Sky is the limit for ‘Paki Rambo’

Adil Omar talks about performing at South by Southwest festival and directorial debut ‘Nighat and Paras’

ISLAMABAD: Adil Omar, the young rapper and songwriter from Islamabad, gained popularity in Pakistan’s underground music scene by initially releasing his tracks online. He launched his debut album ‘The Mushroom Cloud Effect’ in 2013 and has not looked back since then. Omar is currently occupied with his new project in the US. He recently performed at the South by Southwest (SXSW) music festival for the first time.

While shuttling between New York and LA to work on his next solo project and other endeavours, he managed to release his new track ‘Nighat & Paras’ with the music producer Talal Qureshi. Speaking to The Express Tribune, the 23-year-old rising star spoke about his experience at SXSW.

“It was a lot of fun being around many likeminded creative people. It was my and Talal’s first time there, and we hope to go back and play every year. Our show was well received. We had a great time seeing a couple of friends showcases as well.”



His latest video ‘Nighat & Paras’ also marks his directorial debut. Talking about the inspirations behind his video, he said, “It is basically what’s inside my mind. The flashing lights reflect my sound-colour synesthesia and the cultural themes reflect what I see around me.”

“The men are peacock, hyper-aggressive to a frightening degree. The women are shrinking violets, victims or damsels in distress. I touch on marriage, superstition, violence, death, relationships, faith and ego —  that’s what the monkey and gorilla statues symbolise to me. It’s basically my subconscious and stream of consciousness, raw and unfiltered,” he added.

He further shared his experience of directing for the first time. Omar said, “I haven’t creatively pushed myself this hard in my life and I loved every second of it. My knowledge of filmmaking is limited, so I did everything based on my eye and wanted to bring out the most raw and honest performances from all my subjects.”

“I needed to step out onto my own and do something that was 100% me, with no interference. As long as something has my soul in it, I have peace of mind,” he added.

Considering limited audience for this specified genre in Pakistan, it might be difficult to appeal to the masses, but Omar is looking above and beyond local barriers to mark his presence globally. He said, “In the era of the internet, I’m aiming for the world. To limit yourself to one country is not only a disservice to the potential of your country in a global environment, but also terribly alienating and short sighted.”



He continued, “I believe I have a better shot at changing the world after proving that I can hold my weight internationally. As a strong believer in individuality, I care about my voice being heard as an individual and refuse to use nationalism or patriotism as a crutch.”

Adil Omar, who was nominated in the Lux Style Awards 2012 for Best Emerging Talent, referred to Freddie Mercury as an example saying, “You don’t automatically think of Tanzania when somebody brings him up, but you do acknowledge that it probably had a lot to do with why he was so different and unique.”

Published in The Express Tribune, April 9^th, 2015.

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