Oh My, Oh My! This has to be my favorite episode so far & no other upcoming episode will replace this one because the reason is obvious & it is Sajjad Ali. Another reason is that this episode was sort of a tribute to all the Pop Icons of Pakistani Music Industry & this focused on 90’s onward era of music when our music industry was at it’s peak & I was certainly waiting for this episode.
The episode began with Sajjad Ali’s performance, wasn’t sure about two figurines dancing behind him creating a total distraction & looking unnecessary. Anyways, Sajjad Ali’s appearance made it more clear as to why he should’ve been judging the show. This shows what a true star & a living legend is – knows his game yet is HUMBLE & down to earth. Loved the way he corrected the contestants & pointed out their mistakes but never did he make them feel they were doing something totally wrong, in fact he addressed their mistakes in order to correct & more importantly teach them. I so wish he was a judge because he truly deserves to be. Just one episode & look at the technical intricacy with which he speaks.
We have seen so many episodes & the only terminologies that I could hear our respected judges say were ‘jagahain acchi lagai hain’, ‘wo jagah thori kamzor parh gai’, ‘rooh se gaya hai’, ‘sur theek hain’. This is exactly what I pointed out in the beginning that none of the judges are passing technical judgments & Sajjad Ali proved it. The way he sang in order to explain things to the contestant, the technicalities he noted in each & every performance showed what a great & a perfect singer he is. I thank him for coming to Pakistan Idol & for making this a memorable episode for us.
So, the commentary on all the performances is as follows:
Abdul Rafay Khan (RK) of Karachi sang Fuzon’s ‘Akhiyaan’. It looked like he was putting in so much effort in his singing which could be heard easily. He definitely attempted a song other than his comfort zone & looked like he pushed himself hard on it. Bushra Ansari liked the over all performance but pointed out some mistakes on certain places. Hadiqa Kiyani said from start till the end of the performance she found his notes weak. Ali Azmat spoke on the same lines as the other judges & said his voice sounded strained. Sajjad Ali found his voice quality really nice & said he has a long way to go.
Ali Asad Zaidi (AZ) of Karachi sang String’s ‘Sar Kiye Ye Pahar’. This song looked like it was made to fit his voice & for this very reason it sounded almost perfect with his vocal tone. He was pretty good at it & Ali Azmat said he has been consistent in performing well till date. Hadiqa Kiyani said he is perfect for the stage because his aura is of that sort, she also commented on his vocal quality being strong & loved his performance. Bushra Ansari liked it as well & Sajjad Ali spoke on the technical terms saying that this is a simple song which doesn’t give away much about a singer’s singing prowess but Ali Asad gave in his 100% & sang it how he could.
Rosemary (RM) of Karachi sang Hadiqa Kiyani’s ‘Dupatta’. She sang it really well & it matched her vocal tone just perfectly. Hadiqa Kiyani loved the song but also told her to work on her accent a little. Sajjad Ali was all praises for her & said she sang it the way she deemed fit & conveyed it using her own style. Ali Azmat said she sang it nicely & was completely flawless. Bushra Ansari nicknamed her as ‘chiriya’?!?!?
Mohammad Shoaib (MS) of Peshawar sang Aamir Jamal’s ‘Kaho Na Kaho’ which is actually an adaptation of Amr Diab’s arabic song ‘Tamally Ma’ak’. Anyways, he has improved a lot, he sang it with full confidence but once again he experimented with those Arabic lyrics, sounded good at most of the places & flat sometimes too. Ali Azmat felt he fell flat during the chorus of the song. Bushra Ansari was happy that this song had no heavy sargam in it but also pointed out that he was weak in a couple of places. Hadiqa Kiyani commented that he focused more on his moves in stead of his singing & his notes were off. Sajjad Ali liked his voice but spoke about the technicalities saying he sang the Arabic part perfectly.
Waqas Ali Vicky (WV) of Miyan Channu sang Shafqat Amanat Ali’s ‘Khairiyaan De Naal’. It was a very very difficult song & he sang it half good half not so much. It was a slow song so for this all the mistakes were clearly audible. Bushra Ansari said the same thing that it was a difficult song but ending was a little weak. Hadiqa Kiyani said he is one of her favorite singers from the lot but she unfortnately & sadly didn’t enjoy the performance. Ali Azmat said if we ignore the minor problems, overall his performance was good & Sajjad Ali again went into the technical details but also complimented that he sounds sweeter than the famous Barfi of Miyan Channu.
