WORLD ARTISTS Showcase: Interview with Qaiser Zain Ul Abedin The great Awarded Musician

I always wanted to play the drums, I started playing at the age of 18. I've been playing professionally for 17 years. I love playing football, I work out. I love writing, recording and producing music. I enjoy working with different artists, meeting new people, travelling. I have the raw talent of reading people, I get along with people very easily. I am drawn towards darkness, I love staying in the dark. The only time I get out during the day when it's a sunny day. I prefer being in a crowd, since I live alone I am constantly thinking about music. I am extremely loyal, caring and loving, I am happy the most when I see others around me happy.

Which musical instrument do you play?

I play the drums, percussions and the guitar. I sing as well. I use cups, tables, buckets as well to make music. The door, windows, the ground. I write mostly using the guitar. I am a simple guitar player. I wish I was a great guitar player like John Petrucci. My favourite drummer is Mike Portnoy and Joey Jordison from Slipknot.

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

My father is my greatest inspiration because he is a great doctor and I want to be just like him, but I am happy that I am Pakistan's best drummer right now. My father and mother are very proud of me. My other inspirations are: A.R. Rahman, Mike Portnoy, Joey Jordison, Nearl Peart, Carter Beauford and many more! I also get inspired by street drummers! I often find them on youtube. new drummers inspire me, often new drummers play in odd time signatures, which drives me to get better.

What problems did you face to achieve your career?

When my father first heard about my desire to play music professionally, he was very upset. So, I left home and I stayed away for 8 months and I promised myself to make something of myself. I was invited to play with pakistani pop artist- Shehzad Roy within the first year, we toured Ireland. My father heard about it and called me back home, ever since then he's been very happy for me. The problems I have now are basically technical- we usually think one way and something else happens!

Who have you worked with?

I started playing the drums prfoessionally in 1996. I used to play at various clubs in Karachi. My first band was called- Yellow blue boys, along with that I was playing in a band autopsy gothic, focusing on heavy metal. Then, I moved on with a popular Pakistani artists called Najam Sheraz, Junoon, Junaid Jamshed, Harron, Faakhir, Strings, Atif Aslam, Ali Azmat, Komal Rizvi, Karavan, Jal, and now I'm currently touring with a very talented young Pakistani singer- Qurat-ul-ain Baloch.

What are results of your achievements?

My achievements- I have been blessed because I have travelled the world. I have my own studio where I record with all of the big names from the Pakistani music industry. I have won the best drummer award from MTV India. I have been nominated thrice for being the best drummer here in the Pakistani music industry. I have worked and toured with all of the best artists from the Pakistani music industry.

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

It's a bittersweet combination. It can be easy and difficult at the same time, since different artists have very different tempraments. So, one has to adapt and improvize and like any other area in life, there are always hurdles to cross. Touring takes a lot of you so, travelling can be extremely tiring, re-locating to different cities and countries can be strenous and daunting, but it's all part of the journey as a musician. The more we grow the more we learn and progress. For me, my favourite musicians who work with me are: Sean Arnaz- on guitars and Bradley Dsouza on bass, Adeel Mirza on keyboards. Heidi Dean, Faisal Ali Khan and Qurat-ul-Ain Baloch on vocals.

What are your plans for the future in your field ?

My future plans- I currently have a project I work on. Where I get all the big names from the music industry and I collaborate with them. I have my own band called QZAP- We are working on our album, a vidoe is in the works and we will use various instruments, artists. We are also looking at touring internationally, hopefully. It's an experiment, I work with very talented, young artists and musicians. Some of them are already playing with some of the big names in the industry, playing different genres, different singing styles, different cultures, different languages. Sean Arnaz who is on guitars is currently playing in a popular Pakistani rock band- AZAL, he is a talented singer/songwriter as well. He has been playing professionally for 13 years and has also travelled the world with various artists, including his own band. Bradley Dsouza, our bassist is a gifted young bassist. He is extremely talented. Adeel Mirza- keyboards- A music teacher and a gifted singer/songwriter, he is also a great keyboard player.

QZAP- Qaiser Zain-ul-abideen project- a culmination of different artists, from very different cultures, coming together and creating magic. Our goal is to put out a great album and a world tour.