Zeshan B
Virtuoso vocalist Zeshan B is widely recognized as one of the most unique singers to come out of Chicago. Blending the hard-driving rhythms and horn heavy sounds of 60s and 70s soul with the angsty scats and vocal stylings of early Indo-Pakistani film/folk music, he has created an entirely new genre that is his very own. Zeshan recently released singles “Brown Power” and “Nausheen” from his newest album “Melismatic” which will be released in May.
South Asia Institute had the opportunity to virtually connect with Zeshan and discuss his newest releases, inspirations and living as an artist in these times.
It’s often hard to introduce you as an artist because you have so many nuances and complexities to what you do. What’s the best description of yourself as an artist that you have heard or read?
I guess I liked it a lot when PBS NewsHour said “This singer wants to inspire you to do something good.” Kind of summed me up rather well, I’d say!
Can you tell us a bit about your musical development? How did you go from an affinity for Italian opera to American soul music?
I think of my musical development as a series of phases--phases that were often disparate yet still somehow guided by a sort of compass in which soul music was my “true north”. No matter what I performed through the years, soul music was always at my core. It was the common strand for me in that all other forms of music were viewed through that foundational prism of soul music. Which is why I think that everything up until this point has been a phase.
Opera was such a phase. Sure, my Mom and Dad listened to the CSO broadcasts back when Georg Solti was running the show, but it’s not like I really grew up on Opera or classical music like I did with soul music. For whatever reason, I just happened to have the right voice for opera and there were more “respectable” avenues of study (i.e. conservatories, etc.) and employment (i.e. residency programs with Opera companies) afforded to me through opera.
In other words, there was no such thing as a scholarship to sing soul music. It’s unfortunate, but I think it’s the handiwork of euro-centrism. Anyway, it’s not to say that I don’t like opera or classical music. On the contrary I love it, it’s beautiful music. I still listen to it and am inspired by it (I featured a real harpsichord on my song “Nausheen”!) But the more and more I performed it, the more I realized that isn’t quite authentic to me. No matter how well I sang opera, there was a 0% chance that I’d pull off the look/vibe of a 16th century Spanish nobleman! You could powder my wig up all you want! Just wasn’t gonna happen. But there was always a 100% chance that I could pull off being Zeshan. I guess you might say it comes with the territory, yea? Well, it took me some time to realize that, but I’m glad I eventually did!
But there was always a 100% chance that I could pull off being Zeshan… it took me some time to realize that, but I’m glad I eventually did!
You are releasing a new album, “Melismatic”, in May and have released two singles from it so far. The first, “Brown Power”, also had a great music video. Tell us a bit more about the song and video.
Well, for a long time I’ve felt that as minorities here in America, we’re not going to get anywhere unless we organize together. And in Brown Power, I felt the need to channel this sentiment whilst parlaying my disillusionment with my own community. As years have gone by, I’ve noticed how apathetic desis in America are towards the plight of other brown people--namely Black, Latinx and Native American--all of whom have paved the road for us to enjoy the relative comfort and privilege that we enjoy here.
I think that’s partly because we ourselves have either forgotten our own history, have been systemically brainwashed, or have simply given in to the pitfalls of a utilitarian education that dulls critical thinking. I mean how is it that we can forget what our grandparents (and in some cases, our own parents!) went through during the British Raj? Or the extreme hardships and violence that they suffered in the partition? If we can’t even channel some empathy from more recent, eyewitness accounts aka “I was totally right there” history like that, then we’re a far cry from absorbing the amazing example that our ancestors left us in their selfless exhibition of “Brown Power”.
It’s like, people wake up, desi people! WE were known throughout the entire world as a haven where the downtrodden would be loved and embraced. You talk about safe space? India was THE safe-space of the world. Jews since the fall of Babylon have found safe refuge in India (it’s arguably the only place on Earth to this day where Jews have not been systematically persecuted). Shias (including the descendants of Muhammad) were welcomed with open arms in Sindh. Catholics too.
The point is--we took up everyone’s cause. Not because we had any skin in the game. But because it was the right thing to do. And that’s what Brown Power’s all about.
You just released your latest single “Nausheen”, tell us more about the inspiration for its content and music.
I love Raag Kafi. Some of my favorite songs growing up were based in Raag Kafi-- Mehdi Hassan’s “Pyaar Bhare, Do Sharmile Nain” or Noor Jehan’s “Hamari Sanson Mein”. It’s such a rich, sensuous raag! Really one of the few raags/thaats that I feel like I can throw myself into with reckless abandon. Perhaps it’s no coincidence that 4 out of 8 songs on my album are based on Kafi!
“Nausheen” was one of those--a brainchild of my “riyaz” (practice) sessions in Raag Kafi. I love the name “Nausheen”. It’s so lovely! So evergreen!
In regards to the content of the song—look, the more I live in this world, the more I’ve learned its axioms. One such axiom is that women exceedingly outshine men--for example, it should be no surprise to me that the countries in the world today that have enacted the best responses to Coronavirus are all run by WOMEN heads of state!
That inherent superiority of women is especially true in this desi community. I believe that a lot of our problems as a society would vanish if women were fully in charge instead of men. Nausheen--the protagonist of this song--represents that to me.
An amazingly intelligent, creative and strong-willed desi woman. A woman who’s unfazed by the shenanigans of men who try to suppress her as she climbs higher and higher up. Nausheen will rule the world! And the world will be better off for it.
An amazingly intelligent, creative and strong-willed desi woman. A woman who’s unfazed by the shenanigans of men who try to suppress her as she climbs higher and higher up.
The cover art for “Nausheen” is art by Iqbal Hussain and the artwork is from the Hundal Collection at South Asia Institute. Why did you choose to use this?
