A firefly’s descent to the ocean floor

Usman Riaz credits his family and their admiration of arts for his journey to Coke Studio and more.

KARACHI:

Usman Riaz is perhaps the most unconventional musician to have emerged from a country which is renowned for producing top-notch guitar players such as Amir Zaki, Meekal Hassan, Salman Ahmed and Faraz Anwar to name a few.

He has gone beyond the usual strumming and striking of strings but uses each and every inch of the musical instrument in hand to create a distinct sound.

Riaz termed himself “lucky” to have been born into a family of creative individuals, of the likes of Zia Moheyuddin.



“I am very lucky in the sense that I was born in a family that was inclined towards the arts. My grandparents were classically trained singers, Zia Moheyuddin (classical orator) is my grandmother’s brother and both my parents are also trained performers. Therefore, it felt very natural going in the direction I have gone,” said Riaz.

The guitarist, who exploded onto the scene with his single Firefly, has only gone from strength to strength since then. Not only has he appeared on some of Pakistan’s premier music shows such as Coke Studio and Uth Records but holds the distinction of being the youngest Ted Fellow ever selected.



Fresh of his appearance in the seventh season of Coke Studio, Riaz compared his experience on Coke Studio to his earlier experience on Uth Records. “Uth Records was very different. I wouldn’t term it as urgent but rather, quicker. Everyone had more freedom in it, which is evident by the visuals of the show,” said Riaz.



On the other hand, he referred to Coke Studio as being “more focused”. “There was already a lot of pressure on everyone coming into a show as big as Coke Studio. There were a lot of expectations from Bilal (Maqsood) and Faisal (Kapadia) as they were taking over from Rohail Hyatt and I’m very happy that they’ve exceeded those expectations,” said the Firefly musician.



One thing that remains common through the entire conversation is the constant reiteration of need and desire to satisfy his creative streak. “I’m not making music or working for people. What’s the point of doing that? As long as I’m happy I think I’ll do good work”.

An artist who is still in his early twenties, Riaz already has the portfolio of a seasoned musician. Not only does he have an album, titled Circus in the Sky in his name but has also composed for films from Pakistan and the Dominican Republic. “The reason I decided to compose soundtracks for films was because I wanted to learn more about it and further explore the idea of composing for films,” said the Descent to the Ocean Floor musician.

For an artist who, according to his notion is battling with the idea of “Who I am? seems to have figured things out quite nicely. “One musician I am really fond of and like working with is Zoe Viccaji. I like how she has grown as an artist but I don’t want to take that path. She’s a ‘Pop Idol’ and I still don’t know who I am. I want to do more orchestra music as compared to music like that,” stated Riaz.

The experimental musician, who is attending the Berklee College of Music US, has adopted a more global approach in regards to his music. Unlike Pakistani musicians who have chosen against launching an album in favour of the one-odd music video every year, Riaz has done both.



“I’m not thinking only about Pakistan. I was going to all these international platforms through Ted and I needed an album as a business card. I like music, visuals and story-telling and this has basically provided me with a chance to do that”.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 10^th,  2014.

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