“I want to give back to the industry,” says Ali Zafar, “and help out young artists who are talented but don’t know how to go about building their careers.

“I remember all the struggles that I went through when I first started out,” he continues. “If someone had held my hand at that time and guided me, perhaps I wouldn’t have had as many sleepless nights. Now, at this point in time, I have the wherewithal to help talented musicians. Why should I not? In life, we all need to serve a greater purpose than just doing things for ourselves. We need to do good for others and ultimately, good will also happen to us.”

Ali is talking about his newly launched venture, Lightingale Records, dedicated to mentoring and showcasing the talent of upcoming artists. According to an officially released statement, the initial goal is to highlight at least 10 new artists during the course of this year. It’s all very altruistic — but one can’t help wondering: is this Ali’s way of announcing his return to the limelight after enduring a debilitating scandal for nearly two years?

“No,” he insists. “I have always wanted to help out struggling artists simply because I haven’t forgotten what I had to go through back when I just started out.”

While some remain skeptical of Ali Zafar’s new mentoring venture, Lightingale Records, as a way to rehabilitate his reputation after enduring a debilitating scandal for nearly two years, aspiring young musicians looking to make it big may not be as cynical

Skeptics are likely to frown at this. Nevertheless, industry veterans will vouch to having seen Ali Zafar slog on the road to success. Long-time editors will recall how he would go the extra mile and agree to work in rustic, uncomfortable settings for a magazine shoot. It is well-known that he moonlighted as an artist at a major five-star hotel, drawing caricatures in order to earn extra money.

Ali has his own recollections: “There were so many times when I would feel angry at the world. People lied to me, took money from me and constantly put me down. I would crash on a friend’s couch because I had no place to sleep. This one time, I was part of an underground band and on the day on which we were supposed to perform at a major venue, we were told that we needed an NOC [No Objection Certificate] in order to be part of the concert. I had to sit at the NOC office and wait for hours, begging the officials to grant us the certificate, even crying. Finally, someone took pity on me and issued it.

“Then, when my song Channo released, a friend of mine who was part of a rock band openly criticised me online. He said that with a song like this, I was undermining the rock revolution that so many bands were trying to bring back to Pakistan. I felt very sad. He could have just contacted me personally rather than put me down so publicly. I went to my father and asked him what I should do, and he told me to stay quiet and just keep doing my work. That’s what I have always done.”

He continues, “I would be nowhere today without all the struggles that I went through, and it’s important for all aspiring artists to endure highs and lows in order to truly pave their own paths. But then, they shouldn’t have to suffer so much that they give up completely.”

Lightingale for young nightingales

The Lightingale Records team has already begun the process of seeking out deserving artists and helping them record their songs. “I have a state-of-the-art recording studio that I have made available to them. I’m also helping them with songwriting, production and, ultimately, the shooting of their videos. A lot of these artists don’t know how to market their music and we have aligned a digital team that will position them online and promote their work,” outlines Ali.

Some of the fledgling musicians working with Lightingale Records have already taken their initial steps into the spotlight. One of them is 12-year-old Urooj Fatima from Balochistan who sang Laila O Laila with Ali in a video that has generated over a million views on YouTube. Another young girl, Yashal Shahid, posted a video of herself on social media singing her rendition of Ali’s song Rockstar. Ali’s team invited her to come to the studio and recorded a song with her, which proceeded to become a big hit.

“I feel particularly happy that we’re helping girls with the launch of their musical careers,” says Ali. “There’s generally a taboo in society that girls can’t work in certain professions, and I want to break that. I have a daughter of my own and I know that I’d want her to pursue whatever career she likes.”

He also talks about a young band, Ozzy and Bugs, formed by two boys who had more or less given up on the prospect of a musical career. “They came to my studio and I was floored when I heard them. Their songwriting and compositions were fabulous. But they told me that they had given up on their music because they tried very hard to get people’s attention but had failed. Now, they will be recording with us.

