Atif’s music goes global

He is looking forward to the Indian release of his acting debut, ‘Bol’, but if all goes well, Pakistani singer Atif Aslam will be part of a much bigger partnership, reports the Times of India. He might just end up collaborating with big-ticket musicians like John Mayer, Coldplay and Jimmy Page (the founder of famous hard rockband Led Zeppelin). Aslam is a member of The Sonic Peacemakers’ ‘Pakistan America: Peace Through Music’ — a project aimed to bring Americans and Pakistanis closer, and support and develop the country’s artistic talent.

“Whenever I’m in the US, I keep aside a week to work only on my collaborations with artistes. Be it raising money or tying up with musicians, I’m doing everything on my own,” says Atif. “We are planning to collaborate with Mayer, Coldplay and Jimmy Page, but nothing is finalised yet.”

A hit Bollywood singer too, Atif says, “I’m keeping my fingers crossed because, after all, they are busy people.” But is it likely to happen? “We will keep everyone informed about it,” he says.

Atif has already recorded four songs with the ex-members of iconic American band Guns N’ Roses — Slash, Gliby Clarke and Chris Pitman for the album The Dreamer Awakes. “With the initiative, I plan to bring Pakistani singers — including our Sufi singers — and American artistes together for musical collaborations,” he says.

Regarding the upcoming release of Shoaib Mansoor’s Bol, Atif mentions, “It’s always exciting to work on new projects. ‘Bol’ is a very serious film and not just meant for pure entertainment.” Admitting that he was nervous about the film, he adds, “Although I have acted in my music videos and that helped, mouthing dialogues, that too intense ones, is a completely different ballgame. Shoaib Mansoor is a one-of-a-kind director. I loved his last film, ‘Khuda Ke Liye’.” daily times monitor