Farhad Humayun has come a long way. In the volatile field of music, where bands split just as quickly as they are formed, the producer/drummer/singer has remained a constant force behind his music group, Overload. By creating new music on and off, and by not restricting himself to commercial music TV shows only, Humayun has created a body of work that has lasting value.
‘Give In’, Farhad Humayun's first official English single, is about journeying through life, about acceptance and redemption – and is a far cry from his last release, the culturally-charged and evocative, ‘Lahore’.
MusicMix
‘Give In’ isn’t the first English single to come out of the region but has attracted considerable praise from international artists.
Farhad Humayun has come a long way. In the volatile field of music, where bands split just as quickly as they are formed, the producer/drummer/singer has remained a constant force behind his music group, Overload. By creating new music on and off, and by not restricting himself to commercial music TV shows only, Humayun has created a body of work that has lasting value.
Humayun, who recently became the first Asian musician to endorse British brand, Liberty Drums, is now back in the spotlight with a new single, titled ‘Give In’, which is about journeying through life, about acceptance and redemption – and is a far cry from his last release, the culturally-charged and evocative, ‘Lahore’.
“The song is about growing up to find out that life doesn’t pan out the way we want it to but there are moments of reflection, self collection and inspiration that pick us up when we fall,” Humayun elaborated on the theme of the song while speaking to Instep. “It’s about surrendering to the universe and listening to the voice inside us that speaks to us. Salvation is in being ‘one’ with the universe and all that’s in it including people of different faiths and nature.”
As a song, ‘Give In’ is a refreshing (if not the most striking and innovative) take on letting go, on adapting to change and on the conflict of one’s mind with the surroundings. The gentle thumping sound of the drums and the finger picking of the guitar by maestro Aziz Ibrahim work as the perfect antidotes to low-flying panic attacks, asking one to immerse in its morose yet arresting vibe.
The video, also directed by Humayun, hits the peak note as the sound melds brilliantly with the allusive, artistic imagery and forms an instant connection with the listener. However, the song is in English and hence, by default, if not just because of its composition, is not your mainstream commercial jingle, made for the masses.
“Putting out and selling a song doesn’t earn me any revenue in Pakistan but I continue to sing in Urdu and in Punjabi because I love to and my fans love it,” said Humayun. “It’s like a gift I am giving to them and frankly, I don’t have a choice. I decided if I am funding my own music I’d rather play what I love to and if someone likes it, great, and if not, too bad.”
Reflecting on why he chose to do an English song, Humayun told Instep, “I sang this in English because I grew up on English music and it comes naturally to me. I thought why not do this and see how people in the West react to an English song coming from the third world. And even though I have also grown up listening to old Indian and Pakistani songs, I don’t have the taste for most of what Bollywood is selling now.”
This isn’t the first time a Pakistani artist has dabbled with the English language. Artists like Ali Azmat as well as Junoon have also experimented with the language. In fact, Aamir Zaki and Hadiqa Kiyani produced an entire album in English, called Rough Cut, several years ago. Their success with the audience, however, is a different case altogether. In Humayun’s case, compliments have poured in over social media from the likes of Phil Collins, Adrian Vandenberg and Whitesnake and the song has garnered over 81k views and positive reviews since its release, online.
However, if one remembers correctly, Overload’s album was also due in March but all that the band has been churning out are singles. Given the lack of ticketed concerts and of a system that ensures royalties, it’s understandable why musicians don’t want to invest into producing full-fledged albums but we still asked Humayun about the change of plans.
“We did plan on doing another Overload album about a year ago but we’ve been so busy touring that we couldn’t meet the schedule that we had set for ourselves. Plus it’s such a large band with me, primarily, conducting it and composing and funding it. I got exhausted bringing in the brass band from Sheikhupura and the dhol players from Sialkot and other players from other cities and putting them up here in Lahore, paying and entertaining them. Playing music nowadays is like being a banker when there’s no bank to work at or a football player when there’s neither a team to play with nor a stadium to play in. It becomes pointless after a while when you’re funding and taking care of so many people. We will still continue to play live and tour though. It’s a great outfit and I really enjoy the live part of it,” he concluded.
Humayun’s next single, titled ‘Jindri Lutti’, is expected to come out on Eid.