First, I should say that I’m SO grateful to SAI founders Dr. Shireen and Afzal Ahmad for granting me the permission to use that beautiful painting! A rare privilege I was accorded with that!
I think that Iqbal Hussain is a mountain of Brown Power! The man told the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth with his paintbrush. He forced Pakistanis to face their own societal ills by depicting the world of Hira Mandi tawaifs that he was born into. He forced people to face the complex paradoxes of that tawaif culture--a culture that at one time was considered respectable/classy and has now been reduced to taboo wretchedness. These paradoxes were certainly felt by me when I was in Lahore in 2019 and found myself dining in that Hira Mandi neighborhood one night. I could just feel in the air that this urban corner of the world was its own sort of “sunken kingdom” in that it had so much old charm but also a certain dark and seedy underbelly. I actually decided to film some of the scenes of “Brown Power” there!
And so I felt an immediate connection when I found myself gazing at this beautiful painting at SAI’s Hundal Collection that so captured the zeitgeist of Hira Mandi! The woman in this painting is so striking! She has no doubt faced the evils of poverty, misogyny and general urban despair. But look at how dignified she is! How resilient she is. In some ways, she represented Nausheen to me. Nausheen has had to dance to the harshly discordant tune of society’s expectations. But she will now dance to her own tune!
The woman in this painting is so striking! She has no doubt faced the evils of poverty, misogyny and general urban despair. But look at how dignified she is! How resilient she is… she represented Nausheen to me.
Both “Brown Power” and “Nausheen” draw on South Asian influences, whether music or language or thematically in interesting ways. What is your process in deciding how to infuse these elements into a song seamlessly? Is there such a thing as too much or too little?
I think that with anything--whether it’s music, dance, cooking, writing--it’s the fundamentals that ultimately build the final product. In the case of songwriting, I think the various raags that I practice and ruminate on serve as those building blocks. They are the basic fundamentals from which melodies often come to me. Then you add the harmonies. Then you add the groove. Then the lyrics. And by the way it doesn’t always happen in that order, but I’ve found that the raags that come the most naturally to me (like Kafi, as I stated earlier) usually contribute in some way or another to these songs—whether the audience can hear it or not.
And while I’m not sure if there’s such a thing as too little when it comes to this synthesis of South Asian aesthetics, I definitely believe that there is such a thing as too much. If that’s the case, I usually figure it out soon enough on my own or the producers I work with will alert me to it!
As artists we create to bring people together, and you certainly aim to do so in your music, what does that mean for you right now in these times of isolation and distancing?
I actually think that we’ve become closer to each other through this. We hanker for each other’s company more now, when perhaps we took it for granted in the past. We appreciate the things that we can’t do together now, when perhaps in the past we were going through the motions of it all.
As far as I’m concerned, I think that this is in some ways a great time to put out content that compels people to think critically. Why? Well, for one thing, people have more time to do so! But also, I’ve noticed that people are more vulnerable now. They’re being forced to deal with their inner selves more in this time of solitude and reflection (I can say for sure that I’m being forced to do that now whereas before I would just distract myself).
And when people start to feel more vulnerable, it actually triggers their empathy for others. Empathy then allows for people to dial into music for all the right reasons—to stir their souls (as opposed just titillating their bodies)!
I’m all about that!
What have you noticed in audience reactions to your latest single, Nausheen, since most listeners have been on ‘lockdown’?
In the past, I’ve had more success when I generate content that is video-based in nature. In the case of “Nausheen” being released during the lockdown, I’ve noticed that people have been much more attentive and reactive to a song that has no video component but instead a vibe and a wholesome message. People are boppin’ to it!
And I’m talking about people of all different backgrounds, age, sexual orientation, etc. Everyone needs something to bop to these days, right? So to that, I say: I got you covered :)
I’ve noticed that people have been much more attentive and reactive to a song that has no video component but instead a vibe and a wholesome message. People are boppin’ to it!
Where do you feel you are right now in your career as a musician (or development as an artist) and what lies ahead?
I feel like I’m just scratching the surface, honestly! It’s tough to say what lies ahead, since the life I lead is largely one of ambiguity. I’d hope that the road ahead is filled with musical excellence, meaningful collaborations, memorable shows and most importantly—connections with other human beings.
How have you been maintaining creativity while being isolated at home? Has your process changed?
I’ve been operating as if live shows have yet to be invented by humankind—because that’s more or less what the situation is right now. So I’ve been focusing on generating my own live “at home” content for release by various partners. For example, last week I did a live performance for Lincoln Center’s new “At Home” concert series. Was really cool! 60,000+ people tuned in.
What is something you and your spouse/family have been doing to lighten the mood and maintain good spirits?
My wife Alex and I have been watching a lot of “Bob’s Burgers”. We LOVE the silliness of that show. Helps take the edge off indeed! We’ve also been going on runs together outside to stave off cabin fever—we live in the hood here in Baltimore, so when we run around and see dilapidated buildings and vacant lots, all of a sudden our problems seem that much smaller.
It’s been important to do this for us because my wife—an anesthesiology resident at Johns Hopkins Hospital—is quite literally on the front lines of this COVID crisis. So I’ve taken on the proud role of her cheerleader/corner man—I cheer her on from the sidelines when she’s in the ring, and then I replenish her when she comes back to her corner in between rounds!
As ardent followers of your social media, we’ve noticed you’re into cooking and especially the cuisine of South Asia. Can you share one of your favorite dishes/recipes with us?
(follow SAI’s Instagram for videos of Zeshan making this dish)
Oh, lord! Where to start? Well, you know for not being a pathan myself, I have to say I make a MEAN Peshawari Namkeen Gosht. SO easy to make.
Learn more about Zeshan B at zeshanb.com and follow him on Facebook and Instagram.