Gal Sunn – A Punjabi folk song was co-written by lead singer Ali Pervez Mehdi and his brother Ahsan Pervez Mehdi, sons of the renowned late Ghazal singer Ustad Pervez Mehdi. Brought in as a demo by Zain Ali – a musician also part of Coke Studio season 12’s house-band, the song is a catchy, upbeat folk song with a contemporary funk element.
“This is an incredibly energetic song; it’s a beautiful song with all the dance vibes. It’s groovy, it’s funky, and I love this style of music,”
Ali Pervez Mehdi.
Funk is a genre of music that originated in the African-American communities back in the 60s.
And like much other African-inspired music, funk typically consists of a complex groove with rhythm instruments playing interlocking grooves that create a toe-tapping and danceable feel.
Mehdi said,
“I actually dance to this song, the groove is amazing. I believe if I’m not enjoying the song, then no one else will enjoy it either. It is a fun song and I would love to see people dancing to it!”
The song represents the longing between lovers and consists of Mehdi repeatedly calling out to his beloved whom he lovingly refers to as “Dhola Dhola/Sweetheart, Sweetheart”.
Listen to me, please listen to me now, sweetheart
There is nothing that is concealed from you
Very, very softly, I say: “Sweetheart. Sweetheart”
This long wait for you has killed me
Beloved, come to me, please!
Now don’t make me wait any longer
Sweetheart! Oh, sweetheart!
In the song, while Mehdi longingly calls out to his ‘sweetheart’, Meesha Shafi’s voice responds with the female counter narrative saying that, indeed she is listening and God is witness to the love she has for him. This narrative is one of the girls telling the boy her side of the love-story. Talking about the song, Shafi said, “This song has a lovely flirtatious vibe.”
These words that you speak from your heart
Are words that I listen to with all my heart
I love you just as much now as I did before
Don’t allow my compulsions to let you doubt my feelings
God is witness to the reality of my deep love for you
Talking about the song lyrics, Mehdi said, “In these times, going through [with Covid19], I wanted people to listen to something positive and fun.
That is why I created this song.”
Adding that the song gave him hope, Mehdi said, “I dance to it and I want everyone else to dance to it too. I truly believe that God willing, everything is going to be okay very soon.”
Gal Sunn is performed by Ali Pervez Mehdi and Meesha Shafi , and is produced by Rohail Hyatt.
Meesha Shafi’s musical journey began in 2013 with Lahore-based rock band ‘Overload’.
Becoming instantly successful, Meesha embarked on a solo career that celebrated her musical and artistic heritage through classical folk and Sufi music with some fusion of global instrumentation. Meesha’s first incredibly successful foray into the limelight was via super hit track Jugni where she appeared with the folk-legend, Arif Lohar in 2010 on Coke Studio season 3.
Ali Pervez Mehdi is an internationally acclaimed singer and the son of renowned Pakistani ghazal singer, the late Ustaad Pervez Mehdi. Trained by his father and grandfather Bashir Hussain Rahi in classical music, Ali started performing at the age of 16. Since then, he has toured the world as a singer, composer and lyricist with a deep understanding of arrangement. Ali has performed with famous composers like AR Rehman, Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, Hari Haran, Sukhwinder Singh, Atif aslam and many more.
His relationship with Coke Studio started in season 5. When the song he wrote and composed, Dholna, was performed by Atif Aslam. This season he will be making his debut as a lead singer on Coke Studio.
The song reached over 20 million views on YouTube, redefining Meesha’s career as a solo artist on a global level.
Listen to Gal Sunn here:
