‘Common Sense Protects Us’

Faisal Kapadia, formerly a member of the iconic music group Strings, is a smart man. He is not entrenched by the view that music is dead. It is an opinion held by many artists who are middle-aged and no longer as successful as they used to be. Across different podcasts and interviews, they have shared such views and you have to wonder what drives them. Why such a drastic change of heart? Is it the rise of different genres and artists? But that happens with every generation, so the purely negative outlook feels disheartening.

One answer is success. Another is the lack of interest shown by the younger generation. Some do adapt, and one such name is Faisal Kapadia.

Since the disbandment of Strings (the band called it quits after 33 years), Faisal began his journey into music as a solo artist, first by appearing in a collaborative song with Young Stunners in Coke Studio 14. He also made a conscious effort to look at the industry-wide changes and embraced them in his own unique way. All those changes are the sonic layer of his debut album, Zindagi Jahan Le Jaaye.

Recently, Faisal collaborated with Arif Lohar for the soundtrack of a serial. But he didn’t enter without some experience. During his peak years with Strings, the band created the complete soundtrack of Jamshed ‘Jami’ Mehmood’s beautiful film, Moor. He is unfazed by the idea of a partnership because, as a solo artist and as a member of Strings, he has done plenty already.

Just after recording the song in a Karachi studio and heading for the airport, Faisal Kapadia spoke to Instep about soundtracks, working with Arif Lohar, and answered a number of questions patiently.

‘Complement the atmosphere’

Memory can be a tricky thing. How we form long-term and short-term memory, and what we retain can change. Its accuracy isn’t always what it should be but what we believe it is.

If I remember Moor as the group’s original soundtrack, Kapadia politely reminds me that isn’t the case. His experience with an original soundtrack actually began in 2004 as Strings for Spider-Man 2.

“Then, as Strings we did ‘Yeh Hai Meri Kahaani’ for Sanjay Gupta’s film Zinda in 2006 and ‘Aakhri Alvida’ for Shootout at Lokhandwala in 2007. We also did a song for John Day, which was Naseeruddin Shah sahib’s film in 2013. And then, of course, we did Moor. So, in that sense, there have been several songs for soundtracks.”

The lingering question, which Faisal is quick to pick up on, is the shift now that he is a solo artist and how that guides him when it comes to soundtracks.

“In my journey, ‘Khaade Aye’ is my second OST. If you talk about a proper twenty-plus episode serial, then this is the first. Before this, I did a song for Mehreen Jabbar’s serial called Nadaan. Zara Madani and I had sung the tune and it was, if I’m not wrong, a six-episode miniseries.”

Now that we know Faisal’s role in TV and film music, the question is whether he considers the story before deciding to come on board. A good soundtrack adds to the drama’s sonic narrative as well as reach to a larger audience.

Faisal agrees. “Yes, the project was offered. They shared the script and the whole story. But that matters more to the composer—in this case Shuja Haider—because it is important for him to know the feel and the intensity of the serial. I did know bits and pieces about the serial but Shuja knew more. I love Shuja’s compositions and he’s a brilliant musician so I was very excited to work with him. And when he shared the song with me, I felt an immediate connection to the song.”

Working with a composer is one thing; working with someone who truly understands your comfort zone is another—and it’s something else entirely when that collaborator is Arif Lohar.

As Faisal Kapadia notes, it was the perfect mix.

“The track sits within my comfort zone. What I mean is, when we did tracks like ‘Zinda’, ‘Aakhri Alvida’, or ‘Phir Milenge’ (Coke Studio 14), they all had that same baritone, low-scale, and an intense style of singing. So, this felt like coming home. When I found out that Arif Lohar would be part of the project, I was elated—I never imagined we’d actually get to collaborate on a song.”

“We had worked together during Coke Studio when Strings were producing, but it never occurred to me that we’d one day sing together. Now that it has happened, I messaged him to say how honoured and thrilled I am to share a track with him. Raaste Kahan Se Kahan Mil Jaate Hain…”

The bigger question is whether this musical venture is the beginning of Faisal’s entrance into the world of drama OSTs in Pakistan. But, as Faisal describes it, he doesn’t know this space as well as we’d like to think.

