What was your inspiration behind creating the melodious yet playfully charming track ‘Damsel’?
Damsel was conceived and reconceived many times over the last 10 years. Its funk riff in the pre-chorus was the first element written in 2015, the verses around the same year, the lyrics and chorus in 2017, the outro and basslines in 2018 and then its overall production completed in 2022 along with the remainder of the tracks in Narcissus. Its inspiration comes from real life events and fiction to create the narrative surrounding the EP’s storyline.
I had just gotten out of my first long term relationship in 2016 when I moved to New Zealand (long distance was the assailant on our already crumbling compatibility) and was essentially entering the phase of my life where all I wanted from any romantic pursuits was entertainment and fun. I was listening to a lot of Arctic Monkeys when coming up with the lyrics and a lot of Red Hot Chili Peppers when writing the main motifs of the music. Akbar’s (protagonist in the visual component of the narrative) journey follows a similar tangent where his suppression of sadness and grief over his loss is made easier by his recklessness and hedonistic approach to life.
Tell us a little about your latest EP, Narcissus? What was your vision regarding the entire EP?
Narcissus was originally conceived as an album, however with current release trends and the average listener’s attention span as well as how saturated the music industry is, releasing an album while being completely unknown was going to be a doomed strategy to begin with, unless winning-lottery-ticket level luck was somehow a part of the equation. So the album will be released as 3 EPs each as a different act of the entire narrative.
The storyline follows Akbar, a chronically heart broken man with the inability to reflect and consider anyone else’s feelings that he encounters in his life. He perpetually assigns his own life’s meaning to his romantic exploits and is constantly left feeling unfulfilled and resentful. There are several other motifs and easter eggs across the visual story as per what is to come, but I can’t give much else away at this stage. People will need to explore the discography themselves.
How has your musical journey been so far? Has it been a smooth sail or a bumpy ride?
Music has been a part of my life since I was 7 years old. Its professional pursuit began 20 years after that. Being Pakistani, it hasn’t always been easy to pursue as a career, what most would consider a hobby or a passion. Being an immigrant on top of that makes it even more convoluted and confronting. However, over the last few years I have met my bandmates – driven, talented and perpetual students of the game. I’ve also found community in the scene here in Wellington. Through Jazeerabad’s producer and mixing engineer Jake Stokes I have also learned a lot about the landscape of the industry here in New Zealand which has illuminated our path forward and streamlined decision making.
All in all. I have found that the longer I spend time on this path and continue on this journey, the more coherent the directions and signals seem.
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What is ‘Jazeerabad’ all about? What will you tell a listener who is stepping into your musical world (discography) for the first time?
Jazeerabad is about connection through storytelling. At the moment it is primarily a rock band. It may evolve into something else in the future. I would insist that whoever stumbles on our body of work now or later, should do so with no expectations.
What inspires you the most as artists? Do you draw inspiration from spontaneous life events? Or are your creations a methodical outlet of emotions and desires?
If you have access to an internet connection and more so if you have a phone on top of that, you’re in a constant state of consumption and though I try to limit that, I am ever inspired by what is around me. Just in the last few weeks, I went to a local dance show called Pilot. run by a dance crew called MoreThanMoves based here in Wellington and it was incredible – not just to witness movement and expression in a way that seems impossible to me, but to witness emotion and storytelling through music and movement. It made me want to incorporate that into what we make.
That being said, certain life events and rites of passage are so existential and central to living that they must be talked about, explored and expressed, which we aim to do here as well.
Do you believe in art for art’s sake, or do you think that art should always carry an inherent purpose?
I think even if an artist creates something with no inherent purpose, that in itself becomes its purpose – and you can always rely on a diverse audience to interpret that art to have purpose. To each their own type beat, you know?
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