Qayaas Share Their Coke Studio Experience [Interview]

Qayaas, hands-down the best performers of the first episode of Coke Studio Season 5, talk about their first ever experience of performing on a stage where creativity is at its peak. Their single, “Charkha Nolakha” (performed with Atif Aslam) has been released last week. Here, we talk to them about their feelings on performing in CS for the first time.

How do you feel about your performance on Coke Studio. What kind of reaction are you expecting from the audience?

It was an amazing experience at Coke Studio. They manage everything really well and in terms of both audio and video have state of the art equipment. Our performance at Coke Studio went very smoothly. We were very happy with the end result and are confident that it is going to sound great. In terms of the audience, we are expecting them to enjoy the music as much as we did while recording it at Coke Studio.

Tell us something about the songs you’re performing?

All the songs that we did are unplugged and it adds to the flavor and environment of Coke Studio. The first song Charkha Nolakha was aired in the first episode of Coke Studio season 5 in which we are collaborating with Atif Aslam. Charkha Nolakha was first performed by the legendary Ustaad Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan and then Rahat Fateh Ali also did a rendition. Our version leans more towards the rock side with defined acoustic guitar parts and drum patterns.

This is your first experience at the CS. How did it go?

This is our first time in Coke Studio and it definitely was a great experience. Rohail Hyatt manages the whole thing in a very professional and at the same time very friendly way.

Tell us about some of the magical moments you had while shooting Coke Studio.

The whole experience was magical to say the least. The whole recording process was fun and then hanging out with the house band and the other artists was great. We had a lot of old musician friends among them and it was great catching up with them.

I don’t think anything can go wrong when such great artists work on something together. So, how was it to make the songs with the house band?

The presence of the house band in the songs adds a new dimension to the songs. It was a pleasure working with them.

Tell us about some unseen moments that probably the fans might not get to see on the show.

Hanging out with all the artists in the lounge chatting and eating away, giving the interviews before and after the performance, getting our photo shoot done and afterwards listening to other artists perform and record.

Whose performance touched you the most? Do you have a favourite song in the season?

We only got to listen to Atif Aslam’s performance and it sounded very good. He is a great improviser and you will get to see that this season. We have not heard much as far as the other artists in this season are concerned but our favorite is Charkha Nolakha that we collaborated on with Atif.

What are your thoughts on the future of live music, and the challenges the industry faces moving forward.

Challenges will always be there. You need to be positive and also need to believe in what you are doing. Being persistent is the key. This is the only way to move forward.

When you mix the genres tastefully I think the end result always come out something new and fresh. Did you experiment with your music or did you hone in on one type of sound?

Of course, we did experiment making sure that whatever we are adding to our sound enhances it and does not take anything away from it. We are a rock band and our sound will always remain as such but addition of backing vocals, keyboards and dholak added a new flavor to our sound. Moreover, we did unplugged versions of our songs and they sound great.

What motivates you in this musical journey?

It is your passion in what you are doing that motivates you and that is the case with us as well. We are very passionate about what we do.

What do you think the biggest differences were between the last season and the new one?

Coke Studio always brings something fresh every season. There will be more bands featured in this season.