For the first time ever, pop/rock music outfits, Mizmaar – the band that made it big in 2001 when they made it to the top ten list of Battle of the Bands – and Guru’s Trilogy – the latest addition to the local pop music scene – have collaborated in form of their latest video, ‘Jeet Lo’ named as Himmat for the video.
Rotating heavily on airwaves these days, it marks the first collaboration between these two bands who had initially teamed up to make this song as an unofficial anthem for the World Cup. But with Pakistan losing out to Ireland, both bands decided to hold onto the pop ditty and have now released it as a morale boost for Pakistan Cricket Team.
Musically, it’s a very energetic number and showcases the talents of both bands in the spotlight. Amazing lyrics were written by Ovais Sohail who also did the lyrics for Gurus Trilogy debut album Aghaaz, Alfred D’ Mello (Mizmaar) strums up quite the storm with his drumming, Mohsin Allahditta (Guru’s Trilogy) provides electric keyboard notes while Kashan Admani (Mizmaar) and Sayyam Rana (Guru’s Trilogy) provide blistering guitar riffs.
The amalgamation of two vocalists, Glenn Silverious John (Guru’s Trilogy) and Daniyal Baadshah (Mizmaar) also make ‘Jeet Lo’ an interesting mix with Daniyal tilting slightly towards a harsher, masculine sound and Glenn opting for some soft crooning. One interesting aspect of the song is that it features a chorus of around 300 people, which definitely compliments the video.
The video, directed by Jalal has been shot in a stadium in Karachi under floodlights and despite the fact that it is a performance-oriented video, the shots of the cricket team thrown in and the ambiance that has been created with encouraging lyrics, “Gar jazba hai tau jeet lo/Gar himmat hat tau jeet lo/chahe andhi ho ya toofan ho/tum jeet lo/duur manzil ho ya mushkil ho tum jeet lo” – it makes for a very vibrant number.
Speaking on the collaboration, guitarist/producer Kashan Admani says, “We were very disappointed upon Pakistan’s dismal performance in the World Cup and hence we couldn’t release the track at that time.” Interestingly enough, they weren’t the only band who went through this problem. LSA Best Music Album nominee Raeth was also stuck in a similar situation when the made a song just for the World Cup but never released the video because of Pakistan’s dismissal from the tournament.
But then, one wonders why release this song now? “Well, the time was right to lift the spirits of the team when they play a series against Sri Lanka. We all want Pakistan to succeed in not just cricket but every walk of life,” said Kashan patriotically.
Videos in the name of cricket are a rage in the music scene. While Junoon’s ‘Jazba Junoon’ remains on top of this ‘sports music’ genre, over the years, many bands have ventured into this thematic video phenomenon. Other than this song, another song that deserves a mention is Faakhir’s ‘Rung’ and the all-time hit of Strings, ‘Hai Koi Hum Jaisa’.
Coming back to the bands at hand, Guru’s Trilogy who recently released their debut album is all set to venture into the Indian market with their album, and Mizmaar are set to release their second studio album, Sitara in Pakistan and India in the coming weeks.
For now, though, check out the song.
by Shahzeb Shaikh, The News – Instep International