Picture: Tapu Javeri

Karachi-based Zoe Viccaji, 29, started her music career writing English songs but after her Coke Studio Pakistan appearance, she has become a household name in Pakistan. She tells t2 about her music.

What inspires you to create music?

Emotions which need an outlet are my highest inspiration. When I’m most happy, or most sad, or going through a period of existential crisis I write the most. Melodies come through all the seasons, but it’s for the content and lyrics that I have to wait for the right weather.

So, how much of your music is a stream of consciousness?

Almost all of it has been so far. Ishq kinara (which released on October 20) was the first time I created a story and made a song through an imagined experience. Funnily enough, now several months after recording the song, I identify with it personally!

What was your biggest concern when you first started out as a professional musician?

It was my lack of familiarity with eastern music and the local language that left me feeling that I could not hack it professionally. I’ve been writing since the age of 15 and never took it to a more serious level because I saw my passion for music being a hobby at most in this part of the world. My Urdu accent was also something that made me extremely self-conscious, in fact the ‘R’s (reh’s) in my first song with Strings, Bichra yaar, were quite a challenge; and that made me realise that I could overcome my accent flaws with perseverance.

How much of your personality comes out through your music? In what ways is it a journey of your soul?

It really depends on the song and production. I like to experiment a lot, so while some songs stay very true to my own personality, others are a vicarious experience through other personalities. At the end of the day I guess they are all derived from something within me, so the genetic make-up is the same.

The whole of the first album has been a journey of the soul. In fact it’s even named Stages because it’s a selection from the songs that I’ve been writing since I was 15, and many of those earlier songs were like personal journal entries.

In what ways did Coke Studio Pakistan change your perception of music and your career?

I grew up in a household where you could always hear music playing –– all the old jazz greats, musical theatre numbers and pop sensations like the Beatles and ABBA were like family to me. But neither of my parents owned even a single record or tape of any local or eastern music. As a result I composed and wrote all my music in English and aspired to sing songs like my jazz inspirations. Not at all concerned about what could sell, but rather in what came from the heart, I didn’t feel that I had much room to make a career out of my music in Pakistan.

When I joined Coke Studio Pakistan, life threw my way a set of circumstances that would colour my musical journey very differently. Suddenly I was immersed in an atmosphere which was dedicated to our culture and getting in touch with our eastern musical roots. Music that I felt so distant from, now became a big part of my day, and so much more available to me. I began seeing interesting depths in our music and culture.

Picture: Cyrus Viccaji

What are your upcoming projects?

The first personal album is the biggest one that I’m itching to let go of! It’s been ready for a while now, but it’s in the process of being released by a label. I’ve also sung songs for a few feature films which will be making their way out in the next month or so. While I’m working on singles, a long-term work in progress remains a mini musical, which is just in its infant stages.

Besides music, what keeps you busy?

I’ve always been an outdoorsy person, so I can’t sit still for too long. I love running and yoga. Music and everything related to it has taken over my life for the last two years, but before that I was painting for over 10 years and continue to dabble now and then.

Finally, any Indian indie act you like or would like to work with?

I’m due to come over to India in the next month or so, so I think I’ll have a better idea then. I’ve learnt that good collaborations come from how well one clicks with another act on a personal level.