Decoding Bilal's solo career

Kashmir frontman talks 'Dil' and creative process

KARACHI:

Bilal Ali, the lead vocalist for Pakistani music band Kashmir, made a solo comeback with his single Dil just this month. The electronic track is a surprising drift from the singer-songwriter's contributions to his alternative rock band. In an interview with The Express Tribune, Bilal began by speaking about the intent behind his newest release.

"Actually, this song just came to me," he revealed. "With Kashmir, usually the songs are about things that the band is going through or something that's prevalent in society and has more of a rebel cause. But as Bilal Ali, I write more about the things that are deeply personal to me, things that I'm feeling momentarily."

Exceeding expectations

Championing versatility in his releases, it is evident that the singer doesn't wish to limit himself to a singular sound. He emphasised on that fact at length, "People get confused once they hear a new sound. But the thing is, for an artist who writes and composes music, it mainly boils down to the melody and lyrics. Then it comes to the producer as well and how they want to treat the product."

"Obviously an artist also has a vision, but I've never limited myself. As humans, we are ever-evolving, which is a philosophy I stick by. Yes, there are exceptions. For instance with Jeena Nahin, I didn't want to give it an electronic touch. It had a specific charm that I wanted to maintain," he said.

"Even Dil started off as an acoustic song, about two years ago. I produced it myself and set it aside for over a year, rarely going back," he described. "I have this habit of only releasing songs after letting them marinate for a while. I live with them first before releasing them."

Expanding on his creative process, he revealed, "I shared this song with Waleed Ahmed (Janoobi Khargosh), our friend of ours and Kashmir's first musical producer. He absolutely loved Dil and expressed that he wanted to work on it with me. The final product blew me away. That's what we decided to go with."

On concerts and Kashmir

"I've gotten requests for solo concerts, but there's a lot that's yet to be released from my end. Once a fully fledged album is compiled with about 10-12 songs, then I think I'll be comfortable doing a solo concert," he mentioned.

Over the latest concert he had as part of Kashmir, Bilal gushed, "It was great, thankfully. For any musician, whenever the concert season kicks off after a long time, it's daunting in the beginning, but it pays off well with the feeling that follows."

He was then asked how he differentiates between the music he creates as a member of Kashmir versus as a solo artist finding his own identity. "To be very honest, I've received this question so many times! It's been giving me this dilemma for the longest time, leaving me to wonder if I'm doing something wrong. In the sense that, can I not explore myself musically? Can't I venture in this or that direction?" he mused.

"All I can say is, it's the same person writing these songs. I've always made songs through the guitar. These days, people tend to do it in the way that they write songs off the beats they create, which isn't a wrong method by any means," he clarified. "However, my personal preference is to determine what the chords are conveying to me, what I'm feeling in that moment, and so forth."

"Many people have told me that this is neither Kashmir's nor Bilal's sound. And I'm like, how do you know this is not Bilal's sound?" he challenged. "If, say, I put out a dance song and it becomes a massive hit, new fans will recognise me from that sound. And when they'll listen to my other songs, they'll be baffled by the difference."

"As a writer and a composer. I'm doing what's right by me; neither am I basing my songs off someone else's, nor am I being influenced by someone else's lyrics. I'm being honest to myself, and I think that's what matters," he decisively answered.

What defines Bilal Ali?

Bilal prefers fleshing out a story. "I often mention Zahid Qureshi, who's an underrated yet beautiful writer, composer, and multi-instrumentalist. Whenever we pen songs together, we discuss our feelings and build a narrative," he said.

"Bilal Ali's songs are just short stories from my life that I'm going through or have been through," he summarised. "Sometimes, things don't hit you right as they occur. Sometimes, it takes a while for you to absorb things and feel a certain way about what has happened to you. These things can reflect in your writing at any given point."

The release on YouTube accompanies a reposeful music video well-suited to the dulcet tones of the track. The hazy blur attributes to the quiet fervour of a distant love, a kind of yearning that the poignant lyrics and emotive melody intensify. The song is sure to envelop your heart in a warmth that's reminiscent of a faraway yet intense devotion.