One half of the Inteha duo, Nausher Javed takes a break from his rock compositions to show his softer side. The result – a reworking of his parents’ favourite ghazal, Farida Khanum’s ‘Aaj Jaane Ki Zid Na Karo’.

While Lahore-based duo Inteha awaits the release of its second album, the group members have been working on their solo material. Their latest release comes from guitarist Nausher Javed, who has just unveiled his version of the classic ‘Aaj Jaane Ki Zid Na Karo’. Instep caught up with the musician to ask him about his solo outing and to find out more about the band’s upcoming album.

Instep: You have just released your rendition of the ghazal ‘Aaj Jaane Ki Zid Na Karo’. Why did you choose to cover this song?

Nausher Javed: I have grown up listening to this ghazal, which my parents used to dedicate to each other and play on their audio systems. And whenever I see its video, in which Farida ji is singing live in a mehfil, the way people were listening is like… mahol banana. That always motivated me to do a cover of it. ‘Zid Na Karo’ is pure music with heart-touching lyrics, and it is so soulful that even in this modern era whenever it is played it leaves an impact on the hearts and minds of listeners. Selecting ‘Zid Na Karo’ as my first tribute to the legends is because this song literally gives me goose bumps every time I listen to it, especially when Farida ji sings the line "haey mur jain gaey, hum tau lut jaein gaey". So it is my sincere effort to revive this classical melody. And I am happy that my cover is getting a massive response. In two days, it has been shared by many people, liked by many people, and I have received various phone calls appreciating the version.

Instep: Please tell us about your version of the song.

Nausher: Once I was listening to A. R. Rahman’s version of ‘Zid Na Karo’ on the Indian Coke Studio and with all honesty I was so disappointed by the fact he couldn’t even deliver the exact words. I always respect his work – he is a legend, but the way he sang ‘Zid Na Karo’ is like humiliating the ghazal, so I decided to do a cover and give it my best. I invested my days and nights, making music arrangements and all, but in the end it is all about the melody and the expression, so I have rearranged all the composition on guitar chords, arpeggios, keeping in mind that the essence of the song remains the same and it gives the same feel as before.

Instep: The track will appear on your upcoming album, which will serve as your debut solo release. Please tell us about the album.

Nausher: My upcoming solo album is a soft rock album, having songs which are mostly on acoustic guitars, unplugged, soft and soulful melodies, unlike our band Inteha which is a true rock band. My album consists of ten songs. The next song whose video will be released is ‘Kho Gaya’, which to me is very promising and I am sure it will touch the hearts of listeners.

Instep: How soon will the album be released?

Nausher: My solo album will be out in June ’14. The title has not been decided yet. Also, the tribute to legends is a social media project, so we will also be launching it as a compilation by the end of this year.

Instep: What prompted you to do a "tribute to the legends" project?

Nausher: In these days as you know a lot of quantity is coming into the market, especially from youngsters who are coming out with new songs, but I think they lack quality and the soul-touching ability in their compositions. In this way we are parting away from our roots. These classic old melodies are the base of our music. The modern generation should listen to them and learn this school of thought as well. They should incorporate such a feel in their composition. Each classic song is a complete school of its own. So Naukhez and I decided to revive these classics in a new way and will release one tribute every month on social media in order to attract the corporate music platforms, telling them that these are the actual compositions/songs which need to be reproduced rather than airing pieces of crap. So every month you will see a reprised version of classic melodies.

Instep: Why are you and Naukhez releasing solo material instead of recording this material as Inteha?

Nausher: In a band, everyone has their own opinion and preferences, but you come out with a song or melody which has a mutual effort in it. Individually, choices always somewhat differ from one another, so bringing out our own projects is satisfying our individual music appetite.

Instep: When can we expect the new Inteha album? What can you tell us about it?

Nausher: Inteha’s album is all set to be released in February 2014 by Times Music India all across the globe. The album has been titled as Inteha-e-Rock. This album is more commercial and more mature than the first one, comprising of eight tracks which I surely believe will take Inteha to the next level.

Instep: Are you working on any other projects (with Inteha, or solo, or with anyone else)? What can we expect from you in the coming months?

Nausher: Currently I am working on a few projects simultaneously – launching our band’s second album, plus a series of concerts all across the sub-continent and Europe. Also, I am producing some artistes in my production house Chordiology Studio, and directing TVCs and music videos.