This Indo-Pak Duo Is Taking The World By Storm With Their Music

In the early 2000's , Rup Magon from India and Qurram Hussein from Pakistan, embarked on a journey to pursue their passion for music and founded "JoSH" . Little did they know that their style of music would take the whole of South Asia by storm and would make JoSH a leading name in the world of pop music. The duo has not only established itself as a musical sensation, but has reinstated our belief in successful cross border collaborations . JoSH's success story reminds Indians and Pakistanis all across the world that music binds us all and is a medium through which our nations can attain peace.

Team Lighthouse is proud to feature the duo. Read along as Rup and Qurram talk about their journey so far and how music can serve as an agent of Peace...

What brought your respective families to Canada and what part of India and Pakistan do your respective families call home?

Qurram:My parents were born in Madras and Bangalore, and moved to Pakistan in 1947. They became doctors in Pakistan, and then moved to Oman for work. I was born in Oman and then lived in Karachi and did my high school there. Then my whole family moved to Montreal. Our life was such that me and my siblings (3 sisters) never lived with my parents because they were working in Oman. Once they decided to retire and spend time with their kids more, they wanted to move to Canada because we had family there, so we all ended up moving to Montreal.

Rup: Although both my parents were born in Kenya, my family is from Delhi, Ludhiana, and pre- partition Gujrawala and Lahore.

What drew you to music? Was there a particular person or incident that stands out?

Qurram : When I was living in Karachi, there used to be a friend who would play keyboards. His name was Nadir Bhai. I remember being VERY curious about how all the layers of instruments came together to make the full song. Although I would sing at school, from regular songs to Naatain at Milaads, I think my attraction was towards the music making process, and till date that remains what attracts me to music. It helped that music was played around the house growing up, so even though I don’t come from an entertainment family, they were passionate about music.

Rup: I’ve always been drawn to the power of music.Its ability to truly transcend gender, race, nationality, religion amazes me.I learned how to sing, play tabla, and harmonium at a young age simply by watching others - it was within me, and luckily still is.

How long have you both known each other? How did you meet?

Qurram: It just so happened that when I moved to Montreal, I moved right across the street from Rup place. We ended up taking the same bus to college, and in Montreal there are not a lot of desis, so when a new brown guy comes on the bus, other desis take notice! Hehehe. I guess we noticed each other and eventually started talking, and just ended up becoming friends. Of course since we had a passion for music, we ended up jamming together too, and Rup already had formed JoSH with some other friends, so I was a late entry in the band.

Rup: We met in Montreal in the late 90’s. At that point, we didn’t actually know that not only did we live across the street from each other, but we attended the same college (yes we went to college) and even took the same bus (yes we took the bus).

When did you form your band? What inspired you to make music together?

Qurram: Rup had formed JoSH with his brother and a couple of other friends. I saw them perform live once, and they sucked real bad. That’s when I realized I had to jump in and help out! Hahaha. Well, ok maybe that was not my intention, but I did catch a bad show, and when they did want to jam, I was not sure what would happen. But turns out it was quite natural and we all were able to have fun. That’s the most important thing, and that energy just led us to making new music and the rest I guess fell in place after a lot of hard work!

Rup: Initially we played music as a hobby.It was something we were good at and enjoyed tromendously.We used to be musicians in a cover band that played Bollywood songs, Pakistani hits, and everything in between.Later we realized that this was something we were both quite serious about which is when we decided to persue further and created original demos.

What is the source of inspiration for your songs?

Qurram: I derive inspiration from my life and life experiences. All my writing and composing is an expression of what I have felt. I find that helps keeps me closer to my creations, and then I don’t get bored of them. Considering that if a song gets popular I have to perform it for a long time, this works out better for me!

Rup: Inspiration comes from many different ways. It can come from personal experiences, nature, other art forms, and even from my daughters.

In 2009, you performed in Coke Studio Pakistan with Singer Shafqat Amanat Ali. How was your experience performing in Pakistan? How has Coke Studio helped in breaking planted images of the other’s talent pool?

Qurram: For me playing with the top musicians of Pakistan was the highlight. As a music maker, I can appreciate the people who have worked on their craft and just seamlessly vibe with music. Because we don’t live in Pakistan, we sent them vibes for what we thought would sound good, and by the time we landed, they had jammed the songs and made their cleaned up versions. Because everyone was so good, we only needed 2 jams, and we were good to go! With Shafqat bhai, it was the same thing. Since he was such a good friend already, and such an inspiration, it was just so natural and such and honour to share that moment with him, and he brought so much dimension to “Mahi Ve” when we sang it together, it was amazing.

I think Coke Studio as a platform continues to evolve, and it certainly is something that people look up to. I don’t think people venture THAT far off their usual vibes, and although they have the room to do new stuff, but they do have to stay in the Coke Studio “sound”. So I don’t think it changes people’s perception of an artist sound that much, but the collaborations are exciting to watch.

Rup: It was a surreal experience. I’ve always had a lot of respect for Shafqat bhai, so being on stage with him was almost a dream come true. The Coke Studio platform has helped keep music fresh. It gives opportunities to artist of every genre to display their talent on a mainstream stage.

