The release of Jal’s Tere Baajon video proves once and for all that Goher Mumtaz, who has been busy with acting assignments, has also managed to keep Jal intact. Their return heralds great tidings for the local rock scene; Images on Sunday (IoS) caught up with them while they were at GM Studios.

“Sometimes you feel that there are melodies that immediately catch your attention as a musician, and Tere Baajon has that feel to it,” says Goher.

“It will fill a gap in our music industry where everybody is either doing slow, sad numbers or hip-hop rap. We must contribute and return something to this industry and come out of our pessimistic approach to the pop-rock industry.”

With the recent release of the Tere Bajoon music video, Jal fights the Facebook invasion of amateur and viral videos. Their message is clear: Jal is here to stay

The video directed by Azaan Sami Khan of One Motion Pictures is about the power of man’s imagination and the desire which he imagines in unrealistic circumstances.

For a band making a comeback, this is a tricky time with few concerts and music channels featuring mostly Bollywood content. “If you show Indian content on Jalwa and 8XM all the time then who will watch music channels that play pop music? The only promotional medium left for music videos now is Facebook.

“How can anybody blame us for not producing music videos? We must work for the revival of the pop-rock industry. Having said that, Jal has international presence for which we have to do something substantial as our videos are widely seen and circulated on the social media.”

The band has always been known for its music, melodies and lyrics, apart from the changing voices. Currently, Jal is Goher Mumtaz with Saad Sultan on guitars, Aamir Azhar of Mekaal Hasan Band on bass, and Ken Zeerick on drums as session player. Although they are not bound to Jal, their priority remains concerts, music videos and they have been performing with the band since the last five years.

Goher of Jal

“I could have easily gone solo but I remember there was one concert which really boosted my morale to continue Jal where I had to sing 15 songs in a row in Kolkata in front of a jam-packed Netaji Stadium with 15,000 attendees. The show went awesome with the new live setup,” says Goher.

“Universities and corporates want to have band performances which charge up the crowd, and we jam like a band. Jal has performed in Pakistan Idol, O2 Arena, Dubai, India, Bangladesh, with plans for a US tour with this line up and there is nobody joining or leaving. As the vocalist, I would never leave Jal.”

Acting stint

The visibility of one TV serial is a lot more than concerts and music videos, says Goher. “I just do one play per year. This year it was MD Productions’ Neela Parbat shot in Kashmir and London. I play a Kashmiri in it with a star cast including Samina Pirzada, Ushna Shah and a very experienced director Adnan Wyne Qureshi.”

Social media and the present music scene

“When you have Facebook, where viral videos are trending and new singers/musicians are trying to do something funny and tacky just to become famous, it’s hard to write, compose or make a video which can go viral. The established names are doing well and it won’t affect them but it’s a huge task for new talent to make a mark in the music industry because they don’t have access to platforms such as Coke Studio where they can show their talent and become an instant hit.”

Future plans

“We are working on the next video and on a new single,” says Goher. “Tere Baajon is the perfect comeback video for Jal. We will keep making new songs and videos, and maintain the momentum.”

“Tere Baajon is the perfect comeback video for Jal. We will keep making new songs and videos, and maintain the momentum,” says Goher.

Jal will also perform in Delhi but prior to that, there are performances lined up in Karachi, Faisalabad, Islamabad and Abbotabad.

Jal & Club Caramel

IoS was invited to the screening of Tere Baajon. The video launch was the third episode of the Unplugged series organised by Hasan Rizvi of BodyBeat featuring Jal and Club Caramel.

Club Caramel with Kiran Chaudhry on vocals and Adnan Sarwar on guitars was a winner.

Club Caramel

Their set included covers like Maps (Maroon 5), Happy (Will Pharrel), With or Without You (U2), Boom Boom (Nazia Hasan) and the original number, Unkind Words. The way Kiran interacted with the audience is what all great live performances are made of.

Goher set the ball rolling with the electrifying Woh Lamhay and with the crowd all charged up, what could be better than a live performance of Panchi followed by Dil Haaray and the evergreen Aadat.

“Close crowd performances are tricky but I’m humbled to see everybody cheering and enjoying the songs. I plan to perform in Karachi more often,” says an excited Goher.

Kiran and Adnan from Club Caramel also shared their thoughts: “We have played everywhere and for all kinds of audience but Karachi has the best audience. These guys really know how to let loose and have fun. The feeling of fondness is mutual and Karachi keeps calling us back. A majority of our shows take place in this city.”

Both Kiran and Adnan are now working on a film which takes up most of their time with the band taking a backseat temporarily. Adnan has written and produced the music in addition to playing the lead role.

Published in Dawn, Sunday Magazine, May 10th, 2015

On a mobile phone? Get the Dawn Mobile App: Apple Store | Google Play