[ STRINGS INTERVIEW - MUBASHERA ASGHAR ]

Faisal Kapadia, frontman of Pakistani rock band Strings, spills the beans on being featured on the Spider-Man 2 soundtrack as well as his upcoming concert in Dubai

Dubai seems to be caught up in a rock frenzy. Following the Mark Knopfler and Desert Rock shows, comes Vibes 2005, an Asian rock concert featuring three of Pakistan’s top bands: Sufi rock maestros Junoon, pop-rock hearthrobs Strings and classical rock act Fuzon.

In an exclusive interview prior to the event, Faisal Kapadia of Strings talks about the upcoming concert, their music, and of course, the numbing realisation of being on the Spider-Man 2 soundtrack.

Mubashera Asgher: Congratulations! Strings has just won an MTV Asia Viewer’s Choice award. How you do feel?

Faisal Kapadia: It’s still hard to believe that besides the honour of actually winning this award, the fact that we were nominated from India ... that’s what has shocked and delighted us.

Why did the band break up from 1992 till 2000?

When we started off, we were far too young to be able to handle a career. We were making music because it was fun. But suddenly, tour schedules and press meets took over our lives. We had no time to study, to be at home, do what we wanted ... we decided to take a break and finish our education. I strongly believe that if something has to happen, it will. We just knew that if music was our destiny, we would get back together at some point. If not, it was never meant to be.

Whose idea was it to form Strings?

It was a joint idea. Bilal [ Maqsood] and I sat next to each other in college. We vibed well and started making music just for the heck of it. Little did we know what destiny had in store for us.

When you started, there were few Pakistani pop bands around. That seems to have changed now. In the future, where you do see Pakistani pop heading?

When we started off, there was only one TV channel in Pakistan – which didn’t air music videos – and no radio stations. It was very hard to get our first break. Today, however, things have changed. It’s a lot easier for bands now, than it was for us. I think Pakistani pop has to go a long way to catch up with the international scene, but I believe it’s going to get there at some point.

How‘s the chemistry between you and Maqsood?

We’ve been friends for over 15 years. Without the chemistry, we’d never have made it to this point. I guess one of the main reasons we click is because from day one, we have identified our individual roles in the band and we never overstep boundaries.

What are those pre-defined roles?

Bilal has always made the music and composed the melodies. I handle the management and marketing aspect, which I think is very important to the success of any band. It’s my job to make sure that Strings is a name familiar to everyone, that our albums are available at all major stores, that we get the right PR, etc.

Speaking of PR, let’s talk about Naa Jane Kyun, which is on the Spider-Man 2 soundtrack.

Funnily enough, that wasn’t a planned move. We were on the verge of releasing Dhaani in India, through Sony. Coincidentally, Columbia Tristar was in India at the time. They were looking for an additional song for the soundtrack, but they were very sure about what they wanted. They were looking for a rock outfit whose image would suit the mood of the film. Things clicked between the higher-ups and out of the blue, we got a call saying they wanted Naa Jane Kyun on the Spider-Man soundtrack! We couldn’t believe our ears.

It’s not just that it’s a Hollywood film and we were literally unheard of – at the time – in the West. It was the fact that it was for Spider-Man! Our favourite superhero. It still sounds too good to be true. Even our fans wrote in telling us how thrilled they were for us.

You’ve got plenty of fans in Dubai too – who have high expectations from your performance at Vibes 2005. What can they look forward to?

This is not a cliche or a practised line that we give everyone. It’s the truth: Dubai is very special to us. We love performing here. I can promise our fans a rocking night. We’ll be playing some of our newer stuff as well as all the favourites such as Duur, Anjane, Sar Ke Pahar and of course, Naa Jane Kyun.