From slow and mellow to raw and retro

Singer Uzair Jaswal of ‘Tere Bin’ fame discusses his 180-degree turn with upcoming single

KARACHI:

Keeping in line with the tradition of wearing colourful clothes on Eidul Fitr, Uzair Jaswal is all set to get into the act and release his own — retro and vibrant — music video Sajna. Having already made waves across the border with his soulful track Tere Bin in the Bollywood film Ek Paheli Leela, the singer is looking to build upon his fame and change the audience perception about him singing only “mellow and romantic” songs.

Although the musician has previously done upbeat tracks in the past — with his song Bolay being a prime example — he still feels Sajna is his “most different song to-date”. Speaking to The Express Tribune, Uzair said, “It is like a 180-degree-turn from the kind of music that I usually do.”



Crediting his composer, Sarmad Ghafoor, for encouraging him to experiment with his style of music, Uzair revealed that he has incorporated the elements of electronic music in his upcoming song. “It’s not like the desi R&B and Hip-Hop that you get to hear these days. I might do more tracks like this while I am young,” he said.



While the singer is confident about Sajna, he is not completely sure about the audience’s reaction as many them are expecting something similar to his previous tracks. “Most of the feedback that I am getting from fans (on social media) is that they are expecting it to be a lot like Tere Bin,” he said.

Other than the song itself, Uzair is more excited about the music video. Boasting of several recognised faces, the music video stars the likes of Osman Khalid Butt and Armeena Rana Khan alongside the singer himself.

The video which has been directed by Uzair’s elder brother and filmmaker, Yasir Jaswal, is a throwback to the retro-era. Explaining the concept, the singer said that it contains “a lot of movie and pop culture references” from the 80s.

With the concept of music videos gradually declining in Pakistan, Uzair believes that it is the only way of keeping the audience engaged. “Given the current status of the music industry, it won’t be too wise to release an album. Releasing a music video though would be a sensible move,” he said. Regardless of that, Uzair has a personal inclination towards music videos as it serves the singer’s passion for acting.



On the other hand the singer-cum-actor, who has already played parts in movies like Slackistan and Jalaibee, said that these short bursts on screen provide him a chance to showcase his acting talents. He is also concentrating more on his acting career now, and already has a few films in his kitty, including a film by Imran Raza Kazmi, which is being produced by Reham Khan.

Published in The Express Tribune, July 8^th, 2015.

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