Natasha Noorani – Munaasib

We are thrilled to speak to Natasha Noorani, a singer/songwriter who has released her debut EP titled 'Munaasib'. She is also a co-founder of Pakistan's largest music festival called 'Lahore Music Meet'.

Musicmandir - Hi Natasha, tell us a little about yourself?

Natasha - I'm a musician/music manager/festival director from Lahore, Pakistan. I've been working in the industry for the last 5 years or so. I'm a co-founder of one of Pakistan's largest music festivals, Lahore Music Meet. I have also worked as General Manager of Coke Studio and managed the band, Strings, amidst dabbling with radio and production!

I released my debut EP 'Munaasib' earlier this year. Before that I have collaborated with Ali Suhail, Gentle Robot, Sikandar Ka Mandar and have another music project by the name of Biryani Brothers!

Musicmandir - Who is Biryani Brothers and how did that happen? (Big fan BTW!)

Natasha - Biryani Brothers is the multi-talented Zahra Paracha and myself! We've been making music together since 2012 as we were in college together and Biryani Brothers became our little project of celebrating the kind of music we bring out in each other.

Watch this space for a Biryani Brothers interview very soon.

Musicmandir - What was the inspiration behind the EP titled 'Munaasib'?

Natasha - I struggled for a very long time about my musical ability. Being surrounded by brilliant musicians constantly will have you doubting yourself a bit haha. Munaasib can be translated as adequate. The term has often come off as negative but I assure you, my rationale was far from that. This is me performing  and creating music to the best of my (current) ability and I think the word Munaasib is pretty perfect to describe the body of work.

It's also an inside joke from my college days! But that's a reference I'll leave for the audience to dig up.

Musicmandir - What genre would you categorise your music as?

Natasha - I personally call it 'accidental-pop'. These are sounds and songs I happened to stumble upon. My writing process itself is very much like that. I tend to just play/write/song spontaneously for a while and then end up with pieces and parts and lyrics to these songs. I've never been able to sit down and convince myself to write. But I think it falls somewhere between rnb, neo-soul and progressive pop-rock(?).

Musicmandir - What is your songwriting process? Does the melody come first or the lyrics?

Natasha - My songwriting process is all over the place. Hence the whole ‘accidental music’ bit. I start by piecing together bits of melody, aided by gibberish words. These words sometimes make sense and then set the tone of the rewriting/revisiting process.

In terms of the lyrics, it’s always very personal work. I also don’t particularly like sharing the true meaning behind my lyrics lest I ruin the song or experience for somebody. But this album has a lot to do with myself, my actions, my shortcomings, my anxieties and how those in turn impact the people around me.

Musicmandir - Dogs or cats and why. (can't say both).
Natasha - Dogs! No doubt about it! They’re just easier to get along with. They don’t play hard to get. More importantly, I’ve grown up with dogs my entire life (my favourite doggo was my Golden Labrador, Ladoo) and I can just read them better. There’s nothing a smol pupper or a big boof can’t fix!

Musicmandir - Who are your favourite independent musicians or what are you currently listening to?
Natasha - Oh man! Abdullah Siddiqui is my all time favorite right now. He's so young and so far beyond what anyone in the industry is doing it's ridiculous. Shorbanoor, Ali Suhail, Mehdi Maloof, Poor Rich Boy and Gentle Robot are all currently doing their rounds on my playlist!

 

*NEW RELEASE BY NATASHA TITLED TRACE feat SHORBANOOR

 

You can follow Natasha on the following platforms -

Thank you for reading!

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