Behind every successful man is a woman and Rohail Hyatt is the first to admit it, as he and his wife Umber let Instep in to their home and life at the height of Coke Studio fever.
By Maheen Sabeeh
Meet the producers
To the world at large, Coke Studio is the magnum opus genius of Rohail Hyatt. Featuring Pakistan’s biggest names in music, both from the Eastern classical/folk front and modern day pop giants while introducing new musicians into the mix who have hitherto remained unknown backing musicians at various concerts, the second season of Coke Studio is looking spectacular. Not surprisingly, since Coke Studio Season 2 hit the airwaves, the official website of the show (www.cokestudio. com.pk) has been clogged thanks to heavy traffic while Facebook and YouTube are filled with people uploading, downloading videos and commenting on the show.
The show’s real success and the amount of effort and time that is put into gear for a show like Coke Studio to happen can be gauged by the people behind the show, its producers. Coke Studio was recorded in three days but the rehearsals went on for over a month. But that is just one angle to this multi-dimensional show that takes pride in shining a light on history, heritage and exploring the sound of the soil while keeping it in check with the times.
And for the producers the show takes form months in advance. It began in October last year and is ongoing as this article goes into print. The planning, execution and post-production of Coke Studio is a daunting mission. There are too many layers. There are the stars of course, then there is the houseband. There is technical aspect to take into account; the aim is for perfect sound. And to do this in a nation known for ‘jugar’ like we are requires a dogged pursuit of professionalism. And it must be done hand in hand with the creative aspect of the project. There are too many battles to be fought on too many fronts, too many problems to be solved, too many risks to be taken, and umpteen experiments to conduct without really knowing what the outcome will be.
But the producers aren’t complaining. The aim is to create long lasting music that reflects on our heritage and will be remembered years from now. And that makes it all worth it.
One of the producers, as everyone knows is Rohail Hyatt, the man whose vision for Coke Studio has given the music industry a leg to stand on at a time when musical activity is overshadowed by political, security and economic tensions. The other producer is lesser known beyond music industry circles. She is known as Ma Hyatt on the sets of Coke Studio. She is Umber Hyatt, aka Mrs Rohail Hyatt. Rohail and Umber’s partnership is the stuff of legend in the music world. It is in many ways over and above a marriage (the two eloped while in their teens), and Umber has very much been a part of Rohail’s journey, beginning from being a struggling musician, to the unprecedented success of Vital Signs, the Pyramid years (where she truly earned the title ‘Ma’ because everyone there called her that; she was managing the operation spearheaded by Rohail) and now through to Coke Studio where she is very much a part of the process,
Neither Rohail nor Umber agree to take credit for the show but collectively the two of them are the driving force behind this project.
Behind every man…
“Rohail credited me as a producer whereas it should be line producer,” says Umber softly as we chat about Coke Studio in their kitchen.
On the set of Coke Studio, Umber’s job description varied. From dealing with artists and their managers to dealing with the bevy of people who form the Coke Studio crew, budgeting, and even making sure that everyone is fed, Umber was on her toes. And those same rules apply even now. Coke Studio is being edited and Umber is living it along with Rohail (who is too busy to sleep).
“This man was sleeping here after I sent him to a masseuse,” laughs Umber, pointing to the rug lying on the kitchen floor.
This kitchen is in fact the same where Rohail was editing Coke Studio last year (yes, the kitchen has an editing suite too). And this year, the kitchen is celebrating the presence of a new television. Not too much has changed inside the kitchen or the studio.
“Rohail bought this TV for me as a present,” she laughs.
Rohail is working on Coke Studio inside his studio, right across the house where they live.
When it comes to Umber and Rohail, home and studio have become one and the same. Umber says that she’s been living in a studio ever since she married Rohail and she is comfortable with. One gets the sense that the studio has become a part of her even as she has become a part of it. And Rohail’s love for music and his commitment (you can even say obsession) has overflowed into the life of his family. His son Sheryar produces music under the label Mooshy Moo and his younger son Danial plays in a band called Mole. They’ve grown up tinkering around with sound… the gadgets have been readily available. The Hyatts are a musical family, the only exception being Charmaine who is studying in Canada.
