Although Ali Azmat, the man synonymous with Pakistani rock music after his epic success with Junoon, may be a household name today, he revealed in an interview that aside from his parents, no one in his extended family ever believed he could make it as a musician, or indeed that singing was even a passion worth pursuing.
“They all thought I should do something else,” said the singer in an appearance on Shan e Suhoor. “Like maybe a radio TV mechanic. None of them ever understood why anyone should sing and dance – professionally.”
Luckily for the horde of Junoon fans up and down the country, such unsolicited advice and derision fell on deaf ears, as did the words of his teachers. “I was never a good student,” said Azmat, casting his mind back to his days at school. “I barely passed my exams, but then, I don’t think any kid knows what they want to do.”
Even after joining local band Jupiter in his teens and buying himself a motorcycle with the money he made performing, Azmat said he had never set out to pursue music professionally for life.
“I had never really intended to make this a profession,” said Azmat. “But I fell in love with music when I started singing. It was intoxicating. My family thought I’d be better suited as a mechanic, though. They never understood that there could ever be any other suitable profession for me.”
Azmat’s intoxicating love for music led to him overriding any reservations he may have about the meagre amount of money trickling in during the early days of his career. “I was never in it for the money,” recalled Azmat, echoing the sentiments of countless successful music acts before their career skyrocketed to fame and critical acclaim.
Coupled with a passion for singing and the thirst to prove that he would never become a mechanic over a musician, Azmat’s dedication led to the formation of Junoon, and the rest is history. Azmat’s intoxicating love for music and the desire to prove to his family that he could make it as a musician despite their objections led to the formation of Junoon, and the rest is history. With time, Azmat’s dadi’s heart softened towards his choice of career, and after accepting his success, Azmat recalled she was moved to tears at how far he had come.
“After watching me in concert, she said to me that she’d doubted me for no reason!”
For Junoon fans, Azmat’s mettle and resolve to forge ahead regardless of the odds may have been the best thing to happen to the rock band landscape in Pakistan.
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