Although there are pauses and gaps between their albums, their comeback has always been taken as a renaissance of the band. It is time to relive the great memories that we all share moving ahead in life with Strings entangled in our souls and minds.
Strings Band: An Introduction
Strings band was initially formed by the joint endeavors of Bilal Maqsood, lead vocalist and guitarist, Faisal Kapadia, lead vocalist, Rafiq Wazir Ali, synthesizer and Kareem Bashir Bhoy as bass guitarist in 1988. These were the students of Government College of Commerce and Economics.
In the later years, Bilal and Faisal are the major contributors of the brand performing live at various national and international forums.
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Musical Journey of the Strings Band
Although they have been singing for college parties, their debut album ‘Strings’ was released in 1990 after signing up with EMI Group and took the world of music by storm. The best part about their songs was the lyrics written by the inspirational Anwar Maqsood, Bilal Maqsood’s father. 1992 once again turned out to be full of surprises as Strings alongside Shalimar Recording Company released ‘2’ as their second album. Just google or type ‘Sar Kiye Yeh Pahar’ and you will remember the song that you have listened to so many times in your life as Bilal directed a video for this song.
As the members realized that they require more exposure and experience in the music industry, they disbanded Strings and continued with their studies. Maqsood became a creative director for an advertising agency while Kapadia went to Texas to graduate in business studies. Nevertheless, their songs particularly Sar Kiye Yeh Pahar was gaining international fame after being aired on MTV Asia.
Duur Se Koi Aaye Song
The outset of the 21st century offered us all new opportunities and avenues to embark on a journey with hopes and expectations to achieve our targets and set objectives. Bilal and Faisal selected this timeframe for the revival of their band as they always loved music despite working as professionals in their own fields. They regrouped and released the famous song ‘Duur Se Koi Aaye’ signifying their return after a long silence. The song was released at all stations and once again proved its success nationwide and beyond borders.
Strings were invited by Euphoria to record ‘Jeet Lo Dil’ that became the title of their third album and the official song for the Indian Cricket Team tour to Pakistan.
Some Unforgettable Songs of Strings Band for the Indian Music
The band was approached by Columbia Tristar Films to include their song ‘Na Jaane Kyun’ for the Indian Version of Spider Man 2. The international fame continued to broaden its horizon as Sanjay Gupta approached Bilal and Faisal for his film Zinda. Bilal composed another hit song titled ‘Zinda Hoon’ the lyrics of which were written by his father. Zinda Hoon presents the two icons singing alongside the two Bollywood renowned actors, John Abraham and Sanjay Dutt. The band continued to show its presence in other Indian films including the famous song ‘Aakhri Alvida’ as the soundtrack of ‘Shootout at Lokhandwala’ directed by Apoorva Lakhia.
Release of the Fifth Album ‘Koi Aanay Wala Hai’ With John Abraham as Co-producer
2007 brought another turn in the melodious voyage of Bilal and Faisal as they signed an agreement with Gibson Guitar Corporation giving them access to all the instruments and parts to use for their upcoming songs. 2008 offered new surprises as John Abraham was the co-producer of their fifth album ‘Koi Aanay Wala Hai’. Once again it proved its worth and was loved by all their national as well as transnational followers.
The title track of the album features John Abraham in a unique supernatural form with wings on his shoulders and expecting an arrival to coincide with the theme of the song. Coke Studio became a grand platform for the duo to outshine compared to the other competing singers in the industry.
The latter seasons offered the opportunity to recollect old memories by singing Sar Kiye Ya Pahar, Duur, Zinda Hoon.
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International Recognition of the Strings Band
The international recognition of the brand reached new heights after Bilal and Faisal signed an agreement with Etihad and Abu Dhabi Airways to become the brand ambassadors of these airlines. The band took this as the best opportunity not only for promoting the airways but also presenting a positive image of Pakistan. If you critically analyze their lyrics in addition to the melodies of their song, you will always find a message for the general audience.
Their song ‘Ab Khud Kuch Karna Parega’ was released to revive our spirits and make us feel like one nation. The duo has also performed the role of a judge to hunt the upcoming and rising talent of Pakistan in the music industry. Azmay Aalishan is one such program promoting talent hunt.
The musical journey continued as the two came up with songs such as Tum he to Ho and Goli Maar. Faisal Kapadia in an interview shared the brand’s belief of reinventing their music for better performance and discovering the best musician hidden inside them.
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Farewell From Coke Studio
The year 2017 started to provide some hints that the band is coming to the end of their long journey. The band announced its farewell from Coke Studio at the end of season 10 and released new videos to commemorate 30 years of their long journey starting from their college and the manner in which they have represented Pakistan’s music industry in an intercontinental manner.
The journey came to an official end with the final album titled ‘30’ to mark an exciting adventure whose two songs were also released with some worth remembering videos.
Just search for Sajni and Ur Jaun and you will love the messages given to all their fans. It’s hard to accept but the announcement has gotten us all quite emotional to see 30 as the final chapter of a book.