Instep: Tell us about Qayaas…

Qayaas: We are just a bunch of musicians comprising of Umair Jaswal on vocals, myself (Khurram) on lead guitars, Sarmad Ghafoor, Salman Rafique and Shaheryar Ghayas, who are trying to make some honest music. Commercial gain or money does not interest us. We are in it just for the love of music. Yes, we are all rockers by heart and our music hopefully is a reflection of that. Our young generation is full of energy and enthusiasm and they desperately need something to release these energies positively. That is where we come in. Unadulterated, pure and in your face energy! This is what Qayaas is.

Instep: Qayaas is a unique name. How did you come up with it?

Qayaas: ‘Qayaas’ literally translated as “deliberation” is not only the name of our band but also the essence that encapsulates the entire philosophy behind our music. It is the coming together of collective deliberation on inspirational moments, relationships or life in general that take the form of musical notes.  The idea or feeling taking birth in one band member’s mind is developed and brought to fruition by deliberation or Qayaas by the whole band. Five different people, their different moods, outlooks and music philosophies harmoniously blend to form compositions that reflect the coming-together of a strong creative energy. We truly believe that this creative energy flows through our compositions to reach our listeners; unadulterated in this wondrous journey by commercial concerns or other shortcuts.

Instep: Would you label ‘Inquilaab’ and ‘Shehrezade’ as your breakthrough songs? Tell us about them.
Qayaas: They are two tracks that define our sound. ‘Inquilaab’ is the title track for the upcoming movie Waar being produced by Mindworks media and directed by Bilal Lashari. It is one of the most progressive tracks on our album.

‘Shehrezade’ is an energy release in the realm of funk and grunge. It is a master blaster as you would call it.

Instep: Tell us about your debut album?

Qayaas: Our debut album Uss Paar has 13 tracks in it. It was recorded mostly at Khurram’s studio with some vocals and majority of the drums done at Sarmad’s studio. It was also mixed and mastered at Sarmad’s studio. Sarmad’s extensive experience in production and Khurram’s and Sarmad’s similar taste in rock music led to the overall album sound. The thing to note over here is that the album was recorded and produced totally by the band without any help from anywhere.

Instep: How would you define your sound?

Qayaas: We are a rock band. Loud guitars, ear shattering screams, crazy drum rolls and scary solos. That is what we are and who we are and this defines our sound. 

Instep: Do you plan to collaborate with artists?

Qayaas: Yes we have plans of collaborating with some international artists. We will reveal the details as things get finalized.

Instep: How is Qayaas different from other bands?

Qayaas: We believe in what we are doing. Our forte is rock music and that is what we will always do. Rockers by heart and not afraid of anything!

Instep: What is your take on the current music scene of Pakistan?

Qayaas: We are full of talent. Raw talent which cannot be found anywhere. It just needs to be polished and put across properly and in the right spirit. We are a nation that is full of potential but we ourselves do not realize it and indulge ourselves in petty and irrelevant things.

Instep: Tell us about the IndieGo awards nominations

Qayaas: IndieGo Awards are the South Asian part of the Global Bite My Music Awards and we received the nominations because of our music and our publicist Eva Dowd who is based in Boston, USA. She is promoting us all over the world and we are getting some great response from everywhere. For IndieGo awards, we have 5 nominations and we are the first band from Pakistan to receive so many nominations.
It is indeed an honor to be able to get our music across. There are bands from five countries namely Pakistan, India, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Nepal.

Instep: Are you releasing your album across the border?

Qayaas: If we win the current IndieGo awards, our album will be released across the border. We have come to find out about our strong rock following over there. We can also have the same following here provided someone takes interest and starts promoting it.

Instep: Do you perform live?

Qayaas: Yes we do perform live. You need to be at a Qayaas concert to see what is special about it. We do not believe in words, only action. So please be there for our next show to experience what we can do live.

Instep: How difficult is it for a band to survive these days?

Qayaas: If you believe in what you are doing, then nothing can stop you. That is our belief and that is what we will take forward with us. We do not conform to any standards or templates as have been set. We have our own sound and we will move forward with this sound.

Instep: Are you planning any tours?
Qayaas: We will be launching our own tours across Lahore and Karachi after Moharram. These shows will be arranged totally on our own, for the love of music and just to rock the night away. Our fans in Lahore and Karachi are dying for us to come and perform and this will be just for them.

Instep: What’s next for Qayaas?

Qayaas: There are a lot of things in the pipeline. We will be re-releasing our album Uss Paar again. Our initial copies have all been sold. We are making an English album for the international audience which our amazing publicist, Eva Dowd, will help promote. Lots more videos and new music in the future.