Ali made it clear that my struggle and journey will be my own, says Danyal Zafar

There's something enigmatic about Danyal Zafar. The artist has many layers; and as much as reports want us to think he's a shadow of his brother, I think the 20-year-old has a lot more to offer.

Danyal has earned himself the reputation of a singing prodigy. He keeps himself busy, working with only the best in the business. Granted though, he has had a lot more exposure than his contemporaries who debuted with him. Danyal is ambitious, determined and takes risks with confidence just as his career takes off.

In an exclusive chat with Images, Danyal opened up about his quest to make space for himself in the industry. Here's everything you need to know about Danyal Zafar:

Venturing into Bollywood and Qaidi Band

While visiting India last year, Danyal had the opportunity to meet some prominent actors and members of the Indian film industry who left a mark on the budding artist's mind. "They’re all very warm and affectionate. In a meetup once, Ranveer [Singh] told me how I need to hold my own ground and well, you do learn something from all of them."

However, the visit exceeded get-together's and laid-back meetups as the young artist was roped in by Fan-writer, Habib Faisal, to play the protagonist in his directorial, Qaidi Band under the prestigious banner of Yash Raj Films. Unfortunately though, due to the rising political tensions between the two countries at the time, Danyal had to forego his role.

"I don't dwell into what could’ve happened had I been a part of it, I think there's no point in doing that," he said as he spoke about the untimely cancellation.

"Perhaps, it was just God's calling, maybe it was not [good] for me at that time? I didn't question it much," Danyal said.

On a rather optimistic note, the young actor said he was thankful to be around people like Habib Faisal who have "years and years of experience".

"Habib Faisal is a very senior director and the greatest thing was that I had just gotten done with a formal semester in New York and I got to use my film-making instinct in real life," Danyal said. "He would sit down with the actors for readings, helping us realise why a character would say a certain thing; all of which I adopted in my work when I returned.”

Coke Studio, nepotism and breaking out of that

A few months later, Danyal managed to earn a spot in Coke Studio’s otherwise arid tenth incarnation. Though criticised for the track, 'Muntazir' - alongside last year’s breakthrough talent, Momina Mustehsan - ended up becoming the only song this season to trend on YouTube at number one for almost an entire week. Danyal was ecstatic to talk about it.

"There's always a certain amount of belief and faith," he said as he spoke of 'Muntazir' exceeding his expectations. "But this simply surpassed me. There was so much out-pour of love and support. A lot of effort went into making the song and I think it all paid off.”

And that’s not all; Danyal feels he steps into his forte with his second track, 'Julie' this term that came out yesterday. “It’s a very raw, in-the-moment jam that Ali Bhai and I had when we were in the kitchen. The next thing you know is that we were performing it on Coke Studio,” he chuckles. “It’s basically him and I finding a middle-ground when we step into blues and jazz; when it comes together, it’s definitely a blues-powerhouse.”

Coming from a family of music enthusiasts, Danyal feels there’s more pressure on him than his peers. He convinces me with the debate he puts forward and aspired to carve his own niche in the industry, establish his own brand instead of surviving under the shadow of his personage sibling.

“I know people will expect a lot from me, because I have big shoes to fill, but I have my own sound, and my own way of doing music that I feel is very distinct and different from his [Ali Zafar’s],” he exclaims.

“I just feel the shoes are not in the same spot. One thing that he made sure I knew was that my struggle and journey will be my own. I will use my own style to mark my own space in the industry."

He adds: "Nobody can do Ali Zafar better than him, I hope nobody does Danyal Zafar better than I do."

He adds, “If I was already an established musician and my younger brother would find a passion for music, a) what’s his fault that he also wants to pursue a career in the same field, and b) being his elder brother, I would want him to go further than I have. And you know had I struggled and paved my way, like Ali Bhai did, and create a comparatively easier pathway, it would be his responsibility to excel more than me.”

In general also, Coke Studio’s ongoing instalment has been accused of nepotism; it not only brings Danyal, but Sajjad Ali’s daughter, Zaw, Ataullah Eesakhelvi’s son Sanwal, and Salman Ahmed’s son Sherjan, amongst others to the floor. What was previously acknowledged as exclusive, comprising of an all-star line-up, celebrates young talent this time around. In his defense, Danyal has held great yearning for music since his early teens.

“I had been sending in demos since Rohail [Hayat] Bhai’s times,” he is quick to answer. “He [Ali Zafar] is my brother, he can get me through someone, but then it comes down to what I do with that opportunity. Had I not made the cut, Faisal [Kapadia] Bhai or Bilal [Maqsood] Bhai wouldn’t have made me appear this season. I had sent them a lot of my stuff and I’m sure when they called me, they must’ve seen something.”

What's next in store? A debut album of course

Former film-making student at the New York Film Academy, Danyal has now opted for an online programme due to the hectic shooting schedules. “I’m comfortable with this because physically going to a university abroad or even in Pakistan gets a little too tough. This way I get done with a shoot, get home and study on my laptop, at my own pace,” he said.

Hoping to turn behind the camera as well, for now, not only does he offer his vocals, but also composes the tracks, collaborating with Ali on the soundtrack of the latter’s debut Pakistani film, Teefa in Trouble, whelmed by Ahsan Rahim and co-starring Maya Ali.

He promises an amalgamation of different genres, coming together to render something Pakistani cinema hasn’t heard before. Refusing to delve deeper into that, he shared his experience working on the anticipated entertainer.

“When I was figuring out my own sound for my album, and whoever I would ask to listen to it, they would tell me they imagined a scene happening around it or seeing it placed somewhere in a film. So I think it came very naturally to me,” he explained.

“Half of the time while watching a movie, my brother and I, all we speak about is the soundtrack and how it’s placed. Being observant enables you to work around it,” he continued.

“In fact, I never consciously thought about how it needs to be different because it’s for a ‘film’; music tells a story, and it cannot be based around other factors. I think a film is 50% sound.”

Danyal calls himself a “purist musician”, and he takes that forward by announcing his musical memento in an era where the album culture has practically diminished. With the introduction of online streaming and the evergrowing trend of piracy, musicians can’t escape the fact that music is no longer sold.

"What inspired me was that maybe a lot of people were just not doing it. I knew somebody would eventually work on a full-fledged album, where every song relates to each other in terms of lyrics, composition and uniformity of sound, which we aesthetically lack for now,” he comments with compassion. “I wanted to be that person to do it because I can take such a risk. At this stage, I think I have nothing to lose because I’m just starting off.”

Aspiring to pioneer the movement, Danyal hopes to inspire musicians who are contemplating their content, change the dynamics of the industry and step out of the corporate-run, relaunching originality.

He says he doesn’t wish to “suppress his creative influx.” And one thing’s for sure, Danyal Zafar has arrived and he’s hopefully here to stay.