Coke Studio 12 presents Saiyaan, a duet by Shuja Haider & Rachel Viccaji that hints at the ever present feeling of selfless love, a kind so rare and oft found in folktales that have traveled down to us through time.
Watch Saiyaan By Shuja Haider & Rachel Viccaji in Coke Studio 12
Video Credits: Coke Studio
Shuja Haider teams up with Rachel Viccaji in Saiyaan, a Punjabi ballad calling back to the glorious Lollywood of the 60’s and 70’s. Woven with Punjabi metaphors, the song features a jilted lover who implores their beloved with a passionate plea, coaxing them to return. The sadness of the lyrics is contrasted with a musical arrangement that is almost playful in nature, illustrating the tension between the two characters in the song. The theme of all-consuming love, which is wrapped in visual metaphors inspired by Punjabi folklore, is arranged over a composition that hints at music from the golden era of Pakistan’s film industry. In this process, the singers deliver an ode to the artists of a bygone era, all the while creating a voice of their own.
“Music has given me hope. What is greater than hope? Who knows? If I couldn’t do music, I couldn’t have done anything else. What would I have? Just imagine. I don’t have a formal education. Where would I work? What would I do? Music is the biggest blessing in my life. Music has given me everything.” says Shuja Haider
“Music is life. Everything around you is music. In a busy street, or on a quiet roof, if you listen closely, you’ll [hear] different elements of sound and they all have a relationship to each other. There’s always music happening around you. We probably got jealous of the birds sounding so beautiful. People probably wanted to curate those sounds, so they said ok we’re going to create our own music. Somebody starts singing and then someone starts drumming and that’s music.” says Rachel Viccaji.
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