He is the whole package. Great looks, muscular built, charismatic smile with a gift of the gab, mad talent, eyes with a thousand dreams, and passion to carry out his ambition; Haadi Uppal is the recent gift to our music industry and hopefully soon, the film/television industry as well. At just 20 years of age, the singer has been making his presence felt with back to back hits, not forgetting his recent single “Kafir.” Haadi Uppal is blessed to have a guiding force in his father Shiraz Uppal, and says all his decisions are influenced by him as a final authority. In an exclusive interview with Daily Times, Haadi explained at length how he divides and manages his time between his studies, playing football and pursuing his passion for music. With his heart set to the beat, he is not afraid to delve deeper into the art and try his hand in acting also with the right kind of opportunity. “My tracks so far were penned by my father, where he observed the kind of vocals I have and would suit my singing range. I was comfortable hence and successful with the songs,” he says. “We decided to go with a song that would resonate with my personality too and would relate to today’s audience. It was my decision to go with a genre like this but the composition and the lyrics are his.” ‘My tracks so far were penned by my father, where he observed the kind of vocals I have and would suit my singing range. I was comfortable hence and successful with the songs,’ he says Talking about his foray into the industry and how he went about it, Haadi said that he brainstormed all his ideas and conveyed those to his father. Prior to becoming a singer, he always desired to be a footballer. So his aspirations beforehand were different. He has played international football overseas on a 90 percent scholarship. However, he had to come back owing to his mother’s ailing health and also being the only child. “Since we all know that there is hardly any scope for playing football in Pakistan, I had to be realistic with myself about what sort of opportunities do I have for myself, and if I have the talent for that, do I need to pursue it or not,” he said, adding, “Alhamdulilah, I sang my first song ‘Madhaniya,’ for the film ‘Chalawa’ in 2019. Following the release of the song, people showered me with so much appreciation that it really caught me by surprise as I wasn’t expecting it. One of the best feedback was when people told my father that if they were looking for a mature voice, they would go with me but if they were looking for a younger sounding voice, they’d go with my father. After this feedback, I realised this was what I was born to do and work harder to rub shoulders with others.” Talking about his foray into the industry and how he went about it, Haadi said that he brainstormed all his ideas and conveyed those to his father. Prior to becoming a singer, he always desired to be a footballer Comparisons between him and Shiraz Uppal are inevitable. To that, Haadi says, “I feel like my voice is deeper and more soulful fortunately for me. Since he’s been in the industry for long, his expression is better. People appreciate my tone a lot.” If one is to question the credibility of Haadi and whether he has made it in the industry on merit rather than being promoted by his father just for the sake of it, the young crooner clarifies that back in 2016, when Shiraz was working on one of the songs for ‘Coke Studio,’ Haadi had expressed his desire to be a part of the show and Shiraz had told him, he could be when he deserved it. Haadi also clarified the idea of coming out with an album. “In our part of the world, people like listening to everybody instead of just one album of a singer. It’s better to come up with a single after every two months, rather than disappear for eight months and all of a sudden drop an album. Quantity over quality might have been the trend before but I believe it’s good content in the market that matters if you’ve to compete with other people.” Haadi is also against brands sponsoring a song’s video as he believes in-your-face marketing looks annoying and too obvious. Speaking of brands, he expressed his desire to be a part of ‘Coke Studio’ and ‘Velo.’ He says he’s smitten by the concept of Velo’s videos where there’s an audience to engage with. “My comfort zone is with pop and not a lot of classical. I have grown into pop and am in love with this genre,” he says. He mentions how after the release of Kafir’s video where he has acted to an extent, many have approached him to be a part of their TV projects, so there’s a lot going on in Haadi’s life where he has his hands full and tasting success with every move he makes by the Grace of the Almighty. For those of you who haven’t heard any of his tracks need to YouTube the singer right now. As for those who have, would agree with the fact that Haadi’s a force to reckon with. He’s self-assured, ambitious, supremely talented and equally grounded. Smells like a recipe for success!