instep eye
The one-man army
Front man of Mauj, Coke Studio house band member, producer, session guitarist - Omran Shafique is a man who wears many different musical hats. Instep takes a closer look...



caption

2011 was a special year for Omran Shafique. Omran's claim to fame band, Mauj, finally won an award at the prestigious Lux Style Awards. Mauj won Best Artist, the category formerly known as Best Music Album. Even though Mauj was competing with the likes of Kaavish and Siege, the win didn't come as a surprise for industry insiders because Mauj's debut album, Now in Technicolor, was filled with edgy, punk-funk songs such as 'Paheliyan', 'Khushfehmi', 'Mona' and a cover of Zoheb Hassan's 'Pyar Ka Jadoo'. The year was even more special for Omran as he became a father to a beautiful baby girl.

caption

Omran Shafique was recruited by Rohail Hyatt during the first season of Coke Studio as a guitarist. Five years into the show, Omran is still an integral part of the Coke Studio house band. Talking about his experience of working on the popular show, Omran told Instep: "The biggest challenge for me, as with all previous Coke Studio seasons, was to set aside my Western influences and try to get a deeper understanding of the immensely soulful musical traditions we have here on the Subcontinent. It's not an easy task."

In addition to playing with some of the country's finest pop-rock, classical and folk giants, Omran's own musical outfit, Mauj, also made an appearance on the debut season of Coke Studio, where Omran and crew belted out a grungy version of the song 'Paheliyan'

caption

In 2011, Omran joined hands with drummer/musician Gumby and producer/director Zeeshan Parwez for the new reality music show, Uth Records. Omran featured on the first season as co-producer and alongside Gumby, managed to deliver the goods after two songs from the show, 'Reidi Gul' (Yasir and Jawad with Wali) and 'Naughty Boy' (RamLal) became smash hits. Omran didn't comeback to Uth Records this year for a second season due to, among other things, budgetary constraints. "I wasn't able to be a part of it. I'm sure it will kick ass, and I wish Gumby and Zeeshan and everyone working on it the best of luck!" Omran had told Instep, prior to the new season airing. 

caption

A man of many talents, Omran is also a part of Koastal, a music production duo, alongside Taha Malik, who served as producer and audio engineer to Mauj's debut album. Koastal came into the limelight with the single, 'Jaan Jaye'. Initially released online, the song was later made into a music video in 2009 and directed by Uns Mufti at Rola. Featuring Ali Saleem as Begum Nawazish Ali and choreographed by Nida Butt, the music video was full of fun and colour with some familiar faces from fashion and entertainment (including Sanam Saeed, Tara Mehmood, Anisa Sheikh, Merium Azmi and Nida Butt) adding glamour and sizzle to the already-groovy song.

caption

Omran's fan following and visibility grew within and outside the music industry after he joined hands with rockstar Ali Azmat. Not only does Omran perform with Ali onstage and often on tours, but he also played guitars on Ali's second album, Klashinfolk. In an interview with Instep, Ali Azmat said about Omran: "Omran's very adaptable and groovy." In between playing with Ali Azmat and his own outfit Mauj, Omran has also played guitars for Zeb and Haniya's debut album, Chup.