Faisal Kapadia on his Indian roots, leaving Strings and finding music again

For Faisal Kapadia, India has never simply been a neighbouring country. It is woven into the story of his family, his childhood memories, his marriage and, eventually, his music.

The singer appeared in an exclusive interview with Indian journalist Faridoon Shahryar, where he spoke about his Hindustani roots and his journey into a solo career at the age of 50. “My whole family is actually from Hindustan. My nana and nani were from Rajkot, as were my parents. My whole extended family — my uncles, aunts, etc. — are still in those areas,” Kapadia said.

Born in Pakistan to parents who migrated from India, Kapadia grew up with a connection to the country that went beyond geography.

“So, from 1977, every year I used to go to India for vacations, to Rajkot and our village, Charkila. Even my wife’s whole family is from Bombay. My parents came to Pakistan later, so I was born here,” he recalled.

That history has given Kapadia a particularly personal perspective on the relationship between Pakistan and India. With travel now difficult because of political tensions, he said his family found other ways to stay connected. “So my contact with them is still very strong. Since I can’t go to India now because of political concerns, we make plans to meet in Dubai.”

For Kapadia, political disagreements should not erase the relationships ordinary people have built over generations. “Countries’ issues depend on political issues, so I am not upset because they know how to run a country. But the common person should maintain their relationships.”

He believes that distinction between governments and people is particularly important for artists. “As a Pakistani, I think this human-to-human communication is so important. Political issues have been prominent since I was born, and they’ve always been on and off, but people’s contact shouldn’t be ruined,” he said.

His connection to India also found a place in his music. Strings became part of Bollywood’s musical landscape when the band’s song “Zinda” featured in Sanjay Gupta’s 2006 film of the same name. “That was one of my most beautiful memories that I’ll ever have with Bollywood,” Kapadia recalled.

The band’s identity remained central to the project, with Strings bringing its own sound to the film rather than simply providing playback vocals. “After that, we made the song, and they said, ‘This song is so amazing, I will make a video with the two lead roles.’” “We got so excited because we have always loved their work and Bollywood,” he said.

After 33 years of making music with Bilal Maqsood, Kapadia now finds himself approaching his career from a different perspective. Strings ended in 2021, bringing their long-running partnership to a close.

“There is a time when you are building a career and you think you are a big star and celebrity, but right now I am part of the audience. I go there and see people who have grown up with Strings, and I have also done the same. We started when we were 17 and now I am 55. So I like to sit among them and sing with them because whoever comes, they have all been through Strings music in their lives, from their happy moments to their sad ones.”

That relationship with listeners, he said, had become more meaningful than celebrity itself. Yet Kapadia believed an artist could not remain trapped in previous success. “I think it is important for artists to leave behind their previous journey because we are moving towards a new life. Yes, previous success was amazing, but do not linger on it. The world is changing.”

For him, moving forward became a conscious decision after Strings ended. “Yes, that can be difficult for an artist, but I consider myself and Bilal lucky that we ended Strings after 33 years in 2021. That band gave us so much. After that, I had no intention of continuing with music because I was happy with what I had achieved. I left music for some time,” he said.

The decision to step away from music did not last forever. An encounter with legendary singer Abida Parveen helped Kapadia reconsider what it meant to keep learning as an artist.

“I met Abida Parveen in between, and she said humans keep learning. She said she was one small crumb in this huge world. She was a big inspiration, and because of that inspiration, I went to Poland and joined a vocal camp as a student for 15 days. I tried to take that inspiration and start a new journey,” he added.

That new beginning brought Kapadia back to music, but with a different motivation. “Now I am in that phase where I am enjoying making new music. I started with zero subscribers and now I have new music. So this is a new journey for me, and that brings me enthusiasm because I have to earn it again — not for fame, but to become a better musician,” he said.

“If you listen to my last album, Zindagi Jahaan Le Jaaye, the opening track is about how you are not bound to achieve something like an award. When you reach 50, in my case, I thought this was all irrelevant. You need to enjoy the journey,” Kapadia said. “We are in a world of numbers and positions, but what matters is how happy you are,” he added.

Today, that philosophy shapes Kapadia’s return to music, with a new chapter driven not by fame, but by the desire to become a better musician.