"I never followed Coke Studio" : Natasha Baig Gets Candid With Ravesh

Without a second thought, if Coke Studio Season 11 has given us something to be proud of, it is Natasha Baig’s voice and unparalleled talent. This vocal powerhouse hailing from the beautiful Hunza Valley left us astounded with her raw voice in Shikwa – one of the best songs of Coke Studio 11. The impression she created with her vocals, style of singing, and delivery of expressions depicted that she belongs at this level. She may be new to Coke Studio’s limelight but her association with music goes back a long time.

As soon as we listened this song, we wanted to meet this utterly talented singer for sure.

However, we had to wait till March 2019 when she was in Lahore for her first gig. She was extremely tight on schedule and we had to do this short interview during her sound check at Lake City Lahore. Here’s a quick interview we had with Natasha Baig.

 Tell us about your educational background and did you always want to be a singer?

"I wanted to be a cricketer and was even selected in Under 19 domestic Women's Cricket Team but my father didn't allow me to pursue that. So, I majored in Film Making and Production. I started singing in the garden area of my university (SZABIST) and used to sing on every event that was happening in the campus. Soon I started mini gigs as I got popular within the fellow students because of my singing"

 Did you take part in any competitions back then?

"I took part in community competition and judges over there pushed me a lot with comments like “iss ki awaz different hai, tone different hai”. It was that time when I realized that I am actually good at singing.  Then I did Cornetto Music Icon in 2013 and came across Ahsan Bari over there. In 2014, I joined Sounds of Kolachi with him. My journey with Sounds of Kolachi lasted till 2016 and then I started to work individually."

 Did you follow Coke Studio at that time?

"I never followed Coke Studio but my younger brother was crazy about it and used to play CS songs. He often requested me to sing for him so that he can jam on those songs."

How did Coke Studio Season 11 happen for you?

"Before making my Coke Studio debut I was approached several times by them for backing vocals couple of years back, but I did not want to do that because that required harmony and the texture of my voice is not that type. I wanted to wait for the right time and as they say, “when it’s right, its right“, in 2018 I was selected for the main act." 

 People usually compare you to Abida Parveen, how do you respond to such comments?

"Every artist has his own individuality and comparing me with Abida Parween is sort of Shirk. Most people tell me that I should be happy about this comparison but I believe expectations increase. People try to compare more and they get the license to decide your future. What if I don't want to be next Abida Parween? The fact is even if I want to, I can never be Abida Parween. I am Natasha Bayg. I respect people's opinion but I am still in the learning phase".

 Should we expect some new music from your side?

"Yes I am working on my new music. Planning to release my new album around Eid-ul-Fitr and have two songs already in my arsenal. My main focus is my album right now. I believe an album is very important for any artist in showcasing their diversity as compared to singles".

 Any Plans of releasing a new video?

"I am hoping that I get good sponsors for the video. I am Michael Jackson inspired person, have loved his videos. He always had amazing videos. Don't know if we will be able to make videos of that class but I am hoping something happens like that"