You are a recognised singer as well as an accomplished writer. Tell us about your foray into the fields of singing and writing. How did it all begin for you?
I have always thought of them as intertwined fields. In the context of Pakistani culture, they certainly are the ‘aarifana’ poetry of Sufi thinkers which has always been conveyed to the public via music. So, I’ve always pursued literature and music in tandem.
You are a graduate of the prestigious Harvard University. What made you come back to Pakistan and practice your passions rather than working abroad and settling there?
Visa issues! I’ve a Pakistani passport and the only way I could stay on in the United States was by surrendering to a corporate job. I didn’t want to do that. I also had a burning wish to formally study classical music with an Ustad in Lahore. So circumstances conspired in multiple ways to send me back to Pakistan.
You wrote your first novel The Wish Maker at an early age. What made you realise that was the right time to pen a book? What inspired it and were you content with the response?
I wanted to document a certain lost innocence from my childhood. I guess that’s a common feeling among writers and artists when they’re starting out – you begin with a lyrical recollection of your earliest memories. Of course, by the time the book came out in 2009, there was a full-on war inside Pakistan, with Taliban attacks and American drones flying overhead, so my elegy for a bourgeois childhood didn’t get the kind of hearing I had hoped for, even from myself. I found myself recoiling in disgust from the cosiness – and the complacency – of my imagined universe, because the war had shown it to be so fragile. But now, 10 years later, when I read parts of that novel, I feel they ring true. And they do for other people too, who write to me about it.
You are currently in the limelight more for your songs. Has book writing taken a backseat?
It had taken a backseat, because I wasn’t writing for the longest time. But I’ve recently started work on a book about music – so my fingers are crossed!
What are you currently working on?
I’m currently working on several songs, a documentary film and a book!
“Dil Ki Kher” is a beautiful track featuring the legend Faiz Ahmed Faiz’s poetry. How challenging was it for you to do justice to it in terms of singing it and giving a melody to it?
Thank you! Not challenging at all. I devised the melody in two days! I guess this is where training in raags and taals comes to your rescue – you find it easier to build-and-resolve the rhythmic and melodic tensions that may elude an uninitiated composer.
Taking a bow at Harvard’s magnificent Sanders Theatre after my concert there earlier this year was a magical and profoundly fulfilling moment for me
From “Beqaraan”, “Ishq”, “Chan Kithaan”, “Dil Lagayeen”, “Chandni Raat” to “Ranjish He Sahi”, which has been your most favourite track and why?
I love them in different ways. I think “Chan Kithan” is the most ‘complete’ track, in the sense that it can’t be done better, even in live performance. I think “Ishq” is probably the most impressive as an original composition.
Tell us about your experience collaborating with Zeb Bangash for “Beqaraan”.
Ah! We did it so long ago! Generally, I think we did a good job!
What according to you has been your biggest achievement so far?
I think it’s acquiring a certain fluency or proficiency what we call ravaani in Urdu in traditional melody-making. This is what allows me to compose songs and to improvise as a singer. It’s the result of my riyaaz – and the blessings of those who have taught me.
What is your vision for Pakistan and what does it mean to be Pakistani for you?
I’ve a nostalgic and nonconformist view of Pakistan. I feel the lands that today constitute Pakistan are anciently cosmopolitan and multicultural, and I feel this, if anything, is the saving grace of Pakistan. My idea of Pakistan is encapsulated by the chaotic, confounding, breathtaking galleries of the Lahore Museum. I’m less interested in the jingoistic, homogenising and exclusionary narratives of Pakistan.
How supportive have your parents and family been with your choice of career?
My parents have been exemplary in this regard.
What is your dream collaboration on a music project?
I’m already doing those collaborations! With Abida Parveen on ‘Coke Studio’, with Noah Georgeson on my forthcoming studio album and with a live orchestra at Carnegie Hall.
Tell us about a memorable moment in your career.
Taking a bow at Harvard’s magnificent Sanders Theatre after my concert there earlier this year – that was a magical and profoundly fulfilling moment for me.
What motivates you to excel no matter what?
I think I’m motivated more by honesty and authenticity of experience. Excellence is less important to me.
We, at Daily Times, consider you one of our national heroes. Who are some of yours?
Faiz Ahmed Faiz, Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan and Asma Jahangir are some of my national heroes.
Achievements
MASTER OF ALL TRADES
Ali Sethi is a very successful singer along with being a renowned writer. He’s the author of a critically acclaimed book titled The Wish Maker and has extensively written for leading foreign publications. He is currently working on a documentary film as well.
MUSICIAN PAR EXCELLENCE
Ali Sethi’s version of late folk singer Reshma’s song “Kithay nain na jori” earned him critical appraisal. He debuted as a featured artist in the eighth season of ‘Coke Studio’. In 2016, he released his first original single “Mahi Mera”, which was critically well received. He first performed the ghazal “Aaj jaane ki zidd naa karo” on stage at Harvard.
INTERNATIONAL STAR
Sethi was globally recognised for his first published novel The Wish Maker. The book was met with widespread critical acclaim and recognition. It ranked #8 at Vogue Top 10 Summer Books. The book has been translated into Italian, Dutch, German, Hindi, Chinese and Turkish. The New York Times and the Wall Street Journal sang praises for it in their reviews. Sethi has also written a revisionist essay on the life and legacy of Urdu short-story writer Saadat Hassan Manto for The New Yorker and a groundbreaking profile of the Pakistani ghazal singer Farida Khanum for The Caravan.
RAKING IN THE AWARDS
Sethi received his first Lux Style Award (LSA) nomination as the Best Playback Singer at the 15th LSAs and was nominated for Best Playback Singer at the 2nd ARY Film Awards, both for “Aah Ko”. He also received a Hum Award nomination at the 4th Hum Awards for “Kithay nain na jori” in the Best Music Single category. His novel The Wish Maker was long-listed for the 2011 DSC Prize for South Asia. It was also shortlisted for the 2010 Shakti Bhatt First Book Award.
DREAM COLLABORATIONS
Sethi has collaborated with legendary Sufi singer Abida Parveen on ‘Coke Studio’ and with Grammy-winning musician and producer Noah Georgeson on his forthcoming studio album.