Describe your sound in 3 words

emotional, exciting, heartfelt

Your sound is really exciting, blending many traditional elements. Tell us a few things about your new work “This Pale”.

We wanted the album as a whole to relay a story, while each song stood on its own. We also wanted to ensure that the recording was emotionally uninterrupted, which meant that the songs were to be recorded in the same order as they are heard on the CD. And, while the tunes were all composed by Shujaat, he called upon us to bring our own thoughts into every piece and improvise as we saw fit–for me that was the most exciting part.

We also believe, to the best of our knowledge, this album marks the first time sitar and Iranian ney have been recorded together.

Which song of the album reflects you the most?

They all do, to some degree, because the album spans a large spectrum of emotions.

What do you enjoy most? Writing music or performing your music live?

For me, the enjoyment mostly comes from the process of creating the music.

Why do many people lose touch with their culture? What is the role of music to fix that?

Perhaps a lot of people feel that they need to lose their own culture in order to blend in with a new one. I myself feel that no matter where you go, you need a strong foundation to build upon and that requires an understanding of the culture you were born into and raised with. And music plays a big role as it can act as a database of shared emotions and memories, a tool for communication among members of a society, and a device for preserving language and literature and voicing opinions.

In which state of mind do you imagine people might listen to your music?

Our music requires some attention, so I would hope that people listen to it when they are ready to set aside some uninterrupted period of time.

What would you say is your biggest vice?

Ice cream for sure

Thank you!