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Strings (band)
Encyclopedia
Strings are an internationally acclaimed pop rock
band comprising two members from Karachi
, Sindh
, Pakistan
. The band was initially formed by four college students, Bilal Maqsood (vocals and guitars), Faisal Kapadia
(vocals), Rafiq Wazir Ali
(synthesizer) and Kareem Bashir Bhoy
(bass guitars) in 1988. In 1992, the quartet disbanded only to make a comeback with two of its members, Bilal and Faisal later in 2000. While the initial band was riding on the new wave of Pakistani pop music
, the later formation ushered a new revival in the music industry of Pakistan.
The band were signed to a major record label EMI Records
and afterwards released their self-titled debut album Strings in 1990. Their initial effort experimenting with synthesized sounds and rhythms was not recognized instantly although their debut album sold 20,000 copies in its first week on sale. After two years, the band released their second album 2
which included their critically acclaimed single "Sar Kiye Yeh Pahar", first aired on MTV Asia, led the band to achieve fame worldwide. After the release of their second studio album, the quartet disbanded in order to focus on their studies and careers. But it was only till 2000 when two of the band members, Bilal and Faisal, made a comeback by releasing the band's third album Duur which found renewed success and popularity for them. The band then went on to record and release its fourth album Dhaani
in 2003. The album included the single "Najane Kyun
" which featured as a soundtrack
for the Hollywood film Spider-Man 2
, this also led the band to follow the footsteps of Junoon and Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan and take their act across the border to India
only to realize they already were a recognized band in the country as remixes of one of their earliest songs were played in clubs. In 2008, Strings came up with their fifth studio album Koi Aanay Wala Hai
which included soundtrack singles "Zinda" and "Aakhri Alvida" from Bollywood movies, Zinda
and Shootout at Lokhandwala
. The album was a hit in both Pakistan and India having co-produced by Bollywood actor John Abraham
.
Strings are acclaimed all over the world for their stringed rhythms, their songs are praised not only for being melodious but having a strong poetic sense to them. Penned by Anwar Maqsood
, Bilal's father, the lyrics of their songs always carry a deep meaning with them. Anwar has been writing lyrics for the band since its re-formation where as Faisal Kapadia is the lead vocalist
for the band, Bilal Maqsood acts as the composer, guitarist and at times does vocals for a few songs. To play live at concerts, both the members have hired Adeel on the lead guitar
, Shakir on the bass guitar
, Haider on keyboards and Qaiser on drums
, an entourage ensemble that travels with them to various international concerts at times.
in Pakistan
grow by folds and newer artists began emerging on the scene. Shalimar Television Network (STN), the only channel in the country, other than Pakistan Television Corporation
(PTV), launched a show titled Music Channel Charts to highlight new talent. In Karachi however, things were shaping up rapidly and people idolising veteran singers like Nazia and Zoheb
, Alamgir
and Muhammad Ali Shehki were keen to ride the new wave of Pakistani pop music.
At the Government College of Commerce & Economics
in Karachi
, Bilal Maqsood, Faisal Kapadia
, Rafiq Wazir Ali
and Kareem Bashir Bhoy
, four classmates formed a band in 1988. With influence from Maqsood's father, the well-renowned Anwar Maqsood
's pen, the band performed songs on his lyrics. During a performance at their college farewell party, the band decided to name themselves as Strings after the host of the show came up to the quartet and asked them what their band is called as he could announce the band's name to perform on stage. By the mid-1990, with help from Mansoor Bukhari, head of EMI Group in Pakistan, the band had come up with a self-titled album Strings under the EMI label. Their initial effort experimenting with synthesized sounds and rhythms was not recognised instantly although it is reported that their first album sold 20,000 copies in its first week on sale.
, released by Shalimar Recording Company. Maqsood realising that the band needed more exposure, advised that a music video
to be shot. He himself took charge of the direction of the video for the song, "Sar Kiye Yeh Pahar", and handed it to the STN to be aired on their show. The video was played for a minute on the channel in their hour long show and with not many new videos from competing artists, Maqsood's directorial début was an instant success. This decision proved beneficial and "Sar Kiye Yeh Pahar" became a nation-wide hit overnight. In its most primitive form, the video and the song created a phenomenon in the local music industry and the band scored hits after another, played shows and enjoyed the lifestyle of the post-80s pop star
s. The hype was short-lived as the quartet decided to disband considering it as a mutual decision amongst all the members. Soon after wards, as the band disappeared from the local pop music scene their video of "Sar Kiye Yeh Pahar" aired on MTV Asia and led the band to achieve success and worldwide fame.
After disbanding, Maqsood joined an art school
and later got himself a job in an advertising agency
as the creative director, while Kapadia travelled to the Houston, Texas
to continue his business studies. Little is known of the other two members of the band but it is understood they continued their studies as well. The disbanding of the group came as a mutual decision amongst all the members.
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It had almost been eight years since the band had last seen fame and their prolonged hibernation it seemed had erased the marks they had left on the music industry disappeared. Maqsood continued his work as a creative director at the advertising firm and had also involved Kapadia in the creative process as well. Kapadia served at marketing department for a production cell in the same company. Both had married and had children; they had forsaken music for family lives still sharing a passion for it.
The year 2000 saw another shake in the Pakistani music
industry and the duo saw an interest in joining the bandwagon. Rafiq and Kareem weren't accessible and decided not to continue with the band not because of indifferences but because they had settled down in their new lives. Maqsood and Kapadia then decided on forming the band within themselves. Reforming the band meant they could not continue with their respective jobs. Upon counsel amongst each other, they placed their resignation in pursuit of music.
They recorded a song, "Duur" and the duo asked their friend Jamshed Mehmood, known to them as Jami, to direct the video for the song. In the events to follow the later years, Pakistan banned channels from across the border broadcasting from India
and only allowed the few Pakistani channels to be broadcast on the cable network
. In the aftermath private television network
s took on the task to fill the void and soon new music channels were introduced in the country. The video for "Duur" was distributed to all the stations that aired on the tube and became an instant hit hailing their comeback.
While Strings enjoyed huge success in Pakistan, they were oblivious to the fact that their earlier hit "Sar Kiye Yeh Pahaar" was being played in India in a remixed version in clubs and had built them a reputation over the years. When their new video was played on music channels in India, they were easily recognisable as the two who performed the earlier song and the song "Duur" became even more famous across the border. In January 2002, they re-launched Duur under the Magnasound label, who had previously launched pop stars like Baba Sehgal
and Remo Fernandes
.
in India
ushered a new sense of revival and encouragement for the established artists in the country. The local Pakistani music channels boasted this appeal and soon many singers from all over the country stood up to participate in collaborating with their counterparts from the neighbouring nation. Strings had been travelling to India for concerts and gigs and played alongside some well known bands like the New Delhi
-based band Euphoria
. And it was after fourteen years when the Indian cricket team
toured Pakistan that the electronic giants Samsung
invited Strings to collaborate with Euphoria and record a song titled "Jheet Lo Dil" which got the band their first major cross-border breakthrough. Later the song became an instant hit and named as the official song of the tournament. After the success of their third studio album and single "Jheet Lo Dil" the band toured all over Indian with Channel V
. The band were warmly received by the Indian crowds and during this time, while touring in India, the band members got in touch with some of the most reputed singers of the nation to feature them on their next album. In the process, Strings collaborated with famous artists like Hariharan
and Sagarika daCosta to work on their fourth studio album.
Strings were invited to a television show "Jammin" on Channel V where the duo performed a duet "Pal" with Sagarika from their upcoming fourth album. The song was written, composed, recorded in both audio and video formats in a period of three days. The band then recorded their single "Bolo Bolo" but later invited Hariharan to sing on the track and they then rerecorded the song to include Hariharan. Both the collaborations were eagerly awaited by the fans and were critically acclaimed. The band then went on performing at Hard Rock Cafe
in Dubai
for an unplugged session which rose the band to even more fame outside the Subcontinent. With their success, the band were approached by Columbia Records
to launch their new album and they accepted the offer. On September 1, 2003, the band released their fourth studio album Dhaani
.
In June 2004, Strings released the music video
of their single "Dhaani" directed by Jamshed Mehmood and before the release of their next single "Najane Kyun
" from their album, the band's biggest endeavor came when the band were approached by the heads of Columbia TriStar Films
of India, a sister company to their record label
company to include a the song in the soundtrack of the Hindi version of the Hollywood blockbuster movie Spider-Man 2
directed by Sam Raimi
. With their massive presence in the Indian pop
music scene, Strings were mistaken for being an Indian band.
In May 2005, Strings released the music video of their single "Kahani Mohabat Ki" directed by Umar Anwar. The single was a success and received positive response from critics and was critically acclaimed. With their success in Subcontinent, the band won the "Most Favorite Artist
" award at the MTV Asia Awards 2005
. Soon afterward with this success, the band were approached by the director Sanjay Gupta
shooting the film Zinda
, a remake of the classic South Korea
n film Oldboy
, to do a soundtrack for the movie. Bilal Maqsood then composed a song titled "Zinda Hoon" written by famous writer, Anwar Maqsood
, for the movie. For the video, the duo had to act alongside two A-list
actors from Bollywood
. It was here that the duo became good friends with John Abraham
and Sanjay Dutt
and would later appear in more ventures together. In July, 2006, Strings were nominated for the "Most Wanted Band" award and won the "Motorola Music Icon" award at the The Musik Awards 2006
whereas the single "Zinda Hoon" was nominated for the "Most Wanted Song" and "Best Pop Song" award. On September 28, 2006, the band released an anti-war video "Beirut".
movie Shootout at Lokhandwala
directed by Apoorva Lakhia
. On November 1, the band then went on releasing a single "Hum Hee Hum" along with it's music video
from their upcoming fifth studio album. Also in late 2007, Strings struck a deal with Gibson Guitar Corporation
, becoming the first South Asia
n band in history (along with the Pakistani rock band Jal
) to create a working relationship with the famed guitar manufacturers. It was reported that according to the deal, Strings will exclusively use Gibson guitars during concerts, studio recordings and music videos. Furthermore, Strings will act as brand ambassadors to Gibson. In return, Gibson will sponsor the varied endeavours of the band and also provide concert halls and equipment as and when required.
