Latest news with #Strings
Express Tribune
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Express Tribune
Aima Baig is tempted to launch jewellery line
In an Instagram Story shared recently, Aima Baig flaunted layers of jewellery that adorned her neck, ears, wrists, and fingers. In the video, the singer adjusted her multiple necklaces while tucking her hair behind her ear to reveal a crescent-style earring. Rings glimmered on her fingers as she raised her hand to show off her wrist watch and bracelets. Although Aima didn't wear anything fancier than a casual shirt and jeans, she sported a big smile to show that she was satisfied with the bling she added to the overall look with her accessories. "Layering up jewels gives me chills. In a good way, of course," she wrote. As inspiration struck, she asked her followers if she should launch her own jewellery line. Whether or not the Baanware singer decides to commit to this endeavour remains to be seen. For now, she's thriving in her career as a musician. Earlier this month, she won the Lux Style Award for Most Stylish Musician of the Year (Critics' Choice) for Satrangi. Expressing gratitude for the accolade on Instagram, she wrote, "Thank you so much. I'm truly humbled." The feat caught the attention of Strings alum Faisal Kapadia, who said in the comments, "Many congratulations! We need a treat." Aima's beau, Rastah founder Zain Ahmad, also offered his support, lighting up her comments with fire emojis. Fans were also quick to offer their heartfelt congratulations, flooding the section with heart emojis. "You deserve it, my girl," a user wrote, echoing the sentiments of many others including fans from beyond Pakistan. Last month, Aima performed for her dedicated international fans in Bangladesh. Sharing the concert photos, she wrote, "Thank you for all the love, Bangladesh. You guys were truly magical, and a huge shout out to Yamaha for putting together an amazing stage."
Yahoo
13-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Billy Strings brings his headline tour to Blue Cross Arena
ROCHESTER, N.Y. (WROC) — Grammy-winning singer-songwriter Billy Strings is coming to Rochester this Fall! Strings is bringing his headline tour to the Blue Cross Arena on Tuesday, November 11. The show will kick off at 7:30 p.m. Strings is best known for hits such as 'Dust in a Baggie' and 'Meet Me at the Creek.' He recently collaborated with Bryan Sutton on the album 'Live at the Legion.' Tickets for the show will go on sale on Friday, May 16, at 10 a.m. You can buy tickets by clicking here. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Express Tribune
02-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Express Tribune
Bilal Maqsood explores sights, flavours of Japan
Bilal Maqsood is soaking up the magic of Japan, and fans are loving every glimpse of his journey. The beloved Pakistani musician and artist, known for his work with the iconic band Strings, is currently exploring Tokyo, turning his long-held dream into a reality. "Visiting Japan had always been a dream and it finally came true!" he shared in an Instagram post on Wednesday, accompanied by a carousel of vibrant snapshots. From steaming bowls of ramen to glittering city skylines and tucked-away restaurants, day one of Bilal's Japan diaries was a visual feast. "Soaking in the beauty, culture, and energy of this amazing place," he wrote, radiating joy and awe. But the adventure didn't stop there. By Thursday, Bilal was back on Instagram with another update, this time captioned, "Sights and sounds of Tokyo." The new post captures a deeper dive into the city's contrasts, the traditional and the modern, the loud and the serene. The singer shared a video from a traditional knife sharpening workshop and photos of serene temple grounds, lantern-lit streets, and sushi counters. He rode through the city by car, capturing neon signs, vending machines, and Tokyo's fast-paced yet orderly street life, writing, "Just taking it all in: the noise, the quiet, the weird, the beautiful. Every turn in this city has something unexpected." Fans quickly flooded the comments with love and excitement. "Best coverage so far!" one user wrote. Another commented, "Hope you have a great time and make amazing memories." Others praised his eye for detail and aesthetics, with one fan adding, "Your post brings back so many memories." His posts are a reminder of the joy of wanderlust and discovery. And for his followers, this journey feels personal. We're all just lucky to come along for the ride.
