Zeest

Infobox musical artist
Name = The Zeest


Img_capt = Skip (Saqib Abdullah)
Background = solo_singer
Birth_name = Saqib Abdullah
Alias = Skip
Born = birth date and age|1984|1|15
Origin = Karachi, Sindh, Pakistan
Instrument = Guitar,Bass Guitar
Genre = Country rock, Blues-rock,Rock
Occupation = singer, songwriter, composer, owner of The Zeest Project
Years_active = 2003-present
Label = Independent music
Associated_acts = The Zeest
URL = [http://www.zeestmania.com www.zeestmania.com]

Saqib Abdullah, a.k.a Skip (born on January 15, 1984 in Dammam, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia) is a Pakistani singer, songwriter, composer and owner of the Zeest (a social music projectcite web | url = http://zeest.wordpress.com/2006/08/08/skip-with-the-project-zeest/ | title = Skip With The Project Zeest | work = The Zeest blog | date = 2006-08-08 | accessdate = 2006-08-09 ] ). He is famous for writing and composing the song B.C. Sutta, a cult hit song in Indian bachelor colleges and campuses but is also the most requested songs in clubs and pubs.cite news | title = Songs Mom Won’t Listen To | date = 2006-04-01 | publisher = Hindustan Times | first = Mayank | last = Tewari | accessdate = 2006-08-09 ] Zeest is a persian word meaning life, existence, and synonymously it can be used as Hope, faith, light etc.

Background, biography and career

Saqib Abdullah (Skip) was born in Dammam, Saudi Arabia in 1984. He is the 3rd and youngest amongst his siblings. Skip attended a Pakistani school in Saudi Arabia. He gives credit to his older brothers, for helping him develop a great taste in music. Skip listens to Blues, Jazz, Country, R&B, Soul and Rock n Roll.cite news | title = Reviews: Zeest The Band | date = 2006-05-29 | url = http://www.mediadestination.com/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=21 | accessdate = 2006-08-09 ]

Skip moved to Pakistan in 1996 with his family, and worked on his studies. He lost two guitars previously, since his parents smashed them both. However, he did not lose hope and bought a third guitar. Hiding it wasn’t easy but he still managed to do it somehow. Skip devoted in life to music. As a result, he was bunking classes, which led him to trouble. He finally gave up studies and took music as a full time career.cite web | title = The Story of Skip (Saqib Abdullah); The Sutta Guy | url = http://zeest.wordpress.com/2006/06/10/7/ | work = Zeest Official Blog | date = 2006-06-10 | accessdate = 2007-08-20 ] [ [http://delhidekho.com/cms/index.php/Interview/Interview-with-Skip-of-B-C-Sutta-fame.html Interview with Skip of B C Sutta fame] ]

Skip went through a lot after creating Zeest (as a band). A lot of musicians did not understand the core concept behind his music and me were just too busy with their personal lives.At present Umair Ghouri a new musician recruited to the Zeest (Band) to complete a Duo. [cite web | title = The Zeest Team | url = http://zeest.wordpress.com/2007/05/29/good-day/| work = The Zeest Blog | date = 2007-05-10 | accessdate = 2008-02-01]

His motive is to be a social worker and to sing for the lives of average people living in Indo-Pak, especially the younger generation, and highlighting their social problems through his musical abilities.cite news | title = My parents still don’t know about the song (BC Sutta)| url = http://www.dancewithshadows.com/media/bc-sutta-zeeest-download-interview.asp | work = Dance with Shadows | accessdate = 2006-08-09 ]

His major breakthrough came in early April 2005, when he recorded live jam session of his song B.C. Sutta, his 4-5 year old composition, in a studio, in Karachi, and released it through the Internet for free mp3 downloading. Within no time, his single became a popular hit amongst Desis living not only in Pakistan and India, but also throughout the world. B.C. Sutta became one of the most downloaded songs in India. Clubs, pubs and rock festivals in major cities like Delhi and Mumbai seem incomplete without playing this number. cite news | title = Songs Mom Won’t Listen To | date = 2006-04-01 | publisher = Hindustan Times | first = Mayank | last = Tewari | accessdate = 2006-08-09 ]

At present, Skip is struggling hard for his album to be released in mainstream.

B.C. Sutta

B.C. Sutta or Bhenchod suttaalso known as a Smoker’s Anthem, is a pop rock oriented acoustic song It is the first super hit Urdu song that includes swears and slang words, like Bhenchod and Maachod (literal translation: sister fucker, mother fucker). The mastermind behind the entire song is Skip (Saqib) who wrote the catchy lyrics and transformed them into a song.

