My biggest desire in Life to change mindset of my fellow afghans towards their artists, says Aryana Sayeed

By Sadaf Fayyaz Jun 8th, 2012 ( 4 Comments )

Aryana Sayeed is a fresh wave among Afghan artists. With her divine voice and innovative ideas, she has decided to bring back the vivacity and exhilaration of music, in her own style. Her music has tinges of R&B, Hip-Hop and Afghan folk. Her unique style of music style reflects her roots. She holds a big dream to make and bring a change. Let’s see what that change is. She doesn’t only hold a passion for singing only, but also strives to bring a change in the mindset of her fellow afghan people for artists. While talking to The News Tribe (TNT), she was like:

TNT: When you started music, what were the biggest obstacles in your way and how did you manage them?

Aryana Sayeed: I started my music career approximately five years ago and the biggest obstacles were the thought of being an Afghan girl and how people would react. The second one were the expectations that I had of myself were very high while the resources and finances available to me were not at a point where I could fulfill my expectations. But I finally had to go with my gut feeling and follow my passion and dream of someday becoming a known and respected Afghan female artist.

TNT: If given a chance you would like to perform with whom?

Aryana Sayeed: I have already shared the stage with a few great Artists like Farhad Darya, Habib Qaderi and Jawed Sharif and if I could add to that list, I would love to perform with one of the two talented Artists; Sediq Shabab or Arash Howaida.

TNT: How would you compare Afghan music with other forms of music?

Aryana Sayeed: If we go back to the roots of Afghan Music, we would probably find that the original Afghan Music is something that is very different and recognizable. Every music genre has got its own beauty. I think every Afghan Artist should try to revitalize the originality of Afghan music and help it improve it in a modern way so it is acceptable to the newer/younger generation.

TNT: What Afghan singers and musicians act as your inspiration?

Aryana Sayeed: I absolutely love Latif Ningarhari. I think he is a great singer and moreover he has a very nice and humble personality. I also like Sediq Shabab.

TNT: What are loopholes/issues that music industry need to get rid off?

Aryana Sayeed: I believe the biggest loophole in our current music industry is the fact that performing on top of playback music/songs has become a norm. With today’s technology even the weaker Artists can record a song that is at an acceptable level and then step on the stage and supposedly perform as a real artist. What I have tried within my reach and abilities through my TV show “Shab-e Mosiqi” on 1TV is to raise awareness amongst our people that live music actually introduces real artists with talent to the community and it has its own special affect over the audience members that playback music is usually missing, which is real feeling.

TNT: What are your future plans?

Aryana Sayeed: I am planning to release a song dedicated to Afghan women and all their struggles and hopefully provide them with some hope for a better future. But even before that I will probably release my first official song called “De Ishq Lambo“. Stay tuned.

TNT: What’s your goal and biggest desire in life?

Aryana Sayeed: My biggest goal and desire in life is to change the mindset and attitude of my fellow Afghans towards their artists. Facing a harsh fact, I have to admit that as female artists, one of the challenges we have to face is that the Afghan community does not have the respect other communities have for their artists. This is obviously not the case with everyone out there, however Music and Art are two very important parts of life and just because someone appears on a TV screen or on a stage, it does not make them someone who is of a lower value than the rest of the community but someone who actually dares to pursue their goal and dreams as an artist and in the process entertain their own community in a positive and acceptable manner. If being an Artist is something unacceptable within our community, why is it that Afghanistan is probably the biggest market for Bollywood (Indian Movie Industry) outside of India itself? That tells us that there is a need for Art, music and artists. However, unfortunately we do not always support our own and follow those outside of our community like Tajik, Indian and Iranian Music.

TNT: Tell about your music training.

Aryana Sayeed: I have however recently started looking into becoming a proper student of music with a qualified “Ustaad” so I can make improvements in various areas of my performance and increase my knowledge of music itself. For now, I would not even refer to myself as a student of music as I have a long way to go.

TNT: What languages can you sing in?

Aryana Sayeed: I have been blessed with the ability to sing in four different languages, which are Farsi/Dari, Pashto, Hindi and English. As of this moment, I have not tried performing in any other language, but maybe in the near future I will try something different as well.

TNT: How would you define your life as a singer? Are you happy with it?

Aryana Sayeed: Well, if I speak from the bottom of my heart, I have been through as many things if not more as any other Afghan female artist out there. There have been occasions when I have been ready to give up on my dream and desire of becoming a well-known Afghan female artist as the struggles and lack of results and support have been too hard to handle. However certain individuals in my life like my Manager Hasib Jaan and my own passion for a career as an Artist have brought me back from the brink of giving up. To answer your question at this very moment, I am very happy that I did not give up and am very grateful that people mostly look at me and like me as a decent Afghan female artist. Winning the ATN award as the Best New Female Artist last year and my most recent award as the Best Female Artist of the Year at AATV Music Awards are motivations that will keep me going further.

TNT: Is there any message to your fans?

Aryana Sayeed: My message is not just for my fans but for the Afghan community worldwide. I think I would be speaking not just for myself but for most of my fellow artists. If our Afghans would like to see the level and quality of our music and concerts improve, they will have to do their part as well by supporting the “qualified” artists who deserve their support so they can provide them with better quality songs and performances. If they do not do their part, I think it would be unreasonable for them to expect better quality as without support not every artist is a millionaire to just keep on spending on themselves without obtaining any returns for their investment.