Pakistani Pop sensation Zoe Viccaji who made her debut as a playback singer in Coke Studio's. She has sung many songs which include some English and Urdu songs. She has also worked with the immensely popular Pakistani rock band Stings.

In September this year she released her debut pop album, hitting out with her singlePhir Milli Tanhai, from the album Dareeche. A singer - songwriter born and raised in Pakistan, she startedwriting music and playing the guitar when I was sixteen, and now devotes all her time to her music. Singed onto the Universal Music label, I want to share my head space with people and spread the positivity and experiences from my life.

At the very first listen you are sure to love the album. We did. With soothing vocals, great instrumentation, the album is a sure winner. So we wanted to know more about what got Zoe to make such a great album. In an email interaction, Zoe shares her experiences on making the album, her life and her love for music.

At what age did you begin singing? Is anyone in your family also into music?

I probably began singing as early as I could talk- we were surrounded by music- my grandmother and mother both had beautiful voices and always had something or the other playing in the background of their busy lives. I first started composing, however, and singing my own music at the age of 15. I actually picked up the guitar at the time because I wanted to do everything my elder brother was doing and he had avid interest in learning how to play. My little sister Rachel is also a talented musician and you can find her belting out a few numbers at shows here and there.

Do you have a regular job besides singing? 

Nope, this is it. Until three years ago I was juggling a fulltime day job with my musical pursuits in the evening time; but as things picked up I was fortunate enough to afford the choice of pursuing music altogether as a career.

Your debut album consists of 9 tracks. What do the lyrics speak about? 

The entire album is made of songs that I’ve been writing since the age of 15, so it’s all about the angst of growing up and the various emotional stations that I’ve arrived at and left behind- heart break, existential crises, loneliness, and the a whole array of negative emotions. I like to reach conclusions and ways of coping and coming to peace, so you might be able to find that hidden here and there in the lyrics.

Have you recorded any music videos to support the album? 

Yes, we did a live performance video of the song Jis Nay Bhi Aana Hai, and a full on music video for the song Phir Milli Tanhai. We’re now going on to do one for Raat Gaye as well!

Do you play any musical instruments, if yes; have you played any on the album? 

Yes I play the guitar, but mostly to aid my song writing and keep me company on stage when I’m playing my originals. I don’t think I’m good enough to record yet, so I leave that to the professionals like Omran Shafique, Asad Ahmed, and Gavin Cason Loy Henriques and Imam Hamdani, who all played on various songs in the album.

How would you introduce your brand of music and who wrote the lyrics for you. Did you have any part of songwriting in the lyrics of the album?

I’m not sure if I could adhere to any particular genre. The songs of the album span various styles since they were all written at very different periods of my life and I wanted to record them as I heard them at the time I wrote them. But my over all sound could be labeled as Jazz, Funk, Reggae, Pop and World music. About writing the lyrics, well yes, I’m very heavily involved in the lyric writing of the songs- I write all the English songs myself, but for the Urdu songs I’ve worked with lyricists like Asim Raza, Sabir Zafar, and India’s very own Puneet Sharma to come up with words that best communicate what I’m trying to say in my compositions.

Who are your musical influences? Your sound is pop - rock on the album, do you love listening to rock music?

I’m not sure it’s very rock- but sure one can say there is an element of rock in my music. I’m more a fan of Jazz, funk and reggae actually, but when I’m doing live concerts I do tend to slide into more of a rock feel. I love taking ideas from the music of Queen and Rolling Stones.

A few tracks have a Strings touch to it, have you worked with the band before the album too? 

Yes, Strings and I now often laugh at how many times circumstances have brought us together. I first worked with them in 2011 when I covered their song Bichra Yaar, and the company LEVI’S and producer Adnan Malik asked us to collaborate on the song. Then we came together again in 2013 for a CLEAR commercial where we sang a number, and then on Pakistani Idol in connection with the same song. And finally when they became the new producers of Pakistan’s Coke Studio, we once again found ourselves plotting more tunes.

How did the contract with Universal Music come about?

Universal Music first approached me through my music producer Shahi Hasan when they heard I was recording an album. I wanted to continue recording the album completely on my own because I was insistent on retaining my own sound and style of music without any external input. Once I went to India to meet Universal Music, Universal Publishing also signed me on, and helped me take the album a step further by redoing some tracks in their Mumbai Studio and that is how Dareeche was born.

Did you have full control on the creation of the album and its content or did the company also take a stand on certain things?

I had full control.  One way I feel Universal (Music) played a big role is that they encouraged me to adhere to more Hindi/Urdu tracks than English ones, keeping the audience of our subcontinent in mind. What started out as 7 English, 2 Hindi/Urdu track album, ended up as an 8 Urdu/Hindi and only one English track collection.

Where have you performed, India and abroad?

I’ve performed in the US, Dubai, Jeddah, and Pakistan so far. Unfortunate India has been a bit difficult because of political issues. I was supposed to do a big launch for the album, but was told by Universal that venues were afraid of hosting Pakistani artists for fear of being attached by anti-Pakistani mobs. I’m hoping things get better because I’m really looking forward to playing in India with my band. 

What are your future plans?

After spending much of two years recording an album, I want to spend more time collaborating with other artists, musicians and producers- I think that is where I feel most inspired and excited to sing. I’m eager to do more live shows and get into the festival circuits in India and Internationally. A more long-term plan would be to write and compose a musical theatre piece, and take that on tour- high hopes!

Interviewed by Verus Ferreira