Interview with Maham Suhail

Jan 3, 2021

The fourth single to be released from their debut album titled ‘Mitti’ (‘Mitti’ is Urdu, for ‘earth/soil’), ‘Exile to Space’ is a soundscape with a hybrid Ethnic-Chillout-Blues-Rock sound. ‘Exile to Space’ has a mystical and empowered vibe as the English and Urdu lyrics blend into each other. While the English lyric speaks of the relationship with her Beloved and the qualities of both merging into a unit; the Urdu lyrics (excerpts from his poem, titled ‘Faqeer’ (‘Mystic’)) declare an almost real sense of liberation discovered while in ‘exile’ (‘jilawatni’, in Urdu). This exile is a state of being, not a physical banishment, but an emotional/spiritual escape to a parallel universe where he found freedom and yearns for enlightenment.

Can you tell us a little about your experience? Where are you from / how did you get into music? Was it all internet based?

I am originally from Pakistan. I got into music professionally a few years ago, but an affinity for sounds & melodies was always within me from a young age. I was learning the Piano as a child, and singing in the school choir. Later, I was writing poems & songs and jamming with rock & pop bands as a teenager.

Also, I was fondly listening to music, and collecting CD’s at a young age.

When I finally decided to do music formally, I picked the Keyboard again, and started my raaga training, as per my research and the guidance I received back then. Moving forward, I went for S. Asian vocal training to the Sangeet (Music) Research Academy, the ITC-SRA (Kolkata), and later to Berklee College of Music, Valencia (Spain) for a Masters in Music Production (We don’t have formal degree programs for this in Pakistan, by the way).

Who have been your main inspirations (both musical and in “life”)? And how have they affected your sound?

My main inspirations, musically, have been diverse, starting from Beethoven & Western classics in school, to old Bollywood & American pop in childhood, to Rock, Blues & a bit of Rap during teenage and later, and then falling upon Jazz, S. Asian Classical & Folk, and experimental Sonic art later on.

Various influences are visible across my musical projects over time, whether in my E.P. ‘Pari Sufna’, songs from my compilation album ‘Mitti’, or curated performance & studio projects otherwise as a composer/artist.

How would you define your sound?

My sound is a mix of influences. I think the very title of my debut album, ‘Mitti’, is a reflection of the main ideology behind my synthesis as a composer/producer/artist. As a practitioner of styles varying from Folk, to Western forms, to sonic textures & samples, and recording in 8 (regional, Persian & English) languages in between…I view my sound, in the bigger picture, as an ancient tree, firmly grounded to the organic roots, yet finding growth & blooming upward in a few directions.

How has your sound evolved so far?

My sound has evolved in a way, that I started with Western Classics, moved on to Rock ‘n Roll, Pop, and then the Blues, Soul & Jazz influences came in, finally finding way into S. Asian traditional music, vis a vis, raagas & desi (local) bear systems being my main practice grounds.

This has actually enabled me to play with odd beats (e.g., ‘Pauna 6’, a latest ‘Unsigned Only’ 2021 finalist), using very desi percussive sounds (e.g., the ‘Dhol’ in my ‘Pauna 6’ track), yet engaging Jazz & Western Classical musicians too on the project.

I, being a traveller, have also been thoroughly recording field sounds, especially in unusual, remote natural environments in addition to the most random urban sounds. ‘Exile to Space’ maps together these diverse sonic perspectives in my work.

What can you tell us about your last job? What inspired you? What do you want to convey?

The very intial production stage of ‘Exile to Space’ was based on a whim, to make a one-day trip to Islamabad city (from Lahore) to record the ‘Suroz’ (Balochi instrument), as the Suroz maestro Sachu Khan, was in town only for 1-2 days. I had asked him to let me know when he was visiting Punjab province down from his hometown in Balochistan, which he did. Hence the entire composition & production for ‘Exile to Space’ started from the pure Balochi folk music recordings at the veteran producer Sarmad Ghafoor’s studio.

Later, in Valencia (Spain), during my Masters (Music Production) program, I recorded everything else, arranged & composed the track, and Thomas Bingham & Carlos A. Sierra helped arrange the Piano section & the Bass respectively, which they played on the track. The mix & master was done by myself later, after much editing on the Balochi tracks especially.

The Balochi vocal samples at places, were actually leakages on the microphone used for Tambouro recording by the player (the ‘Tambouro’ is a stringed, percussive Balochi instrument). I decided to use these as sound design elements.

The idea to convey is, how languages, sonic textures, technology & ancient indigenous forms of music can be woven together to create transcendential states for those undergoing this experience, both sonically & visually.

The music video also speaks of transformation, the raven to the phoenix, as the protagonist reaches enlightenment through a journey between parallel universes: This indeed, is a process that is personal to me, and my spiritual goals in life.

What can you tell us about each song that makes up your latest work? What is hidden behind?

My latest work being ‘Mitti’, a compilation album made up of 7 songs, ‘Exile to Space’ being the fourth release now, started with my award-winning ‘Sajjan Yaar’, a Modern Folk track with Sufi lyrics in Siraiki language.

The recording of Mitti started with my first-ever studio experience which was in Kolkata (India). Those 2 songs, which have Baul (Bengali folk) as well as Jazz sounds, will be released later this year.

In between, there’s ‘Dil Mi Ravad’, a Spanish-Persian track with Flamenco beats and sheet music written by myself, the next release after ‘Exile to Space’.

‘Pauna 6’, an odd-beat song with a S. Asian Classical & Jazz mix, and ‘Mein Kamli Mastani’, a statement about empowered women with a gypsy music vibe, were released last year.

How are you living the current situation because of COVID? Has your work affected you a lot? Do you think there is hope? I feel like the underground scene will continue to persist.

Well, for one, my work in the larger sense, is not underground. Though yes, the underground will always persist, I believe.

I was for a large part of the COVID lockdowns in Europe, present in Spain. The isolation gave me plenty of opportunity to learn a few things about being an independent songwriter, producer, apart from being a solo artist with serious goals. I was also invited to do shows on livestream, in London, Galway, etc.

Yes, on the monetary side, things were a bit rough, but I got by with the help of savings and a couple of friends with whom I stayed in the Spanish countryside for 2 months. Looking for work was not very fruitful either, but now things are getting back in shape.

What projects are you working on right now?

I am currently working on, i. Co-producing a track with a young female rapper from Islamabad, ii. A TV acting/performance project in a genre new to me, comedy i.e., iii. Getting out there as a sync songwriter/producer in the international markets, something for which I am willing to re-locate too, if need be.

SOCIAL MEDIA: www.instagram.com/maham_suhail_ www.facebook.com/MayhemMindsville www.youtube.com/Maham1686 https://vm.tiktok.com/ZSeWeh4cp/ https://open.spotify.com/artist/4HJ21OjtMdgkgXAuwrSx9b?si=eGnIh81xSU2Xa8pIJ8BJmg&utm_source=copy-link www.maham-suhail.com