Success flows directly from personal passion and commitment because when you are working on passion, the belief is that you will enjoy yourself more and be more willing to do what needs to be done. The combination of passion, commitment as well as talent can be seen in Pakistani pop singer and music composer Faakhir Mehmood's persona journey where the magic becomes apparent. I was impressed equally with the sincerity of his commitment and his pursuit for the passion of music he has despite holding a degree in electrical engineering. This commitment was exemplified during an exclusive interview with Saudi Gazette when I asked him how he had left his recently-born daughter and wife Mehreen in Pakistan for last week's performance in Jeddah. “Yes, I am missing my three-week-old baby girl Simone too much, but I had to come to Jeddah as I was ‘committed' to Tariq Rahim to perform here,” Faakhir said. He continued to surprise me: “I went to New York when Simone was only two days old. Again, that was a matter of my commitment and I had to fulfill it. Mehreen, my wife, supports me always. She understands my passion, values my commitment and supports me for my work.” Faakhir was in Jeddah last week to captivate Jeddah's music lovers with an energetic performance in his first musical show here called “Faakhir Music Mela 2010” and organized by Jeddah's International Talent Promotion (ITP). “It wasn't in my wildest dreams that I would get to witness such a huge and noteworthy audience so thanks to Tariq Rahim and his team. It made me feel as if I was performing at Kinnaird College of Lahore,” Faakhir stated, referring to one of his favorite venues, where the sizzling audience provides an interactive music session. With the added bonus of his ‘chocolate' good looks and melodious voice, he is a very energetic and lively performer. “I am so keen to come back here again to sing the new songs of my upcoming album. I would love to perform for fans residing in the Kingdom,” added Faakhir who has performed in various countries worldwide alongside international contemporaries including Sukhbir and Stereo Nation to name just a few. “The name of my upcoming album is not chosen yet but I am optimistic about its success and hope that I will match the expectations of listeners again.” Faakhir Mehmood stepped into music at the tender age of seven, when he took up the harmonica. He started out his professional career as a keyboard player in 1992 with a Pakistani musical group called ‘Awaaz' with Haroon Rasheed (lead singer) and Asad Ahmed (a guitarist of Junoon fame). His long association with the band was a satisfying experience as his compositions and arrangements for the band led to many smash hits like “Mr. Fraudiye” (Mr. Fraudster), “Ae Jawan” (Oh the Youth), and “Shawa.” However, the band split in 2000 and they all went on to become solo artists. “Everyone in Awaz wanted to be separate and solo, so I was coerced to choose my separate path as well. Fortunately, it became a blessing in disguise for me. I achieved lots of success and recognition as a solo singer and performer,” he explained. Music lovers value him as a multi-skilled artist - trained as a musician and one who writes his own lyrics, composes music, sings, produces, acts and dances in his music videos. One can discern a number of Western and European influences in his music. His song in the album “Aatish” (Fire) called “Dil Na Lagey” was the best national song of the year in 2000. Then “Khabi Khabi Pyaar Mein” won a Lux Style Award in Pakistan while his other single “Dilruba” (Sweetheart) - Pakistan's most expensive music video, shot in Spain with Spanish musical influence - was also nominated for Best Video and Direction at the same awards. In another album “Mantra,” Faakhir sang a duet with famed Bollywood singer Sunidhi Chauhan in a song called “Jiya Na Jaye.” A melodious song in that album called “Mahi Ve” won two awards in the India Sangeet Awards. Above all, he was awarded the Pride of Performance by former Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf which is the highest civil award in Pakistan in recognition for his outstanding services in the field of music. He has been serving as the United Nations' Goodwill ambassador as well as being appointed as the ambassador for the “War on Tobacco” in Pakistan by the Federal Ministry of Health. Faakhir attended the University of Engineering and Technology in Lahore and then moved to the United States for a Bachelor degree in Electrical Engineering from George Washington University in the early nineties. “Despite the fact that I am an electrical engineer by qualification, I chose to pursue my passion. I took my music seriously and worked with it progressively. Now that I have started singing, I know that there is no turning back. And the more I got involved in it, the more I realized what I had been missing - at least not anymore,” he said. Being an electrical engineer, he added, fueled his fascination for electronic gadgets and got him to set up a studio called TwentyFourSeven in Karachi. He has been consistently upgrading the studio to meet his desire for ‘higher-end' acoustic technology. His studio works on projects for artists, record labels, TV/film companies and advertising agencies alike. His compositions have also helped many bands capture the share of minds of people in the highly competitive and developed advertising world. “I wish that we could have a proper school to learn every aspect of music in Pakistan….I wish I had studied music and not electrical engineering,” he said. But it seems that his degree did help him to mature and develop skills in instrumentation. Carrying an enduring piece of music and melody forward with soulful grace is what makes him a commended creator. Inspired by Western composers Mozart and Jean Michelle and carrying with him a backpack of unique ideas, he is always looking for a modern and fresh genre of music that reflects his creative expression. “A composition is an edifice to great sound and an art form independent to technological advancement. It's eventually the ‘man behind the machine' and not the machine itself when it comes to create masterpieces. Music cannot be explained or defined. It must be heard and felt,” he explained. “To me music is like the stars in the sky; it does to the soul what the stars do to break the muteness of the stark black sky.”
