Get to know Azaan Sami Khan through his first album Main Tera
Musician Azaan Sami Khan is releasing his debut album Main Tera soon and hopes it will help people get to know him.
The son of Adnan Sami Khan and Zeba Bakhtiar, Azaan has worked on music for movies such as Parwaaz Hai Junoon and Parey Hut Love before but this is his first independent piece of work.
Main Tera also marks Hum Records' first production. It features 63 musicians from around the world, according to Azaan.
The album has nine songs — title track 'Main Tera', 'Maahiya', 'Dholna', 'Jaadugari', 'Aashiqui', 'Ik Lamha', 'Meri Sajna Re' ft Ustaad Rahat Fateh Ali Khan, 'Zama' and 'Tu' — along with some acoustic and live versions of the songs.
"I've done music for movies and it has been a great experience. I've received much more love for the compositions and films than expected and I'm very grateful," Azaan told Images.
Now, he's moving on to the next step in his journey.
"I wanted to connect with the listeners on a personal level, tell stories that were my stories and that's where Main Tera the album came in," he said, adding he wanted to create something where he could share his stories.
"When we do film music, we are telling the story of someone else, and it's very important that it be their story and not ours," he explained. That's what separates independent music from film music. If I write a romantic song it will now be about my life, said Azaan.
"That's always been the thought behind any artist's independent music. You get to know them better and that was also the idea behind this album — I wanted people to get to know me better as a person."
For the young musician, the album is biographical in many ways. "The people who listen to it very carefully will see things from different times of my life, which is why I say it's very personal," he explained.
But personal doesn't mean it's a solo effort. Azaan touts Main Tera as a collaborative effort featuring 63 musicians and technicians from five countries — Pakistan, the UK, Macedonia, Turkey and India.
"I have had the honour of working with some incredible artists on this. Our work is always collaborative, it's never just one person's work," said Azaan, expressing his gratitude for having the "luxury and honour" of working with these artists.
'Main Tera', the title track, is releasing soon and will have a music video directed by filmmaker Mohammed Ehteshamuddin, whom Azaan holds in very high regard.
The music video for Main Tera has been shot by Salman Razzaq Khan and features Maheen Siddiqui, who was chosen because of her lack of experience in the Pakistani acting world. "Ehtesham Saab wanted someone new, a fresh face, so Maheen Siddiqui flew in from Canada to feature in the MV," said Azaan.
They wanted someone new so people will believe the story in the music video.
The music has been produced by Indian producer Meghdeep Bose, who has hits like 'Swag Se Swagat' and 'Slow Motion' under his belt. Azaan and Bose first worked together on Parey Hut Love.
The song also features the Macedonian Philharmonic Orchestra and has been mixed by Indian sound engineer Eric Pillai. These artists have also worked on the rest of the album.
"I look forward to audiences hearing the album," said Azaan.