LAHORE 29 June (Online): Strings may be over but that in no way impacts Bilal Maqsood’s vocal cords, the singer just released his second solo single titled ‘Zalima’ and the music video, simultaneously a lyric video, is animated bliss for the viewer.
Maqsood’s new song made its entry into the world on Wednesday. “Aap ka milaya hooa number filhaal bund hai!” [Your dialled number is currently turned off],” he captioned the video. The line is one every Pakistani is familiar with, having heard it at one point while calling someone. It made it to the singer’s new song as well.
Directed by Umair Anwar, the video has been created by We Are Transmedia, “an independent multi-disciplinary creative studio that aims to tell stories and create experiences through cutting-edge design”. The ‘Naya Naya’ singer’s lyrics and vocals are accompanied by multiple artsy frames and backgrounds.
In the video, Maqsood and any real-life props used for the track are in black and white whilst the graphics offer a pop of colour. The 51-year-old singer can be seen swaying to the beat in several shots, his shades transforming into mini screens for the lyrics and art to find another place to shine.
‘Naya Naya’ which released last month, was the musician’s first solo song and it seems like he’s experimenting because unlike this video, his first solo was shot in Turkeye and featured him wandering around the city.
Another element that differs from his last song is the presence of others in the video. The singer interacted with his environment in ‘Naya Naya’ — exchanging smiles with strangers, offering a hand to people who need it, petting dogs, interacting with street artists, dancing with a street band, taking selfies with random people and snapping pictures of the city. In this video, it’s just Maqsood.
Strings’ 33-year journey came to an end in March last year and while the days of the singer making stage appearances with his bandmates may be over, he still has a lot to show the world. In April, he released eight original nursery rhymes in Urdu written and composed by him that were accompanied by cute animations. He said his sole purpose was to provide Pakistani children with quality Urdu content.
Bilal’s journey as a solo artist has led him to explore new avenues. During the pandemic, he sang covers of songs while playing his piano at home and floated them out on Instagram. He took on the mantle of music producer and helmed a thumping, groovy Velo Sound Station. He revamped the jingle of a well-known tea advertisement and also collaborated with SomeWhatSuper for the Pakistan Super League franchise the Quetta Gladiators. All of this he did with his upcoming songs in the pipeline.
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