Spotify announced a brand new playlist for independent artists in Pakistan. Fresh Finds Pakistan playlist focuses on spotlighting developing artists and helping them grow their fanbase by giving them the tools for long-term, sustained career success.
Among the artists in the initial class of Fresh Finds Pakistan are Farheen Raza Jaffry, Gemini Djs, and Lil Mucid.
SouthAsia magazine got a chance to talk to Farheen Raza Jaffry and Gemini Djs in a candid session. Here are their views:
Gemini Djs
Gemini Djs are a duo based in Islamabad, Mustafa Shabbir and Mustafa Mirza. Mustafa Shabbir started as a DJ playing random gigs and concerts around the city while Mustafa Mirza was there covering the events making sure Mustafa Shabbir had nice pictures, then Covid-19 hit.
How did the band come about?
Lockdown was pretty tough on us, we got bored and just decided “Let's make music”. And that’s pretty much it, been making music ever since Covid-19 became a thing.
Do both of you have the same interests when it comes to what type of music you want to produce?
The dynamic we have when it comes to the creative process can be messy. Sometimes it takes a bit of convincing to get your idea through. But it usually works out. And the only music that comes out is the music that we both are happy with.
What are your future plans for the band?
Genre exploration. We decided early on that we don't want to tie ourselves down to a single genre of music. There is no fun in that. We love looking back at the music that inspires us and the diverse genres of music we both are into. We wanna explore them, deconstruct and understand them then make music that feels like a love letter to the genre
What do you think about Spotify's Fresh Finds playlist idea? Did it help you in increasing your fanbase?
○ Having our music on Spotify exposes us to a global audience. Spotify is available in 178 markets opening so many doors for local artists and offers them the opportunity to widen their audiences and expose them both regionally and globally.
○ We will also have access to one-on-one mentorship with members of Spotify and access to Masterclasses to learn how to best use Spotify for Artists tools
The version of 'Betty and Veronica' is really amazing. What inspired you to cover this song?
Actually Betty and Veronica is an original song. When we had initially decided to dip our toes into punk rock we were thinking of tropes that belonged to the genre. And one trope was how sometimes a song is just the name of a girl and the whole song is just dedicated to the girl. So we were throwing names around and one of us said Veronica, and the other one said betty. And we both were just on the same wavelength and instantly knew that we had to do a song on those iconic comic book characters
Are you planning to do a single in the near future?
Actually we have an EP in the works! Can't say exactly when but it will be coming soon!
Who is your favorite musician/singer?
We can't just name one. There are so many that inspire our work, from the likes of Machinegun Kelly, Greenday, mod sun, Nirvana and My Chemical Romance, to the likes of Arif Lohar and Vital Signs.
Farheen Raza Jaffry
Farheen Raza Jaffry is a musician and a fashion designer. She is currently getting trained in eastern classical music while exploring different genres of music to see what she enjoys the most.
What kind of music do you create? What's your genre?
I think I’m just getting started and it’ll be too soon for me to put myself in a box at the moment.
Since you are a designer as well, what brings you to music? What's your inspiration?
Music has always been my source of inspiration, even for life itself. I think I feel most at home when I’m singing and I feel the happiest when I’m performing. And I guess my source of inspiration for designing and music is my love for hearing and telling stories and that’s what I do with both.
What do you think about Spotify's Fresh Finds playlist idea? Has it helped you so far?
It’s great and exposes me to a global audience in Pakistan and India mostly. But I have listeners from UK, USA, and Canada as well.
Are you planning to do a new music in the near future?
Yes, I have a new single coming out soon which is a ghazal. The poetry is by Mirza Ghalib and the composition is original. Can’t wait to share it with my listeners.
Any favorite local or international singer?
There are so many, but the ones that I am heavily inspired by are Mehdi Hassan, Madam Noor Jahan, and Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan.
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