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| ATIF ASLAM in concert |
His next solo album will be out next year. Till then, here’s Atif Aslam unplugged for you.
You checked in at 10pm at Hyatt Regency on Friday and at 10.45pm you headed for Rockstar at Cinemax, Mani Square. How much could you, the real-life rockstar, relate to the film?
I remember Ranbir (Kapoor) telling someone on screen that the film
is somehow related to Atif (me). The costume, guitar, energy… even the
place where they shot one of the songs was where I shot Doorie. But I was expecting the life of a rockstar and not that of an ordinary person and his romantic pain… .
Do you remember your first ever performance?
I was 16 when my friends took me to a fair and someone was playing
on stage. We had a challenge about the bravest going on stage and
singing. They told me, ‘No, you can’t go, you’re a sissy.’ So, I went on
stage and sang, Pehla nasha pehla khumaar… when I got off the stage, my friends were like, ‘wow’.
And your first performance for a fee?
I started taking part in college competitions… my first ever
performance with a band was in McDonald’s and I got Rs 500. I still have
the note.
You wanted to be a fast bowler. Did your family encourage the cricketer in you?
Never. They wanted me to become a doctor. Instead I became a
computer engineer and I sucked at it! When I started singing, I didn’t
tell them... they heard about it from friends!
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| t2 took Atif to the Victoria Memorial on Saturday. Picture by Anindya Shankar Ray |
When you broke away from Jal in 2003, you said, "The best thing to have happened to me is the break-up of the band”. Why?
The reason was, I made the band, I came up with the name, the
thought behind it being: music that soothes you. And I was looking for a
musician and I found that guy (Goher Mumtaz)... I shared my thoughts
and compositions. We recorded one song called Aadat, which went
on to become a big hit. And one fine day he said, ‘I want to be the
frontman’. In a band, there’s only one frontman.
The other thing was my brother (Shahbaz) was
managing our band at that time and his (Goher’s) brother also wanted to
manage. So, it was all getting too complicated….
What made you do commercial music?
I wanted to try everything. I learnt a lot from playback singing. But at heart, I’m a pop rock singer, I’m a stage performer. Jaise bandh kar detey hain kissi ko studio mein, aawaz bhi bandh kar detey hain… .
Then why did you do Woh Lamhe?
I wanted to explore. So I tried it and it became a huge success.
That song even inspired Himesh Reshammiya to sing, he said on Karan’s
(Johar) show!
Your second album Doorie was a superhit but was that
an Atif who just wanted to sell records in the belief that creating a
fan base would then give him a chance to do the music he really wanted
to?
Well, a singer explores himself every day and given the music scene is so bad, you have to try everything. Doorie was the kind of music where I fit into India, while Meri Kahani or Aadat is where I fit into Pakistan. So, that’s how I balance both. But I personally prefer my kind of music, which is Aadat.
Did you come into your own with Coke Studio Pakistan?
To be honest, the idea of Coke Studio is what I do on stage —
impromptu stuff which always gives me a kick. Coke Studio is a platform
for experimentation, it’s fresh and unexplored… the surprise element was
people also liked Wasta and Mai Ni.
In September, you performed with the legendary Slash, Sean Lennon, Matt Sorum, Gilby
Clarke and Lanny Cordola, in New York. What was the experience like?
They heard I was in New York and said, ‘Let’s catch up’. At the rehearsal, they said, we always do the song Wish You Were Here by Pink Floyd. I said, ‘I’ve never heard the song but let’s do it!’ Suna aur bajaaya. Slash was initially not impressed with my singing but right towards the end of the song when I was doing my alaaps, he said, ‘You’re really good, join us on stage’.
Performing with these legends was a
completely different experience. In the audience, there weren’t any
Pakistanis or Indians… only goras. So that was my real test of
nerves and being an artiste. Reeve Carney (American songwriter-actor)
came up to me backstage and said, ‘If you can teach me some of the stuff
you’ve done on stage’....
Having travelled to so many countries, where do you feel the maximum crowd adulation?
It’s more or less the same everywhere. It’s all about your time
period. If you’re at the top, people worship you wherever you go. But
when you’re dying down, it’s difficult to sell tickets!
So, where do you think you stand now?
I have no idea. I have seniors like Rahat Fateh Ali Khan,
Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy, Sonu Niigaam… I think I have my own place, my own
kind of music…
Finally, how much of the real you is expressed through your music?
In commercial music, not at all. But the whole of Aadat and Meri Kahani is about myself. I meet people and write songs about them. Joug (from Aadat)
was about a drug addict, a friend’s friend who I met. When I heard his
story, I wanted to talk to him… I met him a couple of times and started
writing about him. He didn’t know that. He still doesn’t know. But I
could relate to him. When I make music, I feel I don’t belong to this
world. I’m in a different space.
WHY ATIF LIKES TO KEEP HIS LOVE LIFE PRIVATE
Would you like to begin with the easy or the tough questions?
It’s all good…anything…
We know very little about your love life…
Oh, the personal stuff! Well, I would suggest not getting into that…
Exactly our point. You’ve always kept a very low profile about love.
Do you feel your fan following will be hit if girls know you’re dating someone?
No, nothing like that. I believe there are things that are very
personal. Like when I’m reading namaaz, and people ask me, ‘Do you pray
five times a day?’ But I would say, ‘That’s my personal thing.’ It is,
you know, if I like somebody, that is very personal... I won’t like to
share it… I’m a private person…
Most girls want to know the answer to the question: Are you single? Yes, no, or you don’t want to say…
Does that make a difference to people? A lot
of people have been discussing, ‘Is he single or not?’ ‘Is he engaged
or not?’ But I want to know why is it so important?
Well, you’re a star and a star’s life is always of interest to fans…
Ya I know… but when I get married people will get to know. I would tell them, I mean, it’s gonna be everywhere.
So, you’re not answering the question…
I don’t know.... I wouldn’t want people to find out… (pauses).
So, that was the tough section of the interview? (Grins.)
FAST 15
The craziest thing a fan has done:
It was my birthday and there were six-seven
chicks in a car outside. When I went outside, they were like, ‘Hey
Atif!’ and they threw a box at me. It was full of Jockey underwear!
Did you keep the gift?
Well, I did. But I threw away their undergarments which were also in the box!
There was a rumour in 2009 that you had throat cancer. What’s the next most bizarre rumour you’ve heard about yourself: I bought Aadat (album) for Rs 6 lakh.
Your dream band would have: John Mayer, Chris Martin and Chris Cornell.
Your most messed-up concert: In Karachi when people broke barriers and came after us, I escaped in a boat in the middle of the night with six guards.
Where do you keep the Tamgha-i-Imtiaz, the fourth-highest decoration given to a Pakistani civilian based on their achievement: It’s still on my sherwani.
One thing you’d like to buy and the one place you’d want to visit in Calcutta: A sari for my mom and the dargah in Kidderpore.
The song you grew up listening to: The whole album by Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan and Michael Brook.
The song you least expected to become a hit: Jal pari.
Songs whose picturisation embarrassed you: Hum kis galli and songs featuring Emraan Hashmi!
Which actor, if any, has called you personally to thank you for making him sound good on screen:
On screen, Ranbir thanked me for Ajab Prem Ki Ghazab Kahani… and I met
Vivek (Oberoi) the other day and he thanked me for mere khuda (Prince)
because he’s getting a lot of shows for that…
Three friends in the Indian music industry: Nobody.
The best feature on your face is: My evil smile.
Your signature rockstar move on stage is: The backward bend.
Something you’d like to say to your fans: I don’t have a personal Facebook or Twitter account. The official one is Aadeez. | 
