Meaningful music : Reaching for the stars

Uzair Jaswal targets national acclaim with launch of Tere Bin.

ISLAMABAD: They say that music is expression. Perhaps the reason why so many of today’s music productions fail to connect with their audience is because they have nothing to express. They end up being empty and forgettable because they lack the essential ingredient: passion.

A generous amount of this essential ingredient is exactly the advantage Uzair Jaswal’s new music video Tere Bin enjoys over other aspiring productions.

It is heartfelt. His lyrics are meaningful and the pain in his voice is real. It is clear that there really is someone miles across the globe that Uzair misses very much.

Visually, the first notable thing about the video is the effort put in by the director. Almost five days of footage is used to produce what plays as only the first eight seconds of the video.

In this time, director Yasir Jaswal creates the impression of time passing by, of life unfolding in a mechanical, mundane manner. Yasir Jaswal of Irtaash is no stranger to Islamabad’s musical frontier, and his experience shows in his direction. He captures Islamabad’s sights and sounds with enough command to show that the singer is internally disconnected with these surroundings.

The way Yasir blends the colour black into the dark background of the night, invokes a sense of loss and emptiness. This provides Uzair’s audio with the perfect platform to build on.

The over-emphasising screen-time given to the artist is explained by the fact that this is private production. Uzair is an aspiring artist searching for greater recognition. “I’m just trying to put my work out there for now, gain popularity and maybe I’ll get an opportunity to work at a more professional level,” said the singer.

The most promising prospect is that the main artists are young A-level students. This means they have a lot of time to train and develop. “Its education first for me, this is a just a thing on the side for now,” said Alina Khan, who models in the video.

It is refreshing to see relatively established musicians like guitarist Sarmad Ghafoor (Qayaas) producing this video and helping out young talent.

However, given that the music video is supposed to be self-promotional, it is hard to see the wisdom in choosing a name like Tere Bin.

That exact title, and rearrangements of these words have been used, reused, over-used, and then further persisted with some more. The song now runs the risk of being lost in confusion or drowned in homonymous competition.

Another thing that the video does not do is demonstrate the extent of the singer’s ability. The range of his voice and his command over finer nuances in tone remain untested.

This song did not require Uzair to demonstrate these skills but a potential sponsor would surely be interested.

Of course, when Ali Zafar started out, he did not exert himself either. His subsequent metamorphosis into the artist who later sang in Coke Studio has been inspirational.

Whether or not Islamabad’s upcoming talent will follow similar growth patterns remains to be seen. But for now we can be thankful that people like Uzair Jaswal are willing to put their hand up and aspire to be the future of our music industry.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 24^th, 2010.