FUAD <br>The Musical Fusionist

Star Showbiz caught up with the most loved name of fusion music in Bangladesh Fuad and his vivacious wife Maya at Radio Shadhin this week. Fuad al Muqtadir, born August 6, 1980, is mostly known as Fuad. He quickly caught the attention of Bangladeshi music lovers after releasing the albums Maya 1 and 2 among NRB communities through his band 'Zephyr', and after disbanding, he released Re/Evolution in the early 2000s. The album was an instant hit, and Fuad's name became ubiquitous. Fuad's Variation No. 25 and Variation No. 25.2 were launched in 2006, followed by yet another superhit album "Bonno" in 2007. Even years later, songs like Nitol Paye are being sung in the addas and neighbourhood tea stalls of Bangladesh. Fuad has also worked on various other albums and worked with various other artists of Banlgadesh, such as Sumon & Anila, Topu, Kona, Mila, etc.
 

You've been married to Maya for three-and-a-half years now. How did your journey start?
Maya: I used to know Fuad since way back through friends; I saw him at a friend's 'Holud', performing with Rafa, Zohad and all. So I recorded a video of the performance and put it on Facebook, where I saw Fuad's name as a 'tag suggestion'. From there on we became good friends. I don't quite remember who sent the friend request to whom, though!
Fuad: Well, I saw that this beautiful girl tagged me in a video, so I think I was the one who sent out the request (laughs)!
 

Did you ever make her an offer for a song?
Maya: Actually, Fuad surprisingly told me that he preferred his music to stay separate from someone whom he viewed as his life partner.
Fuad: But at that point we were just friends, and we had no immediate intention of being involved in any kind of romantic relationship. We were both in different stages in our lives, but I guess somewhere down the line the stages kind of aligned.
Maya: Our friendship was not very strong at that time; I was in Canada, and he was in New York, flying back and forth. If I remember correctly, it was August of 2010, on his birthday or the day after, when he sent me a message asking for my number. He later told me of his intention of opening a record label in Dhaka. So he had a contract formed, and he asked me to prepare a business plan.
Fuad: The problem I faced was, since I was already famous when I got to Bangladesh, I found everyone in the music scene to be sort of like a 'yes man', not feeling comfortable to offer me any criticism. I felt the necessity of a real connection, which I found with Maya. With her, it kind of clicked right from the start. Within one-and-a-half month of Maya's moving to Bangladesh (from Canada), we got married.
 

So Fuad, how did you come into the music scene?
Fuad: I have been inclined towards music, especially Bangla music, from a very young age. Despite living in New York, our parents were always conscious about not letting us get too 'Americanized'; they would continuously push us to be engaged in activities with Bangladeshi cultural organizations and schools there, like Bangladesh Society of New York for instance. This was integral in helping us get a sense of cultural identity, without which I would have known very little about Bangladesh and would probably not have developed my interest in Bangla music. My father, being a music enthusiast himself, played a big role in keeping my interest alive. My two elder brothers, Rahat and Niki, received professional lessons in music (unlike me) from a very young age; I picked it up from them since I used to be around. Eventually in my teenage years I got involved in a band (whose members were also Bangladeshi), and we would play covers of Bangladeshi band songs. This was how I got to know Bangladeshi music better.

By the time I was in college, I still hadn't glimpsed the inside of any studio. My elder brother had sent me to an academic course on quality assurance software testing, beside which there was a studio. I would always sit in class and wonder what went on inside. One day I just walked in and introduced myself; I told the studio owner about my skills with various musical instruments, and professed my interest in that line of work. He took me in as an intern, and soon offered me a job when he was impressed with my skills. I received hands-on experience with recording and production from there.
 

For how long did you work there?
Fuad: Around 1-1.5 years I think, during which I picked things up fairly quick. The owner who took me in was in a partnership with another person, and after they split up I became a partner in his next studio. I suppose that is how I climbed up the ladder.  Then came the era of pro-audio technology, allowing anyone with a decent computer to produce music from their home. At that time I had my own studio and started experimenting with and making different kinds of Bangla music. I had a few songs but had no intention of releasing an album. A Bangladeshi musician was touring New York when he heard my songs; he suggested that I make an album. The songs were compiled to form the album “Re/Evolution” which was a major hit when released in Bangladesh. Soon after that I decided to move back here.
 

How did you start after moving here?
Fuad: I moved with all my studio equipment. Sumon bhai (of Aurthohin) introduced me to other musicians and the record label 'G-Series' with which I worked with for many years afterwards. Eventually I became independent as a producer, and since two to three of my released albums were already hits in Bangladesh, it made me quite a sought-after producer and facilitated my career. The first three years after returning, I basically stayed at the studio, producing about 11 albums one after the other. I didn't even maintain a social life since I believed that failing to produce that volume of work in that short time would stop me from catching the train. The first year was the most important for me, during which we produced Mila's album, Sumon & Anila, Topu (Ek Paaye Nupur) etc. These first few albums were huge hits at the time and were integral in building my career.
 

One thing I have noticed is that you did not or were not interested in working with established/popular singers from the beginning. Was that intentional?
Fuad: Umm, not really. But the thing is, such artists either make me star-struck, or out of adoration and courtesy I will not be able to provide an honest opinion about their music; and if I am unable to tap into that authoritative figure that I am inside my studio, the quality of my work will suffer. After returning, I've worked with quite a few of my favorite artists when I've had the chance. I've had in mind people like Shafin bhai, Hamin bhai of Miles, and even some of the younger bands whose music I listened to while in New York, and I've looked for opportunities to work with them. I haven't got the chance to work with all of them, but I believe I have made decent progress on that ground.
 

What are your thoughts on piracy? Is it getting worse day by day?
Fuad: Umm, things are about to get better soon, I believe; if not now then within the next 1 or 2 years maybe. A lot of companies have already started legally delivering songs online. Furthermore, if foreign labels like T-Series, Universal, Sony etc. come to Bangladesh, they can monitor their materials that are being pirated and distributed here. That will benefit us as well: due to the absence of import cost or overhead cost for foreign music in Bangladesh, we are competing with music around the world, since those are available at cheaper prices in our stores. Whatever music people want to listen should be available legally.
 

So, Fuad and Maya, any last words about each other for the readers of Star Showbiz?
Fuad: One thing I haven't mentioned about Maya earlier is that she is a really good fashion designer, and is filled with positive energy; anything she does, she does it quite well, and I'm sure she's doing well in Radio Shadhin here too. I'm looking forward to her brand “Mayali” and I wish her all the best.
Maya: One last thing I have to say about Fuad is that he is actually the sweetest person I've met, although a lot of people may hold some preconceived notion that he is actually quite rough. Hence the term “don't judge a book by its cover” suits him well, I believe. He is really caring, and since my family is in Canada, for the past three and a half years he has been everything for me. Radio Shadhin is my family outside of home; I'm really happy to be working here. I'm quite excited about this program (that I'm producing). Thank you Rafi bhai, for giving us this platform to discuss our lives.

Interviewed by Rafi Hossain and Narrated by Adib Ahmed.
Catch the Star Showbiz show on air every Saturday from 11:00 pm to 01:00 am
on Radio Shadhin.