Whatever you say about Lahore, the city has been a hot bed for the arts and culture scene for years and even now, the amount of talent on display when local musicians get together for informal jams is astounding.

The journey of Club Caramel started in 2006 when Adnan and I met at one such "musicians jam" in Lahore having just returned to Pakistan. A brief chat led to the two of us getting together with a couple of acoustic guitars and playing some songs. From the start, we realised that we both had a similar vision about the kind of music that we wanted to do – we simply wanted to entertain and bring joy to people! So, we got a few musicians together to set up a full band line-up and held our first cover show in 2006 with a "club-inspired" theme.

We covered songs that we loved, from Eric Clapton and David Guetta, to everything in between. The positive energy with which we put the show together was infectious and that night proved to be a turning point in the Lahore live music scene. We went on to become one of the busiest and most booked live acts of the country, playing primarily cover sets all over the country and averaging around 20 concerts a year – no mean feat for an underground band!

Whoever said live music had no demand in Pakistan had no idea about the ground realities. Yes, the scene and the industry is dormant and overshadowed by Western, Bollywood and corporate-sponsored content, but the potential is immense and a proactive and innovative approach is required to bring attention back towards local talent. We, Club Caramel, hope to become a catalyst for this change – at any rate, we are here to shake things up!

After five years of live playing, we felt it was time to start releasing our own work. ‘Zindagi’ is the first music video and the second single from our first album which will be released at some point later this year. With ‘Zindagi’, we wanted to send out a message to our people, which is to remember to appreciate life and all the good things it has to offer. It is a message of hope and positivity which we feel comes across in our music.