On May 16, 2008, Strings came up with the release of their fifth studio album Koi Aanay Wala Hai
, released by Fire Records
in Pakistan and by Sony BMG internationally. The album co-produced by Bollywood actor John Abraham
, topped all music charts in both Pakistan
and its neighbouring country India
. The album included soundtracks of both Bollywood movies, Shootout at Lokhandwala
and Zinda
. On May 19, the band released their album self-titled single "Koi Aanay Wala Hai
" which featured John Abraham. On June 24, Strings released another music video of "Humsafar", single from their fifth studio album, directed by Jamshed "Jami" Mehmood, shot in Moscow
, Russia
. This was followed by Strings performance at Coke Studio
, a musical television programme, debut season which also showcased many well known artists and musicians from all over Pakistan such as Ali Azmat
, Mauj, Rahat Fateh Ali Khan and Ali Zafar
. Strings performed singles like "Sar Kiye Yeh Pahar", "Anjane", from Duur, and "Zinda Hoon", from Koi Aanay Wala Hai, along with a duet of their single "Duur" with Ustaad Hussain Bakhsh Gullo, at the second episode of Coke Studio aired on local music channels on June 29. And then went on performing another duet of their single "Dhaani", from Dhaani
, with Ustaad H. B. Gullo, at the third episode of the show aired in August. On October 9, Strings released another single "Jago", from their album release earlier the same year, along with a music video.
The success of the band in Coke Studio season one led the band to perform at the show's second season last episode aired on Pakistan's Independence Day, August 14, in 2009. Strings performed with their song "Titliyan", along with many other successful music artists. Later in November, the band released "Titliyan" music video which did well at the local music charts.
In June, 2010, Strings signed a one-year partnership with the international airline, Etihad Airways
based in Abu Dhabi
, United Arab Emirates
, to become its brand ambassadors with the core idea to promote the real image of Pakistan to the global market via the band’s music. On the occasion of the contract signing, Mr. Peter Baumgartner, Chief Commercial Officer for Etihad Airways’ said he is “looking forward to witnessing how the Etihad brand name reached across the world through the music of Strings.” Whereas vocalist Faisal Kapadia said that "It is not only about free air tickets. We needed something like this to promote the true image of Pakistan. We want to do concerts internationally, but it is very expensive. This deal will help to overcome that". From June 5, onwards, Strings along with Arshad Mehmood
worked for the national awareness initiative Azme Alishan
, judging the National Song Competition. The movement's main aim is to revive the spirit of nationhood and community in Pakistan and to highlight the youth musical talent within Pakistan, being televised all over the world. The show was televised throughout the summer, with the final winner of competition was announced in August 14. The band judged the show along with many well known people in the music industry which inclued Shahzad Hassan, former member of Vital Signs
, singer Najam Sheraz
, Khalid Khan, from the band Aaroh
and many other people as guest judges along with Strings being the man permanent judges of the competition. On July 16, 2010, Strings released their single "Ab Khud Kuch Karna Paray Ga
" which featured former Jal lead vocalist, Atif Aslam
. In October, Strings, as being the brand ambassadors for Etihad Airways in Pakistan, distributed over 500 gift packs to displaced children living in the Sujawal relief camp, in collaboration with Emirates International Mobile Humanitarian Hospital for Children, who were victims of the 2010 Pakistan floods
.
, India
, alongside the Indian band Indian Ocean
and then Strings went on performing with Shafqat Amanat Ali in Dubai
. On March 28, Strings released the song "Mein Tou Dekhoonga
".Then in February 2011 it also performed at Pearl, the annual cultural fest of BITS campus in Hyderabad, India. On April 4, Strings released the music video of the single "Mein Tou Dekhoonga" directed by Jamshed Mehmood. Later the same month, Strings became the brand ambassadors for Levi's Pakistan. On May 13, Strings went to perform at the Pakistani Embassy in Riyadh
, Saudia Arabia. On May 26, Levi's Original music released a promo featuring Strings and Zoe Viccaji. On May 30, Levi's original music released a music video
of an acapella of the song "Mera Bichra Yaar" featuring Zoe Viccaji. On June 4, Strings performed at Beach Luxury Hotel, the band started off with "Koi Aanay Wala Hai
", the title song from their album released in 2008. Their next song was "Najane Kyun" which was dedicated to the journalists who had sacrificed their lives in the line of duty. Next, they sang their international hit, "Zinda Hoon" along with other songs like "Mein Tou Dekhoonga" and "Sohniyae". On June 10, a cover version of "Anjane" featuring Bilal Khan and Zoe Viccaji was released by Levi's original music.
On August 1, in an interview with The Express Tribune
Strings confirmed that they are working on two new songs, "Tum Hi To Ho" and "Goli Maray". Kapadia said, "The whole idea behind going into a recording studio and making a bunch of new songs is just to have fun. We strongly believe that coming out with new music helps us grow and reinvent ourselves as musicians." On August 15, in an interview at BBC Hindi
show Music Beyond Border Strings discussed the current political situation of Pakistan and performed their song "Mein Tou Dekhoonga" and then covered the song "Bandeh" by Indian Ocean live, on request of Indian Ocean's lead vocalist Rahul Ram
. On August 26, Bollywood director Sanjay Gupta
confirmed that Strings will be lending their music as soundtrack for his movie Shootout at Wadala
. A few days later, both Bilal Maqsood and Faisal Kapadia
were spotted in India to compose music for the Bollywood movie. It was also reported that Ekta Kapoor
and Sanjay Gupta hosted a special surprise party for the duo to which many well known celebrities were invited. On August 28, Indian local newspaper, Hindustan Times
reported that actor Imran Khan
has organized a special screening of his scatological comedy, Delhi Belly for members of Strings.
In September, The Express Tribune reported that Strings and Atif Aslam
has been nominated for the "Best Singer" award for their collaborative single "Ab Khud Kuch Karna Paray Ga
" at the Lux Style Awards
2011.
, all songs are written by the band in the Urdu language. Mostly all lyrical content is written by the famous poet, Anwar Maqsood
, with a few songs written by lead guitarist, Bilal Maqsood and writer, Zehra Nigah. The band is popular for attributing to the significance differently approached to their lyrics and music.
) are some examples of this influence. Other songs, such as "Sohniyae" and "Najane Kyun
" (from Dhaani
) have elements of rock music
. Bands stated as influence and inspiration include Junoon and Nazia and Zoheb
.
and Nazia and Zoheb
. Where Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan was actively promoting Qawwali
music and Junoon rock music
, Strings approached their music with a little tint of Pakistani pop with classical music
and combined with rhythms from stringed instruments
.
While the music of Strings is centered around a male lead singer, the band has also featured some featured artists on their albums ever since their self-titled debut release Strings. Since the release of their third studio album Duur the band's music has been based on classical eastern music blending with western music. Their fourth studio album Dhaani
and fifth studio album Koi Aanay Wala Hai
featured elements of rock music
with songs like "Sohniyae", "Mera Bichra Yaar", "Koi Aanay Wala Hai
" and "Jab Say Tumko".
With the success of their music, many of the band's singles has been used as soundtracks for many Bollywood and Hollywood films. Singles that featured as soundtracks included "Najane Kyun
" (from Spider-Man 2
), "Zinda Hoon" (from Zinda
) and "Aakhri Alvida" (from Shootout at Lokhandwala
).
and lyrics
. Other singers of international repute include the likes of Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, Junoon, Nazia Hassan
, Jal
and Vital Signs
. Where Fateh Ali Khan was actively promoting Qawwali
music and Junoon rock music
, Strings approached their music with a little tint of Pakistani pop with classical music
and combined with rhythms from stringed instruments
. Junoon and Vital Signs had only been famous in the United States of America with a significant following in Europe
, whereas Strings took their gigs to India, all over Asia
and the Middle East
, and the rest of the world making Pakistani pop music a truly remarkable genre.
Even in areas like Nepal
that are dominated by influence from their neighbouring India, Strings proved to be the most favourite band amongst crowds. They were so popular in Asia that they were given an award for being Asia's most favourite band at the MTV Asia Awards.
Former members
Pop rock
Pop rock is a music genre which mixes a catchy pop style and light lyrics in its guitar-based rock songs. There are varying definitions of the term, ranging from a slower and mellower form of rock music to a subgenre of pop music...
band comprising two members from Karachi
Karachi
Karachi is the largest city, main seaport and the main financial centre of Pakistan, as well as the capital of the province of Sindh. The city has an estimated population of 13 to 15 million, while the total metropolitan area has a population of over 18 million...
, Sindh
Sindh
Sindh historically referred to as Ba'ab-ul-Islam , is one of the four provinces of Pakistan and historically is home to the Sindhi people. It is also locally known as the "Mehran". Though Muslims form the largest religious group in Sindh, a good number of Christians, Zoroastrians and Hindus can...
, Pakistan
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
. The band was initially formed by four college students, Bilal Maqsood (vocals and guitars), Faisal Kapadia
Faisal Kapadia
Faisal Kapadia is a member of the very popular Pakistani pop band Strings. Faisal was born on June 29, 1971 in Karachi, Pakistan. Growing up, he learned classical music, vocals, and guitar. He is married to Seema Kapadia and has 2 sons; Armaan and Gibran. He is a Ismaili by faith.Faisal Kapadia...
(vocals), Rafiq Wazir Ali
Rafiq Wazir Ali
Rafiq Wazir Ali was an ex-member of the popular Pakistani pop band, Strings. While studying at the Government Commerce College in Karachi in 1988, in his first year of Intermediate studies he was approached by Bilal Maqsood to play the synthesiser for the band.Young in his 20s, Ali played for the...
(synthesizer) and Kareem Bashir Bhoy
Kareem Bashir Bhoy
Karim Bashirbhoy is an ex-member of the popular Pakistani pop band, Strings. While studying at the Government Commerce College in Karachi in 1988, in his first year of Intermediate studies Bhoy was approached by Bilal Maqsood to play the bass guitar for the band.Bhoy played for the band and...
