Music duo Hassan Sheikh and Roshaan Sherwani have a way of effortlessly bringing a special sound to their music – a nostalgic bent reminiscent of 90s Pakistani pop.
Having released their debut album Chaar Dinon Ka Khwaab in 2020, the duo burst into the limelight after their song Doobne De (Reprise) was announced as part of the Marvel Studios miniseries Ms. Marvel.
Currently working on their third album, which will be released this autumn, including an EP entitled Intermission (due out this summer), the artists are also planning a mini UK tour and a series of international concerts throughout the year.
But while projects come and go, the fact remains: the duo make music that has great staying power. There's a stickiness to his tracks that ends up staying with the listener for a long time.
Take Duur Se, Sukoon, Lamha and others with whom you instantly feel a visceral connection. Although his songs carry a distinct and fresh sound, each track has that special je ne sais quoi that naturally takes us back to the pre-Pakistani music. There is a hopeful and uplifting vibe to Hassan and Roshaan's songs. Not like a pop song that you hear and instantly forget.
Speaking to the duo and their manager, Nael Hafeez, who met during college, the boys gave their thoughts on the decline of the local music scene, its promising revival and more…
Pakistani pop music sensations: Roshaan Sherwani (left) and Hassan Sheikh (right).
SR: Listening to your music is like going back to the 90s in Pakistan. It is a time portal. Was it intentional during your music-making process?
RS: Hassan and I grew up listening to Pakistani music. From Nazia Hassan, Vital Signs, Junoon, Junaid Jamshed, Jal and many others. Hassan was actually a bigger fan of Pakistani music than I was. When we first started working together, we both fondly remembered the booming music scene from the 90s to the early 2000s. I think we would remember it so often because literally nothing happened in Pakistan in 2018: no concerts, no nothing.
HS: Yes, 2018 was very dark, but 2021 brought this new wave so quickly that everything changed in one year. You've heard of gigs and gigs happening so often now. I hope local music is able to keep the momentum going in the years to come.
SR: You're right, the music scene in Pakistan has really taken off after the pandemic…
RS: The pandemic was horrible, but I think the blessing in disguise was the exploration of music while in quarantine. Also, the Pakistani government waived the duty on entertainment because it wanted to incentivize the industry. Because of this, the culture of live music performances that had otherwise been dormant for a long time has been revived…
HS: I remember enrolling in a university course on qualitative research. The topic I chose for a group project was the decline of the Pakistani music industry. I spent my childhood listening to Pakistani music and was always very curious about what made it soar. During our research, the reasons we selected were political instability and some others. But at the end of the project we soon realized that the real cause was the 60% tax that the Pakistani government had imposed on live shows! Performances are vital for artists, it's the only source of income they have. This went on for several years, so you'll notice how many of our musicians started performing.
Hassan Sheikh wanted to be a musician all his life. But it wasn't until college that they met … [+]
SR: Yeah, they just had to find another source of income…it's sad when you think about those musicians who couldn't make the cut, or didn't want to venture into that space. There were many who had to go back to 9-5 jobs.
HS: It was a very bad moment. Alhambra Gadaffi Stadium [a well-known performing arts venue in Lahore] it was not used for nine years! From time to time they did festivals and stage theaters, but there were no concerts. And this was a place where I would have been surprised to see Junoon perform in the early 2000s. But there has been a 180 degree change in the music scene which I thank God for. My dream is that one day we perform in the Alhamra amphitheater, which has a capacity of more than 9,000 seats. I hope we can have a concert there soon, it's been a dream of mine since 2006.
NH: It affected everyone, all the players in the sector. No one was saved. The music halls were empty. Musicians turned to performing, event planners became wedding planners, and marketing gurus shifted their focus to other events. But now everyone is back in the game.
SR: Roshaan, going back to the comment you made earlier about the progress the music scene has made so far…do you think we can begin to approach our music “scene” as an “industry” in our lifetime?
RS: I think we will, I'm pretty sure.
HS: The royalties artists now receive from music streaming platforms have changed the game in Pakistan. Without them an artist would make music for a year or two, so what? They would have to go back to another source of income. When our song was released for Ms. Marvel, we realized how huge royalties can be for artists. If Roshaan and I were working in MNCs, we wouldn't earn even a fraction of what we have earned in royalties.
RS: It's also culture. Streaming platforms and new record labels saw that there was a market in Pakistan. They knew that some songs had the potential to become international hits, like now Kahani Suno i Pasoori. This is what turned the labels on and made them realize they needed to explore the local market. I remember one time I was watching a Dave Chappelle show where he was talking about coming across a piece of art with Abraham Lincoln made out of pennies. He said that when he learned the actual price of the piece (which is worth up to hundreds of thousands of dollars) he realized that the value of the art is enormous.
Roshaan Sherwani was drawn to music from an early age when he started experimenting with his father's music … [+]
SR: So true…narratives drive art and create its value.
RS: exactly Watch BTS [Bangtan Boys] and the money they bring to South Korea! Actually, Hassan and I talk about this often. Context is so crucial. Art thrives in context, without it, art seems meaningless. Even abstract art thrives in a context.
SR: Tell me about your third album, how is that process going?
HS: We always try to make each album fresher!
RS: So that the evolution is evident…
HS: Yes, an album is like a snapshot of an artist's life and we keep that in mind as we work on the new one.
RS: Our first album, Chaar Dinon Ka Khwaab, talked about the transition phase we were both in. We weren't established musicians at the time, so some issues from that phase were covered on the first record. The album was an exploration of philosophical questioning and existential angst—phases one goes through to get a better idea of who one really is. Day 5, our second album, was the result of this transitional phase. With the third album we want to reach a more evolved sound. That's the way it has to be, you know. As an artist you must continue to express your evolution in the best possible way.
Hassan and Roshaan bring back 90s Pakistani pop with a new twist.
SR: How is your head space these days? Are you excited for what's to come?
HS: I'm scared Every night I think; What if the songs on this album aren't a hit? I think it's very important for an artist to keep the wheel going, so I'm really scared to be honest. He is not excited at all!
RS: I'm nervous, yes, but I'm excited…whatever happens, we'll figure it out.
