Sheraz and Arif, are the two fast emerging musicians who are enjoying a massive following on the social media....
interview
Sheraz and Arif, are the two fast emerging musicians who are enjoying a massive following on the social media with a notable fan base. Their voyage in the music industry kicked off as underground musicians but later in 2013 they decided to establish a Pop & Rock band and preferred their first names Sheraz & Arif as the band’s official name. Soon, they composed and launched their first original single ‘Teri Yaad’ that later was picked up for Indie Music | Sony Music India, receiving a huge success overnight and amassed more than one million of views on YouTube within two days.
The band has also performed internationally. Their performance in Dubai at Global Village cultural arena stage followed by many other concerts brought immense fame to them. They have also shared the stage with ‘Strings’ at Iqra University followed by performances with Mustufa Zahid and Abdullah Qureshi at IBA University. Apart from that, the duo is engaged into music productions as well, doing background scores and OST for dramas and TVCs like Pepsi-Careem Tvc, TUC, Bahria Town, Gul Ahmed Ideas among others. To know more about the duo, You! had a conversation with them in a candid interview...
You! What inspired you to start singing?
We both used to attend every concert of ‘Strings’ who inspired us to sing and eventually form our own band.
You! What genre of music do you follow?
Pop rock.
You! Why have you named your band as Sheraz & Arif?
The name of the band, ‘Sheraz & Arif’, represents simplicity. We want all musicians to know that ten years ago Sheraz and Arif were nobody but with hard work and struggle, we now successfully manage to perform in front of thousands of people. We want our names, Sheraz and Arif become a source of motivation to everyone who wants to follow his/her passion.
You! What are your biggest achievements as musicians?
In 2014 we performed at Global Village, Dubai, in front of thousands of people that was really a proud moment for us. The other big achievement was the release of our original ‘Teri Yaad’ by Indie Music | Sony Music India; which proved a massive hit receiving 1.2 million views in just 2 days. We received so much praise and appreciation from Indian fans.
You! What projects are you working on these days?
We’ve made four original tracks up till now. We released ‘Teri Yaad’ in 2018. After that we have five to six songs lined up. Most of them are completed. Next month we will be going for the shoot of our upcoming song, so stay tuned!
You! Making music is way too systematic. In your case, what comes first, music or the lyrics?
This is tricky. It particularly depends on the mood, but mostly music comes first!
You! How do you view the overall music scene of Pakistan?
The entertainment landscape of Pakistan is evolving overall, whereas the music industry has also seen uplift. We see two to four concerts happening every month. Also, interest and contribution of our younger generation is helping in reviving the music industry. Programmes like ‘Battle of Bands’ surely are considered as best platforms for aspiring musicians.
You! According to you, how can the aspiring musicians be given opportunities?
We think the entertainment sector - particularly music - needs a lot of attention. There are hardly one or two music channels, so steps should be taken to launch dedicated music channels so the younger lot could get a better head-start. More concerts should be organised, along with small gigs to promote music across the country. There should be more shows like, ‘Coke Studio’, ‘Nescafe Basement’ and ‘Battle of Bands’ so the deserving talent could be sponsored and promoted.
You! Do you believe music has the ability to become an agent of social change?
We have strong belief in message-oriented music. It creates great value as the lyrics connect with hearts. There are many societal issues that need our attention, and music can explicitly talk about these socially stigmatic topics. So yes, it surely can be used as an agent of social change.
You! Do you believe in musical collaborations?
Yes we do, though we haven’t tried it as yet but we surely aim to collaborate in the future as it not only artistically flourishing but also set new dimensions to grow.
You! What surprises are you brining for your fans this year?
I’d like to tell our fans that Sheraz & Arif are here to stay. We will be releasing three new originals along with a video this year.