(bass guitars) in 1988. In 1992, the quartet disbanded only to make a comeback with two of its members, Bilal and Faisal later in 2000. While the initial band was riding on the new wave of Pakistani pop music
Pakistani pop music
Pakistani pop music refers to popular music forms in Pakistan. Pakistani pop is a mixture of traditional Pakistani classical music and western influences of jazz, rock and roll, hip-hop and disco sung in various languages of Pakistan, including Urdu language...
, the later formation ushered a new revival in the music industry of Pakistan.
The band were signed to a major record label EMI Records
EMI Records
EMI Records is the flagship record label founded by the EMI company in 1972 and launched in January 1973 as the successor to its Columbia label. The EMI label was launched worldwide...
and afterwards released their self-titled debut album Strings in 1990. Their initial effort experimenting with synthesized sounds and rhythms was not recognized instantly although their debut album sold 20,000 copies in its first week on sale. After two years, the band released their second album 2
2 (Strings album)
-Personnel:All information is taken from the CD.Strings*Faisal Kapadia – vocals, backing vocals*Bilal Maqsood – vocals, lead guitars*Rafiq Wazir Ali – keyboard, synthesizer*Kareem Bashir Bhoy – bass guiatarsProduction...
which included their critically acclaimed single "Sar Kiye Yeh Pahar", first aired on MTV Asia, led the band to achieve fame worldwide. After the release of their second studio album, the quartet disbanded in order to focus on their studies and careers. But it was only till 2000 when two of the band members, Bilal and Faisal, made a comeback by releasing the band's third album Duur which found renewed success and popularity for them. The band then went on to record and release its fourth album Dhaani
Dhaani
-Personnel:All information is taken from the CD.Strings:* Faisal Kapadia: lead vocals* Bial Maqsood: vocals, lead guitarAdditional musicians* Vocals: Hariharan & Sagarika daCosta * Guitars: Shuja Haider & Shallum Asher Xavier...
in 2003. The album included the single "Najane Kyun
Najane Kyun
"Najane Kyun" is a song by Strings released on the 2004 soundtrack for the film Spider-Man 2. This track is on the Pakistani version of the soundtrack...
" which featured as a soundtrack
Soundtrack
A soundtrack can be recorded music accompanying and synchronized to the images of a motion picture, book, television program or video game; a commercially released soundtrack album of music as featured in the soundtrack of a film or TV show; or the physical area of a film that contains the...
for the Hollywood film Spider-Man 2
Spider-Man 2
Spider-Man 2 is a 2004 American superhero film directed by Sam Raimi, written by Alvin Sargent and developed by Alfred Gough, Miles Millar, and Michael Chabon. It is the second film in the Spider-Man film franchise based on the fictional Marvel Comics character Spider-Man...
, this also led the band to follow the footsteps of Junoon and Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan and take their act across the border to India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
only to realize they already were a recognized band in the country as remixes of one of their earliest songs were played in clubs. In 2008, Strings came up with their fifth studio album Koi Aanay Wala Hai
Koi Aanay Wala Hai
-Personnel:All information is taken from the CD.Strings:* Faisal Kapadia: lead vocals* Bial Maqsood: vocals, lead guitarAdditional musicians* Drums and Percussion: John "Gumby" Louis Pinto* Flute: Sajid* Bass: Shakir* Guitars: Shuja Haider & Imran Akhund...
which included soundtrack singles "Zinda" and "Aakhri Alvida" from Bollywood movies, Zinda
Zinda (film)
Zinda is a 2006 Bollywood film, starring Sanjay Dutt, John Abraham, and Lara Dutta. Zinda was directed by Sanjay Gupta and written by Gupta and Suresh Nair. Vishal-Shekhar composed the film's thematic music, with background music composed by Sanjoy Chowdhury...
and Shootout at Lokhandwala
Shootout at Lokhandwala
Shootout at Lokhandwala is a 2007 Hindi feature film directed by Apoorva Lakhia. It is based upon the 1991 Lokhandwala Complex shootout, a real-life gun battle between gangsters and Mumbai Police....
. The album was a hit in both Pakistan and India having co-produced by Bollywood actor John Abraham
John Abraham (actor)
John Abraham is an Indian film actor and former model. After modeling for numerous advertisements and companies, Abraham made his film debut with Jism , which earned him a Filmfare Best Debut Award nomination. This was followed by his first commercial success, Dhoom...
.
Strings are acclaimed all over the world for their stringed rhythms, their songs are praised not only for being melodious but having a strong poetic sense to them. Penned by Anwar Maqsood
Anwar Maqsood
Anwar Maqsood Hameedi commonly known as Anwar Maqsood Urdu: انور مقصود) is a Pakistani playwright, poet, television host, satirist, humorist, infrequent actor and painter. He has worked in the entertainment industry for over 35 years.-Life and career:Anwar Maqsood studied at the Gulbarga trust...
, Bilal's father, the lyrics of their songs always carry a deep meaning with them. Anwar has been writing lyrics for the band since its re-formation where as Faisal Kapadia is the lead vocalist
Lead vocalist
The lead vocalist is the member of a band who sings the main vocal portions of a song. They may also play one or more instruments. Lead vocalists are sometimes referred to as the frontman or frontwoman, and as such, are usually considered to be the "leader" of the groups they perform in, often the...
for the band, Bilal Maqsood acts as the composer, guitarist and at times does vocals for a few songs. To play live at concerts, both the members have hired Adeel on the lead guitar
Lead guitar
Lead guitar is a guitar part which plays melody lines, instrumental fill passages, guitar solos, and occasionally, some riffs within a song structure...
, Shakir on the bass guitar
Bass guitar
The bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
, Haider on keyboards and Qaiser on drums
Drum kit
A drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
, an entourage ensemble that travels with them to various international concerts at times.
The initial quartet (1988-1992)
The late-1980s saw pop musicPop music
Pop music is usually understood to be commercially recorded music, often oriented toward a youth market, usually consisting of relatively short, simple songs utilizing technological innovations to produce new variations on existing themes.- Definitions :David Hatch and Stephen Millward define pop...
in Pakistan
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
grow by folds and newer artists began emerging on the scene. Shalimar Television Network (STN), the only channel in the country, other than Pakistan Television Corporation
Pakistan Television Corporation
The Pakistan Television Corporation is Pakistan's national television broadcaster. The first live transmission of PTV began on November 26, 1964, in Lahore...
(PTV), launched a show titled Music Channel Charts to highlight new talent. In Karachi however, things were shaping up rapidly and people idolising veteran singers like Nazia and Zoheb
Nazia and Zoheb
Nazia bakhsi and Zoheb were a Pakistani pop group from Karachi, Sindh formed in 1980. The group consisted of two siblings, Nazia Hassan and Zoheb Hassan, who were a singing sensation and pop icons in Pakistan and all of South Asia. They are also regarded as pioneers of the Pakistani pop music scene...
, Alamgir
Alamgir (pop singer)
Alamgir is a Pakistani pop singer of the 1970s, who is in fact one of the pioneers of the Urdu pop music in Pakistan. His style of singing is inspired by legendary playback singer Ahmed Rushdi.-Life & career:...
and Muhammad Ali Shehki were keen to ride the new wave of Pakistani pop music.
At the Government College of Commerce & Economics
Government College of Commerce & Economics
Government College of Commerce & Economics is one of the premier institutions of commerce education in the city of Karachi. It is located on Dr. Ziauddin Ahmed Road, opposite Bagh-e-Jinnah and Pearl Continental Hotel, Karachi....
in Karachi
Karachi
Karachi is the largest city, main seaport and the main financial centre of Pakistan, as well as the capital of the province of Sindh. The city has an estimated population of 13 to 15 million, while the total metropolitan area has a population of over 18 million...
, Bilal Maqsood, Faisal Kapadia
Faisal Kapadia
Faisal Kapadia is a member of the very popular Pakistani pop band Strings. Faisal was born on June 29, 1971 in Karachi, Pakistan. Growing up, he learned classical music, vocals, and guitar. He is married to Seema Kapadia and has 2 sons; Armaan and Gibran. He is a Ismaili by faith.Faisal Kapadia...
, Rafiq Wazir Ali
Rafiq Wazir Ali
Rafiq Wazir Ali was an ex-member of the popular Pakistani pop band, Strings. While studying at the Government Commerce College in Karachi in 1988, in his first year of Intermediate studies he was approached by Bilal Maqsood to play the synthesiser for the band.Young in his 20s, Ali played for the...
and Kareem Bashir Bhoy
Kareem Bashir Bhoy
Karim Bashirbhoy is an ex-member of the popular Pakistani pop band, Strings. While studying at the Government Commerce College in Karachi in 1988, in his first year of Intermediate studies Bhoy was approached by Bilal Maqsood to play the bass guitar for the band.Bhoy played for the band and...
, four classmates formed a band in 1988. With influence from Maqsood's father, the well-renowned Anwar Maqsood
Anwar Maqsood
Anwar Maqsood Hameedi commonly known as Anwar Maqsood Urdu: انور مقصود) is a Pakistani playwright, poet, television host, satirist, humorist, infrequent actor and painter. He has worked in the entertainment industry for over 35 years.-Life and career:Anwar Maqsood studied at the Gulbarga trust...
's pen, the band performed songs on his lyrics. During a performance at their college farewell party, the band decided to name themselves as Strings after the host of the show came up to the quartet and asked them what their band is called as he could announce the band's name to perform on stage. By the mid-1990, with help from Mansoor Bukhari, head of EMI Group in Pakistan, the band had come up with a self-titled album Strings under the EMI label. Their initial effort experimenting with synthesized sounds and rhythms was not recognised instantly although it is reported that their first album sold 20,000 copies in its first week on sale.
Breakup (1992)
In 1992, the band came up with a follow-up album titled 22 (Strings album)
-Personnel:All information is taken from the CD.Strings*Faisal Kapadia – vocals, backing vocals*Bilal Maqsood – vocals, lead guitars*Rafiq Wazir Ali – keyboard, synthesizer*Kareem Bashir Bhoy – bass guiatarsProduction...
