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Up, up and Uppal
After taking things one step at a time, Shiraz Uppal finally appears to have made a definite mark for himself with his third album Jhuki Jhuki. Shiraz admits that while it has been a slow uphill task for him, he wasn’t chasing fantasies either.
“I got my break from Tera Te Mera, a song from my second album. Recognition is important for me, but I never wanted to become a star overnight. And much to my liking, mine has been a slow but very steady growth.”
Shiraz is a romantic at heart who believes in reflecting passion in his music through melody and traditional instruments such as the flute, matka and duff. However, he is also realistic about his approach and is careful about showing sensitivity to popular demand. He admits that he had been inclined towards music from his early years but it never occurred to him to take it up as a singer until he was in college.
“While we were in Multan, I started singing with a group of friends just for fun. My passion for music grew with time, but unfortunately, I couldn’t pursue it because my father wanted me to finish my studies first. At the time, I was distressed, but now after all these years, I can see the sagacity behind his advice.”
Consequently, Shiraz did his MBA, joined the banking sector and then decided that it really was not what he wanted to do as his soul was inclined towards music. This time, there was no objection from his family. “While I was doing my MBA, my first song, a solo called Deewana Ho Gaya, was picked up by Video Junction Charts. It stayed at number one for six weeks after which I started getting offers from companies for my album. The only problem was that I had no album to negotiate as I was busy in studies and could not afford to take time out and create one. But I kept making one song after another and then finally in 2001, I had enough content to launch my debut album.”
The album, Tu Hai Meri, failed to make a lasting impression. “Bhangra was the rage at that time while my debut album reflected my flair for romantic ballads and so it received a lukewarm response.”
‘To me, an artiste is not an artiste if he is not versatile. One must be sensitive to public demand, but not at the cost of rooting out one’s distinct style. It should be a blend of both,’ says Shiraz Uppal
Shiraz, however, refused to give up. “I realized that in order to make it big, I had to listen to public demand. I tried a different approach the next time, blending my natural style with popular choice and came out with Tera Te Mera.”
This time, Uppal did strike a discernible chord with the public and began his journey in music. Now, with the success of Jhuki Jhuki, he seems to have earned a definite place in the front, but it has come with a load of criticism, mainly about the title song itself. Jhuki Jhuki has apparently created waves internationally as it is being alleged that it bears an uncanny similarity to an A.R. Rehman song in the Bollywood film Swades.
Uppal has something to say about this, too. “I know there has been some talk going on but let me be absolutely clear about the fact that the song in question and Jhuki Jhuki are poles apart. Their music and lyrics are different — their composition and chord progression — in fact everything is very distinctively different.
“Yes, perhaps one can detect a certain amount of similarity in the videos but the Indian song has a rather philosophical touch to it while Jhuki Jhuki is purely romantic. There is no way the two could be related content-wise.”
Shiraz also says he holds A.R. Rehman in high regard, “I think he is a maestro and a great human being. I have learnt so much in the seven years I spent with him and I have also done a song with him (Shakalaka Baby). He is a living legend as far as music is concerned.”Apart from his achievement as a singer, Shiraz prides himself at creating the most updated and modern music studio in town. “It was during the production process of my first album that the idea of my own music studio came to me. I was quite frustrated with the music production standards here, so I thought of doing it myself. During my years spent with A.R. Rehman, I learned the meaning of quality work. I kept on working on the idea and it eventually materialized.”
Is there an element of insecurity involved? “None, whatsoever. Music production is something I love and that drove the desire to have an exclusive studio of my own. Besides composing my own music, I have also helped Fariha Pervez, Ali Zafar and Atif Aslam with music mixing.” Uppal attributes a great deal of his success to his wife Ayesha whom he calls the “most supporting and encouraging element in my life.”
He believes that he has learnt a great deal while being in the field, particularly with regard to versatility. “To me, an artiste is not an artiste if he is not versatile. One must be sensitive to public demand, but not at the cost of rooting out one’s own distinct style. It should be a happy blend of both, and I, for one, keep all sorts of audiences in mind while making music.”
Presently, Uppal is working on the videos of two songs from his latest album. “After these videos, I shall start work on the next album. I don’t want to delay the process for too long. That’s one more thing I’ve learnt over the years,” he says smiling sheepishly.
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