PESHAWAR, Aug 29: Zafar Iqrar, a young Pashto singer, has been offered to perform at musical concerts in England and Germany after he launched a new ghazal album for Eid that hit all local music charts.
Though he doesn't want to settle abroad, yet he has a desire to do masters in music from abroad.
His new album contains numbers of popular young poets including Fazle Subhan Abid, Amjad Shehzad, Israr Atal, Ameen Tanha, Pir Mohammad Karwan and Iqbal Shakir.
He shot to fame when his maiden vocal Da stergu toar came out in early 2005 and made a record business. Inspired by his maternal uncle Ustad Sahib Gul, a noted music composer now settled in USA, Iqrar launched his career in singing at a tender age of 12.
His top hit number Pa muhabat kay dumra zor ma nau ledalay (I haven't not seen so much force in love) and Meena da khukolo sanga kegee maata chal na razaee (I don't know how to befriend beautiful people) of Gohar Ali Gohar, a resident of Malakand gave great boost to the young singer.
A month ago he received an award for best young ghazal singer in Dubai from a cultural organisation where he also participated in a Pashto music gala with his 9-member orchestra.
"I have learned music intricacies from my uncle. I still do two-hour practice daily. I can play Tabla, Rabab, and harmonium and also know about the modern keyboard. I keep enough gaps between my albums to maintain quality because traditional music is not going to make business everyday, you need to wait for positive response from your tasteful audience," he explains.
Iqrar picks up the best of poetry for his volumes and never stoop to the demand of his sponsors. So far he has brought out more than 10 albums, all of them hit among audience and in great demand in UAE, Australia, Germany, and Afghanistan.
He has performed several times in Kabul. "Taking the course of typical traditional Pashto music in today's pop, rock and remixing trend is really great risk for our youngsters but I strongly believe that ghazal singing will never fade away," he adds. When his father died few years ago, Iqrar being elder in the family could not continue his education after matriculation.
But he wishes to do masters in music from abroad if sponsored. He is privately doing his intermediate.
Iqrar says that he enjoys intimate relationship with senior and junior ghazal poets as he wants to know the in-depth meaning of every number he sings. He says Pashto flavour should be maintained.
He likes Haroon Bacha, Hmayoun Khan and Faza Fayaz as he thinks they have great potential for ghazal singing.
He demands setting up an arts academy for the upcoming artists where they should properly learn the art of singing.
"I don't have any wish to go abroad and settle there but only for education as it is my wish to do masters in music so that I could transfer my skills to other aspirants in this field" he concludes.
