Every rise has a fall and the pop music industry in Pakistan is no different. Mohammad Ali Shyhaki, who was amongst the pioneers of pop music in Pakistan, feels that this trend nosedived because newcomers took shortcuts on their way to success.

“In the 70s and much of the 80s, the pop industry in Pakistan was at its very best since everyone — from the musician to the lyricist and the singer — was passionate about their work. That’s why most of the songs from that era are still popular amongst the current generation, unlike the modern ‘numbers’ which come and go and don’t have a recall value.”

Be it Humma humma kar bhayya (popular duet with Allah Faqir), Mere bachpan kay din (another duet with Afshan Ahmed) or his countless popular singles, Mohammad Ali Shyhaki’s songs still have the power to set us humming. Not only was he the recipient of three PTV National Awards for Best Singer (including the very first one) but also had the privilege of working with the best musicians and lyricists in the business.

“The success we achieved in those days was a result of teamwork. Whenever a song was to be produced for television, it had to pass through the proper channels. The General Manager of Pakistan Television used to assign a programme to the producer he thought was suited to the project, The producer then organised the whole team along with a selected lyricist to get suitable poetry written, which was then composed into a song by the music composer from PTV’s own panel. The selected singer attended several rehearsal sessions after which the song was recorded. The entire package was then sent to headquarters for approval. This way there were no loose ends and you got a perfectly finished product”.

Shyhaki has had his share of popular patriotic songs with Main bhi Pakistan hoon, Mere watan mere chaman, Main shayar Pakistan ka and Pak fauj kay jawan hum being his most popular efforts. “We came over to Pakistan to study in the ’70s, and I made it my home because of the love I got from the people. I was always passionate when it came to milli naghme; I still feel passionate about the country that has given me everything I have, and want to do more in return.”

On the dearth of quality songs — most notably patriotic numbers — these days, Shyhaki says that it’s all related to the changing scenario in the country. “After the ’80s, people opted for quantity rather than quality of national songs. Each and every person who had the means to record a music video was encouraged to produce a national song and that diminished the importance of the numbers.

“From what I have learnt from experience, there are no shortcuts to success. In order to achieve overnight fame, the current bands and singers opt for quantity over quality, churning out forgettable numbers, penning down trashy lyrics and depending on instruments rather than their own abilities. There are a few who are still doing a good job including Abrarul Haq, Faakhir, Jawwad Ahmed, Haroon, Atif Aslam and Ali Zafar but they are few in number”.  —OA