“There are priceless moments in every artist’s life. I remember when my first interview was published in a major local newspaper. I was 18 and was being covered for my modeling work. I was overjoyed. Then, I can never forget how I felt when I watched the video of my first song, Channo, airing on TV for the first time with my family. I want to help others have those moments.

“A lot of times, new artists release a single hit song and then they don’t know how to go about their careers. Winners of mainstream music competitions are promised major benefits, but often they never manage to get them. Within a year of them winning, they end up jobless. We’ve all seen this happening. I’m not saying that I’m the ultimate solution-maker for these artists, but I can at least try to help them reach their best potential without corporate pressures looming upon them.

“Corporate brands will ultimately only be looking at what gives them higher ratings, but artists need to understand that they are their own biggest brands. They need to genuinely work hard on their own content — and the sponsorships will simply follow.”

Is this the path that Ali has always followed? “Yes. This is my message to the youth of Pakistan: your biggest asset is your talent. Sponsorships are important monetarily but you should never forget why you got into this profession in the first place. My passion for music and for giving people joy through it has always been very important to me.”

His own path to the PSL

His message also rings loud and clear with context to the recent PSL controversy that raged through the country as soon as the cricket tournament began. Singer Ali Azmat, who is part of the entourage that sung this year’s official PSL anthem, Tayyar Ho, alluded in a TV interview that their song had been critiqued on social media because a ‘rival singer’ had paid bloggers to diss it. He didn’t refrain from hinting that this rival was Ali Zafar who had sung the very first official PSL anthem, Abb Khel Jamay Ga.

Ali retaliated by posting a video online where, without naming Ali Azmat, he joked about how he was apparently an evil mastermind who could manoeuvre anything he wanted to. Two days later, another video was posted which announced that, based on public demand, he was now going to launch a PSL song of his own. A very clever online campaign was launched, where he danced on screen and asked the audience to replicate the steps, and email him videos of themselves that would then become part of the final video.

“I have been through a lot over the past few years, and when someone from the industry decided to make an allegation against me, I couldn’t take it sitting down. If there is something in someone’s heart, they can just give me a call. We’re a very small fraternity and we all meet each other all the time. My credibility and sincerity to my profession is more important to me than anything else, and I couldn’t allow it to be undermined like this on mainstream media. This is why I recorded the video where I simply made jokes about myself and, then, decided to come up with a song for the PSL, a song for cricket, for Pakistan and for all the fans who had been asking me to record a new song.”

One had heard whispers in the industry even prior to Ali Azmat’s declaration, that musicians felt that their PSL songs were bashed on Twitter by bloggers paid by Ali Zafar. It was felt that Ali, having sung the first PSL song, wanted his song to remain the most successful, and to eventually return as the official singer for the cricket tournament. “Yes, I had heard those rumours too, and I found them ridiculous,” says Ali. “I think that we take ourselves too seriously. We all have our own successes and failures. Why do we feel the need to blame someone else for our setbacks?”

From a marketing perspective, it is all quite ingenious: Ali has taken the allegations leveled by a peer as an opportunity to strike back with a song of his own, putting together a video that acknowledges his considerable fan following. And while all the many other PSL songs currently on air have corporate backing, he put out his completely on his own.`

“I don’t have millions of rupees to invest in a video but I do have a unique idea, and a strong following of fans. That is all that is needed.

“And it’s all any artist needs,” he points out. “The support and love of our fans is why we’re here, it’s why we come into this profession in the first place. I don’t even need to say this out loud. Every video that I have ever posted related to the PSL has been viewed by millions of people, and they have been so enthusiastic about it. I feel truly blessed.

“This is the message that I wish to give out with Lightingale Records as well. We all need to stay true to our craft.”

It’s a message that rings true and that has the ability to encourage young musicians waiting in vain for heavy-duty sponsors to boost their careers. Ali Zafar was once working with every major corporate brand in Pakistan. Right now, he isn’t. But he’s still persisting with his career, building upon his musical repertoire via social media. If he can, so can others like him.

Published in Dawn, ICON, March 1st, 2020