, released by Shalimar Recording Company. Maqsood realising that the band needed more exposure, advised that a music video
Music video
A music video or song video is a short film integrating a song and imagery, produced for promotional or artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a marketing device intended to promote the sale of music recordings...
to be shot. He himself took charge of the direction of the video for the song, "Sar Kiye Yeh Pahar", and handed it to the STN to be aired on their show. The video was played for a minute on the channel in their hour long show and with not many new videos from competing artists, Maqsood's directorial début was an instant success. This decision proved beneficial and "Sar Kiye Yeh Pahar" became a nation-wide hit overnight. In its most primitive form, the video and the song created a phenomenon in the local music industry and the band scored hits after another, played shows and enjoyed the lifestyle of the post-80s pop star
Pop Star
"Pop Star" is a 2005 single from Japanese singer Ken Hirai. The single went on to top the 2005 Oricon Charts and is known for its remarkable music video, featuring Ken in seven different personas, including a raccoon and his own manager. The Video also helped Ken break into the US and Canadian...
s. The hype was short-lived as the quartet decided to disband considering it as a mutual decision amongst all the members. Soon after wards, as the band disappeared from the local pop music scene their video of "Sar Kiye Yeh Pahar" aired on MTV Asia and led the band to achieve success and worldwide fame.
After disbanding, Maqsood joined an art school
Art school
Art school is a general term for any educational institution with a primary focus on the visual arts, especially illustration, painting, photography, sculpture, and graphic design. The term applies to institutions with elementary, secondary, post-secondary or undergraduate, or graduate or...
and later got himself a job in an advertising agency
Advertising agency
An advertising agency or ad agency is a service business dedicated to creating, planning and handling advertising for its clients. An ad agency is independent from the client and provides an outside point of view to the effort of selling the client's products or services...
as the creative director, while Kapadia travelled to the Houston, Texas
Houston, Texas
Houston is the fourth-largest city in the United States, and the largest city in the state of Texas. According to the 2010 U.S. Census, the city had a population of 2.1 million people within an area of . Houston is the seat of Harris County and the economic center of , which is the ...
to continue his business studies. Little is known of the other two members of the band but it is understood they continued their studies as well. The disbanding of the group came as a mutual decision amongst all the members.
Comeback (1999-2002)
The year 2000 saw another shake in the Pakistani music
Music of Pakistan
The music of Pakistan includes diverse elements ranging from music from various parts of South Asia as well as Central Asian, Persian, Turkish, Arabic and modern day Western popular music influences...
industry and the duo saw an interest in joining the bandwagon. Rafiq and Kareem weren't accessible and decided not to continue with the band not because of indifferences but because they had settled down in their new lives. Maqsood and Kapadia then decided on forming the band within themselves. Reforming the band meant they could not continue with their respective jobs. Upon counsel amongst each other, they placed their resignation in pursuit of music.
They recorded a song, "Duur" and the duo asked their friend Jamshed Mehmood, known to them as Jami, to direct the video for the song. In the events to follow the later years, Pakistan banned channels from across the border broadcasting from India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
and only allowed the few Pakistani channels to be broadcast on the cable network
Cable network
A cable channel is a television channel available via cable television. Such channels are usually also available via satellite television, including direct broadcast satellite providers such as DirecTV, Dish Network and BSkyB...
. In the aftermath private television network
Television network
A television network is a telecommunications network for distribution of television program content, whereby a central operation provides programming to many television stations or pay TV providers. Until the mid-1980s, television programming in most countries of the world was dominated by a small...
s took on the task to fill the void and soon new music channels were introduced in the country. The video for "Duur" was distributed to all the stations that aired on the tube and became an instant hit hailing their comeback.
While Strings enjoyed huge success in Pakistan, they were oblivious to the fact that their earlier hit "Sar Kiye Yeh Pahaar" was being played in India in a remixed version in clubs and had built them a reputation over the years. When their new video was played on music channels in India, they were easily recognisable as the two who performed the earlier song and the song "Duur" became even more famous across the border. In January 2002, they re-launched Duur under the Magnasound label, who had previously launched pop stars like Baba Sehgal
Baba Sehgal
Baba Sehgal, a Khatri Sikh, is an Indian rapper and actor. Brought up in Lucknow, he was famous in the mid 1990s. He is credited as the first Indian rapper to jump on the Indipop bandwagon, and released an album which got frequent airplay on MTV India...
and Remo Fernandes
Remo Fernandes
Luís Remo de Maria Bernardo Fernandes, more popularly known as Remo Fernandes is a pop/rock/Indian fusion artist and playback singer from the state of Goa, India. His musical work is a fusion of many different cultures and styles he's been exposed to as a child in Goa and in his later travels...
.
Ushering a new revival (2003-2006)
The realisation that Pakistani pop songs had a cult followingCult following
A cult following is a group of fans who are highly dedicated to a specific area of pop culture. A film, book, band, or video game, among other things, will be said to have a cult following when it has a small but very passionate fan base...
in India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
ushered a new sense of revival and encouragement for the established artists in the country. The local Pakistani music channels boasted this appeal and soon many singers from all over the country stood up to participate in collaborating with their counterparts from the neighbouring nation. Strings had been travelling to India for concerts and gigs and played alongside some well known bands like the New Delhi
New Delhi
New Delhi is the capital city of India. It serves as the centre of the Government of India and the Government of the National Capital Territory of Delhi. New Delhi is situated within the metropolis of Delhi. It is one of the nine districts of Delhi Union Territory. The total area of the city is...
-based band Euphoria
Euphoria (Indian band)
Euphoria , is an Indian rock band from the city of Delhi, India.-Films:The band has composed the soundtrack for a Malayalam film named Best of luck .-Albums:* 1998 - Dhoom* 2000 - Phir Dhoom* 2003 - Gully* 2006 - Mehfuz* 2008 - ReDhoom...
. And it was after fourteen years when the Indian cricket team
Indian cricket team
The Indian cricket team is the national cricket team of India. Governed by the Board of Control for Cricket in India , it is a full member of the International Cricket Council with Test and One Day International status....
toured Pakistan that the electronic giants Samsung
Samsung
The Samsung Group is a South Korean multinational conglomerate corporation headquartered in Samsung Town, Seoul, South Korea...
invited Strings to collaborate with Euphoria and record a song titled "Jheet Lo Dil" which got the band their first major cross-border breakthrough. Later the song became an instant hit and named as the official song of the tournament. After the success of their third studio album and single "Jheet Lo Dil" the band toured all over Indian with Channel V
Channel V
Channel [V] is the brand name for multiple international music television networks owned by STAR TV and Fox International Channels, fully owned subsidiaries of News Corporation.-Channel [V] International:...
. The band were warmly received by the Indian crowds and during this time, while touring in India, the band members got in touch with some of the most reputed singers of the nation to feature them on their next album. In the process, Strings collaborated with famous artists like Hariharan
Hariharan (singer)
Hariharan , born 3 April 1955) is an Indian playback singer in Hindi, Tamil, Malayalam, Kannada, Marathi, Bhojpuri and Telugu movies, an established ghazal singer, and one of the pioneers of Indian fusion music. His melody is strongly appreciated by the film fraternity...
and Sagarika daCosta to work on their fourth studio album.
Strings were invited to a television show "Jammin" on Channel V where the duo performed a duet "Pal" with Sagarika from their upcoming fourth album. The song was written, composed, recorded in both audio and video formats in a period of three days. The band then recorded their single "Bolo Bolo" but later invited Hariharan to sing on the track and they then rerecorded the song to include Hariharan. Both the collaborations were eagerly awaited by the fans and were critically acclaimed. The band then went on performing at Hard Rock Cafe
Hard Rock Cafe
Hard Rock Cafe is a chain of theme restaurants founded in 1971 by Americans Peter Morton & Isaac Tigrett. In 1979, the cafe began covering its walls with rock and roll memorabilia, a tradition which expanded to others in the chain. In 2006, Hard Rock was sold to the Seminole Tribe of Florida, and...
in Dubai
Dubai
Dubai is a city and emirate in the United Arab Emirates . The emirate is located south of the Persian Gulf on the Arabian Peninsula and has the largest population with the second-largest land territory by area of all the emirates, after Abu Dhabi...
for an unplugged session which rose the band to even more fame outside the Subcontinent. With their success, the band were approached by Columbia Records
Columbia Records
Columbia Records is an American record label, owned by Japan's Sony Music Entertainment, operating under the Columbia Music Group with Aware Records. It was founded in 1888, evolving from an earlier enterprise, the American Graphophone Company — successor to the Volta Graphophone Company...
to launch their new album and they accepted the offer. On September 1, 2003, the band released their fourth studio album Dhaani
Dhaani
-Personnel:All information is taken from the CD.Strings:* Faisal Kapadia: lead vocals* Bial Maqsood: vocals, lead guitarAdditional musicians* Vocals: Hariharan & Sagarika daCosta * Guitars: Shuja Haider & Shallum Asher Xavier...
.
In June 2004, Strings released the music video
Music video
A music video or song video is a short film integrating a song and imagery, produced for promotional or artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a marketing device intended to promote the sale of music recordings...
of their single "Dhaani" directed by Jamshed Mehmood and before the release of their next single "Najane Kyun
Najane Kyun
"Najane Kyun" is a song by Strings released on the 2004 soundtrack for the film Spider-Man 2. This track is on the Pakistani version of the soundtrack...
" from their album, the band's biggest endeavor came when the band were approached by the heads of Columbia TriStar Films
Columbia Pictures
Columbia Pictures Industries, Inc. is an American film production and distribution company. Columbia Pictures now forms part of the Columbia TriStar Motion Picture Group, owned by Sony Pictures Entertainment, a subsidiary of the Japanese conglomerate Sony. It is one of the leading film companies...
of India, a sister company to their record label
Record label
In the music industry, a record label is a brand and a trademark associated with the marketing of music recordings and music videos. Most commonly, a record label is the company that manages such brands and trademarks, coordinates the production, manufacture, distribution, marketing and promotion,...
company to include a the song in the soundtrack of the Hindi version of the Hollywood blockbuster movie Spider-Man 2
Spider-Man 2
Spider-Man 2 is a 2004 American superhero film directed by Sam Raimi, written by Alvin Sargent and developed by Alfred Gough, Miles Millar, and Michael Chabon. It is the second film in the Spider-Man film franchise based on the fictional Marvel Comics character Spider-Man...
directed by Sam Raimi
Sam Raimi
Samuel Marshall "Sam" Raimi is an American film director, producer, actor and writer. He is best known for directing cult horror films like the Evil Dead series, Darkman and Drag Me to Hell, as well as the blockbuster Spider-Man films and the producer of the successful TV series Hercules: The...