“Rohail is a perfectionist. The Vital Signs album – Hum Tum – had to be taken from him or he would’ve continued producing it,” she recalls.
If Rohail creates concepts, Umber is the one who pushes him towards the reality of execution.
“Rohail is a planning freak. I push him to stick to the plan,” says Umber as she takes a long drag on a cigarette.
Rohail and Umber are a team and it’s the unison and understanding of the art of music, history, culture and identity that makes them work.
If Rohail is the perfectionist, Umber is, as Rohail puts it, “Headstrong… she is strict like you have to pull your socks up in front of the principal right? She is the principal,” Rohail laughs and continues, “If I can be called a successful man, then Umber would be the reason. That old saying, behind every successful man…” Rohail trails off.
As people, Umber and Rohail are, in some ways, very similar. They are both guarded and private. Umber is perhaps a little more reserved but the ability to slide away from the spotlight is common to both. Both Umber and Rohail think of and refer to Coke Studio as a ’she’ who is a separate entity. And their hearts break when musical instruments do. It is just who they are and it is refreshing. They are both wonderfully weird and these days, they are both working around the clock. Even as this interview was being planned, it was difficult to pin down Rohail and Umber because of their hectic, overworked schedules.
At the sets of Coke Studio, Rohail was constantly on the floor, taking the musical journey forward, conversing between takes with musicians, recording and grooving to the sound on the floor. On the other hand, Umber could be seen inside the office space and whether it was taking care of budgets or management, or simply making sure that everybody was fed, Umber was on it.
“All the budgets, talking to the artists, managing… that is easy. It is nothing compared to the technical planning that goes into the show. There are diagrams and drawings on paper,” explains Umber.
The story of Umber and Rohail is decades old. As a member of one of Pakistan’s biggest pop acts in the nineties, Vital Signs, Rohail Hyatt understands the reservations and dilemmas that plague musicians. As someone who has seen the Signs grow and reach new heights of success before calling it off, Umber has seen it just as up close and personal.
At Coke Studio, both Umber and Rohail are professionals with various tasks at hand. But the difference between these two and everybody else is the kind of respect they command and the level of trust the music industry has in their abilities.
Spend three days, 12 hours at a stretch at Coke Studio and the industry looks different. It feels different because of the atmosphere that snaps back into action when Coke Studio begins.
“Actually a lot of people dropped their guard. I mean when they came they were guarded. You could see it when they walked in. But something happened while Coke Studio was happening. I just hope it stays.”
From the Noori brothers to Saieen Zahoor, Riyaz Ali Khan, Javed Bashir to Strings, Atif Aslam, Ali Zafar, Arieb Azhar, Zeb and Haniya, Josh, Shafqat Amanat Ali Khan among others, the view is unanimous. Coke Studio rocks and so do the producers.
“What’s really kind is that everyone… they’ve been so generous with their compliments. I got a call from Riyaz Ali Khan’s wife. She said, ‘I called to thank you. This man travels around the world and he has done countless shows but he is never happy. But today he is in a very good mood’. When things like that happen, you just go ‘wow’. Because we just managed to put a smile on this grumpy old man’s face,” says Umber honestly.
From season one to season two: the journey so far
Coke Studio’s first season was a learning ground where little of everything was dabbled in.
“Season one was started with an objective. The idea behind Coke Studio is not to be cool or Western or imitate. It’s just an experience for me and all others involved to look inwards. It is about who we really are. We can’t deny the fact that the soil we live on was once India. The British were here and many others before them. All of them have left behind something. It’s a melting pot,” reflects Rohail.
“Year one we opened the door, year two we walked in and we haven’t done it completely because it’s not possible. But we are walking in.”
Meanwhile the sound that resonated at Coke Studio and will hit airwaves in the coming weeks is surely different. It’s less aggressive in sound and the concentration has been more folk-friendly, which comes as a nice change after season one.
