PESHAWAR: Rising guitarist Kebriya has called upon parents to encourage their children to follow pursuits of their own choice so that they could get instant success in their careers.

She told this scribe that she started playing guitar and singing to clear misconceptions about music and capability of women to join music career. She said that she wanted to prove that music was not only good as profession but also a reflection of cultural identity.

“Music has always been portrayed as something negative and a forbidden fruit especially for women. I wanted to prove it otherwise,” said Kebriya, a resident of Peshawar.

She said that youngsters could learn many things online and did not require to walk up to a teacher. She said that aspiring students should turn to social media for online outlets as they could easily pursue their careers with the help of supportive parents.

Kebriya urges parents to encourage children to follow chosen pursuits

“Out of wide range career choices, I picked up music and my parents said okay and the next day my room got staked with digital devices,” said the guitarist. She said that she loved music since her childhood and wanted to learn basics of a string musical instrument.

Almost two years ago, she participated in a competition titled ‘voice of minority’ in Peshawar and won award of emerging music star followed by another music contest titled ‘Open mic’ conducted under the auspices of a group of volunteers called Qissakhawanan and that too proved a milestone.

“My parents are very supportive right from the beginning. After I saved enough money, I purchased ukulele and learnt playing it from YouTube. Then I got a guitar. For me it was easy to remain in touch with my hectic study routine and also give time to online learning. I master it successfully and even uploaded several videos, which earned me widespread fame,” said Kebriya.

She said that she was studying in a local college and was uploading videos on her YouTube channel for online fans, swelling up from a few hundreds to thousands. He videos were drawing attention of the audience because of her rhythmical tunes and vocals in Urdu, English and Pashto. She said that parents should try to boost confidence of their children by providing opportunities and facilities to them so that they could bring out their hidden talent.

Published in Dawn, January 4th, 2021