Jal (band)

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Jal

Origin Lahore, Pakistan
Years active 2002–present
Genres Rock, Pop, Filmi
Members Gohar Mumtaz
Farhan Saeed
Shazi (Aamir)

Jal (Urdu: جل) (meaning literally 'water') is a Pakistani rock band founded by Gohar Mumtaz.

The band has gained recent success with the songs "Aadat" and "Woh Lamhey". The original band members were Atif Aslam and Gohar Mumtaz, but later Atif was replaced by Farhan Saeed Butt and Aamir Sheraz plays the bass guitar. The band is among the first of contemporary Pakistani bands that fuse Urdu vocals with modern rock. Currently they are rapidly gaining in popularity and are one of the most popular bands in South Asia.

Contents

[edit] Etymology

The word Jal has its roots in Sanskrit and comes from Sanskrit word jala (जल) meaning water[1]. It is part of both Urdu and Hindi languages, however, it is not used in Urdu (جل) as frequently as in Hindi (जल). However, the band's web site claims that the word Jal is of Persian origin.[2]

[edit] Music

Jal's sound primarily falls in the pop genre. Playing along the lines of Latin-Acoustic Guitars, the main emphasis of their music is on the melodies and the lyrical content. Keeping their songs melodious and catchy at the same time the band believes that music is truly the world's universal language capable of bringing our hearts and souls together. A well composed song, personified with honest and heart felt lyrics, which may fall under the genre emo or emotional, and spirited rhythms, will eventually be heard by music enthusiasts all around the world . Owing to its universal appeal Jal's lyrics are a subtle manifestation of emotions expressed in an energetic and harmonious manner. Fueled by the desire to freshen up the pop genre in Pakistan these qualities give Jal's music a very high degree of accessibility both in terms of composition and lyrics in Pakistan. But the controversy surrounding some songs remain questions yet to be answered. Their debut album was a huge hit and reports are on their website that soon they will be releasing a new album - Payal. But a teaser of one of their songs from the new album has been released and is available on their website for free download

[edit] Members

[edit] Gohar Mumtaz (guitarist/lyricist/composer)

  • Lived most of his life in Faisalabad.
  • Composed the lyrics for songs such as "Woh Lamhay", "Aadat", and "Dil Haarey".
  • Worked with Mekaal Hasan during composing songs.
  • Moved to Lahore and met Atif Aslam to form Jal.
  • Due to difference with Atif, Atif left Jal.

[edit] Farhan Saeed Butt (vocals)

  • Since a young age has been taught how to sing professionally by Ustad Ijaz & Ustad Abdullah.
  • During 1999, Farhan started his A' Levels from KIMS he started singing in front of capacity audience within the institute.
  • In 2001, Farhan went on to FAST for his bachelors degree. At the same time he continued working on his vocals and often participated in competition held both in and off campus.
  • Early 2004, he participated in another competition at which Zulfiqar Jabbar Khan (Xulfi eP) and Sultan Raja (Bassist of Call) first spotted Farhan.
  • In mid 2004, Sultan Raja introduced Farhan to Goher Mumtaz.
  • On Jal debut album, Farhan was the lead vocalist to all the songs on the album and since been collaborating with Goher.

[edit] Aamir Sheraz also known as (Shazi) (bass/guitarist)

  • In 1995, he received formal training from the Church to play bass guitar.
  • During 1998, Shazi signed up with Lahore band, "Wet Metal".
  • Two years later, he went on to join another band, "Jupitar" and played with them for three years.
  • In 2003 he started playing as a session player for various acts.
  • Collaborated with Shehzad Hameed's band with whom he worked on a complete album.
  • Shazi officially joined "Jal" in 2004. He is now a full-time member of the band and has played bass guitars for their debut album "Aadat".

[edit] The Crew

Apart from the three full time band members, Jal's live act includes Waqar Khan (eP) on Drums and Sultan Raja (The Call) on Rhythm guitars;

  • Waqar has been playing for eP since its formation more than a couple of years ago as an adroit drummer and joined Jal for their live acts as a session player.
  • Sultan Raja has been a regular member of the band Call and is playing for Jal in their live acts, also as a session player.

[edit] Discography

[edit] Albums

[edit] Singles

  • "Aadat"
  • "Dil Haaray Pukaray"
  • "Ik Din Aye Ga"
  • "Woh Lamhay"
  • "Teri Yaad"

[edit] Achievements

  • Jal is a classic example of those rare bands that made it big with their debut single. But what is even more intriguing is the fact that their incredibly famous song "Aadat" was perhaps the first one that made it big solely through the Internet, way before its video came on air. "Aadat" was named the best song of the year 2003 by The Musik. Within days its video was declared the 4th best video on the same channel. 'Aadat' remained on the top of the charts for over six months since its video release. It is still the most frequently requested song on all TV and Radio networks of Pakistan, India and USA .
  • Jal's single "Woh Lamhey" broke through to the charts instantly too and stayed on the top for two continuous months. Former band member Atif Aslam later remade the sound for the Hindi film "Zeher."
  • "Dil Haray" is also among the frequently requested songs by Jal and is being played on all major music channels.
  • Jal's latest video "Aik Din Aye Ga" was declared the 2nd best video among the top 100 videos selected by The Musik a Pakistani channel, and is being played consistently on different music channels. The video got a tremendous response online and approximately 43000 downloads have taken place on www.pakmediarevolution.com ever since the video was uploaded on the net.
  • Jal's debut album "Aadat" was declared the best selling album of 2004 on Geo TV by Mr Khalid Sadaf (Owner of Pakistan's biggest recording label Sadaf Stereo).
  • Jal also received a special award by Shaukat Khanum Cancer Hospital in recognition of their support and efforts to raise funds for fighting cancer in Pakistan.
  • In 2005, Jal's song "Aadat" appeared in Kalyug, a Bollywood film met with critical acclaim and box-office success. However, the song was sung by former member Atif Aslam.
  • In 2006, Jal won at MTV Asia Awards 2006 and IM Awards Best Rock Band Award in Pakistan.

[edit] References

  1. ^ Cologne Digital Sanskrit Lexicon: jala
  2. ^ "Jal - Biography", Jal.com, 2006-06-02. Retrieved on 2006-06-02.

[edit] External links

Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org../../../j/a/l/Jal_%28band%29.html"