Daily Times

After the dark ‘Dil Lagaayein’ and serene ‘ChandniRaat’, Pakistani singing sensation Ali Sethi has released the gorgeous, heart-rending ballad ‘Ishq.’ Inspired by a couplet from Urdu poet Shakeel Badayuni, Sethi’s ‘Ishq’ is a journey of the heart: the dazzling video, directed by Umar Riaz, shows Ali entering a dreamy futuristic realm populated by enchanting figures (professional mimes from the Lahore-based Sway Dance Project) who beckon to him and lead him into ever-more sensuous places. “This song is very close to my heart,” Sethi says. “It’s about a rebirth – a miracle awakening after a spell of darkness. I’ve been through that experience myself, and believe that love liberates you when you least expect it to.” Sethi wrote the lyrics with Lahore-based poet Shakeel Sohail and composed the tune himself. The music has been arranged by Sethi’s recent collaborator, the multi-Grammy-winning record-producer Noah Georgeson.