Music
Faraz Anwar - On Being an Artist in Pakistan
Born in Karachi, Pakistan, Faraz Anwar knew at a very early age that he wanted to be a musician – in any and every capacity possible.
Known as the ‘master of progressive rock,’ Anwar possesses an undeniable talent. Such is his talent that even in the very Eastern pop and classical music scene in Pakistan, Anwar’s brand of music stands out. As a musician he has worn many hats – he’s produced, written and sang. He’s a multi-instrumentalist who regularly makes magic happen, but, the guitar is where Anwar’s heart has always been.
His first introduction to Western music happened via a very expected channel – through his father.
“My first introduction to music was through my father. As a child I was introduced to ABBA and I was hooked – even then I knew it was something different. Not much later, YngwieMalmsteen, whom I first heard when I was in grade 6th became one of my champion inspirations and that’s when I realized that I wanted to play the guitar.”
Speaking of himself as a young musician, Anwar spoke about how his love for learning the guitar led him to practice for hours of end - literally from dusk to dawn. “As someone who was learning to play, sometimes I would play through the night. I would only stop once the day would break.”
That dedication and love for the instrument drew a young Anwar towards music.
“A natural artist cannot stop being an artist – if art is something they were meant to do, it’s going to seep into their lives and no one can do anything to erase it”
Live gig @ Rosati Bistro, Karachi
© Farooq
“Even today, I see a lot of very talented musicians struggling. However because they are artists, despite all their struggles they still make music. That’s dedication.”
Post 9/11 saw an entirely changed music scene within Pakistan. What once was a thriving underground music culture, was left pretty much deserted by mid 2000s.
“Things changed pretty rapidly. I remember during the 90s that we used to sit around and jam pretty regularly. There wasn’t fear of any sort. There was so much art back then. People were unafraid to express themselves. Then they just started staying back home for the fear of retaliation, of terrorism, but they also wanted to be ‘informed’ and then came the news channels.”
A lot of their thriving music scene can be attributed to visiting musicians and it being more culturally acceptable for music – of all sorts of it – to be played and not just Eastern classical.
“When artists – big name artists visit, people are moved and inspired by their talent which in turn leads them to practice and learn more.”
It is only by learning more, Anwar says, that we can have a standing of any sort in music around the world. He cites the recent revival of cricket in the country as a prime example.
“For almost a decade there wasn’t much happening in the country, but look at how it’s being revived now! There’s cricket everywhere, and it all happened because we had a plan and knew we needed to do something. This is exactly what we need when it comes to music.”
Anwar was quick to add that a lot of music currently being produced from within the country is quite good, considering how limited the resources within it are. However this isn’t without its own challenges.
“Now that we have music TV shows and reality shows around music, we at least have a platform, no matter how limited.”
Faraz Anwar jamming in his studio
© Rehman Ifrahim
There’s room for improvement, both when it comes to the tastes of the audiences, and when it comes to quality of production. Anwar laments that there hasn’t been much that has changed in the music scene.
“Not a lot of people pay attention to the music arrangement because they don’t know how much work goes in it.”
“I’ve never made music to be famous. I make music because I don’t know any other way to exist.”
“There’s definitely a need for mass education when it comes to music. We need academies, we need people who are sincere with the field of music itself and we need people who consider it art and people who consider that art valuable enough to impart knowledge. There are so many different forms and styles of music – it’s an artistic field so beautiful, so human and that’s something which we need to explore.”
Anwar says he would love to teach. He’s already taught several workshops within the country where he spent time with students and helped them recognize their talent.
“I want to open a school where we can teach young kids not only music, but also help them explore their field. There’s a lot of talent here, we just need to hone it.”
Anwar understands that this is an uphill battle when people don’t understand Western music. And perhaps because there is little knowledge about it, there is little understanding that we need a solid foundation to build careers upon.
“I’ve never made music to be famous. I make music because I don’t know any other way to exist.”
Currently Anwar is working on several projects. He has an Urdu album in the works, as well as a progressive rock/metal album which he’s working on – a song from which we will see as a video soon.
Anwar is guardedly optimistic about the music scene within the country and he hopes he sees some improvement in the coming years.
“I believe a natural artist cannot stop being an artist; doesn’t matter what sort of pressure you put on them. I believe everyone is sent on earth for a reason, for a role only they can fulfill – this is how we’ve been designed as humans. If art is something they were meant to do, it’s going to seep into their lives and no one can do anything to erase it.”
