Pakistan's got talent !

Whether you've escaped down the shore or are keeping cool at home in the air-conditioning, summer is the perfect time for passing the lazy, hazy afternoons with a few good sound tracks.Led by frontman Hasan Saeed on piano and vocals, Sameer Saddal & Omer Ishaq on guitar, Anas Pasha as the rapper and Shayan Ahmed Riyaz on drums, success for the five-man band was eventual.

Want to convince yourself to do something that you have always longed to do or make others believe in you?

OK, that was a silly question. Of course you do.

Persuasion is generally an exercise in creating a win-win situation. You present a case that others find beneficial to agree with. You make them an offer they can’t refuse. It’s simply a good deal or a position that makes sense to that particular person and in this case, that particular person is you whereas the deal is put forward by Audacity. Listen to their story as Hasan and Sameer relate to events. Gear up, because talent's oozing!

There was supposed to be a Eid Party or whatever you may call it, at our school in Grade 9 and every class was responsible for preparing something for the party and our class had decided to do a skit for it. But due to some circumstances, we were unable to do a skit for the party and didn't know what else to do now.


No one knew in my school, let alone my class knew that I could sing at all. Besides the usual bathroom singing and sometimes singing in class in the free periods, I didn't actually sing in front of people. We were all sitting in our class, thinking of what do on the party when a friend named Nosherwan shouted, "Oye! Hasan gaana gaata haai! Is ki performance karwayen?" And that was it. I sang in front of almost 20 kids in class for the first time ever and the secret was finally out.


Anas Pasha, my class-fellow informed he could rap and we decided to collaborate for a song just for fun. I was this over excited kid who just HAD to upload a status on facebook regarding the song. Another friend- Omer Ishaq commented on the status asking if he could come too. Considering the fact that he knew how to play the guitar, I asked him to come over to my place the next day to record the song.


That, ladies and gentlemen, was the start of the journey. Us 3 kids with high aspirations and a bit of talent, sitting in one room with a handful of almost useless equipment and a passion of doing something. The first song we ever recorded was "Live like we're dying." That was the start of our band, the start of our friendship, the start of our journey. Then it was cover after cover, song after song, and finally, Audacity was born. On our way, we had two new recruits and Audacity became a 5 man band.


I won’t lie, I have had massive stage fright. I have had jamming sessions where I didn't sing just because i was scared to sing or thought I wasn't good enough. When you're the lead vocalist, you have solo parts. Those parts scare you because your voice is the ONLY voice the listeners hear at that moment and millions of questions go over your head. 'Will it be good enough?' 'Will I sound good?' etc. These questions haunt me whenever I sing but I am able to get over these fears and actually do it in the proper way. So yes, the fear has always been there, but I've been able to overcome these fears after a lot of support from my friends and my band members, especially.


The passion for music began by listening to musicians like Shehzad Roy, Faakhir, Haroon, Vital Signs etc. Then, came bands like Breaking Benjamin, Qayaas, Overdose, Aerosmith etc. With that, there was a dream. A dream of producing music, of performing on stage and doing something which makes me happy. Another source of inspiration was my own brother. Seeing him perform on stage and making music, I decided to do the same.

I used to manage a band first. Watching others play guitar made me happy. One day, my best friend Bilal Ansari convinced me that even I could play the guitar. That was where it started and the rest is right in front of everyone.


Often, I use electric or semi acoustic guitars because I play leads and at times it is painful to play a solo on acoustic because it has no gain or distortion. I like to bend every string and make faces with the sound. My mother gifted me my first guitar on my 16th birthday so it holds great importance for me. The second one was gifted by my father on my 17th birthday. I don’t think I’m good at it but where I stand today is due to my hard work.


I remember the times i couldn't sleep at night and i took to wondering and wishing instead. We have all been in that place. Its where we realise what our dreams are, before we fall asleep and forget about it in the morning. Its not everyday that something I dreamt and hoped for in my state of insomnia came true . Its not often one can turn their dreams into reality. Or in my case, feelings, emotions and raw passion into music. I thank God for this opportunity. But mostly, I thank myself for believing. For it is belief that strives us to do great things and become great people.

Audacity has joined me in my motive. We believe the first step to your path towards your aim is believing in yourself to be able to do it. As I took up the interviewers seat and piled up my queries, these guys held similarities while answering.

What do you think makes Audacity different from other rising bands?
The difference is simply the music we produce, the genre. We make music which not many musicians at this time produce. Our music is basically pop, acoustic and slow music. Nowadays most bands would produce rock, or hip hop music instead of such a genre. With that, the voices our band has are a bit different too. With one of our vocalists, Omer Ishaq being compared to Chester Benningtion at times. Instead of copying others we believe in creating something new. Instead of following a path someone else created, we believe in creating a new path and leave it for others to follow. Everyone works hard but we've worked for 2 years on our debut track and I guess that’s what makes it special for us and for our fans. We keep moving forward, opening new doors, and doing new things, because we're curious and curiosity keeps leading us down new path.

What makes a good session?

A good jamming session for me is one where every band member is present. We practise our own original song, record a few covers and also have one hell of a time. Plus, FOOD! A session without food and a match of FIFA is incomplete.

Hasan, you are the frontman. The lead vocalist is usually the leader of the group, often the spokesman in interviews and before the public.  Is your current position in the same regard?

Every band has a leader, a person responsible for handling interviews and deciding the strategy for the band.Being the lead vocalist, yes I have the power to decide which songs to sing, where to perform and when writing lyrics, i have the power to write them at times and approve or disapprove them. But at Audacity, things are done a bit differently. We all want to work together and whatever decisions are made, we make them together. I dont like to be known as the leader of the band, because i believe in everyone working together. But yes, when you're on the stage, it is the lead vocalist who everyone looks at, who everyone listens too so yes, on stage I am the leader there. 

It’s not about money. It’s not about glory. It’s not even about legacy. It’s about falling in love. It’s about being enchanted. It’s about seeing a vision so beautiful you can’t help but fight to make it real. That is exactly why I am here today and so are the members from Audacity. Do you have a vision like that? Something worth getting up every day and fighting for? If you do, you can accomplish damn near anything.