Instep tracks the line-up.
As we head closer to Eid ul Fitr, we know that four local films will compete for public’s attention. Similarly on television, a number of telefilms will be making their debut starring the likes of Feroze Khan, Faysal Qureshi and Saba Qamar, among others.
In music, the coming of Eid will usher in the music season, in form of albums, indie projects, film music, and at least three corporate-backed shows. Among them is Cornetto Pop Rock 3, which is the subject of this story.
A recap first
Having arrived on the scene in 2016, the initiative founded by Hasan Rizvi and his team introduced a series of concerts as well as six music videos. Of those, four were collaborations with Umair Jaswal and Zoe Viccaji teaming up for the song ‘Jhoom’, Qurram Hussain, better known as Q, and Komal Rizvi joining forces on ‘Desan Da Raja’, Noori teaming up with Quratulain Balouch (QB) for ‘Pyar Wyar’ and with Ali Azmat for ‘Dildara’.
In single-track efforts, the project gave us a music video for Ali Azmat’s ‘Mein’ (a song from his debut album Social Circus) as well as a Noori song titled ‘Yeh Zindagi’ accompanied by its own music video.
Season two arrived with a series of music videos/singles as well including ‘Turn up the Music Mr. DJ’ by Qurram Hussain, ‘Jee Liya’ by Momina Mustehsan, ‘Sabz Safaid Rang’ by Asim Azhar, ‘Aaja Na’ by Qurram Hussain featuring Maria Unera, ‘Yaar Mere’ by Meesha Shafi, ‘Chal Diye’ by Ali Azmat and QB and ‘Yeh Kya Hua’ by Komal Rizvi.
Both seasons were a mixed bag with tracks like ‘Chal Diye’ and ‘Yaar Mere’ eclipsing the others in season two and Ali Azmat and Noori making a mark with single and collaborative efforts in season one, more so than others.
Future music
The upcoming season three that has been in the making for some time and could very well be the strongest season given the line-up Instep has uncovered. It has been confirmed to us by Hasan Rizvi’s BBPR, who are backing this entire music revelry.
Season three introduced itself with a concert in Karachi featuring Pakistani music’s ultimate superhero, Atif Aslam and the comeback act of our time, Aaroh but there is a lot more in the pipeline.
Ali Azmat, who featured in past seasons, is returning with a song that will also feature Abid Brohi, Khumariyaan and a band called Nafs, who play a blend of Pakistani folk with pop and rock elements. According to our information, this particular song is co-composed by Ali Azmat and Ahsan Bari (Sounds of Kolachi leader) with lyrics by Sabir Zafar and is co-produced by Bari and Faisal Rafi.
Bilal Khan and Alicia Dias will be collaborating this season as will Ali Sethi and Quratulain Balouch (QB) with the latter having participated in season one and two with great flair.
Asim Azhar, who added a patriotic element to proceedings with ‘Sabz Safaid Rang’ in 2017, is also coming back this season as a solo artist.
The longest-running band in Pakistan, Strings, who will be seen in the upcoming season of Pepsi Battle of the Bands as co-judges, will also release a new song accompanied by a new music video as part of Cornetto Pop Rock 3.
As for gigs, the tour feat some or all of these artists could happen in September but it depends on the situation in the country, explained Hasan Rizvi, chief of BBPR.
Asad-ul-Haq remains involved with the third season as well alongside his production company, Shiny Toy Guns.
