From loyalties to royalties

Are you looking for someone to fit the bill of the humble hailing-from-a-small-town underrated artist radiating originality? Then look no further than singer and songwriter Adnan Dhool, who found fame with Awari in Nescafe Basement in 2012 as part of the duo Soch. Although Adnan and his bandmate Rabi Ahmed have since parted amicably after working together for fifteen years, Adnan has steadily been producing music ever since, with his latest track Ghungroo released in August, racking up a whopping 2.3 million likes in three weeks.

In an unabashedly honest interview with Ahmad Ali Butt on the latter's podcast, Adnan looked back on his own musical journey to see how he rose from a boy from Khanewal to a man claiming a solid set of hits, from Awari to Beparwah to Pardes Katenda.

How it all began

"I don't know how to sell myself," admitted Adnan ruefully. "I'm from a very small town, and when I started out, Lahore was just like New York. I had no idea how to market myself."

Reminiscing about his younger years, Adnan recalled that his only exposure to music was whatever he had seen on their lone music channel on TV. Later when he moved to Lahore a city devoid of any family, the aspiring musician ping-ponged between friends and scraped together money to get a foot in the door of the music industry. It was in Lahore that he met Rabi and formed Soch in 2010.

"There was a big band culture in Pakistan at the time," explained Adnan. "You had EP and Jal and so many other bands - we realised we could probably make more money if we were in a band, but also, it would be easier if it was just two of us."

Adnan added that as someone with very little money and even fewer connections, he embarked on the steepest of learning curves in the early stages of his career.

"I couldn't even think of having a teacher," he said, looking back. "I made so many mistakes. YouTube was my main teacher. I realised that without money, I had to learn how to do everything myself, and YouTube is where I learned the art of production. I would work for 18 hours at a time. You know how kids get addicted to PUBG? That was me. Addicted to learning how to produce music."

Post-'Awari' fame

Casting his mind back to how he started, Adnan almost radiated disbelief at how he managed to survive in the world of music.

"When I was starting out, the music industry was dying," he said. "TV channels started playing Indian music, and local artists didn't have a chance."

What turned things around for Adnan, however, was finding his launching pad on Nescafe Basement, where Awari (as part of Soch) became an overnight hit in 2012. Awari went on to be featured in the Bollywood film Ek Villain, and marked a turning point for Adnan. Having snagged the attention of one film, Adnan started fielding requests from local filmmakers, until he eventually became jaded from the experience.

"The biggest mistake of my life was Sherdil," he said unequivocally. "They used the unmixed songs I had sent as a demo and played it in the film! In the cinema! It's so disappointing after you work so hard and give away your rights."

Xulfi all the way

Signing away rights has been somewhat of a theme for Coke Studio, but here Adnan was more sanguine about it than his disappointment with the film industry. "In Tu Jhoom, I was the writer, but Xulfi's name came up in the credits," he mused, referring to producer Zulfiqar "Xulfi" Jabbar Khan. "These are very normal issues. They get solved though. In season 14. I wrote 6 songs, including Beparwa - but now I have the master rights, as per the contract!"

Adnan spoke warmly of Xulfi as his mentor and stressed he couldn't have asked for a more supportive pillar in the music industry pitted against someone from a small town.

"Xulfi Bhai gave me so much confidence," he shared. "For someone like me who came from a place with no exposure, it was such a boost to have someone praise my songs. People would tell me I wasn't good enough to attend meetings because I couldn't speak properly - they would speak to me like I was a small child, but Xulfi Bhai was a true mentor. He encouraged me all the way."

It was not just encouragement that Xulfi imparted, but also valuable advice. "He taught me small things like how to tune a guitar properly note by note," added Adnan. "I really look up to him as a musician."

What every artist needs to know

Adnan may have found his launching pad with Awari, but he did not feel like a "true" musician until the release of Pardes Katenda in 2023.

"All the other songs I have worked on before this, I didn't feel they were truly mine," he confessed. "But Pardes Katenda was the first song I created all by myself without anyone's help. I consider it my first song."

Having finally crafted the song he considers his own, Adnan urged all artists to be true to themselves.

"I think it's very hard for new artists because we have to write songs and promote ourselves," noted Adnan. "But if I could give any advice, it would be this: Know your rights, don't give away your songs for free, learn how to market yourself, and most importantly, be original. Everyone tried to copy Atif [Aslam] at one point. But you need to stick to what you know. Don't try to be anyone else. Be you."

Adnan's message is clear: if you stay true to yourself and are ready to sweat it out, success is on the cards.