Watch Pakistani Singer-Songwriter Natasha Noorani’s Face Blurring Video for ‘Apocalypse How?’

Back in 2018, we rounded up fresh new music from Pakistan’s alternative music scene for our ‘Beyond the Border’ feature. In that list, we included Lahore singer-songwriter Natasha Noorani who had then just released her debut five-track vibrant EP Munaasib. Now the vocalist is out with a brand-new video for the textured “Apocalypse How?”

Noorani – who first picked up the guitar at 14 – decided to take up music professionally in her early 20s. She says, “I grew up gathering music, just trying to listen to as many different genres as possible.” Since then, she began taking up commercial work, serving as a festival director at the annual music symposium Lahore Music Meet and is also currently researching and archiving the music history of Pakistan.

According to the artist “Apocalypse How?” is about “someone ringing alarm bells.” Quite apt for the current times we live in due to the Coronavirus pandemic. Noorani says further, “The song is also the realization that the warning serves no purpose since the destruction and decimation of the event is inevitable.” The combination of drummer Daud Ramay and multi-instrumentalist Ali Suhail (guitar, bass and keys) along with Noorani’s luxuriant and layered vocals is a treat for the ears.

The track’s accompanying clip sees Noorani sitting and singing in front of a green screen while her face blurs out gradually as the song progresses. Noorani tells us that snippets of footage she captured of Lahore’s easy-on-the-eye sunsets were the foundation for the video. She says, “The rest is the progression of my state of discomfort.” Ask her why she decided to blur out her face in the video and she says, “It’s also hard putting your [literal] face out there considering the expectations for female performers to look a certain way.”

On Pakistan’s independent music scene, Noorani tells us that it could do with more infrastructure but that the “music being made is lush and exciting.” She adds, “In the past few years, there’s been more interest in independent music and it’s nice to see more artists pop up and releasing some stellar local music.” The singer-songwriter who last visited India in 2004 says she’s never performed in the country. “I’d love to see a world with more cross border musical exchanges, especially considering how fantastic the independent music scene in India is.” the singer says.

Since the turn of the year, Noorani had been performing regularly in Lahore and Islamabad, even as Lahore Music Meet completed its fifth edition. The musician also has new music on the way. “I’m focusing on singles for the next few months,” she says. Collaborations with other Pakistani artists are in the works for this year as well. “Beyond that, I’m just taking the new world order as a reason to spend more time in the studio.”

Watch the video for “Apocalypse How?” below: