Still shining

Shahi Hasan of Vital Signs fame on ‘Chand Sitara’ and misconceptions about the band’s reunion

KARACHI:

A couple of years back the entire industry was shaken up by the news of a ‘Vital Junoonion’. Hyped by former Junoon and Vital Signs guitarist, Salman Ahmed, the project saw him and Junaid Jamshed, Shahi Hasan and Nusrat Hussain of Vital Signs come together for a song. Though that song eventually became a part of Pakistan Tehrik-e-Insaf’s election campaign, it left both Junoon and Vital Signs fans asking for more.

On August 14 Salman, Shahi and Junaid came together again to release another patriotic anthem called Chand Sitara.  This time around the video of the song received more criticism than the song itself putting prospects of this ‘Vital Junoonion’ into question again.

“Let me clarify this misconception, this was not a reunion,” Shahi a former band member of Vital Signs and now a well known music producer, tells The Express Tribune. “It was not a planned thing at all. We were just jamming together in the studio and came up with something that could be released on August 14.”

Read: Vital Signs, Junoon team up for new national chant 'Chaand Sitaara'



When Shahi sent the song on which he had worked with JJ to Shoaib Mansoor, the veteran filmmaker showed some reservations. “We had come up with a softer melody but Shoman said that we need something more motivational and powerful. He recommended us the song that he had earlier written for Salman and so Chand Sitara happened.”

Shahi tried to experiment with the song by making a very powerful and “junooni” version initially and then gave it a Latin touch but they all mutually agreed on a much simpler version; one that had a basic kick on the drums, a bass line and the vocals.

“We were not planning on doing something extraordinary with the song because we wanted to give more importance to the message… the message of entrusting the future into the hands of our own people and uniting under one umbrella for a bigger cause.”

“Portraying the element of unity” was also the reason why Salman Ahmed was allowed to sing the song because, “We are not trying to prove anything, the purpose of the song is unity and that is why we merged our own talents.”

Having said that, making JJ sing was no less than a daunting task for Shahi. But he played a role in convincing him to sing a song that gives a positive image and more so helps generate the love for Pakistan amongst listeners.

“I wanted JJ to sing a motivational song for quite some time because no one else was doing it. He has a huge following and people recognise his voice, follow what he does and eventually he played a key role in making this song a success.”

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The “success” of the song however is questionable. Where some have appreciated their comeback, others have been very critical about Salman’s singing and performance in the video. And Shahi agrees to a certain extent. “I think the audio is fine and I have received some really good feedback on that, the video however could have been a lot better, especially the animation.”

Chand Sitara may have had its fair share of lovers and haters but one thing is for sure that these former band members will carry on making more music. “It’s certainly not a one time thing; we will be making more music together,” adds Shahi.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 2^nd,  2015.

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