Fuad Almuqtadir – Back after 7 years

It has been 24 years since Fuad Almuqtadir's first album, "Maya", released. Since then, the musician, composer and sound engineer has been synonymous with hit music. He has given us albums like "Bonno" and "Variation 25.2".

After 7 years, Fuad has announced that he is ready to return to making new music full-time, in an exclusive interview with The Daily Star.

We heard that you have moved into a new studio.

I indeed have. It is called Blackbox Studio LA, and I am excited to be back to music full-time – hoping to be a part of projects both in Bangladesh and the USA.

I'd been on a break of sorts for the past 7 years, focusing mainly on commercial projects and the occasional concert tour to Bangladesh.

You disrupted the musical landscape when you debuted. Musical practices, for both artistes and listeners, have changed drastically.

Global cultures are different, and will keep evolving. As a musician, I myself have to educate myself of latest trends in music, what's 'in' or not, and how to reach out to a new audience.

For example, many of my songs from my previous albums are infamous for songs with long intros, which dragged on for more than a minute sometimes. I simply cannot do that now, as people do not have the same attention span. Within 12 seconds, you have to introduce the vocalist and the tone in the song.

What do you think keeps you up to date, as a producer?

I definitely try to unlearn things as I go. For years, you learn to do things one way, and some people tend to be so set in their ways that they cannot innovate or change.

As a musician, this is something I make a conscious effort to stay open-minded.

Streaming-based artistes of today often use sampling as one of their techniques. You, however, did it successfully two decades ago. What is your take on that?

As an artiste, it is extremely difficult to stand out amidst the audience in this day and age. I really respect the young producers who are doing great things today.

Also, much like today, I received a lot of flack for sampling music as well, even though I had all the official rights to do so.

15 years ago, you just had to make a good song, and that was the end of it. Now, you have to invest a lot in the visuals, promotions and possibly a high-budget music video.

You now have another identity, as a full-time dad. Did being a father change you as a musician?

I love being a dad, and I don't know if it changes you as a musician, but it definitely does change you as a person. I have been a family-oriented person for a long time, and even more now – my family always comes first for me.