue producing music. “I had written a bunch of songs over the years, recorded and produced demos, performed them at open mics, but never did much else with them,” he recalled. “I was very focused on other musician’s careers — both through my work at record labels and as a producer — but not my own.” Soon after, Zwerin and Amorese joined them and so, The Commuters were born.

Asked whether he consciously tries to reflect his multicultural upbringing in his music, Zaidi replied, “I wouldn’t say I deliberately try to reflect that in my music but because it’s who I am, it finds a way to come out.”



According to Zaidi, his musical influences come from all over. “Classical music, classic rock, alternative rock, electronic, some pop… I’ve listened to and enjoyed many different kinds of music all my life and everything I like ends up being an influence at a conscious or subconscious level.”

As to what the future holds for The Commuters, Zaidi expects more music and more touring. A visit to Pakistan could also be on the cards. “I’d love to tour Pakistan and the rest of the band has always been excited about the idea. Hopefully, we’ll pull it together soon!”

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