have to fi rst pick it up phonetically . It ’ s a lot of work !” MODEST WAYS Even while speaking , Sethi displays his strong command over the two art forms : classical singing and writing . He has a steady voice ; his pitch doesn ’ t waver , speaking calmly and slowly . He does not stutter or is ever at a loss of words . He explains himself well , rather too well , but seems unsure of it as he asks on various occasions “ Am I making sense ?” Modesty is another trait that is deeply entrenched in Sethi ’ s personality . Following Khanum ’ s advice , Sethi then bought himself a harmonium and found an ustaad , Master Moin Rafi , who would teach him in his summer holidays . He started listening to old songs and started to analyse the notes being used in them . All of this was happening side by side , as he was still completing his studies and was also in the process of writing his fi rst novel , The Wish Maker . After graduating in 2006 , Sethi ’ s passion for music took over . “ I went and became formally apprenticed to Ustaad Naseeruddin Sami sahab , the greatest classical vocalist in our country .” From this moment on , Sethi began his formal entry into the world of music . And since then , he has gone onto produce a number of hits such as ‘ Dil Jalaney Ki Baat ’, ‘ Aah Ko Chahiye ’ and ‘ Kya Hoga ( a duet with Zeb Bangash ) with the latter two songs featured in Sarmad Khoosat ’ s Manto . BACK TO THE FUTURE What everyone is buzzing about these days is Sethi ’ s appearance alongside Abida Parveen in Coke Studio 9 ’ s first episode . His performance in ‘ Aaqa ’ is truly commendable for various reasons including the fact that he was able to hold his ground magnifi cently alongside a legend like Abida Parveen . Sethi explains that the producers of Coke Studio allow singers to bring in their own melodic improvisation to the song which means all the raags and surrs we hear in ‘ Aaqa ’ were up to Sethi ’ s discretion . The experience of singing with Abida Parveen was both terrifying and exciting as he prepared for this performance of a lifetime . “ This opportunity came down to me from the divine ,” he says . “ It ’ s not something I had stimulated in anyway . Abida Jee was supposed to sing the lines ‘ Mein faqiri mein bhi kitna hoon qalandar dekho , dekhnay walon zara mera muqadar dekho ’ but at the very last minute she looked at me and said ‘ tum gao ’ and I sang it .” Addressing the challenge he faced when rehearsing for the song , Sethi recalls , “ Initially we were supposed to sing from a C . That is a pitch that I ’ m comfortable with .” However , two months before the song was to be shot , Sethi was told that he had to sing from a G . “ This is essentially a female pitch . For me to sing the whole song on that pitch was very depressing at fi rst .” Doing what he does best , he overcame his obstacles by preparing , practicing and studying . Sure enough , Sethi sang like a professional on the fi nal day . “ My voice was
CHIT CHAT
on the top of my skull . If you listen to that shaer , you ’ ll hear that my voice is coming from I don ’ t know where !” The response to Sethi ’ s performance has largely been positive . “ I ’ m surprised to have been inundated with love ,” he says of the applause he ’ s been receiving since the song made its appearance . The surprise factor stems from the fact that when people have such high expectations , it ’ s a diffi cult task to live up to them . But Sethi managed to satisfy everyone ’ s expectations . “ I even read a comment that said that ‘ iska baap mujhe nai pasand lekin yeh bilkul theek ga raha hai !’” Beyond public perception The one-million-dollar question that comes to mind when one thinks of Ali Sethi is how has his father ’ s career impacted his own ? Being the son of Najam Sethi , an infl uential journalist and Chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board , who has also served as Chief Minister of Punjab , may mean that people assume that things must have been made easy for him . However , Sethi explains that there were no doors that were opened or closed to him because of his father . Just like any other musician , Sethi is making ends meet . “ It ’ s more about luck in this profession , more than anything else ,” he clears the air . Sethi also adds that there is nothing to be gained by knocking on the doors of the government because the state ’ s involvement in preserving our culture has shrunk to nothingness . Having faced criticism from an unlikely source for his performance on Coke Studio ’ s tribute track ‘ Aye Rah-e- Haq- Ke Shaheedo ’, Sethi explains his stance for doing the track in a sensible manner . “ A bunch of these super academic laptop warriors in the West wrote to me saying ‘ how can you , with your education , sing something so militaristic ?’ It ’ s a song , not a weapon . Look at what the song is saying . It ’ s encouraging hope . It isn ’ t mobilizing people for war !” The song is also metaphorical as it extends to anyone who walks in the path of truth . It isn ’ t just for martyrs who have lost their lives in the line of duty . All this further demonstrates how Sethi is unrelenting in his passion for traditional music and has made it one of his life ’ s missions to carry this art form forward . “ If we build institutions that teach music , anyone can learn it . It only requires focus and practice , and I ’ m committed to building something at some point in my life .” Sethi is deeply ambitious , juggling with advancing in his musical career as well as struggling to fi nd the time to fi nish his second novel . Has he considered acting ? “ I ’ ll die of exhaustion if I attempt one more thing ,” he laughs . As the interview comes to a close , it ’ s clear that Sethi doesn ’ t do anything half-heartedly . He takes no short cuts and that refl ects in the fi nesse of his work , whether he is singing , writing , or just having a regular conversation on a very ordinary day . So here ’ s hoping we hear more from this powerhouse artist and may his drive and energy never slow down .
17 | BOOM