What are your plans about ‘Gane Gane Shaya’?
I’m doing a solo show after so long. The show is being organised by ‘Ajob Karkhana’. There’s always the excitement of facing a live audience. I’m a music person. Standing in front of the audience brings me pleasure no matter if it’s in or out of tune. Another thing is that the time we went through had had an impact on music. Overall there will be a lot of things in the performance.
How will there be a reflection of the time?
I see the world through the lens of music. As a human being the views I believe in, hold and promote will obviously be there in the songs. Besides, there will be a separate segment on political songs. I had made the song ‘Jonotar Beyadobi’ after I returned to Bangladesh in 2001. The audience has labeled the song as ‘Dui Netri Gaan (song of two women leaders)’.
The song is more about the public than it is about the two leaders. I hoped to see an awakened Bangladesh. I had sung the song ‘Jonotar Beyadobi’ as a sort of satire from the idea that I will vote for them (politicians), but won’t pledge my undying support to them.
I have sung a lot of political songs in the last 23 years. It won’t be possible to cover them all in one show. A selection of seven or eight songs from among them will be there in the show. Alongside old songs, songs about Mugdho and Sayeed will be there. Whatever I witnessed as a citizen of Bangladesh, as an artiste and as a woman, I presented exactly that in my songs.
You are doing a solo show after almost two years. Why did it take it so long?
Let me tell you first why it didn’t happen earlier. I am an artiste and I want to sing. I want to sing at any cost. My songs expresses my political stand. If I cannot sing the type of songs signature to me, how can I hold a show? There have never been so many political songs by so many artistes as there were in July.
Our music industry didn’t have the mindset of receiving all sorts of music. Independent artistes like Hannan and Shezan smashed that to join the movement with rap. Rapping is an uncommon genre in the country. They created a market for that and I salute them.
Rap is more powerful than many other genres. Other than Hannan and Shezan, a lot of other musicians are doing rap now. Rap has a rich history but it’s difficult to create a market for that. Now the market is growing here.
There was no social acceptance of rap songs till now. Rap became acknowledged through the movement then…
This movement definitely created an acceptance for rap. The rap songs we got are completely political. However, our music industry has been repeating the idea that we don’t make political songs. Politics is present in every single fold of our lives. The fact that we buy potatoes at a certain price, even this potato is not an apolitical matter. We need an understanding to grasp this.
Rappers have unlocked the sphere, which we failed to do. They have created a space for me. Parsha Mahzabeen made a song too. She is an artiste suitable for playbacks or the type of singing people wants to hear in the market. But, she wrote the lyrics herself and then sang it.
Shezan and Hannan have captured the time through their songs ‘Kotha Ko’ and ‘Awaaz Utha’. Who else did it at that time? They emerged as heroes. It wasn’t for money, they made the songs. There was a battle going on that time and they made songs seizing that particular time. They took the risk. Parsha took the risk. Hanan even went to jail. It was a sort of war and I respect them.
Apart from rap, songs like ‘Muktir Mondir Shopantole’ from Mohini Chowdhury, Nazrul Geeti, patriotic songs as well as your songs also inspired the youth. How far has the market of music changed after the movement?
People of Bangladesh have grown more interested in history. Children are watching history-based shows instead of Netflix. They are listening to discussions about Tajuddin Ahmed. They are asking to hear about Bangabandhu’s role.
People of the country have become interested in politics and history in just one move. It’s a huge shift. There has been a change in the music industry. The artistes themselves made their own place and the market is following the artistes. Music is a huge medium to talk about life going beyond the theme of nature. This experience helped us.
If the artistes were dependent on labels or companies it would have been difficult for them to be so vocal. How much of a role did the independent platforms like YouTube and Spotify play?
It’s a huge test. I’m not making music just from yesterday. Though my first album wasn’t released from any label, I was with a label for the first seven years. Since my songs are political in nature I was told things like, these would not do or make songs that are a bit different from these which would be a hit among the audience.
But, I said I would not change the political characteristics of my songs. Even after that, I cannot say that I had no connections with labels at all. The labels showed interest in romantic songs but didn’t want to release ‘Dui Netrir Gaan’.
It’s true that a huge number of songs are being released on independent platforms. People who are probably not supposed to make music are also making music there. Many who don’t have musical prowess are singing as well. However, at the end of the day you do see the ones that are actually talented, don’t you? So, you see the independent platforms are a brilliant medium.
A major portion of the current audience is Gen-Z. As an artiste do you consider the Gen-Z audience separately while making songs?
Personally speaking I don’t keep this mind. I have no target audience. When an incident moves me from the inside no matter if it’s an incident about love or politics, I bring it up in my music. They are still listening to the song ‘Ami E Bangladesh’. I never thought that would happen, even in my dreams.
I needed to express my ideas. They were not my targets but later they could relate to it. I might or might not have the chance to meet Gen-Z audience in my ‘Gane Gane Shayan’ show. I just can’t keep the age difference of the audience or the idea of entertaining the audience in my mind.
I respect this generation and it’s important to build a connection with them. But, I don’t select my language to say things like them. Artistes like Hannan and Shezan made songs in their own lingo. And, we didn’t have any problem understanding them.
I cannot sing Bhatiali songs just because I want to. I have a language of my own. I will express my emotions through that indeed. However, I do understand the lingo or the views of people like Hannan. In fact they inspire me and I’m grateful to them.