The music and film industries are buzzing with excitement about the impending comeback of Pakistani singer and songwriter Atif Aslam, who had ruled the Bollywood scene before India outlawed Pakistani musicians seven years ago. Atif sat down for an honest chat, sharing his thoughts on his connection with music and his audience, as his international admirers prepare for their idol’s return with a love song for Love Story of the 90s.
“Music is everything to me—my life, my breath,” Atif said in a Sufiscore interview with RJ Sayema Rahman. “While it may sound conventional, this is the reality. My day is not good if I’m not listening to nice music. I am suffocation-prone after a few days without singing. I have to sing a song for my loved ones when I have to call them. I recite specific words when I have to speak with Allah.
“I find that music is a gift that is bestowed upon someone,” he continued.Everything about this is a gift; without it, I wouldn’t know what little I do about music. The musician, who is well-known for his early songs like Pehli Dafa and Aadat as well as his more recent albums, Zindagi and Jee Ve Sohneya Jee, disclosed that he wasn’t always passionate or sensitive to music.
Atif revealed, “I was just going through a few things in life when I was driving and listening to an album.” I was maybe 12 or 13 years old at the time, and I had no idea singing was a thing. I used to believe that the actors were singing while they were on screen. The Jal Pari singer revealed that Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan and Michael Brooks’ record was the first one he had listened to.
After hearing that, I started to question what, why, and how this occurred. Unbeknownst to his family, his early musical journey consisted of only him and his trust in god. “No one knew and I fell into this circle, found a direction where I could find the opportunity to meet myself, to experience silence and solitude,” the musician said.
Atif talked about his slow entrée into music, starting with a casual contribution at a family gathering, before delving into stories from his pre-career life. “Afterwards, my friends and I went to a funfair, where they made a playful bet that whoever sings on stage would receive a treat from the others.” Since none of them could sing or take the stage, I joined the performing band and sang a little bit.
The singer argued that his encouragement to perform at the time came from the favorable response. Expressing his thanks for his parents’ prayers that made his life possible today, Atif thanked them for their support during his arduous road and the achievements he was able to achieve. “You know that feeling you have that you’re not going to make it through this, but my parents’ prayers were the power that made it happen.”
Atif revealed that although his parents were initially concerned about his musical inclination, they were reassured to learn that he also enjoyed praying and practicing his beliefs. He went on to say that his parents never actively opposed him from following his passion or stopped him from doing so.
That being said, Atif had other loves before music. “I had already abandoned a previous passion. He said, “I’ve always wanted to be a fast bowler. “I had excellent cricket skills. I had given up on that because, as my parents had always argued, education is more essential and that there isn’t much room for growth in cricket, and they were not wrong. Back then, cricket wasn’t very popular; today, things might be different.
The musician explained that his inspiration for music came from coming to terms with the loss of this goal. Being inexperienced in music, Atif used his brother’s three-string guitar to pass the time throughout the day while trying to compose songs, not realizing that most guitars had six strings.
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