Music can be the universal language of the world, conveying a message of peace, love, and understanding. For Singer-Songwriter Zameer Rizvi, commonly known simply as Zameer, music has always been his outlet of expression from a young age when he picked up a guitar and began writing music. Traveling an interesting road, Zameer was born in Pakistan, spent most of his childhood in Saudi Arabia, and migrated with his family to Canada two decades ago. Having seen the world, observed different cultures, and put matters into perspective, Zammer channels an honest approach to songwriting. Having been dubbed one of the hottest emerging artists in years, Zameer has already sold thirty thousand records, and is now set to release his new album, Her. Recently we caught up with the motivated artist for a look into his journey, the importance of a positive message, the process behind Her, and much more.
CrypticRock.com – You have been involved in music for some time now, and since 2008, you attained a good deal of success. First, tell us, what inspired you to pursue a music career?
Zameer – I am very big on communication. I like to express how I feel. I have a really gratifying feeling when I connect, when I can instill a feeling I am feeling within someone else. The message and media in which I learned how to do that was through melodies, rhythms, and beats. That is the core of me. That is how I communicate, how I relate to people, and feel gratified. Music has become that media and language for me.
CrypticRock.com – That makes sense. It is a great form of communication. Honestly, music is sometimes the best way to convey a message that people will listen to.
Zameer – I agree. There is video and there is audio. Video is very good in some ways, and you can listen to music that way too. I do think there is something to be said just about listening to something and having it move through audio waves in your ears.
- Rizvi Records
- Rizvi Records
CrypticRock.com – Absolutely. Those who have heard your music know that you are very sincere in your approach, lyrically and musically; you do not shy away from social issues. With that said, is that important to you as a songwriter?
Zameer – It is extremely important. As an artist, honestly, the reason I am in this is it allows me to express how I feel completely uncensored. The honesty that goes with it is paramount and very precious to me. I would not compromise that. That is the reason why I have written songs that has touched some sensitive areas for some people. It is also the reason I write a lot of love songs. I am very impacted by love, as we all are. My next album is actually called Her, it is about several loving relationships I have, how I felt, and expressing that to the listeners, how I felt during those experiences.
CrypticRock.com – Excellent. You are in fact set to release that new album, entitled Her. What was the writing and recording process like for this new music?
Zameer – The writing process was pretty much all over the place. One of the songs, for example, that I am releasing and doing a tour for in the USA and Canada, took ten years to put together. All I had back ten years ago was the first line, “Your secrets I don’t need them.” I really liked that and what it meant to me, so I completed that song over ten years with another writer, and it finally got finished. On the flipside, there is a song called “Hold On,” which I wrote within thirty minutes probably three months before I recorded it. The process really varies. If I had to tell you a process, the only process I could tell you is you go into a studio, record all your best songs, and hope for the best.
CrypticRock.com – That makes sense, totally. You have to go with what works. On Her, you worked with a different producer. What are some new things you learned with the production this time of Her?
Zameer – I have learned that I know nothing about production. It is an art and skill, and not something I think everyone can pick up. I learned to appreciate the profession of music production. My previous album was produced by myself and co-producers. It was a lot of work and I feel like, artistic as a songwriter, I learned I should be focusing more on my songs and not the production. My producer is Gavin Brown, a lot of people in the USA do not know him, but in Canada he is one of the biggest and heaviest producers. He has produced some of the biggest Canadian talents. He has won thirteen Juno awards, that is the equivalent of a Grammy in the United States. Also, the album is mixed by Grammy winning producer Jordan Young. It is a really cool team and I learned a lot from them. I could not even name them all, just a slew of things I learned from them.
CrypticRock.com – Everything is a learning experience for sure. You mentioned the single “Take,” it is a very well-written track. Would you say the track is a good sample of what listeners can expect from the rest of Her?
Zameer – I definitely think the song “Take” is most representative of my writing style. It has a lot of acoustic and rhythmic guitar pieces, that is what I do. I have been playing guitar for the better part of my life. It represents my guitar style and vocal style as well, it has a very wide range. In the middle of the song, I like to create dynamics. I like to whisper sometimes, I like to speak to the listener sometimes. In some moments where it gets very intense, I do like to get loud and use my baritone, so you hear all ranges of my voice in this song. I am very pleased with how it encapsulates a lot of my style.
CrypticRock.com – That is great. Dynamics are very important in music. Sometimes a song can fall flat if it is not dynamic enough.
Zameer – Absolutely. Actually, I am hitting thirteen cities, partially in Canada and the United States, January into February. I made it a point to make sure this tour is mostly acoustic. I am just taking my acoustic guitar, no band, and creating a vibe in each of the halls I play. I really like to speak and tell stories. My songs are more about telling stories in the lyrics. To just have that acoustic guitar, to create that dynamic with one instrument, is very important to me.
CrypticRock.com – Right, and playing acoustically live can be very intimidating because there is no room for error. You are basically naked for everyone to hear. How do you feel when you play live acoustically?
Zameer – It is intimidating. A lot of what performing live over the past decade has taught me is to embrace and convert that intimidation to something beautiful. Nobody is perfect, and as an artist, one of the valuable things I have are my own vulnerabilities. To be able to not be shy about those, and to be able to be comfortable with those, is something I had to train myself to be able to do. For me, it is the only way to be honest on stage. Although I practice my guitar everyday and I try to make it perfect, there are always some issues that you see and they are vulnerabilities. If you do it right and with the right conscience, then in my opinion, some of those mistakes actually enhance the performance. It makes people see more of who you are. They see you as a human, more than someone who plays guitar really well.
