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A minor with many majors
Great things have already been written about the musical talents of this astonishing young vocalist with her remarkable vocal range, who took Pakistan by storm earlier this month during her all-too-brief visit.
However, to think only in artistic terms here is to miss the point - Sarah Francis is much more than a simple singer of sweet melodies, just as her flagship piece, Voice of Freedom, is far more than just another song, whatever its undoubted musical qualities.
Director-General of the Pakistan National Council for the Arts, Raja Changez Sultan, himself a highly-esteemed artist and poet with a reputation which spreads far beyond the boundaries of Pakistan, put his finger on it when he addressed the audience at Sarah’s concert in the Islamabad Club on April 10. He called her an ambassador - a turn of phrase which usefully covers not one but many roles fulfilled by this young starlet.
Voice of Freedom rose to Number 13 in the worldwide internet pop music charts of mp3.com, and was played on Radio WWDJ in New York, with a potential audience of up to 20 million people over the tri-state area of New York, New Jersey and Connecticut.
Sarah is also an ambassador for inter-communal tolerance and understanding. Born in a minority twice over, with her Pakistani heritage, and growing up in the UK’s minority Asian community, Sarah is refreshingly free from the minority mentality which so often afflicts those raised in such circumstances.
When invited to Peshawar, to perform at the opening ceremony of the NWFP centennial celebrations, she cancelled an Easter performance in a church in Islamabad to sing in the city where the Quaid’s momentous speech was given.
The government and people of Pakistan have also played their part. By championing Sarah’s cause, and giving her the warmest of welcomes wherever she has gone, Pakistan is showing the world that it is a tolerant, moderate state, where the talents of the minorities are valued and encouraged as much as those of the majority.
Sarah is an outstanding role model in many ways. Her decision to license the release and distribution rights within Pakistan for Voice of Freedom to the government, in order to raise money for the President’s Fund for Afghan Refugees, is more than just a noble gesture.
When I met her in Islamabad, I asked her if this was just a one-off event. She said that it was not, and that she intended to spend time in all of her future school holidays doing benefit concerts, with most of the proceeds going to the President’s Fund.
Already on the brink of stardom in the western world, Sarah says she has dedicated her career to helping the poor and needy.
With all these qualifications, it surely cannot be long before Sarah Francis becomes the first Pakistani to receive some outstanding award.
And finally, let us not forget that Sarah is a unique singer, with a world record challenging vocal range (45 notes, or paune-chaar saptak), and the enthusiastic support of countless celebrity artists from all around the world, who are totally convinced of her future success in the English music scene.
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