Recently, the alternative rock band Kashmir emerged as the winner of Pepsi Battle of the Bands. Together, band mates: Bilal Ali, Vais Khan, Usman Siddiqui, Shane J. Anthoney Zair Zaki, and Ali Raza won the heart of the judges from the start with one original number after another including some unique renditions of iconic tracks, like Mera Pyar. The band has also won Lux Style award for Best Emerging Talent and has just released their first album. Sana Zehra sits down with the band members to find out what’s next for them

Please tell us a little about yourself and how Kashmir was formed?

We were just a group of like-minded friends who loved playing music. So we decided to give it a shot.

Now that the album is out what else is in store for you guys?

We are hoping for it to reach out to the public at large so that everyone can experience our work and what we’ve been up to for the past couple of months. We will start touring right after Ramzan.

Do you think your fans will dig it if you guys were to transition to a different music genre?

We are not sure about that. But so far everything we have done, our fans have never failed to support us and we owe it all to them. You guys are the best!

What genre of music do you think Kashmir should be known for?

In our opinion, we don’t like to restrict ourselves to just one genre. We like to experiment and create what comes from the heart.

What is a song that you all disagree about loving right now?

It’s impossible to answer that I’m afraid. Lol

How has 2018 been treating you guys so far and what is one musical goal you guys have for this year?

2018 has been really good so far and we are focusing on making more music. So let’s see…

Was it hard to come up with a name that you all thought fit your sound and who you are?

Coming up with a band name is always tough. But we are glad we came up with Kashmir. It has become our identity now. It’s part of who we are.

Who would you love to work with in the future? Who are some of your favourite artists right now? What do you think would be a dream collaboration for this group?

There are so many artists we would love to work with so naming a few would not do justice to the rest of them. We listen to all kinds of Pakistani music and it’s exciting to see so many people following their dreams just like we are.

What is the message of your music?

Our message is mostly about peace and love or whatever we feel like writing about at that time. It could be depression, heartbreak, family values etc.

“We will start touring right after Ramzan”