Faraz Haider launches his album Andher

KARACHI: Musician Faraz Haider held a launch show for his new album Andher at the R Centre last weekend. Talking to The Express Tribune, he said, “Andher is my first (Urdu) album, I once used to have a band by the same name and the album is a tribute to my old friends. If people know me, they can relate to me from those years.”

Haider knows that rock music is not highly appreciated in Pakistan, and it was even less so “about 10 years ago”.

Haider believes that he is very lucky to have released his new album, “I am lucky in getting my album in the market with the support of my manager Amir Rauf. In these times, record label companies are not accepting new music and are still glued to the old style. (I believe) Artists should not be manipulated, if someone is doing something different, he or she should be accepted.”

He is quick to point out that the album’s name is not a pun on the words “and her”, and says that the album consists of “12 songs which have all been played to the beat of different genres of music”.

Haider said it took him 10 years to compile music for his album, and five of the 12 songs that he sang at the launch had a history behind them. “‘Benaam’, is for those of us for whom money is religion. “Dunya Ghoom Ke”, is for the girl who left me, it is a slap on her face, while “Ruk Jao” is a love song. “Tum Na Rahay” is a special song, which is both pop and rock and “Intizaar” is a song whose lyrics were written by my sister,” said Haider.

He was not keen to talk about his first English solo album, Simple, which debuted nine years ago when he was only 21 years old. The album was never released because, “Masses can not relate to it. It is only for a niche crowd,” he said.

Haider is a self-taught musician and a songwriter, who has been interested in music since he was 13 years old. He still finds inspiration in Michael Jackson’s voice, asserting, “‘Thriller’ is the best song ever and (Jackson) will always be the King of Pop.”

Andher has been released by The Musik Records and the album launch was managed by Two Five Right Artist Management.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 3^rd, 2010.