Poor Rich Boy (PRB) - the premier multilingual music group from Lahore known as the revered masters of independent music - have made a smashing comeback with their new single.

Led by Zain Ahsan and Umer ‘Duck’ Khan, the band has been releasing Urdu songs – apart from being known for their original English songs – for some time. Having dropped tracks such as ‘Samundar Ki Teh Mein’, ‘Kaghazi’, ‘Tootay Huay Admi’ and ‘Jahez Mein Churail’ and working closely with veterans like Mekaal Hasan as well as Janoobi Khargosh and other indie artists, Poor Rich Boy is building quite a repertoire for its Urdu songs.

To that end, the group has released a new song called ‘Yakeen’ where they have “tried some new tricks” according to chief leader and music producer of the band.

The song, which should be heard on a good set of speakers or headphones for best results, comes accompanied with where this song fits in their slew of releases and their working process.

Notes PRB: “We’ve been in the studio, off and on, for the last 6 months recording what will hopefully be our final studio album before the climate crisis destroys civilisation as we know it. This particular song, however, is not from that album. This is the sixth song from another album (an Urdu one) that we’ve been working on, intermittently, for what feels like hundreds of years.”

The band also describes its working process which makes it obvious why they don’t keep dropping one track after the other but take time with each release.

The gambit – more often than not – works in their favour as it does with ‘Yakeen’. With a backdrop of a rugged landscape, the song is a dark, melancholic audio-video experience. True to their ability to pick up on issues pertinent to us all, PRB presents the song in a format that reflects their core identity even as they continue to evolve musically. This is PRB at their best and to not listen would be a travesty for those who prefer lasting music.

Defence Day:
Multiple artists pay tribute to Pakistan’s Armed Forces

As Pakistan commemorated Defence Day this past week on September 6, multiple artists paid tributes to those who died defending Pakistan.

While several efforts were made by a number of names from pop culture, chief among them were artists such as Atif Aslam and Ali Zafar. Not new to such efforts, Ali Zafar flew high by releasing an anthem like ‘Ura Mein’ – in collaboration with PAF. The news of the release was first made by PAF via social media and furthered that the anthem was dedicated to the “victory of 1965 war”. Ali Zafar also took to social media to announce the release of the song, noting: “‘Mein Ura’ is out now. A tribute to our brave warriors in the air defending us day and night.”

Another prominent artist who commemorated Defence Day was Pakistan’s most followed singer, Atif Aslam. It was actor Ameer Gilani who made the announcement that he will join Atif Aslam in an ISPR tribute that’s meant to honour the brave soldiers of Pakistan. The project is a music video.

On the subject of Ali Zafar and Atif Aslam, it’s also been said that the former is working on a new album called Husn while the latter is planning to make a return to acting after a small role in Shoaib Mansoor’s social drama, Bol many years ago.

Quaid Ahmed on
Mehdi Hassan tribute

Quaid Ahmed, one of the key members of Sounds of Kolachi, has also emerged as a terrific solo artist. A soulful artist, Quaid released a solo EP called Sunlo earlier this year. Among his many works, the one Quaid Ahmed release that is worth noting is his tribute to the late Mehdi Hassan. Called ‘Duniya Kisi Kay Pyar Mein’, the original ghazal by Mehdi Hassan is presented in beautiful fashion by Quaid Ahmed. He released it as honouring and remembering the late and legendary great artist on his death anniversary.

Quaid Ahmed – who was on a Pakistan tour while conversing with Instep over the phone – reflected on how this song came to be. “I had done a series of three tracks with Shahid Rehman (guitarist) and recorded it at gangwar studio. In terms of ghazal, I have a connection with the late Mehdi Hassan sahib.”

Quaid explained that his style of singing, composing and writing from a young age had been based on Mehdi Hassan in the form of inspiration. “From writing ghazals to singing, I’ve been able to work on my skills through inspiration from Mehdi Hassan sahib. I go to his grave from time to time and sit there and get some form of inspiration from him. So, I feel very close to him. He is an inspiration to singers all over the world and was known as ‘Shahenshah of Ghazal’ for a reason.”

Quaid went on to add that he hopes to modernize ghazal, which is where this song comes in. “To uplift ghazal in a way Mehdi Hassan did through his renditions and which led to him being the ultimate master. My goal is to modernize ghazal and to take it to the youth and the world in a way in my own voice so that people listen to ghazals at large, research and immerse themselves in this musical art-form.”