Badtameez, Badruh and 'Badnaam'
Not only did they have a catchy name, the kind of music they produced and the message the trio tried to deliver, all packed a punch. Photo: Badnaam Facebook page
After having enriched the Pakistani band culture in the early 2000s, Pepsi’s Battle of the Bands once again came into the limelight by re-launching its long awaited second season. Having produced super-hit bands like Aaroh and Entity Paradigm (EP), the second season promised to deliver something much bigger and better.
Out of a total of eight bands that qualified for the knockout rounds, three particular people stood out from the rest in terms of uniqueness and style. Not only did they have a catchy name, the kind of music they produced and the message the trio tried to deliver, all packed a punch. Ahmed Jilani, Sunny Mughal and Lala Ahsan, collectively known as Badnaam, the eventual runners-up of the competition, were quick to win over fans from all over Pakistan with Sufi rock music, a genre never before experienced by the masses.
Completely intrigued by their approach towards music and baffled by the performances they put up in front of millions watching them live on national television, I decided to catch up with the boys.
Out of a total of eight bands that qualified for the knockout rounds of the Pepsi Battle of the Bands, three particular people stood out from the rest in terms of uniqueness and style. Photo: Badnaam Facebook page
Who came up with the name of the band? And what was the idea behind calling yourselves Badnaam?
Our lead and main man, Ahmed Jilani, came up with the name Badnaam. Badnaam literally means infamous. So when we started our journey and looked for a name we came across a verse from Baba Bulleh Shah which said: “Apo hoyo badnaam, jinnay peeta ishq da jaam” (Infamous is the one who drank the potion of love). We are much inclined towards the Sufi school of thought of exposing the truth and essence of “things and rituals”. As the Sufis were very much badnaam in their time, we believe all those who look beyond superficial things and material aspect of this world are considered badnaam, bad, unwanted, infamous, hence, the name Badnaam.
According to the band’s psyche, how important is the message of the music you guys play?
It has prime importance and this is the reason why we are doing music. We want to carry forward the message of our elders to the younger generation and generations to come in a form which they also find acceptable. This message is of truth, of love, and of course tolerance.
Forming a three-member band has its own pros and cons. How big a challenge is it to perform in such circumstances or does that play in your favour?
They say that too many cooks spoil the dish or something of that sort. But this plays in our favour and we love playing huge and it has never been a challenge for us. In fact, we never thought of it until you just asked.
Ahmed Jilani, Sunny Mughal and Lala Ahsan, collectively known as Badnaam, were quick to win over fans from all over Pakistan with Sufi rock music. Photo: Badnaam Facebook page
Recently the Pakistani Music industry has boomed with platforms like Pepsi BOB, Coke Studio and Nescafe Basement, to name a few. Will such platforms actually produce good versatile music and musicians or are these platforms there just for the sake of commercialisation?
These platforms have surely played their role in the music industry’s revival and especially Pepsi BOB has contributed hugely for the live culture to be revived, which we believe was at the roots of Pakistani Music Culture. We still have to see if this can be translated from electronic and social media to the on-ground situation, with live concerts, gigs and activities happening live. We are hopeful.
Pepsi BOB turned out to be a national success. How big a role can such competitions play to revive the band culture in Pakistan?
They can play a definitive role and these initiatives must not easily die down.
What were your aims and aspirations when you signed up for the Battle of the Bands?
To spread our message and our music to as much people we can.
Who, according to the boys, was the fiercest competitor?
Without question, The Pindi Boys.
What was your favorite moment in the competition?
When Fawad Khan selected the words badtameez and badruh from his array of dictionaries to define us on stage.
"We thought the kind of crazy loud music we do, there would be a handful of people who would receive this positively." Photo: Badnaam Facebook page
Forgetting the final result for a second, during the competition, “Badnaam” was the only band that managed to avoid the danger zone. How big an achievement was that?
The achievement was to be able to survive till the end and get as many songs, mainly content, through to the larger audience and of course the love we got from all across Pakistan and abroad was just icing on the cake.
Did you expect to receive such an overwhelming response from the Pakistani fans?
Never. We thought the kind of crazy loud music we do, there would be a handful of people who would receive this positively, and that too, when combined with Sufi music.
Some of your fans complain that your band lacks versatility in terms of your style. Is that the entire concept of your band or you plan to experiment with genres other than Sufi and qawwali-rock in the future?
Kala Jora and Bismillah Kara were not sufi at all. Besides all our songs had a lot of versatility, Take for example Khawaja Ki Dewani which starts with a bluesy groove and then goes around into a grungy feel from the mid. Deh Khudaya is an anti-feudal song that talks about landlords and how they have owned, so as to say, our land as if they are Gods. That song has a totally different feel musically. As Shahi said, Kalyaan Ishq was a total sort of a slow rock ballad building into a fast tempo.
With bands, you naturally get to hear a signature sound, which I believe all bands had, having a particular sound and calling it lack of versatility is a total slap on the concept of bands. Bands aren’t like solo singers - they are not going to have everything like a Sunday market in one particular show or an album. Bands take enormous times to evolve their music, their sound and their character unlike solo singers. We are happy and satisfied that we carried our sound, our message and defined Badnaam through our sound, just like you mentioned and identified us.
"Bands aren’t like solo singers - they are not going to have everything like a Sunday market in one particular show or an album." Photo: Badnaam Facebook page
Now that the competition is over, what are the band’s future plans?
We are working on our album. A music video is coming out soon. And we aspire to give great healthy entertainment to the people of Pakistan with the hope to enthrall fans with live performances.
Can fans expect an album to be released in the near future?
Yes of course. Very soon, God willing.
