Also, paths only open if you are truly good at what you do regardless of
fame and money.
YouTube and social media were not big back when Call started
and most of the marketing depended on TV channels and a bit
of the Internet. How is it different now that music channels have
dried up?
YouTube and Facebook were there but small, and let’s not forget
Orkut! However, our main medium was television. There was no
Indian content, so our music channels had a lot of Pakistani content
to play. There was Indus Music which was a pretty big music channel
back then. It supported the music industry a lot. Several actors started
their careers with it as VJs, and our audience loved watching the shows.
Also, frequent concerts were a big push for us.
Then YouTube developed and expanded so we began sharing our work
online and that is how it is now. Most of the marketing is done online.
The reach is enormous. Our content can be viewed all over the world,
so that’s good.
Pakistan has seen many singers and bands who were one hit
wonders in the past decade. Why does music fail to become a
stable career for many?
I feel as an audience our attention span is not very persistent. For
instance, when one follows something, everyone jumps on the
bandwagon and starts following it and consequently the advertisers
and channels go in the same direction as well. When the audience gets
bored of this one thing, they move onto something else and all the
investment moves with them.
In our time, everyone was circled around music, so the bands and
singers did pretty well. Then all of a sudden reality TV became a trend
in the country. Then news channels and current affairs took much of
the attention. Now TV dramas are big.
Where do you see the trend go now?
It is uncertain. The film industry is growing but at a slow pace. Several
high budgeted films were made but unfortunately they didn’t do very
well. I think the audience is waiting for something different.
Are we going to see you on the big screen anytime soon?
I have been offered movies, but I don’t want to jump into just any
film or work with any team. I am waiting for something that I believe
would help me grow. Until then I am comfortable with what I am
doing.
Has being a musician, i.e, a known face helped you in getting
into acting?
Yes, it made it easier. I started my acting career in 2010, but I was
getting offers before that as well because Call was pretty popular,
our album had released, we were travelling here and there, doing
performances all over the world.
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