Dil Haara is the second love song I've ever sung, says Ali Noor
It’s quite the norm for musicians to release love songs in February, when spring is in the air and Valentine’s Day is about to take place in all its confetti-laden, crimson-colored glory. And yet, it’s surprising when that love song is sung by Ali Noor.
It’s just that, Valentine’s Day or not, Ali Noor doesn’t usually sing love songs. He’s always been more likely to rage on about changing the world or changing yourself, eyes flashing, head banging, giving full rein to his phenomenal lunges. Sentimental romantic odes have never really been his thing.
But here he is in Strepsils Stereo’s latest edition this Valentine’s Day, singing a soulful ‘Dil Haara’ to a dusky Rabia Butt.
What made Ali veer into the emotion-laden territory of love songs? “I just thought that I had now had enough experience about love to be able to sing a song about it,” he quips. “I have always stayed away from love songs because usually I find them to be untrue, almost formulaic. A song about love needs to be meaningful and derived from genuine feelings. This is the second love song that I have ever sung and I wrote it nearly a year ago, taking inspiration from my own life experiences. I really liked it and was dabbling with the idea of perhaps releasing it as a single. But then it sounded so good in the acapella format that we are following within Strepsils Stereo. I decided to go with that.”
Is the song about his wife Mandana Zaidi, his wife and his co-producer in Strepsils Stereo? “I guess you could say that because I have been with her for as long as I can remember. We’ve known each other for 20 years now, not just as two people in love but also as two humans who happily know how to coexist together. Love is too stereotypical in our society. For me, it is a connection between individuals. This could be a man and a woman, a father and a son, two siblings and so on.”