Did Abbas Ali Khan leave you stunned?

Khan releases new track, “Per Main Hun Ruka Sa”, after seven years.

KARACHI:

The Pakistani music industry is desperate for something new, and it is looking to both veterans and upcoming singers to deliver. Against this dismal backdrop, singer Abbas Ali Khan released his new single “Per Main Hun Ruka Sa” — and it couldn’t have come at a better time.

With this song, Abbas makes a comeback after a whole seven years. But those who have heard this stunning track will agree that it was well worth the wait. Talking to The Express Tribune, Abbas talks about his enthusiasm for “Per Main Hun Ruka Sa”. “It’s about a moment of numbness that everyone has experienced at least once in life,” says Abbas, adding that “it is the feeling of time stopping and depersonalisation.”

The song itself has a simple melody, but its execution is sure to leave listeners spellbound. With Sarmad Ghafoor playing the acoustics and Abbas leading with the vocals, the song is enchanting. Abbas believes the essence of the song lies in its simplicity, which was not easy to maintain throughout the composition.

Despite his rigorous training in classical music, it is surprising that Abbas stuck to a basic range of vocals instead of using complicated variations; he produced a captivating song and retained its simplicity.  Singer and composer Adnan Sami Khan was extremely pleased with Abbas’ latest release and left him the following message on Facebook:  “My dear Abbas, thank you for sending me “Par Mein Hun Ruka Sa”, your new track. Absolutely brilliant!!! Lovely and... lovely!! Beautiful minimalistic arrangements, great melody, great chord progression and most importantly — simple; something which anyone can hum to. That’s what connects most with the listeners!!!” Sami added, “I’m so proud of you. Fabulous vocals with subtle variations resulting in a nice crispy mix. May God bless you and may you reach the skies with your passion called music.”

“Per Main Hun Ruka Sa” is part of Abbas’ bigger project, “Abbas Ali Khan Singles”, which will feature similar tracks played on an acoustic guitar. Other projects in the pipeline include “The Sufi Synthesis Project”, which Abbas says he is really looking forward to since Sufi style will be incorporated in his music. “The first video of ‘The Sufi Synthesis Project’, called ‘Bilaskhani’, will be coming out before Ramazan and is definitely something to look out for — especially for the ‘Malal’ fans,” says Abbas. We wish him the best of luck and are happy that he broke the silence with a bang.

Published in The Express Tribune, July 5^th, 2012.