. With their massive presence in the Indian pop
Indian pop
Indian pop music , often known as Indian-Pop, Hindi Pop, Indipop or Indi-pop, refers to pop music in India. Pop music really started in the South Asian region with the famous playback singer Ahmed Rushdi's song ‘Ko-Ko-Korina’ in 1966...
music scene, Strings were mistaken for being an Indian band.
In May 2005, Strings released the music video of their single "Kahani Mohabat Ki" directed by Umar Anwar. The single was a success and received positive response from critics and was critically acclaimed. With their success in Subcontinent, the band won the "Most Favorite Artist
MTV Asia Award for Favorite Artist India
The following is a list of MTV Asia Awards winners for Favorite Artist India....
" award at the MTV Asia Awards 2005
MTV Asia Awards 2005
The MTV Asia Awards 2005 / Asia Aid 2005 in Bangkok hosted by Alicia Keys.-Favorite Pop Act:*Blue*Keane*No Doubt*Outkast*Simple Plan-Favorite Rock Act:*Green Day*Hoobastank*Jet*Sum 41*The Rasmus-Favorite Video:...
. Soon afterward with this success, the band were approached by the director Sanjay Gupta
Sanjay Gupta
Sanjay Gupta is an American neurosurgeon and an assistant professor of neurosurgery at Emory University School of Medicine and associate chief of the neurosurgery service at Grady Memorial Hospital in Atlanta, Georgia....
shooting the film Zinda
Zinda (film)
Zinda is a 2006 Bollywood film, starring Sanjay Dutt, John Abraham, and Lara Dutta. Zinda was directed by Sanjay Gupta and written by Gupta and Suresh Nair. Vishal-Shekhar composed the film's thematic music, with background music composed by Sanjoy Chowdhury...
, a remake of the classic South Korea
South Korea
The Republic of Korea , , is a sovereign state in East Asia, located on the southern portion of the Korean Peninsula. It is neighbored by the People's Republic of China to the west, Japan to the east, North Korea to the north, and the East China Sea and Republic of China to the south...
n film Oldboy
Oldboy
Oldboy is a 2003 South Korean film directed by Park Chan-wook. It is based on the Japanese manga of the same name written by Nobuaki Minegishi and Garon Tsuchiya. Oldboy is the second installment of The Vengeance Trilogy, preceded by Sympathy for Mr...
, to do a soundtrack for the movie. Bilal Maqsood then composed a song titled "Zinda Hoon" written by famous writer, Anwar Maqsood
Anwar Maqsood
Anwar Maqsood Hameedi commonly known as Anwar Maqsood Urdu: انور مقصود) is a Pakistani playwright, poet, television host, satirist, humorist, infrequent actor and painter. He has worked in the entertainment industry for over 35 years.-Life and career:Anwar Maqsood studied at the Gulbarga trust...
, for the movie. For the video, the duo had to act alongside two A-list
A-list
A-list is a term that alludes to major movie stars, or the most bankable in the Hollywood film industry.The A-list is part of a larger guide called The Hot List that has become an industry-standard guide in Hollywood...
actors from Bollywood
Bollywood
Bollywood is the informal term popularly used for the Hindi-language film industry based in Mumbai , Maharashtra, India. The term is often incorrectly used to refer to the whole of Indian cinema; it is only a part of the total Indian film industry, which includes other production centers producing...
. It was here that the duo became good friends with John Abraham
John Abraham (actor)
John Abraham is an Indian film actor and former model. After modeling for numerous advertisements and companies, Abraham made his film debut with Jism , which earned him a Filmfare Best Debut Award nomination. This was followed by his first commercial success, Dhoom...
and Sanjay Dutt
Sanjay Dutt
Sanjay Dutt is an Indian Hindi film actor and politician. Dutt, son of Hindi film actors Sunil and Nargis Dutt, made his acting debut in 1981.-Personal life:...
and would later appear in more ventures together. In July, 2006, Strings were nominated for the "Most Wanted Band" award and won the "Motorola Music Icon" award at the The Musik Awards 2006
The Musik
ARY Musik is a 24-hour Urdu-English music channel from Pakistan.Originally created and launched from Dubai in 2003 under the leadership of the CEO Salman Iqbal and multiple Award Winner VP Wiqar Ali Khan...
whereas the single "Zinda Hoon" was nominated for the "Most Wanted Song" and "Best Pop Song" award. On September 28, 2006, the band released an anti-war video "Beirut".
Success (2007-2010)
On May 8, 2007, Strings recorded and released a soundtrack song "Aakhri Alvida" for the BollywoodBollywood
Bollywood is the informal term popularly used for the Hindi-language film industry based in Mumbai , Maharashtra, India. The term is often incorrectly used to refer to the whole of Indian cinema; it is only a part of the total Indian film industry, which includes other production centers producing...
movie Shootout at Lokhandwala
Shootout at Lokhandwala
Shootout at Lokhandwala is a 2007 Hindi feature film directed by Apoorva Lakhia. It is based upon the 1991 Lokhandwala Complex shootout, a real-life gun battle between gangsters and Mumbai Police....
directed by Apoorva Lakhia
Apoorva Lakhia
Apoorva Lakhia is an Indian film director.Before becoming a film director, Apoorva was an assistant director for Ashutosh Gowariker's period epic film Lagaan: Once Upon a Time in India and as second assistant director for the film Kama Sutra: A Tale of Love...
. On November 1, the band then went on releasing a single "Hum Hee Hum" along with it's music video
Music video
A music video or song video is a short film integrating a song and imagery, produced for promotional or artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a marketing device intended to promote the sale of music recordings...
from their upcoming fifth studio album. Also in late 2007, Strings struck a deal with Gibson Guitar Corporation
Gibson Guitar Corporation
The Gibson Guitar Corporation, formerly of Kalamazoo, Michigan and currently of Nashville, Tennessee, manufactures guitars and other instruments which sell under a variety of brand names...
, becoming the first South Asia
South Asia
South Asia, also known as Southern Asia, is the southern region of the Asian continent, which comprises the sub-Himalayan countries and, for some authorities , also includes the adjoining countries to the west and the east...
n band in history (along with the Pakistani rock band Jal
Jal (band)
Jal is a pop rock band from Lahore, Punjab, Pakistan. The band originally consisted of song writer, vocalist and lead guitarist, Goher Mumtaz and vocalist, Atif Aslam...
) to create a working relationship with the famed guitar manufacturers. It was reported that according to the deal, Strings will exclusively use Gibson guitars during concerts, studio recordings and music videos. Furthermore, Strings will act as brand ambassadors to Gibson. In return, Gibson will sponsor the varied endeavours of the band and also provide concert halls and equipment as and when required.
On May 16, 2008, Strings came up with the release of their fifth studio album Koi Aanay Wala Hai
Koi Aanay Wala Hai
-Personnel:All information is taken from the CD.Strings:* Faisal Kapadia: lead vocals* Bial Maqsood: vocals, lead guitarAdditional musicians* Drums and Percussion: John "Gumby" Louis Pinto* Flute: Sajid* Bass: Shakir* Guitars: Shuja Haider & Imran Akhund...
, released by Fire Records
Fire Records (Pakistan)
Fire Records is a record label based in Pakistan which promotes young musicians across Pakistan. The company is the subsidiary of Geo TV Network. It also distributes music and movies released under the banner of Geo Films.*Basit Salik*Annie Khalid*Azam Bakshi...
in Pakistan and by Sony BMG internationally. The album co-produced by Bollywood actor John Abraham
John Abraham
John Abraham is the name of:* John Abraham , Bollywood actor* John Abraham , Malayali Indian filmmaker and scriptwriter* John Abraham , NFL defensive end playing for the Atlanta Falcons...
, topped all music charts in both Pakistan
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
and its neighbouring country India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
. The album included soundtracks of both Bollywood movies, Shootout at Lokhandwala
Shootout at Lokhandwala
Shootout at Lokhandwala is a 2007 Hindi feature film directed by Apoorva Lakhia. It is based upon the 1991 Lokhandwala Complex shootout, a real-life gun battle between gangsters and Mumbai Police....
and Zinda
Zinda (film)
Zinda is a 2006 Bollywood film, starring Sanjay Dutt, John Abraham, and Lara Dutta. Zinda was directed by Sanjay Gupta and written by Gupta and Suresh Nair. Vishal-Shekhar composed the film's thematic music, with background music composed by Sanjoy Chowdhury...
. On May 19, the band released their album self-titled single "Koi Aanay Wala Hai
Koi Aanay Wala Hai (song)
Koi Aanay Wala Hai is the fourth single by the pop band Strings from their fifth studio album, Koi Aanay Wala Hai...
" which featured John Abraham. On June 24, Strings released another music video of "Humsafar", single from their fifth studio album, directed by Jamshed "Jami" Mehmood, shot in Moscow
Moscow
Moscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent...
, Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
. This was followed by Strings performance at Coke Studio
Coke Studio
Coke Studio is a Pakistani television series featuring live music performances. Although it is adapted from the original Brazilian show named Estúdio Coca-Cola, it is fundamentally different from the original version where the show was a concert style show whereas the Pakistani version records its...
, a musical television programme, debut season which also showcased many well known artists and musicians from all over Pakistan such as Ali Azmat
Ali Azmat
Ali Azmat is a Ali Azmat is a...
, Mauj, Rahat Fateh Ali Khan and Ali Zafar
Ali Zafar
Ali Zafar is a Pakistani musician, composer, song writer, singer, actor, painter and model, popular in Pakistan for his music, including his hit songs like "Channo", "Rangeen", "Chal Dil Merey", "Dekha", "Masty" and "Sajania"...