CrypticRock.com – Exactly. The human aspect is something that is sometimes lost with modern recordings. It seems everything is so perfect now when it comes to a modern recording. Sometimes it is really enduring to hear some of those human aspects.
Zameer – I absolutely agree. We retain that in the album as well. One of the first conversations I had with my producer was, “Do we need to be so structured in how we record, and can we leave it open? Can we not play with metronomes, can we not rehearse this to the T?” We just went with our feeling, there was six of us in a recording studio and we played together. That was kind of the process; really feeling each other, feeling moments, and recording what we captured.
CrypticRock.com – That is a great approach. It will be exciting to hear the record once it is released. You have traveled a very interesting road, having been born in Pakistan, spent most of your childhood in Saudi Arabia, and migrating to North America when you were around fourteen. How would you describe your experiences, having lived in a variety of different cultures?
Zameer – It has been one heck of a ride. For me, that is just life. I grew up in various different cultures in various different parts of the world. It is hard to say how that impacted me because that is just how my life was. I know nothing better and nothing worse. I will say that the visibility I have and the prospective I have going into things and situations is it benefits me very well. Relating to different cultures, being able to understand where people are coming from, and having a little more tolerance because I have seen different parts of the world, that really helps me. I think that using my music to communicate certain messages that I feel very strongly about, and being a little politic, that is where it comes from. It comes from being able to see different cultures. It comes from feeling like I am able to speak to it, which is why I write these songs. Sometimes they can be touching people in sensitive areas, which is perfectly fine in my opinion, because that is what songs and stories are about. It has helped my songwriting a lot, because it has given me a lot of perspective and context.
CrypticRock.com – It has to have. As stated, different cultures and different ways of life, it has to inspire you in one way or another, and obviously it has.
Zameer – Absolutely. I actually recently came back from a tour in Pakistan and I went to play a show in Dubai. It is always going to have exposure to those audiences and be able to speak to them. This time, when I went, I started something called The Peace Project. There is a lot of violence happening in that part of the world, and the Western part of the world as well. I feel like me being in the position where I speak both languages, I can relate to both cultures. I have friends in California, I have friends in Pakistan. It is just a message to say, “Hey, let’s promote peace, let’s show people the right way to conduct themselves.” It gives me an opportunity to connect in that way, being from two different cultures. It is really fun.
CrypticRock.com – Excellent! Obviously promoting peace is a very positive thing. As you mentioned, in the world, this violence has been going on for years. Sadly, because it has not been in North America’s backyard per-say, people have not paid attention too much. Now that it is in North America’s backyard, people are paying attention and it frightens everyone. How do you feel about all this?
Zameer – It is in our backyard now. I live in Los Angeles and those shootings in San Bernardino were only a few minutes away from me. I had to go on a drive and I was freaking out thinking, “What if these people are loose with guns?” It impacted me and I felt it. Also, living in Pakistan, I was exposed to a lot of violence. It is very interesting to see this happening everywhere. That is why I was compelled to do this Peace Project. I feel like I can speak to people, make a little change, even if it is a small one. Small changes add up to make a big one, right? It is close to home, that is why I definitely wanted to do it. I recorded four songs, and if you look at hashtag peace project on social media, all the songs are about peace. I recorded music videos for them and put a lot of effort into them. One is recorded in Urdu, which is the language of Pakistan, which is speaking to everyone there. Then there is a John Lennon’s “Imagine” which I recorded. I am using my voice to create a better message.
CrypticRock.com – That is wonderful, let us all hope that through education people will understand things and develop their own opinions. What are some of your influences as a musician?
Zameer – Whenever I get asked that question, I get a little stumped. I grew up with a lot of musicians, my family is full of musicians. My influences have been people that are around me, my family and friends. When I was in school, usually when you get your homework done, you go play with your friends, but I was getting my homework done to go jam with my siblings in the basement. Those were my primary influences. There are some musicians that I really admire though. It all goes back to having a positive message. I really like Sting for what he does. He always has a very good, powerful message in his songs such as if you love someone set them free. He is one artist I like. I am also a big guitar fan, I have been playing guitar since I could remember. I like Dave Matthews, I think he is a superb songwriter and guitarist. More new, I like my fellow Canadian The Weeknd, how can you not like The Weeknd? In fact, my producer Gavin Brown has been one of my biggest influences of the past ten years. When I actually sat there in a studio with him, recording songs, I was starstruck. I felt, I cannot believe I am working with him. I had been listening to his stuff for the last decade. That is roundabout my musical influences.
- A&M
- RCA
CrypticRock.com – That is really cool that you found influences from within your family like that. My last question for you is pertaining to movies. CrypticRock.com covers music and Horror/Sci-Fi films. If you are a fan of these films, what are some of your favorites?
Zameer – I am a big Sci-Fi junkie, but it blends over to those epic style movies. I really enjoyed Braveheart (1995) and Avatar (2009). More recently, I saw a movie which is a bit Sci-Fi called Mr. Nobody (2009). It talks about multiple dimensions. How the universe has multiple time dimensions and how nothing really matters in this life. It is really interesting.
- 20th Century Fox
- Wild Bunch
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