Express Tribune
11-02-2025
- Entertainment
- Express Tribune
Strings album 'Duur' turns twenty-four
Strings may have become a thing of the past, but the band's songs have long been immortalised in memory. Former member Faisal Kapadia took to Instagram to celebrate the anniversary of the album Duur, which released in 2000 and marked the end of the band's eight-year-long hiatus. "Today marks twenty-four years since Duur was released worldwide. It's hard to believe how time flies - sometimes it feels like just yesterday when we were working on this album and all those music videos. The journey was truly unforgettable. Thank you for being a part of this amazing ride with us!" Kapadia wrote on Monday. The vocalist's words took his fans on a nostalgic trip, reigniting old memories associated with the album and the eponymous song. "Great album cover and an even better song! Timeless!" remarked one user. "This album defined my childhood! Your music has been a part of my journey, and even though the band isn't together, the legacy of Strings lives on. Thank you for the memories!" another wrote. After Strings disbanded in 2021, the duo comprising Kapadia and Bilal Maqsood branched out into solo careers. While Kapadia, who recently launched his solo album, is still rocking the stage, Maqsood has committed to puppeteering with his latest project Pakkay Dost. In an Instagram post shared in January, Maqsood harked back to his popstar days by playing the keyboard. "On Friday, a fan shared a song from our very first Strings album, and it brought back so many memories. Felt like revisiting it on my keyboard - here's a casual rendition, straight from the heart, just like it was back then. How many of you remember this?" he wrote. The song, Main Ne Tujhe, was an offering from Duur. Safe to say, the short clip had the same effect on Strings fans that Kapadia's post did. A user simply posed, "How can we not know this song by heart?"
Express Tribune
07-02-2025
- Entertainment
- Express Tribune
Bilal Maqsood's new stage
KARACHI: If you were to chart Bilal Maqsood's trajectory in Pakistani music, it would map the soundtracks of a generation. As one half of the pop rock band Strings (with Faisal Kapadia), he helped define a collective sense of longing, nostalgia, and the complexities of love, drawing millions to his plaintive guitar riffs and poetic lyricism. However, in recent years, his artistic journey has veered into unexpected terrain. When I meet Bilal at his studio, it is not hard to believe that he is the pen and mind behind the comic shenanigans of his puppet show, Pakkay Dost. There's an air of quiet intent to the space: softly flickering scented candles, a workspace meticulously arranged, and Bilal himself, casually ensconced in thick-rimmed glasses, calm and comfortable, worlds away from the chaotic energy of the vinyl-strewn, popcorn-scented realm of Mera Bichraa Yaar I have always associated him with. "Strings was a romantic band. Our songs were mostly about love. Now making a song like that feels very superficial to me," he reflects, leaning forward, his words measured, speaking of a transformation years in the making. Bilal tells me of a Strings fan he met recently who declared his transition to puppetry and kids' entertainment a "fall from grace." A sentiment, no doubt, shared by many fans of a band lucky enough to inspire inexhaustible nostalgia. But Bilal has moved on. "This, right now, is fulfilling a much bigger purpose. It makes me really, really happy. Maybe this is what I was looking for all my life. Mothers come to me with their little kids and they say, 'This uncle made Pakkay Dost' and I feel happy. I have a new fanbase in the making, one whose height is just about two feet," he shares. A 'khandaani' humour Premiering in September 2023, the first episode of Pakkay Dost introduces Miraal, a purple know-it-all with whimsical wisdom, and Mateen, blue and not so smart. Trying to fix his umbrella, Mateen takes up Miraal's offer to embrace the rain prompting the two to break into the witty "Jab baarish ziada aati hai / Tau pani ziada aata hai." "If you watch two Pakkay Dost episodes in one go, you will observe that it has a certain type of humour. I can't put it in brackets," Bilal remarks, the hint of a smile tugging at his lips. "In my family, we are all very funny people. Pakkay Dost's style of humour is my family's post-dinner humour." Bajjo, the green monster, draws inspiration from Bilal's beloved aunt