HIGH NOTE
Nirmala Maghani is the picture of determination. Against all odds, this budding artist from Tharparkar has broken barriers despite facing a myriad of challenges, including financial constraints and community resistance. She recently released her new song, ‘Rangrasiya’, which was accompanied by a ground-breaking video – the clip was produced and directed by Ali Zafar, who merged AI art with Nirmala’s melodic vocals to create what is believed to be Pakistan’s first AI-generated music video.
In a chat with Us, Nirmala talks about her journey, her latest song, and what she hopes to accomplish next.
Us: Please tell Us about yourself.
Nirmala Maghani: I’m Nirmala Maghani. I’m from Umerkot, Tharparkar. I got my education from the Government Girls Degree College, Umerkot. I’ve done B.Sc. I belong to a middle-class family. I have a big, joint family.
Us: What inspired you to pursue a career in music?
NM: I was interested in music since my childhood. I tried to perform and participate at school. I was inspired by listening to our legends, their music, their beautiful style. Seeing them and listening to their old songs inspired me to try as a newcomer.
Us: Who are some of your influences?
What kind of music do you enjoy listening to?
NM: I enjoy listening to legendary artists, like Mehdi Hassan, Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, Abida Parveen ji, Ustad Shafqat Amanat Ali sahib, and many others. Their work, style, beautiful compositions and poetry inspires newcomers a lot, and I have been very influenced by listening to their music as well.
Us: What challenges or obstacles did you have to face to pursue your dream of singing?
NM: Everyone faces challenges, no matter what field they are in; struggle is part of it. In our community, music wasn’t allowed; especially for a woman. It was difficult to choose this field, because music isn’t considered good here. In the beginning, I had to face a lot of obstacles. I had my family’s support, especially my brother’s support; he supported me from the start and encouraged me, saying that if I am passionate about music, then I should work in this field and pursue my interest. And then I started working in music.
Us: Please tell us about your new song, ‘Rangrasiya’.
NM: ‘Rangrasiya’ is performing so well. I have received so much love over this song. Ali bhai has done such a wonderful job with the music production. I am so happy that I am getting so much love from listeners over this song.
Us: How did the idea for the AI video come about?
NM: Ali Zafar thought up and planned everything about the video himself. When our audio track was ready, we really wanted to do the video. And Ali bhai had been thinking for a while about how the video should be. It’s a folk song, which is different, and its language is also different, so he thought for a while what the video should be like. Then I guess he came up with this idea. This is the first video of its kind in Pakistan and Ali bhai worked very hard on the project and made a wonderful video.
Us: How was the process of creating and recording ‘Rangrasiya’?
NM: We recorded the audio track of ‘Rangrasiya’ a while ago. First of all, we went to Lahore to meet Mian Yousuf Salahuddin baba ji. He introduced us to Ali bhai, and after that I played my original music and compositions for him. ‘Rangrasiya’ was one of those songs, and he really liked it and wanted to do the music for it.
I’d made the audio track two and a half years ago, and for a long time we were thinking about what the video for the song should be like. Then Ali bhai had this idea that we should do something new, something different. Then he made the AI video. We then released it and received a lot of love and a very positive response which felt so good.
Us: How was the experience of working with Ali Zafar?
NM: It was a very nice experience working with Ali bhai. He has a unique style of working. Our song was also different because it’s in the Rajasthani language from Thar; it’s a folk song – accompanying it with modern music and making such a video was a very good idea. It was a pleasure working with him.
Us: What can we expect from you next?
NM: I want to do good work, collaborate with good artists, and present our unique cultural style in a beautiful way. I want to deliver quality content for people to listen to and watch.
"A couple of years ago, I was introduced to Nirmala Maghani through a song demo on WhatsApp by Yousuf Salahuddin and I was thoroughly intrigued by her beautiful voice and composition skills. But more than that, I was inspired by the idea of this super talented young girl, resiliently pursuing her passion for music with her and her brother fully supported her, while sitting in a far-off desert in Sindh, where basic amenities of life are non-existent, especially the scarcity of water, and where music is a taboo, particularly for girls.
Her passion and determination motivated me to promise her the recording, production, and release of her song and a music video.
Once we produced the song, I wanted to do something different and special for her video. So, I decided to reconnect with my old self from college, when I began discovering the possibilities of digital art mixed with paint for my thesis in 2002. Cut to 2024, the world has changed, and the possibilities are enormous. Though it has its limitations and requires endless hours – weeks, in this case – I believe AI is the future for many a task in the art world.
So, I attempted to created Pakistan’s first AI music video.
Don’t think it’s a magic button; each frame has to be created with meticulous attention to detail and countless re-generations to get the right one and it can take weeks to assemble a narrative, but it’s all worth it. I enjoyed the process and though I am still learning, as is AI, I thought it’s time to share Nirmala’s talent with the world. Here’s to you Nirmala. Keep following your dreams and never give up."
– Ali Zafar in a post on Facebook