. Strings performed singles like "Sar Kiye Yeh Pahar", "Anjane", from Duur, and "Zinda Hoon", from Koi Aanay Wala Hai, along with a duet of their single "Duur" with Ustaad Hussain Bakhsh Gullo, at the second episode of Coke Studio aired on local music channels on June 29. And then went on performing another duet of their single "Dhaani", from Dhaani
Dhaani
-Personnel:All information is taken from the CD.Strings:* Faisal Kapadia: lead vocals* Bial Maqsood: vocals, lead guitarAdditional musicians* Vocals: Hariharan & Sagarika daCosta * Guitars: Shuja Haider & Shallum Asher Xavier...
, with Ustaad H. B. Gullo, at the third episode of the show aired in August. On October 9, Strings released another single "Jago", from their album release earlier the same year, along with a music video.
The success of the band in Coke Studio season one led the band to perform at the show's second season last episode aired on Pakistan's Independence Day, August 14, in 2009. Strings performed with their song "Titliyan", along with many other successful music artists. Later in November, the band released "Titliyan" music video which did well at the local music charts.
In June, 2010, Strings signed a one-year partnership with the international airline, Etihad Airways
Etihad Airways
Etihad Airways is the flag carrier of the United Arab Emirates. Established in July 2003 and based at Abu Dhabi International Airport, Etihad commenced operations in November 2003....
based in Abu Dhabi
Abu Dhabi
Abu Dhabi , literally Father of Gazelle, is the capital and the second largest city of the United Arab Emirates in terms of population and the largest of the seven member emirates of the United Arab Emirates. Abu Dhabi lies on a T-shaped island jutting into the Persian Gulf from the central western...
, United Arab Emirates
United Arab Emirates
The United Arab Emirates, abbreviated as the UAE, or shortened to "the Emirates", is a state situated in the southeast of the Arabian Peninsula in Western Asia on the Persian Gulf, bordering Oman, and Saudi Arabia, and sharing sea borders with Iraq, Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, and Iran.The UAE is a...
, to become its brand ambassadors with the core idea to promote the real image of Pakistan to the global market via the band’s music. On the occasion of the contract signing, Mr. Peter Baumgartner, Chief Commercial Officer for Etihad Airways’ said he is “looking forward to witnessing how the Etihad brand name reached across the world through the music of Strings.” Whereas vocalist Faisal Kapadia said that "It is not only about free air tickets. We needed something like this to promote the true image of Pakistan. We want to do concerts internationally, but it is very expensive. This deal will help to overcome that". From June 5, onwards, Strings along with Arshad Mehmood
Arshad Mehmood
Arshad Mehmood is a Pakistani actor, music composer and singer. He is best known for his acting roles in popular Pakistani TV drama serials such as Aangan Terha and Dhoop Kinare and the music composition of many popular Ghazals from the poetry of Faiz Ahmed Faiz.-Acting career:Arshad Mehmood is...
worked for the national awareness initiative Azme Alishan
Azme Alishan
Azme-Alishan is a national awareness drive launched in Lahore on 23 March 2010 to coincide with the 70th anniversary of the signing of the Lahore Resolution....
, judging the National Song Competition. The movement's main aim is to revive the spirit of nationhood and community in Pakistan and to highlight the youth musical talent within Pakistan, being televised all over the world. The show was televised throughout the summer, with the final winner of competition was announced in August 14. The band judged the show along with many well known people in the music industry which inclued Shahzad Hassan, former member of Vital Signs
Vital Signs (band)
Vital Signs were a Pakistani Pop rock band that formed in Rawalpindi in 1986. The group was formed by Rohail Hyatt and Shahzad Hasan , who were soon joined by Nusrat Hussain and Junaid Jamshed...
, singer Najam Sheraz
Najam Sheraz
Najam Sheraz is a Pakistani pop singer, musician, composer and comedy actor. He is most prolific singer; indeed he is a household name in Pakistan. Many of his songs have become anthems all over the world. His latest album, eight in his career, "Najam" has been released recently both in India and...
, Khalid Khan, from the band Aaroh
Aaroh
Aaroh was an alternative rock band from Karachi, Sindh, Pakistan, formed in 1998...
and many other people as guest judges along with Strings being the man permanent judges of the competition. On July 16, 2010, Strings released their single "Ab Khud Kuch Karna Paray Ga
Ab Khud Kuch Karna Paray Ga
Ab Khud Kuch Karna Paray Ga is a single from the Pakistani pop rock band Strings featuring former Jal vocalist Atif Aslam, released on July 16, 2010 by 2 Republic Music Group...
" which featured former Jal lead vocalist, Atif Aslam
Atif Aslam
Atif Aslam is a Pakistani pop singer. He is widely recognized in South Asia and has given several hit songs such as Aadat, Woh Lamhe, Tere Bin, Bakhuda Tumhi Ho, Pehli Nazar Mein, Tera Hone Laga Hoon, Tu Jaane Na, Tere Liye. He is one of the most popular South Asian celebrity on Facebook with...
. In October, Strings, as being the brand ambassadors for Etihad Airways in Pakistan, distributed over 500 gift packs to displaced children living in the Sujawal relief camp, in collaboration with Emirates International Mobile Humanitarian Hospital for Children, who were victims of the 2010 Pakistan floods
2010 Pakistan floods
The 2010 Pakistan floods began in late July 2010, resulting from heavy monsoon rains in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Sindh, Punjab and Balochistan regions of Pakistan and affected the Indus River basin. Approximately one-fifth of Pakistan's total land area was underwater, approximately...
.
Continued success (2011-present)
In March 2011, Strings performed at the Aman Ki Asha concert held in AhmedabadAhmedabad
Ahmedabad also known as Karnavati is the largest city in Gujarat, India. It is the former capital of Gujarat and is also the judicial capital of Gujarat as the Gujarat High Court has its seat in Ahmedabad...
, India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
, alongside the Indian band Indian Ocean
Indian Ocean (band)
Indian Ocean are an Indian rock band formed in New Delhi in 1990. They are considered to be the pioneers of fusion rock genre in India. Susmit Sen, Asheem Chakravarty, Rahul Ram and Amit Kilam formed the most stable and successful line-up in the band's timeline. This line-up lasted till Asheem's...
and then Strings went on performing with Shafqat Amanat Ali in Dubai
Dubai
Dubai is a city and emirate in the United Arab Emirates . The emirate is located south of the Persian Gulf on the Arabian Peninsula and has the largest population with the second-largest land territory by area of all the emirates, after Abu Dhabi...
. On March 28, Strings released the song "Mein Tou Dekhoonga
Mein Tou Dekhoonga
Mein Tou Dekhoonga is a sociopolitical song single from the Pakistani pop rock band Strings, released on April 4, 2011. The song is written and produced by the band founder, lead guitarist and vocalist Bilal Maqsood...
".Then in February 2011 it also performed at Pearl, the annual cultural fest of BITS campus in Hyderabad, India. On April 4, Strings released the music video of the single "Mein Tou Dekhoonga" directed by Jamshed Mehmood. Later the same month, Strings became the brand ambassadors for Levi's Pakistan. On May 13, Strings went to perform at the Pakistani Embassy in Riyadh
Riyadh
Riyadh is the capital and largest city of Saudi Arabia. It is also the capital of Riyadh Province, and belongs to the historical regions of Najd and Al-Yamama. It is situated in the center of the Arabian Peninsula on a large plateau, and is home to 5,254,560 people, and the urban center of a...
, Saudia Arabia. On May 26, Levi's Original music released a promo featuring Strings and Zoe Viccaji. On May 30, Levi's original music released a music video
Music video
A music video or song video is a short film integrating a song and imagery, produced for promotional or artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a marketing device intended to promote the sale of music recordings...
of an acapella of the song "Mera Bichra Yaar" featuring Zoe Viccaji. On June 4, Strings performed at Beach Luxury Hotel, the band started off with "Koi Aanay Wala Hai
Koi Aanay Wala Hai (song)
Koi Aanay Wala Hai is the fourth single by the pop band Strings from their fifth studio album, Koi Aanay Wala Hai...
", the title song from their album released in 2008. Their next song was "Najane Kyun" which was dedicated to the journalists who had sacrificed their lives in the line of duty. Next, they sang their international hit, "Zinda Hoon" along with other songs like "Mein Tou Dekhoonga" and "Sohniyae". On June 10, a cover version of "Anjane" featuring Bilal Khan and Zoe Viccaji was released by Levi's original music.
On August 1, in an interview with The Express Tribune
The Express Tribune
The Express Tribune is the first internationally affiliated newspaper in Pakistan, in partnership with The International Herald Tribune, the global edition of The New York Times....
Strings confirmed that they are working on two new songs, "Tum Hi To Ho" and "Goli Maray". Kapadia said, "The whole idea behind going into a recording studio and making a bunch of new songs is just to have fun. We strongly believe that coming out with new music helps us grow and reinvent ourselves as musicians." On August 15, in an interview at BBC Hindi
BBC World Service
The BBC World Service is the world's largest international broadcaster, broadcasting in 27 languages to many parts of the world via analogue and digital shortwave, internet streaming and podcasting, satellite, FM and MW relays...
show Music Beyond Border Strings discussed the current political situation of Pakistan and performed their song "Mein Tou Dekhoonga" and then covered the song "Bandeh" by Indian Ocean live, on request of Indian Ocean's lead vocalist Rahul Ram
Rahul Ram
Rahul Ram plays the bass guitar for Indian Ocean. He joined as a part of the band in 1991. He had been playing bass guitar since junior school in the seventies....
. On August 26, Bollywood director Sanjay Gupta
Sanjay Gupta (Director)
Sanjay Gupta is a Bollywood writer-director known for his dark thrillersSanjay Gupta comes from an affluent business family of South Mumbai. He completed his studies at Palm Beach School at Napean Sea Road and Sydenham College at Churchgate in Mumbai. He has frequently worked with Sanjay Dutt. The...
confirmed that Strings will be lending their music as soundtrack for his movie Shootout at Wadala
Shootout at Wadala
Shootout at Wadala is an upcoming Indian crime film written and directed by Sanjay Gupta. The film features an ensemble cast that includes John Abraham, Anil Kapoor, Vivek Oberoi and Tusshar Kapoor...