You had featured in Grammy award winner Nelly Furtado’s tour to India in 2011. How would you describe your experiences in India?

Qurram: The biggest thing about India is that their entertainment industry is bigger, thus more organized in many ways, and the country has more political stability so people can relax with an open mind when enjoying entertainment. Its not perfect, but they have managed to make a thriving business that makes a lot of money. Because of that, an artist like Nelly Furtado, who has a lot of details that need to be met, can tour there. At the time it was the biggest tour I had done, so I kept learning and observing things like how sound checks are done properly, how a big team communicates, how the machine functions basically, and it was great to see that when everyone does their job well, there is no panic, and all things can be dealt with. We tried to incorporate a lot of that learning into our own shows for sure.

Rup: Performing in India is always special.When filmi music gets redundant and overwhelming, audiences get thirsty for non-film stuff. Thats exactly what happened when we released Powerless with Nelly.Fans got a taste of something they never thought would happen!We performed live with Nelly at the Andheri Stadium on new years, and it was something I’ll never forget.A crowd of over 70,000 fans giving us nothing but pure love.

How are India and Pakistan different from each other in terms of the present music scenario?

Qurram: Besides the magnitude of the industry and the projects, I think the fans want the same thing. Good products. If we talk music, they want good music just like anyone else. I think Pakistan has been hampered by too many distractions that take away from people bring able to relax and enjoy some time off. The conversations taking place in Pakistan are about political future, or about some drastic incident that took place, which doesn’t feed the soul. Also, there is a trend of people wanting to studio arts and learn from proper institutions. In Pakistan those avenues are limited, so growth is slower.

Rup: The Indian music scene is heavily influenced by films. Songs are generally created around stories. So basically the source of the inspiration is not always the singer/song writers - it comes from the director and writer of the screenplay. There has been a recent resurgence in new non-film genres which people have started to embrace. I’m very happy about that. In Pakistan, the music is still written and performed by bands and artists that are not looking to place their songs in a movie. Its a very different vibe!

You have been involved with a number of multi-cultural initiatives, including the South Asian Canadian Music Festival. In your opinion, how do such initiatives help in breaking stereotypes and bringing cultures close?

Qurram: The world has become very small ever since the internet took off. I think more and more people are aware of different cultures, and initiatives help educate people more, but more and more people come pre educated because if anyone has an interest, they can find the information very easily. That being said, people still want to hear and experience different cultures, so these festivals give people a chance to do so. But in a city like Toronto, its safe to assume that everyone has a desi friend, so people are more aware about different cultures for sure.

Rup: We live in a time where the source of knowledge about other countries comes from the media. We blindly believe what we are told. In turn, that becomes harmful since media is never really unbiased. Such initiative help us meet and greet with others which allow us to understand our similarities.

India and Pakistan have faced many conflicts in the past and still have tensions across the border. How do you think music can bridge the gap between the two nations?

Qurram: At the end of the day, music delivers a message. People are listening to music because they enjoy it, but they’re also listening to a message. I think its safe to say that most artist want to send a message about peace and love, and when the listener is reminded of that, we hope that it resonates with them and they’re able to incorporate that in their lives. Although it never mattered to us, people always are pleasantly surprised to see how Rup and I have been in a band, even though I’m Pakistani and hes a visible Indian. More and more people are doing the same thing now, and I think as that number grows, it will be another reminder that we’re all one and the same.

Rup: Music has no language, no boundary, and no religion. If a beat is playing and it makes you move, you don’t question where that beat came from, you simply move. Music has the power not only to make countries become friends, but it can ultimately help humanity with hatred, jealousy, and war. Music makes me happy.

You have performed extensively across India and Pakistan. What do you make of the youth of India and Pakistan in your concerts? Is there love or hatred between the two?

Qurram: Besides some bad apples who will always be there to stir up trouble, I think the sentiment from both sides is curiosity, and love. If you’ve traveled or studied abroad, chances are you’ve had interaction with Indians, and probably got along great and made life long friends. Its all the same people, divided by political agendas, and when they get together, it doesn’t take long for them to realize that they’re all the same. So, to answer your question, its mostly love between the two.

Rup: Its all love. Youth are not hateful. They are curious to meet each other. They ask questions. Education amongst the youth is very important for them to live in peace and harmony.

When it comes to music, movies or art, there seem to be no barriers between India and Pakistan. Do you think there are any other mediums that can bring us closer?

Qurram: Well, as I’ve mentioned before, since we have similar roots, we can connect with anything. A medium to me is just something that when mentioned, you can find a connection through, and Food can be considered that very easily. If you geta Pakistani and Indian together and discuss food, you’ll notice that they will be able to talk about flavours that they’re both familiar with, and an instant connection is made. Technically you can do that about weddings, weather, anything really. We share so much, any initiative taken with a positive approach can be turned into a medium that brings us closer together.

Rup: Instagram!!! Just kidding, of course there are other mediums...food, art, sports (believe it or not, it brings us closer), fashion, and literature just to name a few.

What's your message to war mongers?

Qurram and Rup: War mongers, go find ways to experience love.