Star 'Awaaz'
In conversation with Haroon Rashid
By Vishal Oberoi

 Aamir Khan had to scream from rooftops, before the release of his magnum opus, and say, "Its not Lagan, its Lagaan". Now that 'Lagaan' is a household name, it might be the other way around in the case of Haroon's new album, as he would have to exclaim, "Its not Lagaan, its Lagan!". The energetic pop sensation from Pakistan, Haroon Rashid is all keyed up for the release of his new album 'Lagan', a follow up to the astoundingly successful 'Haroon Ki Awaz'. Currently on a breakneck schedule completing the video shoots for the album, Haroon took the time to speak about his world of music, and gives us his candid views on the story of 'Awaz'.

(1) Tell us a bit about your journey into the world of music, especially the transition from your initial career plans.

(A) Music was my passion from a very young age.  I went to University and did my BBA mainly to please my parents.  But even then I was plotting my musical career. Once I graduated, I came back to Pakistan and, almost immediately, formed Awaz.  I used to publish a newsletter for the Pakistan Students Association in Washington and I had named it 'Awaz'.  Back then, I thought that it would be a great name for a band. I formed my first band when I was fourteen. I was in school at the time.  We used to perform at all the school functions.  After college, I formed Awaz and things took off in a huge way almost immediately.  I had composed a song called 'Janeman', we made a low budget video for that in 1992.  We sent it to the local media but they were not interested.  I then sent it to MTV Asia and, as luck would have it, they began airing it regularly.  A lot of doors opened up to us after that.

(2) How did Awaz happen?

(A) There were not many other musicians in Islamabad where I grew up.  After I graduated from college I returned to Pakistan and hooked up with a keyboard player called Fakhir.  After that, we needed a guitar player and we turned to a very talented Karachi-based guitarist called Asad Ahmed.  We played a lot of gigs, and did cover songs initially.  I had composed over a dozen songs so we started to work on our own material. After the MTV break, we were able to record those songs and release the first album which took off in a big way.

(3) Was it a breakup, or did you just want to explore new things?

(A) 'Awaz' had become dormant.  The other band members were working on their own individual projects.  Fakhir was busy making jingles for telvision and Asad was busy with his rock band, 'Karavan'.  Hence, four years had gone by without a new 'Awaz' album.  We were doing lesser shows and we were drastically losing our fan following and popularity. We were supposed to release a new album in 1998 but that never happened. The guys were not showing up for rehearsals and I think the desire to make music together as a band had faded. I realized that things needed to change because my musical career was fast headed for oblivion.  By the end of 1999 I told the rest of the guys that I was taking time out to work on a solo album.

(4) Is your solo career satisfying?

(A) I have never been more motivated or satisfied at any point in my career.

(5) With Faakhir and you pursuing successful solo careers, any plans for Awaz to stage a comeback, on the lines of Vital Signs?

(A) Awaz reforming is highly unlikely.  After the break up, my ex partner insisted that he was the sole contributor to Awaz's music.  That has really soured things between us. I don't see any possibility of a reunion.

(6) What next, after the astounding success of 'Haroon ki Awaz' ?

(A) I was surprised at the response I got for my first solo album.  It sold beyond my expectations.  I am all set with my new album, Lagan, and this will be my second solo album and fifth in all (if you include the three I did with Awaz). This album, like the first, is also produced and recorded by me and contains songs mainly composed by me. I think it is the best work I have done.  I am shooting some spectacular videos for Lagan in Egypt as we speak. So stay posted.

(7) How satisfying is stage performance vis-à-vis recording in your own studio?

(A) They are both different thrills.  I would say recording is more satisfying in the long run while the energy rush that I get from performing live has its own charm. It was such a wonderful experience performing for the Dubai audiences, at the One World One Music peace concert in Dubai in February.  It exceeded my expectations.  It was highly professional and it was great fun performing with artists like Sonu, Sunidhi and Strings. It was an astounding success.

(8) Who were your major musical influences?

(A) Bands like Queen, The Beatles, ElO, and later on, Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan inspired me greatly.

(9) Suppose a graduate today wants to dive into music as a career, what advice would you give him as someone who has been through the grind?