It’s that time of the year when
you sit and look back at the best moments that made the year so special. Every
TV channel , radio station, every blogger is doing their top 20, top 10….so I
decided to follow suit and relive all those memorable moments that made this
year special for all Shafqat fans like me. Here goes…
Bollywood Songs
Six Bollywood songs this year-
each sung brilliantly, as usual…each one different from the other.The year
started with the soulful Darmiyaan,
went on to a very exuberant Tu hi
mera and then there was a less noticed but very well sung Ya Maula which belonged to the genre
that Shafqat is a master in.
Phir le Aaya was just wow! Only a beautiful frame is worthy of
displaying a beautiful picture- and this was a song that showcases the
wonderful talent like never before.
Zindagi se chura ke struck a chord with the masses and then Tera Mera naam, a soft and mellow number
came right towards the end.
My top 3 Bollywood songs
3. Tu Hi Mera (Jannat 2) – buoyant, joyful …perfect for a day when you
are feeling happy for no specific reason
2. Darmiyaan- (Jodi Breakers) – It’s the lyrics by Irshaad Kaamil and
the heartfelt singing by Shafqat which do the trick in this one.
1. Phir Le Aaya – Redux (Barfi)- What do I say about this one…I had a
full post on it …so go read it here.
Collaborations
Shafqat got together with some
other musicians to create some fantastic musical moments…
3. IIFA Rocks performance with
Ehsaan - Khamaj and Mitwa unplugged…What a rocking and memorable
performance
2. 'Manmaniyan' with Ranjit Barot on MTV unplugged- Some of his old
songs were rearranged on this acclaimed show but the bonus for his fans was a
brand new number called Manmaniyan- A track created by Ranjit Barot and lyrics
by Shafqat - the gelling of the Punjabi Sufi words with the western beats and
arrangement was hard to imagine but his singing made it work; and so
beautifully at that. read more about it here
1. 'Let Go' with Fin Greenall and Salim - Sulaiman – A beautiful
collaboration for the opening episode of the Dewarists Season 2. The song saw
some really inspired singing by Shafqat and left everyone mesmerized. This is
what Fin Greenall had to say about working with him…
“Shafqat, well, he is just a legend. His skill set is ancient and wow,
he can sing! He has a gift for sure and to work with him and have him do his
thing as a singer I definitely felt a little star struck."
Concerts
From Dhaka to Dubai, from Delhi
to Toronto the live concerts were happening everywhere. He sang at Mosaic, a south Asian Music and
cultural festival in Canada; at the Delhi edition of the popular NH7 Weekender; at the Times Festival in Hyderabad; and at the
Tri Nations Music Fest at Dhaka.
Here are my top 3 Concert moments
for 2012
3. Singing with Strings and Mika at Intensity concert in Dubai
2. “Ye nayan dare dare” at the Quli Qutab Shahi Tomb in Hyderabad for the
Times Festival
1. A tribute to Bahadur Shah Zafar at the Red Fort for the Urdu
Heritage Festival
TV/ radio appearances/ Interviews
Among several print and TV
interviews- most of them still stuck with the oft repeated – How did you start your musical journey or How did you enter Bollywood …to the ill researched- Why did you leave your band “Jal” (what???) or Can
you please sing my favorite song of yours – Rangrez from Tanu Weds Manu ( huh??) to the let’s see in how many different ways can you answer each time we ask you this- What
do you think about Indo- Pak relations- these were the 3 that stood out for
me
3. Shakhsiyat with Samina- A dignified and pleasant host who managed
to give us a glimpse of the influence his illustrious family has on his music
2. Geo Shaan Se- The host, who featured in the very popular video of
Khamaj, explored various facets of his personality. It was also worth a watch for
some interesting anecdotes narrated by the man himself (my favorite was about
him meeting a fan who was upset with him as she believed he had married four times!J)
1. Agenda Aaj Tak – He appeared alongside Kailash Kher and Ali Zafar
to talk about music beyond boundaries. His rendition of Saigal’s Main kya jaano kya jaadu hai after he
spoke about how each song he listened to in his childhood was a part of his training in the technical nuances of singing...his singing
bits of some melodious Punjabi numbers of Noor Jehan and Mehdi Hassan to
illustrate what kind of Punjabi he grew up with-all this and more made this
event a must watch for his fans.
And top 3 reasons to feel excited about 2013
3. A live concert in a city near me has to happen this year...
2. Bigger and better in Bollywood-
more music directors, more hit numbers
1. A new album is on the way… 2013 will be special just because of THAT!
This is my favoritest top top list ever.. :) thank you for compiling it :)
ReplyDeleteStill laughing at his expression when he was asked bhabhiji ko kaise manate hai... :) lol :)