As epithets go, this one says it all. Taher Shah is known as "the world's most bizarre YouTube star". His attire - especially a purple gown with a train, matching shoes, wings and a sparkling tiara - and his long curly hair, along with the way he sings self-composed songs, have given birth to numerous memes. There is even a new genre of Taher Shah jokes.
The Karachi-based singer is indeed an Internet sensation. He was the top trending topic for two consecutive days on Twitter in India and Pakistan, and was number three worldwide a day after his album Angel was released on April 8. The album itself garnered almost 5 million hits on YouTube within days.
But the man seems untouched by what the world is saying about him. He is serious about "inventing real art work", he says, and deeply cares for his "angelic and lovable fans". He was in no doubt about the success of Angel, he holds.
" Angel song will be the song of the year 2016 from Pakistan," he predicts. "I was positively aware that it would be a huge success, and indeed Angel did surpass the iconic Eye to Eye's enormous success, setting new records," he says, referring to his 2013 hit.
Shah arrived with a bang with Eye to Eye, which had these memorable lines: "Eye to eye, makes happy killer love, lifetime, once in a life./ Substantial love is heaven for the size eyes/ Spectacular eyes, our eyes, my eyes and your eyes, eye to eye, eye to eye".
English is not his strong point, but Shah - along with his 45,000 followers on Twitter - couldn't care less. He had tweeted a day before the release of Angel, "1 Days to Go." For days, his new album was the talk of the viral world.
It's not easy to get through to Shah, known to be unapproachable. The first hurdle is his "Team Management" which deals with all requests. The group stresses that it "appreciates love" and interest towards the "singer celebrity and his new phenomenal blockbuster" but puts a few conditions even before Shah can take a decision on whether he is willing to be interviewed. "Only 5 or max 6 questions," it says in an email, and "no personal or unnecessary questions". The questions should be sent in advance, and there will be no follow-up questions.
There is reason for him to be wary of interviews, for in Pakistan, and in India, his personality and music have evoked considerable mirth. In fact, much of the Indian Twitterati "sympathised" with Pakistan in its "hour of grief" soon after the release of his second album, which featured his small son in a matching robe and a tiara. (When dad wears blue, so does the son.)
Finally, much to the surprise of this correspondent, he emails his answers - though, since there are no follow-ups, some of his replies remain a bit enigmatic.
Shah, 36, is clearly happy with his music. His albums present "a positive image" of Pakistan as a "lovable nation", he says. The "universe recognised our work and admires Pakistan's talent as mankind's angels". No clarifications could be sought because of the ban on follow-up questions.
Like his answers, his lyrics are a bit opaque. A verse in Angel goes, "All Angels remain quiet/ Like those flowers/ That persist silence / But spread their essence/ And always reside jovial." Eye to Eye had a few intriguing lines, too. Such as: "Forever and ever, without you/ I'm like/ A butterfly... without fly."
The world may find it bizarre, but Shah is upbeat about his music. "I am setting a new trend of uniqueness in my lyrics. This is the strength of my super-hit songs," he says.
Indeed, the Taher Shah stamp on his English lyrics is one reason why he is such an Internet sensation. An Urdu version of Eye to Eye, called Aankhon Hi Aankhon Mein, didn't create any ripples, although the lyrics there were more lucid. He is now about to release an Urdu version and an instrumental version of Angel.
Shah takes his time between albums. There was a three-year gap between his debut album and Angel. "It takes time to create something new," he explains. "Fans and people understand that for real classic work, time is very important."
Like Angel, Eye to Eye, too, had created an Internet stir. Actor Hrithik Roshan had sent it to his friend, Ranveer Singh, with the message, "One day I want you to outdo this". Singh in reply put up a 10-second clip where he lip-synced the song, wearing, like Shah, a white suit. The clip had 1.9 million hits in two days.
The new album led to this tweet from Twinkle Khanna: "When you see eye to eye with an Angel and discover you have contracted conjunctivitis." Khanna also tweeted: "Pakistan doesn't need nuclear weapons they can just drop this purple bomb on us."
Shah is aware of the memes and the jokes about. But he takes these in his stride. Angel is a "success", he says, because of the love and appreciation he's received from people.
"I have created my own style of work which is new and unique. Hence my fans admire and motivate me. They mention their true love in their thousands through email," he says. He is proud that his fans consider him the "King" of the social media.
"I am a liberal person and believe in improvement. Therefore with new vision and more dedication, I am concentrating on my future projects," he says.
Among them are "several" offers from Bollywood and Hollywood. "I do have many offers from around the globe for concerts, music albums, films, TV dramas, shows, endorsements, etc. I am reviewing all the scripts and offers as I love to do selective work," he says.
But one that is all ready to take off is a "Hollywood film" in collaboration with his company Eye to Eye Ltd and Avai Media, US. The film will also be called Eye to Eye. "The film subject relates to love," he says. "The film will be another surprise for my fans around the globe," he adds.
Get ready for some more memes and jokes. There is no stopping Taher Shah.