and playwright, Fatima Surayya Bajia, and is brought to life by his niece, Alizeh, who has been imitating Bajia since her childhood. Mateen, the blue character, is modelled after Bilal's mother's kitchen help and voiced by Umer Adil, the show's director. Bajjo and Mateen are joined by Lal Baig, Tufail, Jagga, and Miraal. It's this unmistakable warmth, the same humour that has resonated in his family for years, that gives Pakkay Dost its heart. The show doesn't speak down to its young audience. Instead, it treats them as equals - full of curiosity and insight, deserving of a world that has little interest in preaching. "My vision was to create high-quality content for kids because we don't have that here. When people saw Pakkay Dost, they immediately caught on to it. I have been getting amazing feedback from teachers and parents, who tell me the kids love it. I get pictures on Instagram of kids having a Pakkay Dost-themed birthday. They get screenshots from the show blown out to make cutouts for the cake and all. Slowly and gradually the craze is getting to this age group that wants Pakkay Dost-themed events, merchandise and all," Bilal explains. Growing up with 'Sesame Street' His voice is warm, suffused with the sincerity that one might expect from someone who has fully embraced a new path. As much as it is about kids, the singer's affinity for the show is rooted in something far deeper than entertainment and its tricky accomplices - fame and profit. "My intention was never to look for views and likes. I just wanted to do this because growing up Sesame Street inspired me a lot. I wanted to recreate Sesame Street in a way that was culturally relevant to us." He adds, "The core target audience is aged 3-7. Not 8. When kids turn 8, their interests start to change. They want more action-oriented content." An Urdu-language puppet show is not a novel concept in Pakistan. The 1970s saw PTV's widely cherished Kaliyan and its iconic Uncle Sargam. This is a history Bilal is intimately familiar with, turning this project into a labour of love and passion. "I have wanted to work on this for the last 25 years. I never got the time for it back in the days of Strings. But the next day after we called it quits, I began working on Pakkay Dost." If there's any bewilderment for those who revere his musical career, it dissolves the moment he speaks about his love for puppeteering. "I think I have found my life's purpose now. I want to make every child's childhood memorable and wholesome." Accessibility, season 3, and more "When I first began, the goal was simple: to create quality Urdu content for children. But as I went on, I realised there was so much more I could do. I started to think beyond just producing content. I wanted to make every child's childhood unforgettable, to create something that didn't just entertain but also had an impact," Bilal reflects, his voice imbued with the kind of introspection that reveals how deeply he's thought about his mission. He continues, "If you look at a lot of Pakistani kids' cartoons, you'll see they are often rooted in religion, and they garner millions of views. That wasn't the kind of show I wanted to make. I wanted something that spoke to every child in Pakistan, regardless of their religion. In Pakkay Dost, there's no content designed specifically for Muslims - because my focus was always on diversity." The show's thoughtful approach to diversity was a conscious choice from the start. But as the singer's vision for inclusivity deepened, so did his sense of responsibility to ensure Pakkay Dost was accessible to all. "Then ConnectHear reached out to collaborate, and it felt like the obvious next step. I knew this was the direction I needed to take. To make this content accessible to an audience that often gets overlooked." A new version of Pakkay Dost season came out on January 28 with all episodes integrating Pakistan Sign Language, an endeavour that took about two months. Going forward, fans can expect sign language to be a regular feature of every episode. Looking forward, Pakkay Dost fans can anticipate thrilling developments. According to Bilal, season three begins shooting in April. He announces, "There is a surprise coming. A celebrity woman, liked by many people, will join our puppet characters as a human neighbor. We cannot reveal her name right now. Another twist is that instead of separate songs, every episode will have a storyline with conflict, resolution, and themes."
