ZIAUR RAHMAN ZIA

PHoto: Abrar Pronoy

Tell us about yourself.

I am a musician, and a huge fan of music. I listen to all kinds of music in my spare time.

What inspired you to start music?

I love listening to music, and that is what mainly inspired me. When I was in college, I used to go to a lot of concerts. I used to attend concerts almost on the daily. That really inspired me a lot. 

Can you tell us about the origin of ‘Shironamhin’?

Back in the day, I was in a metal band called, Thrashold, which had to be disbanded around three years after its formation as some members had to go abroad for higher education. I was not very eager to do thrash metal. I realised at the time that thrash metal would not fit our country’s musical landscape, and I thought about forming a band that relied on acoustic guitars. We didn’t form Shironamhin with the target to record albums or anything. Around 1996, we got an invitation from the Padatik Natya Sangsad to perform. Back then, we used to perform around the BUET campus and TSC, and they had noticed how well liked our performances were. I formed the band with my friend, Juel, and we had a vocalist named Bulbul. The show was at the TSC Auditorium, and we were asked to do some songs before the main act took the stage. We didn’t cover songs, and we were very nervous to do originals as people did not know the songs. But, when we performed, the crowd really seemed to love our music. That show inspired us so much that we kept on performing with that band.

Do you have any upcoming projects?

We recently released a song, called Ei Obelay, which we released on our YouTube channel. This is the fifth single from the album that we are currently working on. We plan on releasing all the songs on the album as singles with music videos, and after eight or nine songs, we will compile them and make an album. Aside from Shironamhin, I do not have a solo career.

What are the required qualities of an aspiring musician?

I think the most important thing is practice. An aspiring musician needs to practise a lot to become presentable to the masses. What I find alarming about many new musicians is how they are more focused on the fame, rather than developing their skill set. Every young aspiring musician needs to make original material. You cannot go far by just covering songs; you need original tracks.

PHoto: Sudipto Paul Pias

What is the life of a musician like?

The life of a musician is very different, depending on where you live. If you stay in USA, and are a full-time musician, you will get the benefits of it. But, being a professional musician is very hard here as music is still not fully accepted as a career choice. Since it is not positively accepted as a career, people do music on the side. As a result, a lot of the music is only half-hearted.

What is your favourite memory?

I have a lot of memories from touring, so it’s really hard to pick a specific one. Before going on tour with Shironamhin, I had never gone out of Dhaka. We went on tours across the country, and even abroad. I really enjoyed these tours as I got to see so many different places, and experience new cultures.

Do you have any message for the readers?

I would like to request the music fans to listen to the music we make. I would also like to request everyone to pay more attention to our social values.