Natasha Baig, often called a young Abida Parveen, is a symbolic vision as she performs standing tall, beaming with confidence and owning the stage. Over a career spanning less than a decade, the Shikwa-crooner became a household name and is all set to release her debut album Zariya, awaited by her fandom with bated breath. In an exclusive chat, she tells MAG the album will be releasing this month and sheds more light on how she found Zariya.

What do you have in the bag for us?

10 tracks! And all of the 10 songs revolve around Sufism . Some will be Sufi rock and others will be Sufi mixed with some other genres, each song has its own flavour. There’s a lot of versatility in store for my listeners.

What’s the story behind the title?

Music gave me courage to break free from the unacceptable norms of society and made a good fighter out of me. This is my “Zariya.”

Are you the songwriter/ lyricist behind the album too?

Co-composer, yes. The lyrics of six songs are written by Hassan Ali Effendi, one is written and composed by Masood Alam and three songs are the written qalaam of Saen Zaheen Taji, Baba Ghulam Fareed and Hazrat Ameer Khusro respectively.

Is there a message you have tried to relay with the album?

I want people to discover and find [the message] it according to their level of understanding. I will enjoy that more, rather than enforcing my perception on them.

Tell us about the emotional journey behind recording the album?

I am very emotional since it's the first album of my career. This will always be very special to me; I have experienced every single emotion while recording it. I know how difficult it was for me [to become a musician] since I come from a place from where no girl would ever imagine becoming what I am today. I remember all the bashing and discouragement that I faced in the beginning and today as I look back, I am happy to see that I have made it and I will keep moving forward. All thanks to my Lord.