. A few days later, both Bilal Maqsood and Faisal Kapadia
Faisal Kapadia
Faisal Kapadia is a member of the very popular Pakistani pop band Strings. Faisal was born on June 29, 1971 in Karachi, Pakistan. Growing up, he learned classical music, vocals, and guitar. He is married to Seema Kapadia and has 2 sons; Armaan and Gibran. He is a Ismaili by faith.Faisal Kapadia...
were spotted in India to compose music for the Bollywood movie. It was also reported that Ekta Kapoor
Ekta Kapoor
Ekta Jeetendra Kapoor is an Indian TV and film producer. She is the Creative Director and Joint Managing Director of Balaji Telefilms, her production company.-Biography:...
and Sanjay Gupta hosted a special surprise party for the duo to which many well known celebrities were invited. On August 28, Indian local newspaper, Hindustan Times
Hindustan Times
Hindustan Times is an Indian English-language daily newspaper founded in 1924 with roots in the Indian independence movement of the period ....
reported that actor Imran Khan
Imran Khan (actor)
Imran Khan is an Indian American film actor. He is the nephew of actor Aamir Khan and producer-director Mansoor Khan.Khan rose to stardom for his debut role in the 2008 blockbuster film Jaane Tu... Ya Jaane Na. The film won him the Filmfare Award for Best Male Debut...
has organized a special screening of his scatological comedy, Delhi Belly for members of Strings.
In September, The Express Tribune reported that Strings and Atif Aslam
Atif Aslam
Atif Aslam is a Pakistani pop singer. He is widely recognized in South Asia and has given several hit songs such as Aadat, Woh Lamhe, Tere Bin, Bakhuda Tumhi Ho, Pehli Nazar Mein, Tera Hone Laga Hoon, Tu Jaane Na, Tere Liye. He is one of the most popular South Asian celebrity on Facebook with...
has been nominated for the "Best Singer" award for their collaborative single "Ab Khud Kuch Karna Paray Ga
Ab Khud Kuch Karna Paray Ga
Ab Khud Kuch Karna Paray Ga is a single from the Pakistani pop rock band Strings featuring former Jal vocalist Atif Aslam, released on July 16, 2010 by 2 Republic Music Group...
" at the Lux Style Awards
Lux Style Awards
The Lux Style Awards is an award ceremony held annually in Pakistan since 2002. The awards celebrate "style" in the Pakistani entertainment industry, and honour the country's best talents in film, television, music, and fashion. Around 30 awards are given annually.The Lux Style Awards is considered...
2011.
Music
Language
From their debut album Strings to their fifth album Koi Aanay Wala HaiKoi Aanay Wala Hai
-Personnel:All information is taken from the CD.Strings:* Faisal Kapadia: lead vocals* Bial Maqsood: vocals, lead guitarAdditional musicians* Drums and Percussion: John "Gumby" Louis Pinto* Flute: Sajid* Bass: Shakir* Guitars: Shuja Haider & Imran Akhund...
, all songs are written by the band in the Urdu language. Mostly all lyrical content is written by the famous poet, Anwar Maqsood
Anwar Maqsood
Anwar Maqsood Hameedi commonly known as Anwar Maqsood Urdu: انور مقصود) is a Pakistani playwright, poet, television host, satirist, humorist, infrequent actor and painter. He has worked in the entertainment industry for over 35 years.-Life and career:Anwar Maqsood studied at the Gulbarga trust...
, with a few songs written by lead guitarist, Bilal Maqsood and writer, Zehra Nigah. The band is popular for attributing to the significance differently approached to their lyrics and music.
Influence
Strings music is heavily influenced by eastern classical music and western rhythms. With increased emphasis on eastern melodies involving the touch of raga in the vocals, the band use instruments like flute and sarangi to give the vocals an Eastern touch to their songs. Songs like "Duur" and "Sar Kiye Yeh Pahar" (from Duur) and "Kahani Mohabat Ki" (from DhaaniDhaani
-Personnel:All information is taken from the CD.Strings:* Faisal Kapadia: lead vocals* Bial Maqsood: vocals, lead guitarAdditional musicians* Vocals: Hariharan & Sagarika daCosta * Guitars: Shuja Haider & Shallum Asher Xavier...
) are some examples of this influence. Other songs, such as "Sohniyae" and "Najane Kyun
Najane Kyun
"Najane Kyun" is a song by Strings released on the 2004 soundtrack for the film Spider-Man 2. This track is on the Pakistani version of the soundtrack...
" (from Dhaani
Dhaani
-Personnel:All information is taken from the CD.Strings:* Faisal Kapadia: lead vocals* Bial Maqsood: vocals, lead guitarAdditional musicians* Vocals: Hariharan & Sagarika daCosta * Guitars: Shuja Haider & Shallum Asher Xavier...
) have elements of rock music
Rock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
. Bands stated as influence and inspiration include Junoon and Nazia and Zoheb
Nazia and Zoheb
Nazia bakhsi and Zoheb were a Pakistani pop group from Karachi, Sindh formed in 1980. The group consisted of two siblings, Nazia Hassan and Zoheb Hassan, who were a singing sensation and pop icons in Pakistan and all of South Asia. They are also regarded as pioneers of the Pakistani pop music scene...
.
Musical style
Strings performs a blend of western music and classical eastern music. Strings aimed to combine rhythm guitar riffs with the tranquility of classical eastern music. Their music has also been based on worldly issues and to have peace in the world. Their music has been one major force which has truly kept the national spirits high amidst the prevailing social woes which have surely worsened in the last three decades. Songs like "Ab Khud Kuch Karna Paray Ga", "Beirut", "Jheet Lo Dil" and "Titliyan" are examples. Their music has been captivating to the Pakistani youth for over ten years and have been one of the only saving grace of Pakistani music internationally after the departure of groups like Vital SignsVital Signs (band)
Vital Signs were a Pakistani Pop rock band that formed in Rawalpindi in 1986. The group was formed by Rohail Hyatt and Shahzad Hasan , who were soon joined by Nusrat Hussain and Junaid Jamshed...
and Nazia and Zoheb
Nazia and Zoheb
Nazia bakhsi and Zoheb were a Pakistani pop group from Karachi, Sindh formed in 1980. The group consisted of two siblings, Nazia Hassan and Zoheb Hassan, who were a singing sensation and pop icons in Pakistan and all of South Asia. They are also regarded as pioneers of the Pakistani pop music scene...
. Where Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan was actively promoting Qawwali
Qawwali
Qawwali is a form of Sufi devotional music popular in South Asia, particularly in the Punjab and Sindh regions of Pakistan, Hyderabad, Delhi, and other parts of northern India...
music and Junoon rock music
Rock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
, Strings approached their music with a little tint of Pakistani pop with classical music
Classical music
Classical music is the art music produced in, or rooted in, the traditions of Western liturgical and secular music, encompassing a broad period from roughly the 11th century to present times...
and combined with rhythms from stringed instruments
String instrument
A string instrument is a musical instrument that produces sound by means of vibrating strings. In the Hornbostel-Sachs scheme of musical instrument classification, used in organology, they are called chordophones...
.
While the music of Strings is centered around a male lead singer, the band has also featured some featured artists on their albums ever since their self-titled debut release Strings. Since the release of their third studio album Duur the band's music has been based on classical eastern music blending with western music. Their fourth studio album Dhaani
Dhaani
-Personnel:All information is taken from the CD.Strings:* Faisal Kapadia: lead vocals* Bial Maqsood: vocals, lead guitarAdditional musicians* Vocals: Hariharan & Sagarika daCosta * Guitars: Shuja Haider & Shallum Asher Xavier...
and fifth studio album Koi Aanay Wala Hai
Koi Aanay Wala Hai
-Personnel:All information is taken from the CD.Strings:* Faisal Kapadia: lead vocals* Bial Maqsood: vocals, lead guitarAdditional musicians* Drums and Percussion: John "Gumby" Louis Pinto* Flute: Sajid* Bass: Shakir* Guitars: Shuja Haider & Imran Akhund...
featured elements of rock music
Rock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
with songs like "Sohniyae", "Mera Bichra Yaar", "Koi Aanay Wala Hai
Koi Aanay Wala Hai (song)
Koi Aanay Wala Hai is the fourth single by the pop band Strings from their fifth studio album, Koi Aanay Wala Hai...
" and "Jab Say Tumko".
With the success of their music, many of the band's singles has been used as soundtracks for many Bollywood and Hollywood films. Singles that featured as soundtracks included "Najane Kyun
Najane Kyun
"Najane Kyun" is a song by Strings released on the 2004 soundtrack for the film Spider-Man 2. This track is on the Pakistani version of the soundtrack...
" (from Spider-Man 2
Spider-Man 2
Spider-Man 2 is a 2004 American superhero film directed by Sam Raimi, written by Alvin Sargent and developed by Alfred Gough, Miles Millar, and Michael Chabon. It is the second film in the Spider-Man film franchise based on the fictional Marvel Comics character Spider-Man...
), "Zinda Hoon" (from Zinda
Zinda (film)
Zinda is a 2006 Bollywood film, starring Sanjay Dutt, John Abraham, and Lara Dutta. Zinda was directed by Sanjay Gupta and written by Gupta and Suresh Nair. Vishal-Shekhar composed the film's thematic music, with background music composed by Sanjoy Chowdhury...
) and "Aakhri Alvida" (from Shootout at Lokhandwala
Shootout at Lokhandwala
Shootout at Lokhandwala is a 2007 Hindi feature film directed by Apoorva Lakhia. It is based upon the 1991 Lokhandwala Complex shootout, a real-life gun battle between gangsters and Mumbai Police....
).
