Haters will always hate, says Ayesha Omar
Singer-actor Ayesha Omar feels critics don’t always understand the way the minds of fans work.
Singer-actor feels critics don’t always understand the way the minds of fans work. DESIGN: SAMRA AAMIR
KARACHI:
In an article for The Express Tribune, music critic Mohammad A Qayyum described her “an average vocalist with a tendency towards sounding alternatively hoarse or throaty”. How does the starlet feel about all the criticism coming her way?
“I am extremely thrilled to have won,” she tells us via Facebook, as she is currently not in Pakistan. “I worked extremely hard on this album and I guess all the hard work paid off.”
She says she feels honoured to have been nominated along with “huge names” like Sajjad Ali and Sajid and Zeeshan, whose music she says “has always been a source of inspiration and motivation”.
“I never expected to win,” she admits. “I don’t even come close to their experience and skill but this was a voting category and I guess music listeners and fans out there did like something about my album. The criticisers have a right to state their views.”
We spoke to LSA host and presenter Ahmed Ali Butt about how he felt about Ayesha’s victory. “At the end of the day, theek hai. Ayesha Omar is fine, one should be supportive, not critical. If you want to be critical be a strict blogger. I am all for it [releasing an album and making singles] — it takes a lot of b**** to take out music in times like these.”
Nominee Usman Riaz says he is honoured to have been nominated. “People think she deserved to win. To me, winning doesn’t matter, being acknowledged does.”
Gumby, however, was less diplomatic and more terse. “I have just heard a song. I wouldn’t rate her as a singer. The LSA’s should focus more on fashion than music. It is unfortunate that Sajid-Zeeshan and Sajid Ali and Usman Riaz didn’t win. I don’t blame the artist but I blame the jury. This is only a style award not a music award! LSA is about fashion and style and they should focus on that and not on music.”
So who are these jury members in the line of fire? Qayyum shares that a jury member informed him that the music jury vote makes up for about 30% of the award, with the rest determined by viewers.
According to the official results shared with The Express Tribune, Ayesha bagged 18,377 votes, while the lowest number was earned by Dynoman for Naubahar. It is clear that she bagged the most votes owing to her popularity from Bulbulay. It is possible that people who voted for her even didn’t even know that she could sing. Unfortunately, this is what happens when you leave an important award that does not have as much mass appeal for the public to decide. Music categories should only be awarded according to their genres, like they were with the Indus Music and The Music Aawards.
And the winner is!
Voting was conducted via SMS, call centre and votes on the LSA website. Results audited by KPMG were submitted to the LUX Style Awards office as follows:
Best Music Album
Chahar Balish by Sajjad Ali 9,458
Circus in the Sky by Usman Riaz 2,908
Khamoshi by Ayesha Omar 18,377
Naubahar by Dynoman 2,506
The Harvest by Sajid & Zeeshan 1,624
(Shared by Fareshte Aslam of Unilever)
Published in The Express Tribune, July 9th, 2013.
In an article for The Express Tribune, music critic Mohammad A Qayyum described her “an average vocalist with a tendency towards sounding alternatively hoarse or throaty”. How does the starlet feel about all the criticism coming her way?
“I am extremely thrilled to have won,” she tells us via Facebook, as she is currently not in Pakistan. “I worked extremely hard on this album and I guess all the hard work paid off.”
She says she feels honoured to have been nominated along with “huge names” like Sajjad Ali and Sajid and Zeeshan, whose music she says “has always been a source of inspiration and motivation”.
“I never expected to win,” she admits. “I don’t even come close to their experience and skill but this was a voting category and I guess music listeners and fans out there did like something about my album. The criticisers have a right to state their views.”
We spoke to LSA host and presenter Ahmed Ali Butt about how he felt about Ayesha’s victory. “At the end of the day, theek hai. Ayesha Omar is fine, one should be supportive, not critical. If you want to be critical be a strict blogger. I am all for it [releasing an album and making singles] — it takes a lot of b**** to take out music in times like these.”
Nominee Usman Riaz says he is honoured to have been nominated. “People think she deserved to win. To me, winning doesn’t matter, being acknowledged does.”
Gumby, however, was less diplomatic and more terse. “I have just heard a song. I wouldn’t rate her as a singer. The LSA’s should focus more on fashion than music. It is unfortunate that Sajid-Zeeshan and Sajid Ali and Usman Riaz didn’t win. I don’t blame the artist but I blame the jury. This is only a style award not a music award! LSA is about fashion and style and they should focus on that and not on music.”
So who are these jury members in the line of fire? Qayyum shares that a jury member informed him that the music jury vote makes up for about 30% of the award, with the rest determined by viewers.
According to the official results shared with The Express Tribune, Ayesha bagged 18,377 votes, while the lowest number was earned by Dynoman for Naubahar. It is clear that she bagged the most votes owing to her popularity from Bulbulay. It is possible that people who voted for her even didn’t even know that she could sing. Unfortunately, this is what happens when you leave an important award that does not have as much mass appeal for the public to decide. Music categories should only be awarded according to their genres, like they were with the Indus Music and The Music Aawards.
And the winner is!
Voting was conducted via SMS, call centre and votes on the LSA website. Results audited by KPMG were submitted to the LUX Style Awards office as follows:
Best Music Album
Chahar Balish by Sajjad Ali 9,458
Circus in the Sky by Usman Riaz 2,908
Khamoshi by Ayesha Omar 18,377
Naubahar by Dynoman 2,506
The Harvest by Sajid & Zeeshan 1,624
(Shared by Fareshte Aslam of Unilever)
Published in The Express Tribune, July 9th, 2013.