Indo-Pakistani band JoSH enthralls fans in Australia

Music duo took to the stage in Melbourne and Sydney

This weekend was a blast of bhangra for the desi population of  Australia, as internationally acclaimed Indo-Pakistan music band, JoSH took the stage in Melbourne and Sydney, and belted out some of their most powerful Punjabi hits, stated a press release.

The duo, Qurram Hussain and Rupinder Magon, performed live with a team of musicians called The Fifth - a hard rock band from Fayetteville, North Carolina. Toronto-based YouTube sensation Shobhit Banwait also accompanied JoSH on their tour down under, giving a special touch to the band’s tracks with his tabla beats.

PHOTO: FILE

Both concerts, especially the one in Sydney, were crowded with Pakistani and Indian fans. Besides their hits, the band also crooned Bollywood songs from the 80s and 90s.

During a pre-concert press conference in Sydney, Qurram shared how the Australia tour was special in many aspects. They were performing with a team of very talented musicians and innovating their existing tracks to bring something special for Australia.

JoSH's Qurram Hussain goes into qawwali mode for 'Rangreza'

Shobhit was present at the press conference too, sharing how he had always been big  JoSH fan, so it was an honour for him to share the stage with them.

When asked whether JoSH started as Indo-Pakistan music band, Qurram said, “Though we’d love to take full credit, quite honestly, it was not created as something about Indo-Pakistan unity at all.”

PHOTO: FILE

He added, “Rup and I met in a college bus in Montreal and there weren’t many desis in the city at that time. When you meet someone of your own skin tone, you immediately tend to smile and converse. Better yet, we found musicians in each other so here we are.”

Rup shared it had never mattered that he was Indian and Qurram was Pakistani. “Understandably, in the eyes of the world, it is a sign of unity. And one thing we can say for sure after travelling between the two countries is that there is definitely love and unity among the people. “

He continued, “Sure there are fanatics and misinformed individuals that are perhaps not entirely in love with the other side but we believe that love and music can ultimately change that.”

PHOTO: FILE

Talking about their personal JoSH favourites, Rup shared that Qurram always had a major connection to Kabhi. “It was one of his first hit compositions and will always be our baby. However, for me, Mausam is also just as special.”

The music duo also announced that a fifth album is in the works and a music video will soon be released.

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