Pashto singer Rahim Khan releases first Urdu song

Peshawar-based rock singer comes up with a classical number.

PESHAWAR: After releasing famous Pashto numbers including Lambay and Meena, Peshawar-based singer Rahim Khan released the video of his third song Khwab, his first number in Urdu. The lyrics of the romantic song have been written by Urdu poetess Shaheena Kazmi.

The song begins with a violin solo by Ziyad Khan, followed by a mixture of  the tabla, keyboard and guitar. “I have given this song [Khwab] a true Pakistani feel. It is in accordance with our traditions,” Rahim said. He added that after producing “Western-influenced” rock and rap songs, he felt the need to come up with something which could be called Pakistani.



An unplugged version of the song was produced in 2007 but was not released. Rahim, then, came up with Pashto rock songs Meena and Lambay, which gave him recognition at a national level. He has released this track after receiving two years of training in classic singing. Rahim hypes the song as “the revival of classical Urdu music and poetry.”

The song features Khan singing in a studio and in the meadows of Swab and Swat. The video, which took two weeks to film and edit, is directed by Shoaib Anwar.

Rahim believes that singers in Peshawar should not limit themselves to Pashto songs, but also produce Urdu music, since it is the national language. “Although a number of young singers have emerged in Peshawar, the lyrics and composition are losing their quality,” Rahim told The Express Tribune. He added that the industry lacks good singers, who can produce good quality music.

In its second week of release, the song has been viewed 865 times on Vimeo and has received a good response. “It is only good work that impresses people,” remarked Rahim. “I have selected quality lyrics, penned down by seasoned Urdu poetess Shaheena Kazmi. The lyrics are the backbone of any song, and until composed by a quality and professional writer, they cannot be as impactful.”

The singer, who has composed the song said, “If the lyrics were not written so beautifully, I would have not even tried to compose it.” Rahim feels that one of the reasons why classical music does not appeal to the audience is the low quality of lyrics.

The lyrics are:

Khwaab ban ker jo haqeeqat mein nazar aaya hai,

Ek samundar hai ke aankhon mein utaar aaya hai.

Jaane kis kis ke naseebon mein likhe thay saahil,

Apne hissay mein bus ek bhanwar aaya hai.

 

Rahim, who hails from Peshawar, feels that there is a lot of untapped singing talent in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. He said that the province is rife with singers, composers, instrumentalists and lyricists, who never get recognition.

Rahim is now planning to release a song in English, in which he will convey the “sufferings of Pakhtuns” to the international community.

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Published in The Express Tribune, July 20^th, 2013.

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