‘Chan Mahi’ – a Musical Masterpiece by Abdullah Qureshi and Kinza Razzak

One of the Eid releases of Pakistani cinema this year, Heer Maan Ja by IRK Films and Arif Lakhani Films is full of some brilliant musical works of genius, including the melancholic piece of music ‘Chan Mahi’ – a slow, sad song sung by Abdullah Qureshi and written by him along with the gorgeous Kinza Razzak.

We sat down with this talented duo and asked them a few questions, here is how Abdullah and Kinza responded to the questions of team MediaSspringPK.

1. Although Abdullah is a musician and has this kind of an experience, but this is an entirely different field for you, being a model and an actress. Was this your first time working on a song? How different has the experience been, as compared to your usual field of work?

Kinza: As I mentioned, that we have written a couple of songs together; some have been released and some are still in process. I feel as an artist the most important thing is to be creative and add value to whatever task you’re given. For me, it was a challenge to write the lyrics in Punjabi, while keeping the melancholic feel to it intact. Although I belong to a Punjabi family, I still don’t have a complete grip on the language, but I knew that the feel of the song would be more prominent and would have a better impact on the audience if it’s in Punjabi.

2. What was your inspiration behind the lyrics of the song?

Kinza: From the very beginning we had it in our mind that it will be a romantic song where the girl would be expressing the love she possesses for her partner, and how she feels complete contentment with the feeling of loving “the one” in her life.

Abdullah: When I came up with the melody, I knew it had a sad feel to it, but I couldn’t come up with the words to express it, so I made Kinza listen to it. She came up with the first line and painted a picture for me – a girl, longing for her lover, searching for him in the scorching sun. That’s what the initial idea was and it turned into what you can see in ‘Chan Mahi’ now.

3. What kind of feedback have you received after the release of Chan Mahi?

Kinza: Since it’s a melodious and sentimental song, we were expecting people to like it and Alhamdolillah the response has been impeccable! It’s amazing to produce something that people can relate to and on top of that it’s sweet to the ears.

Abdullah: I had no idea it would receive so much love, but I had a feeling that it’s the kind of song that anyone can fall in love with. We’ve already crossed a million views on YouTube, and I think the numbers say it all!

4. Are you more of a singer or a song-writer? What part of creating a song do you enjoy the most?

Kinza: To be honest, I love singing! Of course, I wouldn’t know how to match with the scales of the guitar, but I just love singing on its own – anything and everything from old classical songs to new millennial songs.

When it comes to creating songs, I personally need to like the melody first and then the thing that I thoroughly enjoy is putting a theme or an idea to it, to create that crucial foundation for the song before it can be built further.

Abdullah: To be honest, I started out doing covers, so singing is always what I would love the most. I discovered the writer in me later on when I decided to make originals, but I guess they are two very different domains of music and I enjoy them both equally.

5. What’s your most favorite piece of music?

Kinza: I like every kind of music – may it be from classical to hip-hop, pop, R&B or as a matter of fact any genre, as long as it hits your soul, it’s perfect.

Abdullah: I think it’s unfair to name one, because there’s so much out there and there can be no competitions or comparisons in music – not for me at least. Every piece of music is beautiful in its own way.