From fatherhood to new singing styles, Farhan Saeed talks about coming a full circle as musician

Farhan Saeed has spent two decades moving between stages, studios, and sets, from his breakout days with JAL to his rise as one of Pakistani television’s most recognisable leads. But 2025 marks a return to his core identity: the musician. With KHAT, his first solo album released earlier this month, Saeed is finally giving fans what they’ve been asking for: a ten-track journey released one song at a time, shaped by emotion, instinct, and a renewed creative fire. In this candid conversation, he opens up about rediscovering music after a long pause, the influence of fatherhood, and the delicate balance between acting and singing. Edited excerpts from the interview:

This is your first solo album. Why now? What moment or shift told you this was the right time, especially after two decades in music and acting?

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So, the first decade of my music career was with JAL. We released two albums together, and after I left in 2011, the entire music model in the region changed. Cassettes and CDs were disappearing, everything was shifting to digital, and in Pakistan, YouTube was banned for three years. No one really knew how to navigate that transition. During that time, I released singles and videos for about six or seven years just to stay connected with my fans. But three or four years back, when I got busier with acting, fans kept asking why I wasn’t releasing enough music. And globally, albums were making a comeback. You don’t even need a record label anymore, you can just put your music out with the right business model. Music was something I’d been craving to return to. For the last year and a half, I’ve been trying to make time for it. I finally did, and I’m very happy about it.

The album has ten tracks in Urdu and Punjabi. What guided those language choices? And do the songs reflect who you are today as an artiste?

Absolutely. Every song you release is a part of yourself that you’re sharing with the audience. If it’s not that, then you're not doing justice to your fans or your music. About the language, it's really the thought behind the song. What the song should be, what feelings it should carry. My first language is Urdu, but I grew up in a Punjabi household in Lahore, so Punjabi comes naturally to me. There are certain emotions that simply make more sense in Punjabi. Punjabi music is doing really well globally too, but honestly, I don’t think about these things consciously. A song comes to you. If it feels right and sounds good, you trust your gut and share it with the world.

Let’s talk about the album rollout strategy.

There are ten tracks, and I’m releasing one each month. Back in 2010–11, we’d put out all the songs on CDs and cassettes at once. But dynamics have changed. If you drop all ten songs together, some don’t get the time they deserve. So I wanted each song to have its own moment—to grow on people. I’ve said one month, but it could be three or four weeks depending on how things go. I think it’s a win-win for fans: they get a new song every few weeks, plus videos. And they can’t complain I’m not releasing enough music! I’m releasing something every month.

All the music videos are being directed by different filmmakers. What was the strategy behind that?

The most important thing is the wavelength you share with a director, creatively and emotionally. They need to feel the song the same way you do. You’ve lived with that song for months, so the director has to match that wavelength. I’ve worked on the first few videos with Fahad Noor, who is brilliant and really gets the soul of the song. But I’ve worked with different directors before and will continue to. Sometimes they even convince you to do something completely different from what you imagined, and it’s better. You have to be open as an artiste. That’s the fun of the process.

You’ve also had major success in television. Has acting influenced your approach to storytelling in this album?

Definitely. Music helps me in acting and acting helps me in music. When I’m shooting a scene, say a romantic or a sad scene, I’ll play a song that matches the emotion before the take. My co-actors, who aren’t musicians, always ask how that helps. Growing up, I’d listen to interviews of singers, observing how they expressed certain words. Your singing shouldn’t just be technical; the way you pronounce a word should convey its meaning. The soul and feelings matter. I think that’s why both fields complement each other so well for me.

A lot of artistes describe their first solo album as a reset. Was this album a reset for you?

Not a reset, but definitely a refresh. I’m coming back to music full throttle after a few years. To be very honest, you can’t force these things. Music just stopped coming to me for two years. I wasn’t trying hard either because I was busy acting, but I kept wondering what was happening, should I quit music? Was I enjoying acting more? Then my daughter was born in January 2024, and something miraculous happened. Music came back. Suddenly I wanted to make music all the time. I think it was because I was happy in every way. It helped me return to music with full heart.

Your fans follow you from your band days to dramas to now this album. Did you think about different generations of listeners while making it?

I tried not to, and I’ll tell you why. When I was talking to a fellow musician about releasing new music, he asked what kind of sound I would do. I realised that even though I wasn’t actively making music for a few years, my sound still had a place. There’s a vacuum, nobody is doing this kind of melody-driven sound anymore. And melody never goes out of style. A good melody from 40 years ago still feels young. Melody attracts people first, then lyrics. So that’s always been my priority. If I started thinking about trends, I wouldn’t be honest. Music can’t follow trends. Filters can, but not music.

Was there any track in the album that challenged you emotionally or technically?

Of course. I’ve tried to change my singing style a bit, and the composers helped with that. I actually asked them to challenge me, because I want to learn and give my listeners something new. The title track, Khat, took a lot from me emotionally. When you sing a sad song, you have to wear the emotion the same way you do when acting. My wife asked me once, “Who are you singing this for?” because I’m very happy in life, but when I sing these songs, I have to become someone who has gone through that pain. It takes a toll sometimes, but when people tell me my music helped them heal or get through something, it feels like I’m doing something meaningful, bigger than I realise.

After this album, what’s the next “letter” you see yourself writing?

I’m heading to a drama set in a couple of days. The good thing is that I’ve finally found a balance between music and acting. I can shoot my dramas, keep those viewers happy, then take a week off, release a song, come back, record another track. It took time to find this balance. Acting isn’t easy, it’s a full-day job. As singers, we’re used to arriving 15 minutes before a show, performing, and going home. Acting is 10am to 10pm, sometimes more. You need temperament. I enjoy it, which is why I do it.

Will this album lead to a tour, regional or global?

Yes. In fact, I officially start touring tomorrow. I’m beginning in Pakistan, performing the new songs in different cities. Then I’m going to Bangladesh to promote the album and perform there. We were supposed to come to Dubai too, but that got postponed. Naturally, when you release an album, you promote it with tours. The next three to four months will be performances. I’m excited to take these new songs on stage.

Husain Rizvi

husain@khaleejtimes.com

Husain Rizvi is a Senior Features Writer who covers entertainment and lifestyle stories and has a profound interest in tech (games) and sports. When he’s not working, you can find him at the gym, or finishing a boss fight in a video game.