He was the voice of Awaz, one of Pakistan's frontline bands, for most part of the last decade, till he felt the need to vocalise his talent more often than it was being heard. It was close to four years since his band had come up with an album and the lead singer-part composer found himself creatively caged. Once Awaz had played their last jig in December 1999, Haroon Rashid decided to find his very own voice… a search that led to Haroon Ki Awaz, the singer's newly-released debut solo album.
"Awaz released three albums and a couple of singles which have collectively sold more than two million units worldwide," said Haroon, in conversation during his recent Dubai visit.
Why the split? The opening question was but obvious. "I decided to go my own way after our albums dried up. Though we frequently did live shows in Pakistan and abroad, we were not gelling as a band. The original motivation that we had, the focus and vision were all gone. The main problem we faced was that there was nobody giving us the right direction – management was definitely an issue. Moreover, the fact that the three of us were friends first generated complacency with little seriousness of purpose. This led to the band's natural disintegration."
For Haroon, the options narrowed down to two. "I could either let things be the way they were or move on. I was very frustrated. I had all these ideas in my head and I was keen to make music. I realised that I had to close one chapter and open another."
While Pakistani pop music got itself a multi-talented solo artist, Awaz went silent, a sad end for a band which was formed in 1992 after Haroon returned from the U.S. with a BBA degree. Haroon, Fakhir and Assad found no takers initially, at least not till they made a video for Janeman and sent it off to MTV Asia. When it became the first ever Urdu pop song to be aired on the channel, Awaz's fate changed overnight. Stardom and an album followed in 1993, and there was no looking back.
Rewinding to an even earlier phase in Haroon's life, his birth as a musician can be traced to him being inspired by The Beatles at the age of nine. "One day I sat down to do my homework, but ended up dancing to their tunes playing on tape in the background," he recollected. "At that point I made up my mind that I wanted to do something with music."
Son of a Pakistani father and a New Zealander mother, Haroon has lived in several parts of the world, which in turn has led him to develop an international perspective. He got his first guitar at the age of 13 and started writing "really awful songs which I could only play to my seven-year-old brother". He formed his first band when he was 15. "We performed at school shows and thought we were geniuses." College took him to the U.S. and though music was temporarily sidelined, Haroon became clearer about his talent for songwriting and performing on stage. "Production also interested me and I recorded melodies on my portable four-track studio."
Today, Karachi-based Haroon has a 64-track digital studio all of his own, a place where he has produced, engineered, recorded, mastered and mixed his debut album. In addition to the vocals and backing vocals, Haroon Ki Awaz also credits him with additional keys, drums, bass and guitars. An impressive feat no doubt, but did so many roles not exhaust his creative energy?
"I wouldn't advise it," he confessed. "Each role that I played, especially engineering, is very specialised and requires thorough knowledge. I had to do immense groundwork. The advantage of being absolutely in charge was that I could use technology as a creative tool, exactly to my liking. I could experiment with sound and effects.
"On the negative side, my technical involvement at every level built a lot of pressure on me, sometimes at the expense of my primary job, that of making music. Being aware of the technicalities is definitely advantageous, but in future when I am doing a full album, I will get more people involved."
Quick to implement this lesson, Haroon engaged a mammoth cast for the video production of his album's first single, Yara, currently being aired on Pakistani TV channels. Best described as "a cross between King Arthur and Robin Hood" and impressively shot at a cost of Rs 1.5 million, the video is one of the most expensive ones ever to be made in the country. In an age where visibility is as crucial as the vocals for a singer, Yara is likely to work well for Haroon, till now better known for his turbo-charged stage acts.
Though he is now touring as a solo artist, breaking free from the past may not have been surgical. How similar is Haroon Ki Awaz to the music of his earlier band?
"As I was the lead singer of Awaz as well as one of its main composers, there is bound to be a similarity in sound. However, in the past four years I have grown musically and this maturity makes the new album a more polished one," he admitted.
A mix of progressive beats and traditional rhythms, his solo album also reflects the effervescence that is so typical of his personality. "I like commercial music, something which is catchy and has instant appeal as opposed to moody, dark, brooding music which has to grow on you," Haroon spelled out. "I listen to a lot of Western music. I am very fond of The Beatles, Queen and Sting, but at the same time growing up in Pakistan opened me to indigenous folk influences, elements which also feature in my music. Basically, when I was doing this album I made songs which I wanted to hear, ones which sounded cool and inspirational." And these added up to 12 in number, ranging from high-energy dance tracks to two English songs, as well as a ballad and an instrumental piece.
Haroon's message-driven lyrics also reveal him as the musician with a conscience. While Awaz's single Mr Fraudia is not forgotten by many, in the new album, Paisa is a take on the economic scenario of Pakistan while the Fire Inside gives voice to his own pent-up frustrations and also attacks the corrupt system. "I am influenced by my environment. I believe in the freedom of speech and like pushing the limits," he informed.
For the present though, he is seeking to cross the geographical limits by taking his music outside Pakistan. Haroon Ki Awaz is awaiting an international release and so is Yara's video.