Garlands of marigold, the scent of henna, and some glorious ensembles by Ali Xeeshan; if like us, you have been checking out social media platforms lately, you know that we aren’t talking about some high-society mehndi, but about Hadiqa Kiani’s upcoming music video, ‘Chaap Tilak’.
Wajd, the album features a mix of Kiani’s latest recordings, which all have their roots in this part of the world. However, it is ‘Chaap Tilak’, which has garnered the most attention thanks to not only Xeeshan’s delectable ensembles but also Yousuf Salahuddin’s haveli as its backdrop!
What exactly is the ‘Buhe Barian’ singer’s motive with her upcoming video and her new album? She reveals exclusively to Something Haute!
Something Haute: You’ve won numerous accolades and success from previous albums, how is Wajd going to be different? What can we expect from it?
Hadiqa Kiani: Wajd is a spiritual journey. I believe we all evolve with the passage of time and our experiences. It is my current state of mind too. Irfan [Kiani] and I both have worked hard on its production and conceived it as an organic production that includes all string instruments, mostly eastern, which are not synthesized. I think that’s the beauty of our culture and music.
SH: What kind of musical influences are we going to see in this album?
HK: It’s purely raw and real, the influences are from its cultural roots and our folk/sufi music.
SH: You have recently released a few shots from your upcoming single ‘Chaap Tilak’. Tell us a little about that. What are your expectations from it?
HK: ‘Chaap Tilak’ is a Sufi song, and as we know it’s mystic and Hazrat Amir Khusro writes it for the love of Hazrat Nizam-Ud-Din Auliya. So for me, I wanted to justify with its poetry and purity. I have tried to give my own color to this version and it’s well produced by Irfan Kiani, who has done great justice to its music. All I know is if it’s touching my heart it will touch millions of other hearts.
SH: The song also features some beautiful dresses by Ali Xeeshan and a lot of colours; what made you choose Xeeshan?
HK: ‘Chaap Tilak’s’ video is done by a great photographer/director Abdullah Harris, and we came up with an idea of mehndi festivity for the video. So, one name that came to our minds was Ali Xeeshan, who happens to be a good friend as well. He suited well because of his colorful motifs and embellishments, which worked for the models and I in the video and made the video look more colorful & ethnic!
SH: When are we going to hear the whole album? When is it releasing?
HK: I hope you’ll get to hear that in the month of March.
SH: Are there any collaborations on Wajd?
HK: Singing wise, there are no collaborations but each song has featured one main instrument like sitar, sirod, sarangi, flute, baghlama, etc.
SH: Is there anything else that you’d like to tell the readers?
HK: All I have to say is that I have started my Wajd experience, which is a divine and spiritual path. We have done it with our purest intentions and I’m grateful to my team of artists, who played such a great part in this album. For me, it’s an ongoing process, so I hope my listeners become part of my journey!
