Inside Nescafe Basement: For Saniya Shahzad, pursuing music meant convincing her dad it's ok to jam
Can you 'make it' as a musician in Pakistan? As little as a decade ago the answer to this question would probably been a resounding 'no.'
Things have changed drastically in the past few years as platforms like Nescafe Basement have popped up, giving young musicians a chance to connect with experienced mentors to hone their craft. Even then, it isn't always smooth sailing.
In our series on Nescafe Basement's young stars, we take a look at what Pakistan's new, raw talent has to say about the process of finding one's voice as an artist.
Saniya Shahzad
Nineteen-year-old Saniya is an A’ Level student based in Islamabad hoping to major in media studies. She's also studying psychology. She joined Basement this season as a bassist and vocalist and was part of the all-girls band that made waves with the cover of John Newman’s ‘Love Me Again’.
Saniya doesn’t belong to a musical family as do some of her Basement fellows, but she says she got her from her mother, maternal grandma and sister who all sing beautifully. She’s been singing for so long that she doesn’t remember when she started.
She was in the fourth grade when she realised music was her true calling. This was during the days when teachers would ask students what they wanted to become once they grew up. “I was the odd one out who said I wanted to be a musician and people would laugh at me saying ‘ye kaisay musician banay gi?’ I talked to my dad and said I want to go study music. But he wasn’t too keen and still isn’t. He says it’s ok as long as it's a hobby and doesn’t go too far.”
"I talked to my dad and said I want to go study music. But he wasn’t too keen and still isn’t. He says it’s ok as long as it's a hobby and doesn’t go too far,” say Saniya. That’s why I’m doing majors in media because I really like media and film production. But hopefully I’ll stay in touch with music somehow.”
“I started playing the guitar in fifth grade, when I was eleven. I got a teacher for a few days but did the rest myself through YouTube. My sisters used to listen to Linkin Park back then and we found new music every time and thought, why don’t we play this on the guitar? My sister was interested in getting an electric guitar but she got an acoustic, so I got an electric one, but learnt on the acoustic because it helps with basics. We took classes together.”
Five months later, Saniya realised she'd got the hang of the instrument and could sing and play simultaneously.
Then came a point when Saniya had second thoughts about taking up music professionally. “When I think practically and about my dad, I rethink my decision. That’s why I’m doing majors in media because I really like media and film production. But hopefully I’ll stay in touch with music somehow.”