In search for the hidden talent of Pakistan

Dot Republic’s Adnan Butt on launching a studio to teach music to potential young artists

LAHORE: There’s no gainsaying that Pakistan brims with potential waiting to be explored, especially in the field of music. With the skill these young artists showcase, it’s unfortunate that most of them don’t get the chance to exhibit their talent, which dashes their hopes of a potentially bright future. Where large platforms, such as Coke Studio, only take seasoned artists, budding talent with little direction is at a disadvantage. In an attempt to address the growing dearth of such platforms, Dot Republic Media Company (DRM) has launched a studio that focuses on mentoring and honing on the skills of young artists. To this end, they have also gotten music teachers on board.

“Pakistan has so much to offer in music,” said Muhammad Adnan Butt, the executive producer of the venture. “We aim at polishing each artist’s individual potential. Every artist has his/her own strengths and we will try to teach all kinds of music free of cost, providing them with everything, from the studio to musical instruments,” he added.



Butt explained that signing up for classes at DRM is an easy process. Interested candidates can sign up on the DRM website and, after an initial audition, they will be selected and provided with all the facilities required to push their musical career forward.

He described this initiative as a “drive towards reviving Pakistan’s musical future.” Having produced over 50 artists in the past two years, Butt lamented how the music industry these days is “run by brands” or a “certain kind of ideology,” only allowing a select group to move forward. He stated that the primary aim of his project is to bring forth what the youth has to offer in the digital space.

“Besides this, we’re also planning on sending our artists for international music competitions to countries, such as India,” shared Butt. Noting that lack of resources and the costs involved in recording one song by an artist are the major challenges, he hopes to unflinchingly provide them to the artists.

Butt, an engineering graduate from Ghulam Ishaq Khan Institute of Engineering Sciences and Technology, shared his passion for the creative arts. “I am a visionary who has always wanted to create a good environment for young artists [from different parts of the country],” he said.



Spanning their travels from Gilgit-Baltistan to Chitral, DRM claims to have launched talented artists from these areas. “DRM launched Tahir Naeem from Chitral, who was given a free platform to hone his talent. Another individual is Hassan Omar, who we gave the opportunity to polish his talent and focus on the genre he wanted to experiment with.” Butt is hopeful that DRM will churn out great artists in the near future, who will contribute to uplifting the music industry of the country.

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

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