Whether you love Faisal’s music or not, what can be said is that he is a musician who is not only uncompromising but also willing to adapt to the ever-evolving music scene.

Between Moor, Thirty, and Zin-dagi Jahan Le Jaaye, the musical tone is different in each endeavour. One is tied to a film, one to a musical pop group’s last album, and the last, an electro-pop album that carries a multi-generational appeal. It’s a nod to the times we live in and a break from genre expectations.

Add to that his latest track with Arif Lohar, and it raises the question—what is the genre-switch like?

“It takes me back to the ‘Zinda’ days,” begins Faisal, “and to Coke Studio era, because you would see this kind of partnership on Coke Studio. It was a music series that brought together different genres and different types of artists.”

In doing so, Coke Studio created a hybrid genre that was once unthinkable. But when the show did it, there was no stopping the momentum it gained.

“I don’t see such collaborations being done by other entities, so working with Arif Lohar has been interesting and refreshing. We have different styles and vocal tones; it is an interesting match.”

“My mantra right now is Zindagi Jahan Le Jaaye, but I wasn’t looking for this venture; it came to me and I happily took it. Because apart from working with Shuja Haider and Arif Lohar, it is also about doing things that I had never done before during my 35-year career (and counting). This song is as authentic as it gets. I’m not overdoing anything and neither is Arif bhai. That is its real strength.”

Beyond the collaboration, many questions linger. Where is Faisal with his record label and who are the artists he wants to sign?

Forthcoming as always, Faisal notes, “My debut record was the first album released by my record label, 29 Records, because I still want to learn about the label structure. I didn’t want to jeopardise other artists’ careers without knowing enough about label operations and just sign them. My first goal was to release a few songs and my own album, and to learn the art of distribution and marketing artists. I think I’m close enough, but I’m not there yet to launch a new artist. But hopefully, 2026 will be the year when I’m ready, Insha Allah.”

Throwing a curveball (given how well Faisal has acted in previous music videos), I ask him if acting is on the cards. He laughs before admitting that he would love to do it.

“I’m not running after it, but as they say, there’s a bug there, so yes. I do want to act, but it needs to be something I’m suitable for. Or if there is a role as a detective, they should ask me. I’d love to consider it.”

As we near the end of this interview, the last question has to be about technological changes.

When I ask him about his take on technological changes and artificial intelligence, it is obvious that he isn’t a luddite. Faisal believes that technology has connected artists in a way that simply wasn’t possible when he started out in a music group.

“It is helping musicians all over the world to collaborate, even if they are not in the same studio, city, or country at the same time.”

Ask him about artificial intelligence (AI), and he remains as relaxed about it as ever.

“I don’t take the fear seriously because the world is constantly evolving. During the mid-eighties, when I was studying, we used calculators, and then computers took over. In music, synthesisers entered the scene and replaced those 5, 6-, or 7-person bands. Now, instead of multiple individuals playing on an album, you can sequence everything with one synthesiser and record it. When auto-tune came, it could pitch-correct weak vocals into strong ones. So now, AI is creating melodies. But if you look at it positively, these are tools that can help everyone, and they are everywhere. We live in an age of self-driving cars, so drivers will be replaced, and there are many such examples. I think instead of seeing this negatively, we need to embrace how we can use these tools to enhance our skills.”

In the end, Faisal Kapadia’s career is unfolding in a serendipitous way. He is a musician other artists of his era should follow—not necessarily in musical style, but in how to conduct oneself during changing times when one might not be the biggest artist of the generation.

His success isn’t built on a formula. He is an artist who believes in others, their capabilities, and knows how to work with everyone without letting ego get in the way. Part of his outlook comes from his long career in music, But more than that, he is an optimist, open to whatever comes his way. Like the man said, “Zindagi Jahan Le Jaaye”.