B.C. Sutta is all about the journey in an average guy’s life, starting from his mid teens when his dad catches him smoking with his friends. Later on, when he joins college and has a girlfriend, she asks him to quit smoking. Frustrated, he roams the streets before getting married, but there too, he misses his cigarette. Sutta actually means cigarette in Urdu slang [cite news | url = http://www.jammag.com/etc/etcshow.php?art_id=21 | title = Sutta mil gaya | date = 2006-01-17 | accessdate = 2006-08-09 ]

"Doston mein baitha main sutta pee raha" (With friends, I was sitting and having a smoke) "Abba ne mujhe sutta peete dekh liya" (Dad saw me while I was smoking…) "Ghar jab pahuncha to danda ho gaya…" (When I reached home I got a pasting)

"BC sutta, sutta na mila!" (sister fucker Cigarette, I didn’t get a smoke!)

At a literal level, it does glorify the forbidden pleasure of smoking. But substitute sutta with anything else you have been denied in life and it works equally well!cite news | url = http://sify.com/news/othernews/fullstory.php?id=14128125 | title = Desi Bands to ‘swear’ by | first = Rashmi | last = Bansal | date = 2006-01-27 | publisher = Sify | accessdate = 2006-08-09 ]

Recording and launching of B.C. Sutta

Skip was invited for a live jam session in Zeeshan Hayat’s Feedback studio (formerly known as DRB Studios) in the early days of April 2005. At the end of the session, he was encouraged to record his satirical song, “B.C. Sutta”, live. Skip had previously played the song only at parties and informal gatherings among friends. After some rehearsals and a few takes, the song was recorded live. Zeeshan edited the song while Skip launched it on the Internet so people could download it for free.

Web administrator blocked & closed the downloadable link of the track due to heavy server traffic of above 7600 downloads within initial 21 days of upload of the mp3 song.Within a month, the song crossed borders and entered the Indian Territory. It spread like wild fire. As a result, today, bootlegged CDs are being distributed all over Delhi.cite news | title = Songs Mom Won’t Listen To | date = 2006-04-01 | publisher = Hindustan Times | first = Mayank | last = Tewari | accessdate = 2006-08-09 ]

The Legend

"Mid-day" afternoon daily, a Mumbai-based newspaper conducted an interview titled "No Sutta Without Fire" on 15 January 2006.cite news | title = No sutta without fire | url = http://web.mid-day.com/smd/play/2006/january/128575.htm | first = Janhavi | last = Samant | date = 2006-01-15 | accessdate = 2006-08-09 | publisher = Mid-day ] Skip claims:

In an interview with Dance With Shadows, an online Indian magazine:

A series of articles were published critically acclaiming the song in southeast-Asia’s media. Some critics, especially Rashmi Bansal the founder-editor of youth magazine JAM claim that it might be the turning point in South Asian media. [cite web | url = http://youthcurry.blogspot.com/2006/02/swear-word-mil-gaya.html | title = Swear word mil gaya | work = Youth Curry | 2006-02-04 | accessdate = 2006-08-09 ] Within no time,B.C. Sutta became one of the most discussed songs in forums and web logs. [cite web | title = Sutta na mila | url = http://blog.smr.co.in/cgi-bin/index.cgi/blogs/fun/1121282503.html | work = Sunil Mohan Ranta's blog | date = 2005-07-13 | accessdate = 2006-08-09 ] [cite web | title = Lyrics of B.C. Sottah by Zeest | url = http://imagine.blogintro.com/37/lyrics-of-bc-suttah-by-zeest | work = 2 Minute Pleasures | date = 2005-09-17 | accessdate = 2006-09-08 ] [cite web | url = http://imagine.blogintro.com/42/zeest-the-band | title = Zeest the band | work = 2 Minute Pleasures | date = 2005-10-03 | accessdate = 2006-08-09 ]

Censorship in India

Skip was interviewed by India’s leading newspaper "Hindustan Times", but instead of publishing the whole interview it was only published as a small column titled as "Songs Mom Won’t Listen To." Later the STAR News Delhi conducted a telephonic interview of Skip, and Skip provided them a video clip for the live jam session of performing B.C. Sutta, both of them were planned to be telecasted on 30 minute show, but they were censored. [cite web | title = Zeest Facing Barriers from Moral Police in India | url = http://zeest.wordpress.com/2006/06/10/zeest-facing-barriers-from-moral-police-in-india/ | work = The Zeest blog | date = 2006-06-10 | accessdate = 2006-08-09 ]

References

External links

* [http://www.zeestmania.com/ Zeest official website]
* [http://zeest.wordpress.com/ Zeest official blog]
* [http://zeestmania.com/forums/ Zeest official Forum]
* [http://www.gloomx.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=10&t=154 Zeest Songs Collection at GLOOMX]