Atif Aslam hangs out with American Idol, David Cook

The pop star who is on a massive tour of United States, UK and Canada talks about meeting David Cook, working with Kailash Kher and more�

Maheen Sabeeh

Karachi

With the release of Meri Kahani, Atif Aslam has been touring rigourously. These days he is in America, going from one city to another, from Chicago to Boston, Los Angeles, New York and New Jersey; the superstar musician of Pakistani pop is on a roll.

And while Atif was in Los Angeles, he landed at the American Idol after- party with a friend, where he hung out with American Idol David Cook, and chatted with Idol judge Randy Jackson about Asian music.

�It just happened,� says Atif , who is still in America, in an exclusive to Instep Today.

Soon after American Idol, Atif headed to other parts of the US of A where he was joined on tour by Indian pop and Bollywood playback singer Kailash Kher.

In this conversation with Instep Today from America, Atif reveals what he's been up to on this tour�

Instep Today: How was it meeting with David Cook? Were you rooting for him to win on American Idol or the runner-up David Archuleta?

Atif Aslam: I think David Cook's win was well-deserved because he sings very well. Plus he also knows how to carry himself onstage with just the right kind of attitude.

David's a cool guy. He is a full rockstar. I had a conversation about him about Asian music and it was a lot of fun.

Instep Today: You also met Randy Jackson�

Atif Aslam: I had a little chat with Randy Jackson and I told him that I appreciated the fact that he encourages every contestant unlike Simon Cowell. I had a word with him about subcontinent Asian music as well.

Instep Today: Would you agree with the notion that Simon Cowell is too rude or harsh?

 Atif Aslam: I think he's not rude. He's just smart enough to figure out who has the whole package. He is honest with contestants and doesn't play it safe and tells them what they should know, which helps them in future performances. I believe Simon Cowell is a major audience puller on American Idol.

Instep Today: What is your take on American Idol?

Atif Aslam: I think it's a great reality show. I feel that reality shows are the next real state of television. They keep the audience as well as young viewers busy.

For instance a show like American Idol makes easier to learn stage antics, presentation of oneself, singing live, and the whole dynamics of music live and wired. It has a huge impact on music aficionados.

Instep Today: Pakistan Idol is in the pipeline right here. What is your stance on it?

Atif Aslam: Creating a show like American idol would be a little difficult but not impossible. I am sure this country has a lot of talent and together we can make it big in the entertainment business.

Instep Today: You've been in US for sometime now... How is it going there?

 Atif Aslam: So far so good. I have 3 shows on almost every weekend in different states. It involves a lot of traveling, which is grueling. I'm not feeling well because I'm not getting any rest. The food can be unhygienic at times and I am sleeping at airports mostly because of my hectic flight schedule. 

The best sound I've experienced so far was in Orlando and it was a lot of fun. The biggest audience was in Houston and the turn out was to almost 10,000 people including some foreigners. However, it wasn't very well organized because of lack of security.

Other memorable shows were in Dallas and Chicago and the stage was lit by laser lights so that was great.

 Instep Today: What is the main difference in performing in America and say, India or Pakistan?

Atif Aslam: Well there is no such difference but here the trend is that people prefer going to masala Bollywood shows watching the actors performing to dance numbers.

But I think it was the first time that a massive crowd showed up for a Pakistani artist and the amazing part was that people were carrying the national flag and were giving a positive feedback about Pakistan.

Instep Today: Your tour also included Kailash Kher. How was it touring with him and the others who joined you?

Atif Aslam: Kailash Kher is one of my favourite singers. He is great at live singing so it was a pleasure working with him. He has no attitude and no hang-ups.

Then there was Amanat who was also a part of the tour. He is a kid and he's very shy and reserved. He reminds me of myself, the way I used to be at the beginning of my career. 

Instep Today: What is going on with Kismet Konnection?

Atif Aslam: Since I'm going to be here for a while, I'll record the song here. I'm not sure if it's going to be a copy of any Korean song but I'm hoping otherwise.

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From one land's pop idol to another: Atif met David Cook on the shows finale last month, as he was on tour in the USA, promoting his latest album Meri Kahani. The Atif Singalike Lookalike competition on Aag certainly proved that Pakistani musicians like Atif Aslam also have a tremendous following here though Pakistan Idol will bring in the true spirit of the show where music is concerned.