Annie Khalid is letting go and moving on

Pop singer delves into the past and reveals her plans for the future.

LAHORE:

“There were ups and downs in my personal life, so I decided to go home, rebuild and restructure,” says Annie Khalid. The singer’s career had been on hold for the past year and half or so, as she was focusing on her personal life, which included a very public divorce to businessman Malik Awan. You could call it a comeback on many levels, but her return to Pakistani music is more of a rebirth.

“I was going through the frustration of a divorce, which turned into a bit of media circus. It was not exactly what I had in mind, but it is what it is, people may assume that I am out of love or do not want to get married again, but that’s not true, I still believe in love and relationships; I am a hopeless romantic,” says Khalid.



“I think before all of this happened I was living in a bubble, but in the past year I have had to grow up at five hundred miles per hour! I had no choice, so I am better not bitter, and happier, I don’t take anything for granted anymore, and enjoy every second of my life.”

Back on the road and touring in Pakistan, Khalid is looking to come back big. While in England, she continued recording and released a track with famed British singer Rishi Rich titled Tera Yaad Kiya which made its debut at number three on iTunes. Khalid says the success of the British scene was exciting, but she missed Pakistan. She returned to the country in February and opened for the Sindh Festival.

“As much as I love the British Asian music industry, I don’t think it is as vast as you would assume it to be. I have worked both here and there. To be honest it’s an amazing industry to be in, but I feel there is a lot more activity here (in Pakistan),” says Khalid.

“For instance, the gigs in England are more intimate, with a couple of hundred people in the audience, whereas I am used to performing in Pakistan for a thousand to two thousand people.”

Annie is looking to work on a lot of new music in Pakistan, and says that her personal experiences over the last year and half have changed her approach to music. She is taking more of an active role in her lyrics and music. Her goal is to experiment and try new things which will be relevant to her music and her following.

“I had kind of lost what had made me so unique, so I want to go back to being Annie Khalid, which means different music, different songs, different lyrics and videos; so that’s what’s planned right now,” says Khalid. She also disclosed to The Express Tribune, that she will be releasing a single titled Tharki Saala, which hopes to be a bold and exciting pop song.

Khalid maintains a keen eye on a music trends and her decision to play a more active part in her lyrics is derived from need to make sure the music comes from her heart. She says she has been writing poetry since she was seven, and sometimes adds ideas to her songs from there.



“Sometimes, I open my journals and diaries and get some material from there, or if I get a random idea, I will write it in my phone or iPad, and I take to my lyricist. I have such an amazing team here in Pakistan because I am not well-versed in Urdu, so we work on it together.”

She says that the coming year will be one filled with excitement, and now that she is back in Pakistan, her goal is to enjoy every moment and make sure she provides her fans with something unique and diverse.

“There is a lot of good music that I am working on. I like to enjoy life and not things too seriously; you will see that in my music.” 

Published in The Express Tribune, March 29^th, 2014.

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