It’s always great when highly talented and creative minds collaborate under one roof, and that is what makes the music of ‘Coke Studio’ so unique, said talented singer and actor Junaid Khan who has recently teamed up with the esteemed music platform for its much-awaited season 9. During an exclusive interview with Daily Times, Junaid Khan said, “My experience working with the team of ‘Coke Studio’ was absolutely great. The entire process, starting from creating the song with Noori until actual recording on the floor with the house band and Strings, was an amazing experience. I believe that Pakistan in general is loaded with talent and just being able to jam and create music with such an exclusive brand not only helped me as musician but also encouraged me.” On a query, he said he was offered to be a part of the first season as well but due to certain unfortunate reasons, he wasn’t able to become a part of it back then. “I believe everything happens on its own time. The brand team and the entire team at Strings’ have taken ‘Coke Studio’ to an entirely new level and they have been very kind to me,” he said, adding that he was more than glad being a part of this season. When asked about his favourite ‘Coke Studio’ performance, he said, “Naming a few would not be right, as each and every song has its own uniqueness and almost all of them are remembered to date. ‘Coke Studio’ has taken the best out of our artists and the world recognises it. However, singer Farida Khanam’s “Aaj janey ki zid na karo” is still on my playlist.” Reflecting upon his transition from being a singer to an actor, he said he was involved in theatre in his university days before getting into singing. “I couldn’t continue it as I got occupied in studies and couldn’t find time to pursue a career in acting. But even back then, I knew that I would find time later on to explore myself in acting and when I finally got a chance, I grabbed it both hands. Music is an artist’s personal expression hence it is closer to me. I will continue exploring myself as a musician and also as an actor.” The talented singer seeks to get out of his limitations in the years to come. “I personally put down my personal experiences that I had during the past few years and wrote my solo album, which I will release soon this year. Also, Call will be releasing tracks very soon too besides a few TV title tracks in the pipeline too.” Shedding light on his career as a musician, Khan said, “When I took a break from Call, I realised our fans missed hearing from us and not just our music, but the entire music community that emerged around 2005. We made so much music, we expressed our thoughts, were loud and expressive. But somewhere down the line, we musicians stopped our expression due to certain reasons and our fans had to move on. But I see now that most of us are making and releasing music now and that makes me happy.” With a rapid increase in the amount of quality films being released, he opined, more local music is being integrated. “I see good times for our music industry and the time has already started.” On this year’s Eid celebrations, the artist said he makes sure every year to celebrate the festival with his family and this year would be no different. Other than the religious significance, he said, this day also gives a chance to meet relatives and friends, adding that he can’t wait to get his hands on his family’s traditional sheer khurma.