Singer Atif Aslam recently spoke about his journey in the industry and the blessings he feels being part of the Sufi music culture. He expressed gratitude for the support and love from fans worldwide and emphasized the importance of hard work and encouragement. Aslam believes music can unite people and bridge cultural and national gaps, and they will look back on 2023 as a watershed year.
He has now completed 20 years of his career, which began with the release of “Aadat” in late 2003. Between 2003 and 2023, the music industry underwent significant changes. As Atif recalls the beginning of his trip, he is filled with nostalgia while realizing that technology has forever altered how we consume music. Although technology has given people the flexibility to find music like never before, the sheer number of possibilities can be overwhelming, causing cognitive dissonance.
This year, he has entered the 20th year of his career, beginning with “Aadat” in late 2003 and growing in the decades that followed. Between 2003 and 2023, the music ecosystem drastically changed. As Atif looks back to the time when he was starting out, there is a hint of nostalgia as well as the realization that the way we consume music has changed (perhaps permanently) due to technology. And though technology has given fans a free run to discover music like never before, there can be, at times, so much choice that a person can feel a sense of cognitive dissonance.
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“These are different, even harder times; I think it varies from artist to artist,” he remarked. According to Atif, it is also about the purpose of and why an artist begins his career. Is it for 15 minutes of fame? “Is it about what comes along with being a superstar, like fame, money, and power, or is it about longevity and expressing an art form?” “To be honest, I don’t know what anyone’s real agenda is, but if an artist is here to stay, they have a lot of choices now; they can introduce themselves in many different ways, and that gives them an edge in comparison to past decades.” He says that, being an overnight sensation, it is not the same as before. Astute Atif says, because people have so many options, if you don’t grow, you won’t survive. “If you keep doing the same thing, people will forget you.”
As the coronavirus infection subsided in Pakistan over the last two years, Atif Aslam was at the forefront of creating and releasing new music. And when Atif Aslam does something, music lovers across the country and abroad pay attention. She started an interesting activity, releasing new songs with music videos featuring some of the best actresses in the country. Elsewhere, he also acted in his first television drama, Sang Ae Mah, which enthralled fans and challenged Atif to step out of his comfort zone, both emotionally and physically. This hasn’t kept him away from commercial platforms like Coke Studio or the Pakistan Super League. In short, post-Corona freedom meant Atif Aslam was everywhere.
Commercial platforms have their own limitations, beyond which you cannot exit. There are obligations for customers,” he says, thoughtfully. “With your own music, you’re the owner, and you’re in charge. The fact that so few artists were doing original music was one reason. But more than that, I wanted to reinforce the idea that it wasn’t true, which is that a song will only survive if there’s a huge push behind it.”
Atif gives an example. The songs that paved the way for him in Bollywood were original songs like ‘Woh Lamhe’ and ‘Aadat’. Another reason Atif Aslam dropped a series of songs with elaborate music videos and actors was that he wanted to make believable music videos, even though it was an expensive undertaking. But perhaps the biggest reason was the acting bug in Atif, which caused him to want to pursue every video from “Raat” to the most recent “Moonrise.” When asked about his acting career, he told a reporter, “I think it (the acting) was noticed because I was getting Sang -E-Mah.” “In each music video, there was also an aspiration to highlight our artists.”
Atif also said about Mahira Khan, “Mahira Khan is a sweetheart,” with whom he appeared in Bol and her smash hit songs. Since a decade had passed, the idea of ​​doing a new music video emerged that was about doing something together. This culminated in the music video for ‘Ajnabee’. In the case of other music videos, Atif wanted to highlight the talents of everyone who appeared in his recent music videos, even beyond their current status as actors. The collaborations were meant to be a process of mutual respect and exposure to each other’s respective audiences. “It is always beneficial to push the artists in your industry forward. We are often at odds with each other because one person is doing this to another and so on. But as a result, there is no sense of being an industry. “The day we realise that we need to work as a unit and as a nation, these problems will vanish.”
About the upcoming concert, As Atif confesses, the set includes Baba Bulleh Shah’s favorite Sufi Kalam as well as earlier ones by him such as “Tajdar-e-Haram,” “Man Kunto Maula,” and “Wahi Khuda Hai,” among others. This performance is an exciting one for Atif Aslam. “I started my career with singing, and it allowed me to express myself and build relationships.” Music has always been an important part of my life, so I’m looking forward to performing these pieces in front of a live audience and connecting with them in a special way.