Kashif Ali (KA) of Lahore sang Sajjad Ali’s ‘Sahil Pe Kharay Ho’. Amazing performance as always & what else can be said. Sajjad Ali said he sang it perfectly but pointed out some breathing issues he needs to work upon. Bushra Ansari said the way he conveys his notes is brilliant. Ali Azmat said he is gifted to have a quality of stirring emotional contact the moment he starts singing & it indeed is true, Ali Azmat also spoke about how at times he tends to get teary while listening to him & I once again agree to him. Hadiqa Kiyani seconded Ali Azmat but she also felt that today on his ending notes she felt a little vibration in his voice.
Shahmir Aziz Quidwai (SQ) of Islamabad sang String’s ‘Zinda Hoon’. The start was weak as always but luckily for him this song fell close to his comfort zone of rock genre. He also forgot where he had to sing again & committed a mistake in the middle of a song. Ali Azmat said after a long long time he got to hear his actual voice & felt this was a better performance. Bushra Ansari said this style suited his vocal tone a lot better. Hadiqa Kiyani said subliminally that if he can’t even perform rock songs than what more’s left? She also told him to show some diversity. But still he got a fine feedback. Sajjad Ali clearly said he is one of those singers who can not experiment in different genres & for this he needs to stick to a certain type of songs & work on them. Clearly shows how VERSATILE he is.
Asad Raza Sonu (RS) of Lahore sang Najam Shiraz’s ‘Inse Nain’. One of my favorite songs & he is obviously a good singer so he sung it well but I felt he changed the feel of the song & made it slow. This is what Hadiqa Kiyani pointed out that this song has a western feel to it but because of his way of singing he added a ‘desi’ touch to this song. Bushra Ansari whistled for him & said he was good. Ali Azmat was happy with his song selection & felt that he showed his versatility today. Sajjad Ali said he has everything it needs to be a good singer & the music industry needs him.
Zamad Baig (ZB) of Mandi Bahauddin sang Junoon’s ‘Khuwaab’. He picked a totally different song as compared to what he has been singing previously & because this was a slow song, all his mistakes were clearly audible. Ali Azmat said he couldn’t connect to him today & felt he struggled a lot. Bushra Ansari said the song didn’t suit him & selection wasn’t favorable to him. Hadiqa Kiyani didn’t find him comfortable at all & Sajjad Ali said it’s again one of those simple straight songs but he didn’t perform the way he should have.
Syed Sajid Abbas (SA) of Karachi sang Ali Zafar’s ‘Asmaan Ko Chutay Jayein Hum’. He has a sweetest voice & he sings effortlessly but his performance got weak in the middle. Hadiqa Kiyani enjoyed his performance but found his base notes a bit unclear. Sajjad Ali liked his performance & said that this was a song which didn’t match his tone but still he sang it well. Ali Azmat clarified what Hadiqa Kiyani stated & said he was clear on his notes.
Sana Zulfikaar (SZ) of Lahore sang Fariha Pervaiz’s ‘Haaniyaan’. I just didn’t get what she sang at all. The music completely overlapped her voice & she wasn’t audible throughout her performance. Ali Azmat liked it, Bushra Ansari liked it, Hadiqa Kiyani felt she was weak on her vocals & Sajjad Ali felt she is suitable for playback which she is already doing.
So, these were the performances. The best moment of the episode was when Kashif Ali asked Sajjad Ali to perform with him. He clearly got emotional & Hadiqa Kiyani got overwhelmed too. It was actually really sweet & this shows what a nice person Sajjad Ali is. All this while I couldn’t help but think how Waqas Ali would have performed in this round with the mentoring of Sajjad Ali because he was such a good singer.
I don’t actually get what’s the issue with Sana Zulfikaar. Clad in full makeup, she goes around saying she isn’t feeling well but all of a sudden walks just fine & sings this high energy song. Like Ali Azmat said that we thought she’d come on a wheelchair because she keeps on saying I am not feeling well & stuff. I am not too sure if she is actually not well or this is just an attempt to grab the votes. Why is it that everytime she is sick, she still manages to sing. Next time I would actually appreciate if I don’t get to see any of her issues.
Let’s see which one of the DESERVING contestants get eliminated because certainly those who don’t deserve to be here are going to be safe, sigh!
Keep Supporting,
Cheers,
Zahra Mirza.
