Music duo Hassan Sheikh and Roshaan Sherwani have a way of effortlessly bringing a special sound to their music: a nostalgic bent reminiscent of Pakistani pop from the 90s.
Having released their debut album, Chaar Dinon Ka Khwaab, in 2020, the duo burst into the spotlight after their track, Doobne De (Reprise) was announced as part of the Marvel Studios’ miniseries, Ms. Marvel.
Currently working on their third album, slated for release this fall, including an EP titled Intermission (out this summer), the artistes are also currently mapping out a mini tour in the United Kingdom and a number of international gigs throughout the year.
But while projects come and go, the fact of the matter is this: the duo makes music that has massive staying power. There’s a stickiness to their tracks that ends up staying with the listener for a long, long time.
Take Duur Se, Sukoon, Lamha, and others which one instantly feels a visceral connection with. While their songs carry a distinct, fresh sound, each track has that special je ne sais quoi which naturally takes one back to Pakistani music’s yesteryears. There’s a hopeful, uplifting vibe to Hassan and Roshaan’s tunes. Not like a pop ditty that one listens to and instantly forgets.
Speaking with the duo and their manager, Nael Hafeez, all of whom met during college, the boys gave their insights about the decline of the local music scene, its promising revival and much more…
SR: Listening to your music is like going back to the 90s in Pakistan. It’s a time portal. Has this been intentional during your music-making process?
RS: Hassan and I both grew up listening to Pakistani music. From Nazia Hassan, Vital Signs, Junoon, Junaid Jamshed, Jal and many others. In fact, Hassan was a bigger fan of Pakistani music than me. When we started working together, we’d both fondly remember the boom in the music scene from the 90s to the early 2000s. I think we would reminisce so often about it because in 2018 there was literally nothing happening in Pakistan – no concerts, nothing.
HS: Yeah, 2018 was really dark, but 2021 brought on this new wave so quickly that everything changed within a year. You hear of gigs and concerts happening so frequently now. I hope local music is able to maintain the momentum in the coming years.
SR: You’re right, the music scene in Pakistan has really taken off after the pandemic…
RS: The pandemic was horrible but I think the blessing in disguise was the exploration of music while being in quarantine. Also, the Pakistani government waived the duty on entertainment because they wanted to incentivize the industry. That’s why the culture of live music performances has been revived again that had otherwise been dormant for a really long time…
HS: I remember enrolling in a course in university on qualitative research. The topic I chose for a group project was the decline of the Pakistani music industry. I spent my childhood listening to Pakistani music and I was always very curious about what made it nosedive. During our research, the reasons we shortlisted were political instability and a few others. But at the end of project we soon realized that the real cause was the tax of 60% that the Pakistani government had imposed on live shows! Performances are vital for artistes, it’s the only source of income they have. This lasted for a number of years, hence you’ll notice how many of our musicians went into acting.
SR: Yeah, they simply had to find another source of income…it’s saddening when one thinks of those musicians who couldn’t make the cut in acting, or who didn’t want to venture into that space. There were plenty who had to go back to 9-5 jobs.
HS: It was a really bad time. Alhamra Gadaffi Stadium [a well-known performing arts venue in Lahore] wasn’t used for nine years! They had festivals and stage dramas every now and then, but no concerts. And this was a place where I’d be awe-struck watching Junoon performing in the early 2000s. But there’s been such a 180 degree change in the music scene that I thank God for it. My dream is for us to perform at Alhamra’s amphitheatre – which has a seating capacity of over 9,000 seats – one day. I hope we can have a concert there soon, its been a dream of mine since 2006.
NH: It affected everyone, all the players in the industry. No one was spared. The music halls became empty. The musicians turned to acting, the event organizers became wedding planners and the marketing gurus shifted their focus to other events. But now everyone’s back in the game.
SR: Roshaan, coming back to the comment you made earlier about the progress the music scene has made so far…do you think we’ll be able to begin addressing our music ‘scene’ as an ‘industry’ in our lifetime?
RS: I think we will, I’m pretty sure of it.
HS: The royalties that artistes now receive from music streaming platforms have changed the game in Pakistan. Without them an artiste would make music for a year or two, then what? They’d have to revert to another income source. When our song for Ms. Marvel was released we realized how enormous royalties can be for artistes. If Roshaan and I were working at multinationals we wouldn’t be earning even a fraction of what we’ve earned in royalties.
RS: It’s also the culture. The streaming platforms and new record labels saw that there was a market in Pakistan. They knew that some songs had the potential of becoming international hits – like Kahani Suno and Pasoori. That’s what activated the labels and made them realize that they needed to explore the local market. I remember I was once watching a Dave Chappelle stand-up show where he was talking about coming across an art piece featuring Abraham Lincoln made of pennies. He said that when he found out the actual price tag of the piece (worth up to hundreds of thousands of dollars) he realized that the value of art is huge.
SR: So true…narratives drive art and create its value.
RS: Exactly. Look at BTS [Bangtan Boys] and the money they bring in to South Korea! In fact, Hassan and I often speak about this. The context is so crucial. Art thrives on context, without it, art appears meaningless. Even abstract art thrives on a context.
SR: Tell me about your third album, how’s that process going?
HS: We always try to make each album incrementally fresh!
RS: So that the evolution is apparent…
HS: Yeah, an album is like a snapshot of an artiste’s life and we’re keeping that in mind while working on the new one.
RS: Our first album, Chaar Dinon Ka Khwaab, spoke of the transitional phase both of us were in. We weren’t established musicians at the time, therefore certain themes of that phase were covered in the first album. The album was an exploration of philosophical questioning and existential angst – phases one goes through to get a better idea of who one truly is. Day 5, our second album, was the aftermath of that transition phase. With the third album we want to come up with a more evolved sound. That’s how it should be, you know. As an artiste you have to keep expressing your evolution in the best way you can.
SR: What’s your headspace like these days? Are you guys excited about what’s to come?
HS: I’m scared. Every night I think; what if songs from this album aren’t a hit? I think it’s very important for an artiste to keep the wheel running, so I’m super scared to be honest. Not excited at all!
RS: I have nerves yeah, but I’m excited…whatever happens, we’ll figure it out.