- Messages
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Shiraz Uppal
On February 22, 2012, famous singer, songwriter, musician, music producer and director Shiraz Uppal created waves in the Pakistani music scene by announcing he had quit the music industry. In a status update on his Facebook fan page , Uppal wrote:
Uppal is not the first Pakistani musician to have left the industry for the sake of faith. A few years earlier Junaid Jamshed, another extremely well-known icon, announced his departure from popular music. The decision to quit a highly lucrative and glamorous career is certainly not one that is made overnight, nor is it an easy one. I had a great conversation with Shiraz on his decision, the path that brought him to it, and what his plans are for the future.
[DM] How did the change take place and what path did you take in making this decision?
[SU] It was a long journey. I had been in a different state of mind since Ramadan, having a feeling of discomfort, of not being satisfied. Alḥamdulillāh, I have a great family, my finances were great, but something seemed to be missing. I started praying 5 times a day. In the past I had always prayed, but it was always for a reason, usually in times of difficulty: someone was sick, I wanted a song I was releasing to be a hit, it was always prayer for stuff. Then I realized the real purpose of it. It was just for Allāh. I started reading a translation of theQurʾān along with the Arabic. I installed an app on my iPhone for Ahadith and would read them before I went to bed. I started having very spiritual dreams and I saw the Prophet
in one of my dreams. I asked Allāh to 'guide me to the path You have chosen for the good people'. And He guided me here; to quit music. I have my studio in the basement of my house, barely a few steps away from my sitting room. For the past four months I have not entered the studio. I was just not deriving pleasure from music anymore. And this is after over 20 years of playing music and 12 years of being in this industry. I just knew the answer was for me to quit.
I kept thinking what would people say. I have a single-track mind. I can't focus on multiple things. I just couldn't get over that tussle in my heart and I decided this was it. I could not carry on anymore. It was the similar to when I graduated from the MBA program in 1997 and I wanted to decide whether to go into music or do a proper job. In 1998, my father, a retired air-force officer was working for a private aviation contractor, died in a helicopter crash going from Bahawalpur to Lahore. That incident helped me make up my mind and I started a job. However, my heart was always in music, so in 2000 I asked my mother and my wife permission to pursue music as a career. I needed three years from them in which I would not be contributing to the family income, at all. I just needed to prove myself and work hard towards what I wanted. Soon I started getting popular and soon I was well established in thebusiness.
I have always considered A. R. Rehman my guru. I always admired how spiritual he was, despite being in an industry dominated by Hindus (Rahma is a convert to Islam). We areborn Muslims, we have had religion handed down to us on a plate. We have read the Qur'an since childhood but never really understood it. A. R. Rehman keeps his prayer mat right next to his keyboard and is able to blend both his music and his religion without a problem. I had many talks with him on this subject. We would discuss our religion, dreams that we had, about balancing our music with our deen. I always used to tell myself 'if he doesn't quit then why should I?'” ........... CONTINUE (CLICK HERE)
On February 22, 2012, famous singer, songwriter, musician, music producer and director Shiraz Uppal created waves in the Pakistani music scene by announcing he had quit the music industry. In a status update on his Facebook fan page , Uppal wrote:
On my way to uncover my destiny… Certainly not MUSIC… MayAllāh guide us all to the right… Blessed are those who opt for an alternative life, yet they are surrounded and tempted by opportunities…”
[DM] How did the change take place and what path did you take in making this decision?
[SU] It was a long journey. I had been in a different state of mind since Ramadan, having a feeling of discomfort, of not being satisfied. Alḥamdulillāh, I have a great family, my finances were great, but something seemed to be missing. I started praying 5 times a day. In the past I had always prayed, but it was always for a reason, usually in times of difficulty: someone was sick, I wanted a song I was releasing to be a hit, it was always prayer for stuff. Then I realized the real purpose of it. It was just for Allāh. I started reading a translation of theQurʾān along with the Arabic. I installed an app on my iPhone for Ahadith and would read them before I went to bed. I started having very spiritual dreams and I saw the Prophet
I would like to thank you all for liking and enjoying my music… It was a Beautiful Journey but everything comes to an end one day… So I said Good Bye to my Musical Career by my own choice… I just wished and prayed to my Creator that how can i make u happy??? And He poured a light in my heart that opened my eyes and the path was lying clear in front of me… May Allāhguide us all to the right… āmīn
I have always considered A. R. Rehman my guru. I always admired how spiritual he was, despite being in an industry dominated by Hindus (Rahma is a convert to Islam). We areborn Muslims, we have had religion handed down to us on a plate. We have read the Qur'an since childhood but never really understood it. A. R. Rehman keeps his prayer mat right next to his keyboard and is able to blend both his music and his religion without a problem. I had many talks with him on this subject. We would discuss our religion, dreams that we had, about balancing our music with our deen. I always used to tell myself 'if he doesn't quit then why should I?'” ........... CONTINUE (CLICK HERE)
