Despite a musical career that comprises of only two albums, Noori has shared a tremendous relationship with the school and college going crowd, since its inception. Whether it’s endorsing the “mint with the hole” Polo campaign or signing up as brand ambassadors for Wall’s ice cream, Noori knows how to rev up concerts. They’ve been missing from the music scene since 2010 but their deep connection with the youth has brought them back once again.
Launched by Fanta and spearheaded by Noori, Fanta Rocks is a talent hunt in which the duo will be touring 250 schools across Pakistan, looking for singing sensations amongst students aged between 12 to 18 years. The shortlisted singers will then be taken to Fanta Rock Station in Lahore, where they will compose, sing and record a Fanta song with the band. “We are not interested in singers; we are interested in people who are all-rounders like us,” says the band’s lead singer Ali Noor.
“We want to bring forth people who are limitless in terms of talent and are willing to be part of the music industry to set new standards,” continues Noor, who co-founded Noori with his brother Ali Hamza. “Hamza and I have always been dreamers and have never bothered about what others say about us — that’s exactly what we are looking for in these kids.”
Since Noor and Hamza have a musician mother and a family that is very pro-art and pro-music, they never had to learn anything from an ustaad. This is the reason why the duo aims at facilitating young singers as compared to mentoring them. “What matters to us is the richness of the idea behind the creation [of a song] and how well you are able to communicate that idea through your music,” says Hamza, referring to the contestants.
Makers of optimistic numbers Suno Ke Main Hun Jawan and Dil Ki Qasam, believe that the reason why people started to like them was not because they were the best band in Pakistan, but because they have always tried to be as holistic and multi-dimensional as possible when it comes to producing songs. Looking for similar qualities in the contestants, Noor says, “You don’t need marketing gimmicks anymore to have your song heard. In the present framework of the industry, the originality of the idea is directly proportional to people listening to it and the response translates into the number of hits online.”
“Striking a chord” is all that matters, says Hamza. “Be it Waderae Ka Beta or Billo De Ghar, whether you like it or hate it, the point is that at the end of the day, they managed to garner a good following.”
For Noor, becoming popular is not a problem. The real challenge is to bring forward people who will last in the industry. “The question is how long will these new sensations last and we can’t decide that now because we are a generation older to them,” adds Noor.
This is not the first of its kind talent hunt, shows like LG Awaz Banaye Star, Pakistan Sangeet Icon, Uth Records and many others have aired in the past. However, none of the winners or contestants of these shows ended up being anything beyond a one-hit wonder.
“There are two kinds of youngsters — those who are really passionate and talented and then those who have talent in them, but are not really passionate,” explains Noor. “The brands which backed such talent hunts earlier could not differentiate between the two, but thanks to their experience, we can now have a more refined method of screening [the contestants].” The duo says that the ratio of non-passionate singers to the passionate ones has been 90:10.
Fanta entering the music scene is a good sign for our artists. However, the quality of songs produced in Fanta Rocks will only depend on the final collaboration with Noori in the studios.
Published in The Express Tribune, June 12th, 2013.
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