If you haven’t heard the songs released by VELO Sound Station yet, you have no idea what you are missing out on. Music has always helped me get through difficult times and I am sure this is true for a lot of people here. If you are all fizzled out because of the semester and quarantine like me, I would totally recommend you to check out these songs to blow off steam.
Ever since Bilal Maqsood announced that he has been working on something big, he’s had us on the edge of our seats. Strings is one of those bands that never disappoint and they sure didn’t this time around either. The performances so far have been absolutely bang on. From the incorporation of Electronic Dance Music to the retro pop outfits, the show has hit all the right notes. It gives tribute to Pakistani pop legends like Nazia Hassan and Alamgir but also adds a refreshing twist to their songs. Some of you might be wondering, this just sounds like another Coke Studio? Only, it’s different in so many ways. This show has a live and super energetic audience which makes you feel connected and really adds to the vibe. Also, this show solely follows the genre of pop music and every single performance is power packed.
Another thing I loved about the show is how it has given spotlight to artists like Natasha Noorani and Abdullah Qureshi who deserve to be given center stage. At the same time, I wish we got to see more of that. We see performances by mainstream artists such as Atif Aslam, Sajjad Ali and Umair Jaswal when this could have been a good opportunity to let small musicians come out to perform, especially since the music industry is so saturated. Pakistan has some great Indie artists who make a great amount of effort but don’t have platforms to perform on. The show still goes on though, maybe it’s too soon to say!
Overall, looks like an amazing initiative and is definitely a source of catharsis amid all that’s going on. With the return of Coke Studio Season 13 added on to this, it seems like the last leg of 2020 is going to be all about music. And aren’t we totally here for it?