LAHORE: The local music industry may soon get some fresh voices through the 16 talent hunts the Lahore Arts Council organised recently.

“Around 12 to 14 budding singers we selected from these shows will be facilitated by the council in recording new compositions with poetry penned by new poets as well as some established ones,” said Khurram Naveel, head of this new project by the council that aims at producing songs and their videos featuring new singers.

There have been several music shows and talent competitions on television where winners were awarded cash prizes and certificates.

But Lahore Arts Council is different in that it will record and launch audio and video CDs of songs sung by winners of these hunts.

“It will be a great moment for the council to come up with their own music productions,” said Naveel, adding that first it would outsource the recordings but later establish its own well-equipped recording studio.

Naveel also said the process of recording would kick off sometime this month. He added that the council was looking for fresh poetry to be sung by winners of the talent hunts.

The talent hunts had been initiated by Lahore Arts Council a few years ago. They stopped for sometime but revived a year ago. It is open for all without any restrictions on age and people throng Alhamra on Saturdays and participate wholeheartedly.

Naveel is looking after all aspects of a production house for the council as it is his brainchild. He said he was also interested in establishing a small shop at Alhamra Art Center, The Mall where videos and CDs produced by the council would be sold.

The collection on sale would also include songs sung at memorable music nights and plays already held at Alhamra.

Published in Dawn, September 3rd, 2015

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