Urdu is exceptionally expressive and it’s hard to ignore it: Singer Zeb Bangash of 'Highway' fame

The beacon of multicultural symphonies - Zebunnisa Bangash is a singer-songwriter hailing from Lahore, Pakistan. Having worked on Imtiaz Ali's film ‘Highway', she is remembered for her soul-nourishing vocals for the emotive song - ‘Sooha Saaha'. Fondly known as Zeb, she is the first ever Pakistani artist to have directed music for the iconic Lipstick Under My Burkha, which has received 18 film awards.

A versatile vocalist, Zeb has contributed to various genres, including folk, pop, and Sufi music. She has recorded in languages ranging from Urdu, Dari, Pashto, Farsi, Turkish, Punjabi, Saraiki, and more. Carrying forward the legacy of Hindustani classical music, she has dished ‘Aaja Re Moray Saiyaa', ‘Dilruba Na Razi for Coke Studio Season 9.

Zeb's tryst with Hindustani classical music continues with her remarkable endeavor to revive and reintroduce Khayal, a South Asian musical form associated with romantic poetry. Titled Healing Khayal which is spearheaded by herself with Dr. Homayra Ziad (Ph.D., Religious Studies) at Johns Hopkins University, Zeb is establishing this faculty as a healing practice. In an exclusive interaction with this writer, Zeb delves into the influence of Urdu on the craft of songwriting, music as a medium of healing, and her journey to revive Khayal as a transformative experience.

How relevant is Urdu language in current times?
As an artist and a lover of Urdu, the language echoes with me because of its structure and poeticism. Urdu is exceptionally expressive and that's why it is difficult to ignore it. My mother tongue is Pashto and I grew up in Punjab so my second mother tongue or my friend tongue (if there is such a thing) is Punjabi. Even so, Urdu is very much alive and relevant for me personally, as a matter of fact in my upcoming work I'm looking more and more into the works of Urdu poets for inspiration.

Given the emphasis being laid on English, how is Urdu tackling the competition from other popular languages?
You're right, English is everywhere now. Thanks to a unified social media youth culture that expresses itself primarily in English or through English perspectives. For instance, I have noticed people's accents and pronunciation of Urdu change since a lot of young people write Urdu in the Roman script, which is phonetically restrictive for Urdu.

Having said that, there is lots more info on the literature, history and roots of Urdu on social media blogs than ever before. This kind of repository certainly didn't exist when I was growing up. It's become more accessible in a way. Urdu, as you know, is derived from the Turkish word Ordu which means army - as it is a collection or a Lashkar of some very ancient poetic languages including Sanskrit, Prakrit, Arabic and Persian. Now, bits of English have also found their way into Urdu expression, so perhaps it's a good time for Urdu to be opened up again through social media.

I see blogs on Persian poetics that are quoting Urdu Shairi, ones that are talking about the interconnectivity of the region. In such blogs, Urdu is always featured because many young people are researching root words taken from other languages. Young artists and filmmakers in South Asia seem to be inspired by Urdu Novels, short stories and poetry more than they did two decades ago. In many ways, this is an exciting phase for Urdu because fluidity and integration are what Urdu is best at. In that sense, it is most definitely a modern language.

How can music serve as a medium to heal?
There're some serious neuroscientists cum jazz musicians in the world who are trying to figure out the how of this because we all know music can affect your mindset. Listening to a love song on a horrible day in the office can make you feel like you just went on a 4-minute romantic vacation back to your desk.

I'm not sure how it does that but there have been people who have studied sound extensively a thousand years in the past, people like Al Farabi and the Mousali family. Their research and knowledge fed the 49-note system that constitutes the Khayal system. The intricacy and use of these microtonal notes can induce certain feelings or emotions and, in some cases, physical effects.

Please take us through the journey of conceiving 'Healing Khayal'
I was already in the pop industry when I started learning from Ustaad Naseeruddin Saami. The first couple of years, there wasn't much conversation, listening and repetition. After being fed these sounds for two years my ustaad started making connections with aesthetics, history, poetry, spatiality and pushed me towards finding my own voice.

As an adult student, it was so much fun to be given all these touch points while singing. I soon noticed changes in my voice, expression and personality. I was given so much more than ragas with Arohi/Avrohis and vadi/samvadi. This system of teaching and music was for me and my betterment. I must confess that this was at the time all guesswork and nothing was explicitly communicated by my teacher.

His primary concern was and remains to be ‘Sur'. As I got into deeper conversations and research and understood the history better, I discovered that Khayal has always been linked to spiritual spaces and spiritual practices and it was very deeply linked to the Sufi tradition and expression. It was then that I decided to try and free it from its modern intimidating pedestal of technicalities and form and bring it to its original purpose of connection, healing and self-actualization that I had experienced with my Ustaad.

In the meanwhile, Grammy award-winning producer Ian Brennan recorded Ustaad Saami and took him on tour to Europe, the US and Australia at WOMAD and other wonderful festival stages. The reaction of the crowd was a testament to the fact that Khayal sung in its original notes had an impact everywhere. I started conversations with a number of organizations in The U.S. and the Center for Cultural Vibrancy with Josh Kohn got on board right after COVID.

Dr. Homayra Ziad and I have been childhood friends and when I came to Baltimore for a concert in 2018 we ended up reconnecting and having a conversation on Khayal. She immediately knew what I was talking about as she was aware of its Sufi roots and became a key person in the project.

What is your message to people who are unable to tackle pressure and need a creative outlet?
Tackling pressures in this world is so hard for everyone. I would include myself, sometimes I'm so overwhelmed. I can only tell you what works for me and I realize that for some people that might not be the case. Disconnecting from the world even if for fifteen minutes regularly to sing to and for myself. Taking the performative out of my practice in those times and leaning into the meditative really helps. Creative outlets help me nurture a relationship with myself and can be the best way I self-soothe.