Don’t need name or label if I have talent and passion: Atif Aslam

Celebrated singer opens up about his life, music and the break-up of Jal in rare interview with Samina Peerzada

Atif Aslam needs no introduction.

The Pakistani singer has made it big globally, thanks to the numerous Bollywood and local tracks he has lent his voice to. If anything, he has delivered some of the biggest hit songs of recent times.

But much to our dismay, Aslam rarely ever opens up about himself. So when we sat an interview with Samina Peerzada recently, we were very excited. The episodes offered some great insight on his family, his younger days and of course, foray into music.

PHOTO: ATIF ASLAM/INSTAGRAM

In the interview, Peerzada confessed she was a huge fan of his. "I remember our first meeting," the Dastaan star said. "It was at Indus Awards. We met at Alhamra Arts Council and you gave me your first music CD. I knew then that you'd make it big. I knew you'd go places."

Thanking her profusely, the Tere Liye singer commented, "I've heard legends and maestros praise my voice. It's overwhelming. I'm a nobody who shouldn't be at the receiving end of the such comments and I'm extremely humbled."

You cannot deny that there's a certain connection you feel every time you hear one of Aslam's compelling ballads. "I've been told that my voice is very distinctive. I've been told people feel extremely connected to it. They feel it's relatable. And I somehow understand what they mean," he said.

PHOTO: ATIF ASLAM/INSTAGRAM

The youngest of four brothers, the Dil Diyaan Gallan crooner said he wasn't as spoiled as one might think. "Our parents were very prim and proper. But we always got one toy every day. That was a ritual," he shared. "The money didn't really matter."

Growing up, Aslam was fond of cricket. He admitted there was a time when he didn't really like music. "There was no music at all during my childhood," he said. "The first time we heard music was when my eldest brother bought a tape recorder. Even then, only he was allowed to touch it. But in our house, we listened to legends such as Muhammad Rafi, Mehdi Hasan, Noor Jehan, Attaullah Khan Esakhelvi." But even this only happened when the brothers were home alone.

PHOTO: ATIF ASLAM/INSTAGRAM

As he aged, Aslam said he became stubborn. He also told Peerzada that around the same time, he got so invested in cricket, he started lacking in his studies. "I started ditching my classes for some cricket trials that might be happening anytime soon. And I did that for quite some time," the Pehli Nazar singer revealed. "After a while, my father came found out and that's when I gave cricket up."

During college, Aslam happened to participate in a music competition and came out as the winner. However, even then, he was unaware of his musical prowess. "My father was transferred from Lahore to Rawalpindi and our house was empty. I remember I sang with all my might. I became scared of my own voice," he continued. "That's when I realised I have a gift."

PHOTO: ATIF ASLAM/INSTAGRAM

After winning the competition, his interest in music grew. Aslam said his brother once brought his friend's guitar home. That guitar became the Piya Re hit make's life.

Talking about how Jal was formed, Aslam revealed it was when a student senior to him proposed that the duo should work together. The Bol actor accepted and so, the band came into being. Their first performance was at a McDonald's!

PHOTO: ATIF ASLAM/INSTAGRAM

He then went on to reveal why Jal was split. "My brother was managing Jal, not as a favour but because he was working in marketing," Aslam asserted. "So when we started attracting audiences and people started calling us for shows, I suggested that since my brother was already managing us, he should do this full-time and work for us. A monetary discussion never happened."

Soon, fellow Jal member Gohar Mumtaz suggested his brother could manage the band as well, which ticked Aslam off. "It came down to who was earning more money and that annoyed me. Gohar then went on to ditch me while we were rehearsing for a concert to represent the band on a channel - a band both of us were part of - singlehandedly," he said.

PHOTO: ATIF ASLAM/INSTAGRAM

"And then he lied about my absence, saying a family member had died so I couldn't make it. I was called to corroborate this, I told them the truth."

Even after the split, Jal was back with a new frontman and Aslam chose to go solo with his debut album Jalpari. "I knew if I had talent and passion for music, I don't need a certain name or label to make me successful," Aslam said. "And Alhamdulillah, I was right."

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