“This year the sound is folk. I think it’ll take a couple of passes before people realise that this sound is different. It allows you to believe that amidst all the sounds that we hear daily all around us, here is a sound that is possible. Anyone who tries to create something new out of something old, re-create and make something new is criticised for ruining the original. As far as Coke Studio goes, some people might say, ‘yeh kya kardiya?’ But it is a new generation. It’s the 2009 version of songs like ‘Yaar Dhadee’ and ‘Maye Ne Mein’. There are maybe 40 versions of this tune. Some of them will be good and some will be bad but that’s the beauty of folk music. One hopes that these will be versions which will be long lasting,” says Rohail.
But the sound isn’t the only change. One change is the introduction of Danial Hyatt on graphics. The youngest out of the brood, Danial managed to shock pretty much everyone who met him on the sets, if not for his music than his sheer knowledge of all things technical.
“Danial did the LED screen graphics. I’m not dumb and I don’t say that with arrogance. But I look at my kids and I realize that there is that intrigue. We’re not academics. We run from school and institutions and the dictatorial environment that follows it. After Matric, I dropped out. I knew that I was capable of doing what I said I could do and I have done it. I see that in Danial,” says Rohail and adds laughingly, “Sometimes I’m a cool dad…”
For Umber who is indeed a proud mother, the equation has always been different.
“I have a bias to him. He is my son. And there is no denying the bias. The things that I love about him and the things that people admire him for maybe very different. He is my son who I have tripped out conversations with and who writes these songs,” says Umber referring to Danial’s music as she trails off.
But despite having their own son around, Umber and Rohail were still Ma and Pa to everyone at Coke Studio.
“I have many children,” says Umber. And she is right. Without trying to be anything other than herself, Umber managed to leave a mark on everyone. When Atif Aslam was recording his set, he dedicated ‘Meri Kahani’ to Umber. And he has never worked with Rohail and Umber prior to Coke Studio.
Adnan Malik could be seen yelling “PAAAAA ” at regular intervals at Coke Studio.
They don’t look like Ma and Pa by any traditional viewpoint. But in their case, these names represent the kind of sentiment that was created at Coke Studio.
The process of Coke Studio…
The buzz around the show, various rumours (from not-so-reliable sources) led to the notion that Indian acts were being considered for the show this year.
“A lot of names were under consideration but nothing was final. Shubha Mudgal and Kailash Kher were two names. We were also considering some acts from UK but it never panned out,” says Rohail.
And as for the stars, there were no problems with anyone.
“I had no problems with anyone, any of the artists. I dealt with Shabaz Aslam – Atif Aslam’s brother and manager – and I really think he is a very good manager. I was dealing with Sania Saeed for Shafqat and she was very nice. People think I am bull*****ng but that really is the truth. I think the artists know that we are on their side because we’ve been there ourselves,” says Umber.
The songs that one hears from Coke Studio take final form after months of preparation. So how does it work?
“I recommend songs to the artists and then it’s each artist who must own the platform. I’ve been an artist so I know that what an artist actually wants to do and the song that is most famous are almost never the same. With Vital Signs, it was always ‘Gori’ or ‘Sanwali Saloni’ but those were not the songs we always wanted to do. And if as an artist you do a song that you want to do, your heart will be in it. That is what I look for and encourage,” says Rohail off the vision behind every song that plays out at Coke Studio.
Now in its second season, Coke Studio airs nationwide and via the Internet, worldwide. Not only does it boast of incredibly talented and popular names like Atif Aslam or Ali Zafar, it also serves as a platform for all involved. Whether it is Babar Khanna on percussions or Javed Iqbal on violins or Gumby on drums, the focus is not just on the stars but everyone. Coke Studio is about equality and harmony. And that is why it works.
“Almost all of these people wanted to be a part of Coke Studio, not for the money and that’s the driving force. I mean there are so many people who want to be a part of Coke Studio but there are factors like marketing, PR etc. There is a science behind it because there is also a lot of heart behind it. And when the two meet, that makes the difference,” says Rohail.
In the end, both Umber and Rohail echo similar notes.
To both of them Coke Studio is an alive entity, one that they don’t control. They both have roles to play.
When they speak about each other, both say one thing that defines this relationship. “It works.” Seeing them both in action, on and off sets of Coke Studio, its clear… it really does work. And we wouldn’t want it any other way.
– Photos by Rizwan ul Haq and Kohi Marri