Live performances
Strings is one of the few Pakistani artists to achieve international fame. Their popularity is attributed to the significantly different approach to their musicMusic
Music is an art form whose medium is sound and silence. Its common elements are pitch , rhythm , dynamics, and the sonic qualities of timbre and texture...
and lyrics
Lyrics
Lyrics are a set of words that make up a song. The writer of lyrics is a lyricist or lyrist. The meaning of lyrics can either be explicit or implicit. Some lyrics are abstract, almost unintelligible, and, in such cases, their explication emphasizes form, articulation, meter, and symmetry of...
. Other singers of international repute include the likes of Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, Junoon, Nazia Hassan
Nazia Hassan
Nazia Hassan was an iconic Pakistani pop singer. Her song "Aap Jaisa Koi" from the Indian film Qurbani made her a legend and pop icon in Pakistan and all of South Asia in the 1980s, where she is admired and loved even today, years after her death...
, Jal
Jal (band)
Jal is a pop rock band from Lahore, Punjab, Pakistan. The band originally consisted of song writer, vocalist and lead guitarist, Goher Mumtaz and vocalist, Atif Aslam...
and Vital Signs
Vital Signs (band)
Vital Signs were a Pakistani Pop rock band that formed in Rawalpindi in 1986. The group was formed by Rohail Hyatt and Shahzad Hasan , who were soon joined by Nusrat Hussain and Junaid Jamshed...
. Where Fateh Ali Khan was actively promoting Qawwali
Qawwali
Qawwali is a form of Sufi devotional music popular in South Asia, particularly in the Punjab and Sindh regions of Pakistan, Hyderabad, Delhi, and other parts of northern India...
music and Junoon rock music
Rock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
, Strings approached their music with a little tint of Pakistani pop with classical music
Classical music
Classical music is the art music produced in, or rooted in, the traditions of Western liturgical and secular music, encompassing a broad period from roughly the 11th century to present times...
and combined with rhythms from stringed instruments
String instrument
A string instrument is a musical instrument that produces sound by means of vibrating strings. In the Hornbostel-Sachs scheme of musical instrument classification, used in organology, they are called chordophones...
. Junoon and Vital Signs had only been famous in the United States of America with a significant following in Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
, whereas Strings took their gigs to India, all over Asia
Asia
Asia is the world's largest and most populous continent, located primarily in the eastern and northern hemispheres. It covers 8.7% of the Earth's total surface area and with approximately 3.879 billion people, it hosts 60% of the world's current human population...
and the Middle East
Middle East
The Middle East is a region that encompasses Western Asia and Northern Africa. It is often used as a synonym for Near East, in opposition to Far East...
, and the rest of the world making Pakistani pop music a truly remarkable genre.
Even in areas like Nepal
Nepal
Nepal , officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal, is a landlocked sovereign state located in South Asia. It is located in the Himalayas and bordered to the north by the People's Republic of China, and to the south, east, and west by the Republic of India...
that are dominated by influence from their neighbouring India, Strings proved to be the most favourite band amongst crowds. They were so popular in Asia that they were given an award for being Asia's most favourite band at the MTV Asia Awards.
Discography
Studio albums- Strings (1990)
- 22 (Strings album)-Personnel:All information is taken from the CD.Strings*Faisal Kapadia – vocals, backing vocals*Bilal Maqsood – vocals, lead guitars*Rafiq Wazir Ali – keyboard, synthesizer*Kareem Bashir Bhoy – bass guiatarsProduction...
(1992) - Duur (2000)
- DhaaniDhaani-Personnel:All information is taken from the CD.Strings:* Faisal Kapadia: lead vocals* Bial Maqsood: vocals, lead guitarAdditional musicians* Vocals: Hariharan & Sagarika daCosta * Guitars: Shuja Haider & Shallum Asher Xavier...
(2003) - Koi Aanay Wala HaiKoi Aanay Wala Hai-Personnel:All information is taken from the CD.Strings:* Faisal Kapadia: lead vocals* Bial Maqsood: vocals, lead guitarAdditional musicians* Drums and Percussion: John "Gumby" Louis Pinto* Flute: Sajid* Bass: Shakir* Guitars: Shuja Haider & Imran Akhund...
(2008)
Band members
Current members- Faisal KapadiaFaisal KapadiaFaisal Kapadia is a member of the very popular Pakistani pop band Strings. Faisal was born on June 29, 1971 in Karachi, Pakistan. Growing up, he learned classical music, vocals, and guitar. He is married to Seema Kapadia and has 2 sons; Armaan and Gibran. He is a Ismaili by faith.Faisal Kapadia...
- vocals (1988–1992, 1999–present) - Bilal Maqsood - lead guitarLead guitarLead guitar is a guitar part which plays melody lines, instrumental fill passages, guitar solos, and occasionally, some riffs within a song structure...
, vocals (1988–1992, 1999–present)
Former members
- Rafiq Wazir AliRafiq Wazir AliRafiq Wazir Ali was an ex-member of the popular Pakistani pop band, Strings. While studying at the Government Commerce College in Karachi in 1988, in his first year of Intermediate studies he was approached by Bilal Maqsood to play the synthesiser for the band.Young in his 20s, Ali played for the...
– synthesizerSynthesizerA synthesizer is an electronic instrument capable of producing sounds by generating electrical signals of different frequencies. These electrical signals are played through a loudspeaker or set of headphones...
(1988–1992) - Kareem Bashir BhoyKareem Bashir BhoyKarim Bashirbhoy is an ex-member of the popular Pakistani pop band, Strings. While studying at the Government Commerce College in Karachi in 1988, in his first year of Intermediate studies Bhoy was approached by Bilal Maqsood to play the bass guitar for the band.Bhoy played for the band and...
– bass guitarBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
, backing vocalsBacking vocalistA backing vocalist or backing singer is a singer who provides vocal harmony with the lead vocalist or other backing vocalists...
(1988–1992)
Awards
- Strings won "Best Band Award" - MTV Music Awards 2009.
- Strings won "Best Album Award" - MTV Music Awards 2009.
- Awarded Brand Ambassadors for Honda CityHonda CityThe Honda City is a subcompact car manufactured by the Japanese manufacturer Honda since 1981. Originally made for the Japanese, European and Australasian markets, the City was retired without replacement in 1994...
2009. - Strings from Pakistan had been nominated Torch Bearers for The Olympic Games, 2008.
- Strings have become MotorolaMotorolaMotorola, Inc. was an American multinational telecommunications company based in Schaumburg, Illinois, which was eventually divided into two independent public companies, Motorola Mobility and Motorola Solutions on January 4, 2011, after losing $4.3 billion from 2007 to 2009...
Brand Ambassadors for Pakistan. - Won an award for the "Best Live Act In Music " at Lux Style AwardsLux Style AwardsThe Lux Style Awards is an award ceremony held annually in Pakistan since 2002. The awards celebrate "style" in the Pakistani entertainment industry, and honour the country's best talents in film, television, music, and fashion. Around 30 awards are given annually.The Lux Style Awards is considered...
2008. - Won an award for the "Most Wanted Band" at The Musik AwardsThe MusikARY Musik is a 24-hour Urdu-English music channel from Pakistan.Originally created and launched from Dubai in 2003 under the leadership of the CEO Salman Iqbal and multiple Award Winner VP Wiqar Ali Khan...
2008. - Won an award for the "Best Lyrics AAKHARI ALVIDA" at The Musik AwardsThe MusikARY Musik is a 24-hour Urdu-English music channel from Pakistan.Originally created and launched from Dubai in 2003 under the leadership of the CEO Salman Iqbal and multiple Award Winner VP Wiqar Ali Khan...
2008. - Won the "Best Artist Award" at MTV Asia AwardsMTV Asia AwardsThe biannual MTV Asia Awards is the Asian equivalent of the Europe MTV EMA. Established in 2002, the show gives recognition and awards to Asian and international icons in achievement, cinema, fashion, humanitarian, and music. Just like the EMA, most of the awards are voted for by the viewers from...
.
They were nominated as an Indian bandMTV Asia Award for Favorite Artist IndiaThe following is a list of MTV Asia Awards winners for Favorite Artist India....
as they sang the title song "Zinda" for an Indian film ZindaZinda (film)Zinda is a 2006 Bollywood film, starring Sanjay Dutt, John Abraham, and Lara Dutta. Zinda was directed by Sanjay Gupta and written by Gupta and Suresh Nair. Vishal-Shekhar composed the film's thematic music, with background music composed by Sanjoy Chowdhury...
. - Won "Motorola Icon of 2006" award at The Musik Awards 2006.
- Nominated for "The Most Wanted Band" award at The Musik Awards 2006.
- "Zinda" nominated for the "Best Pop Song" and "Most Wanted Song" award at The Musik Awards 2006.
- Won an award for "Best Video" for their video of the song "Anjaane" at the Lux Style Awards 2003.
- Won an award at the Lux Style AwardsLux Style AwardsThe Lux Style Awards is an award ceremony held annually in Pakistan since 2002. The awards celebrate "style" in the Pakistani entertainment industry, and honour the country's best talents in film, television, music, and fashion. Around 30 awards are given annually.The Lux Style Awards is considered...
2004. - Won an award for "Best Band" at the first Sangeet Awards ceremony held at Royal Albert HallRoyal Albert HallThe Royal Albert Hall is a concert hall situated on the northern edge of the South Kensington area, in the City of Westminster, London, England, best known for holding the annual summer Proms concerts since 1941....
. - Won the Indus Music Award 2005 for extensive contribution to the pop musicPop musicPop music is usually understood to be commercially recorded music, often oriented toward a youth market, usually consisting of relatively short, simple songs utilizing technological innovations to produce new variations on existing themes.- Definitions :David Hatch and Stephen Millward define pop...
industry. - Won MTV Asia's "Most Favourite Band" award 2005.
- Won an award for the "Best Band" at the Third Jazz Indus Music Awards.
- Won an award for the "Best Lyrics'Zinda'" at the Third Jazz Indus Music Awards.
External links
- Strings Online - Official Website
- Audio Collection
- MySpace Page
- Facebook Fan Page
- YouTube Channel
- Orkut Community
- The Music Of Strings - Website By Ali Irfan
- Etihad Airways signed STRINGS as Brand Ambassador