From Rahat, with love

Celebrities express immense admiration for the singer’s latest work.

KARACHI:

Following Rahat Fateh Ali’s grandiose album launch at the IIFA awards, Tampa Bay, the music legend came to Karachi. The official premiere of Back2love, held at Movenpick Hotel on May 17, was a night of celebration, magnificence and embracing love.

The red carpet lead the guests to the elegantly decorated pool area where the red and white theme — also seen on the album poster — provided a classy touch. While the audience waited in anticipation for Rahat Fateh Ali to arrive, the Back2love playlist playing in the background, kept the atmosphere alive.

The much-awaited album launch was welcomed by famous celebrities, musicians, actors, politicians and a vast majority of media. The immense respect and admiration expressed by the attendants for Khan Sahib came as no surprise, considering his national and international reputation as a legendary Sufi musician. “He leaves no opportunity behind in making us proud. He is a true legend!” said the notable Pakistani actor, Humayun Naz. “This is just what our industry needs; it is talent like him that makes our country proud,’’ added senior actor Behroz Sabzwari.

As the producer of the album, Salman Ahmed hosted the event. He introduced his team and shared his personal experience on having worked with the Sufi star. “It has been a pleasure to be part of this team, I feel honoured when I see this album being the talk of the town all over the globe,” he said. Yousuf Salahuddin, who has contributed to this album with his lyrics and compositions, commented on the album, saying: “The name of this album says it all. This is our collaboration philosophy; to work with love, to stay united.” He further spoke about the significance of love in our culture and religion and also about love being the fundamental message of Sufism. “Nafrat kay andharay ko door karnay ke liye yeh album ek roshni hai [This album comes as a ray of hope to do away with all the negativity in society],” he added.



“Back2love is an initiative to support the music industry of Pakistan,” explained the man behind the music compositions in this album, Sahir Ali Bagga. He congratulated the Pakistani music industry for being fortunate, as they have a strong backbone in the form of Khan. He further spoke of the freedom to experiment with different forms of music that make this album different and special. “Earlier we have done film music, which had to be situational. In this case, we enjoyed the benefit of being able to produce independent music,” he said. Bagga additionally told The Express Tribune that they also plan to tour Lahore, England and America in the near future.

Khan, overwhelmed by the response exhibited from the audience, thanked the media and other attendants for acknowledging him with such reverence. “Sari cheezon ko chor kay, naftron ko bhool kay, let’s go Back2love!” said Khan. He sang Rab Janay, a song from his album Back2love while addressing the crowd. The album is set to release on digital medium on June 9.

The crowd got to watch the music video for Habibi, a song in which Khan’s Sufi style is juxtaposed with EMD progression. The album comprises of folk, classical, 9-beat and western classic fusion.

Before the event came to an end, the album was officially inaugurated with a cake cutting ceremony. Prominent figures including Sharmeela Farruqui, Ayesha Omer and Mustafa Qureshi took part in the ceremony.

Back2love, the first ever album launched by Khan is definitely not the last. Instead, it is a block in the making of a huge building, said Khan to the media. As this album is inspired by international artistes as well, it is a product of global cultural synthesis. “Yeh album barish ka pehla qatra hai!” said the singer, hinting at future music productions.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 22^nd, 2014.

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