WORLD ARTISTS Showcase: Interview with Gina Rubik Great Talented Singer, Songwriter, Actress, Dancer, Filmmaker...

I am Ms.Gina Rubik, born in Budapest, Hungary, descendent of the Royal Kalderash Gipsies, niece of Cube inventor, Erno Rubik. I am a singer, songwriter, actress, dancer, filmmaker and author of upcoming novel “Famous from India to Pakistan”.

You have a great profession singing, how you started it?

It started with the folk songs of my grandmother from Transylvania, and then I studied Western classical piano and music theory, later Balkan folk singing and accordion at the American University in Bulgaria. I moved to Istanbul where I studied with Turkish and Roma songs with clarinet player, Selim Sesler. In Pakistan I became the Dhrupad vocal student of Ustad Hafeez Khan of Taalwandi gharana, then the student of son of Ustad Hussain Baksch Ghullo, Suraj Khan.

What and who did really inspire you to get into field music?

I grew up on MTV on Western rock, pop and jazz songs. Tori Amos and Joni Mitchell are my role models. In Asia I became inspired by Sufi artists like Mercandede, Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan and Reshma.

What problems did you face to achieve your career?

The lack of sponsorship from event managers, the cancellation of live shows due to the terrorism in Pakistan, religious conservatism, the unprofessionalism of media people to promote musicians.

Who have you worked with?

I worked with Sain Zahoor, brother of Tari Khan: Ustad Shabbir Hussain Khan, Arieb Azhar, sons of Ustad Hussain Baksch Ghullo: Chand and Suraj, sons of Riaz Ali Khan: Majid, Saqib and Qasim, Transglobal Underground from UK, Eva Thompson, son of Indian film composer GA Chisti: Abbas Haider.

What are results of your achievements?

I recorded songs with Budabeat Studios in Hungary with a German producer. I introduced the first Pakistani musician to perform in Hungary: son of Ustad Hussain Baksch Ghullo. Performed live on ATV, Alite, Alhamra Qadafi Stadium, Kaps Café in Lahore and got featured my Lahori Drain the Band’s song in an Indian short film

How do you see the work nowadays in your field Easy or difficult?

Music is the hardest of the performing arts, because there are so many musicians who are talented and only a few make it to the commercial music industry. A musician cannot exist without the sponsorship of record labels and concert promoters. It is more about being a brand ambassador than being an independent artist if you want to survive from this field.

What are your plans for the future in your field?

I would like to finish my English-Urdu fusion song with Incision Films in Islamabad then make a music video of it. After this record my first album if I find a sponsor for it.

GINA RUBIK NIECE OF RUBIK CUBE INVENTOR IS A TALENTED ARTIST

Newspaper Article Draft

Hailing from Budapest, Hungary, Gina Rubik is descendent of the Royal Kalderash Gypsies with scientist father, Dr.Zoltan Perjes who worked with Stephen Hawking, author of “Brief History of Time” and with Uncle Erno Rubik who invented the Rubik’s Cube.

Gina first came to Karachi in 2006 where she started working as an actress in the TV dramas of Sawera Nadeem and Faheem Burney with prominent actors Rubina Ashraf, Amber Wajid and Imran Abbas. Belated Qawali singer, Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan one night appeared in her dream and told her to learn music and stay at his house in Lahore. Within a few days Gina shifted to 84C Model Town and started training classical vocals with late Hafeez Khan of Taalwandi. Ms.Rubik met Drain band and Shabbir Hussain, brother of tabla Ustad Tari Khan, and collaborated with them playing shows at Al Hamra Qadafi Stadium and Kaps Café Lahore. In 2008 she went to India to perform at the International Roma Day in Chandigarh and had her documentary interview filmed by the Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts. A year later Drain band’s song “Mera Dil” composed by the grandson of GA Chisti, Abbas Haider was featured in a Subash Ghai Whistling Wood’s short “Arjun vs. Destiny” thanks to Gina who was assistant director of the film. In 2010 Gina worked as a host at ATV 21 magazine show with model Asma Zarnab and musician Ali Noor’s wife’s sister, Sasha where she collaborated with artists like Sain Zahoor, Junaid Khan of Call Band and author Mustancar Hussain Tarrar. In 2010 Gina introduced the first Pakistani musician ever to perform in Hungary: son of Hussain Baksch Ghullo, Suraj Khan. The three successful shows and workshop resulted in Pakistani Embassy inviting Sabri Brothers and Fareed Ayyaz Qawal group to give concerts at Trafo Contemporary Arts Centre Budapest.

Gina Rubik so far wrote three original songs in Urdu dealing with the issues of terrorism and human loss. “Yadoki kahani”, “Daishatgardika khaatma” and “Piyarka Des” are all composed by Gina and currently being recorded at music studios in Lahore, Karachi and Islamabad.

In 2012 Gina recorded three fusion songs with Akram Rahi, Punjabi singer at Waqar Ali’s music studio in Karachi, however, the contract with Mobilink Jazba Awaz campaign fell through.

Despite the fact that Ms.Rubik is an artist of excellence up till this date she has not entered the commercial media, and despite her several attempts to make a descent income from her music and acting, she has not been able to find a paid project in Pakistan!

Gina Rubik has currently completed a 30-min documentary portrait on her music and her novel in progress, titled “Famous from India to Pakistan” with filmmaker, Atif Rais Ahmed, and a 37-min interview singing a raga and reciting poetry in Saraiki language on Waseb News TV.