IN CONVERSATION WITH MAHER ZAIN #1
Maher Zain has teamed up with humanitarian charity Penny Appeal to undertake his biggest ever UK tour this October. British actor and comedian Abdullah Afzal took the chance to ask him a few questions as he stopped by the UK in the run-up to the events
AA: How are you finding the UK?
MZ: Great! Always happy to be here.
On the responsibility of fame
AA: A lot of young Muslims see you as their inspiration. Is it a lot of weight on your shoulders?
MZ: It’s definitely a responsibility and I’m aware of it. The main thing is to be yourself; people appreciate when you are yourself, off stage and on stage.
On the charity cause
AA: The tour is in aid of Penny Appeal’s Education First programme, to help girls in developing countries to go to school. Why is this close to your heart?
MZ: When I was young I took my years at school for granted. Now I miss those days, when I was free to learn without other responsibilities. It was fun, even though there were hard times. It’s very important to emphasise that. We want to inspire the youngsters to really take advantage of those years and not take them for granted.
On being stranded on a desert island
AA: If you were stuck on a desert island and you could take one person with you, eat only one meal and listen to only one song, what would those three things be?
MZ: One person would be my wife, has to be. The meal would be chicken curry and I’d probably create a new song.
On becoming a singer
AA: Did you always want to be a singer when you were younger?
MZ: No, absolutely not. I didn’t even know I could sing until I started in 2009. I used to work as a music producer, and I would only sing the songs as a demo. A lot of artists have been singing since they were a child, but I still don’t find it natural for me to sing. I’m still learning and I’m taking lessons, because I think I can do more.
On finding your talent
AA: What advice would you give someone looking to follow in your footsteps?
MZ: I think with anything that you would like to do, you need to be honest with yourself first of all. Am I good at this thing that I’m looking to do? Don’t waste time on something that you won’t be successful at.
Everyone has something that they’re really good at. It can be anything! Maybe you’re really good at talking – maybe you can do a talk show or be on the radio. Identify that talent and that goal in you, and be honest with yourself.
On performing in front of the Swedish Royal Family
AA: You recently performed at the Swedish National Day celebrations. What was that like for you?
MZ: It was amazing, I really enjoyed it. We had the band of the Swedish Army, a huge orchestra, and we sang a song called ‘Hey Brothers, Hey Sisters’. The King, the Royal Family were all in front of me, all the politicians and leaders and my family was there as well – it was amazing.
On the universal nature of music
AA: What influences you when you’re writing a song?
MZ: Music is a language. As human beings we have feelings, different moods, different timings. Sometimes you feel sad, sometimes you feel like you want to be uplifted, sometimes we’re just happy and we don’t want anything to bring us down.
When you write music it’s also about that inspiration. When you write a melody and lyrics, you keep asking yourself, what mood am I in now? Music speaks to you. I love music, and the sound of music. I love Turkish music for example, and it’s such an emotional experience for me, even if I don’t understand the lyrics.
The debut tour of Maher Zain’s latest album ‘One’ takes place in October this year, spanning 10 locations in the UK. Tickets are available now from Penny Appeal’s website.
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IN CONVERSATION WITH MAHER ZAIN #2
Humanitarian aid charity Penny Appeal and Maher Zain have teamed up to organise the musician’s biggest ever UK tour this October. Actor and comedian Abdullah Afzal was in conversation with him, in the prelude to his latest tour.
AA: How are you finding the UK?
MZ: Great! Always happy to be here.
On performing in the UK
AA: What’s been your favourite performance in the UK?
MZ: I’m not just saying this because I’m in the UK and my upcoming tour is in the UK, but the tours that I’ve had here have probably been the best out of all the ones I’ve done. It was so much fun. It’s hard to pick one, because I’ve always enjoyed performing for the UK public. I’m really looking forward to the next tour.
On leisure time
AA: Everyone knows that Maher Zain loves to sing, but what do you do in your own time?
MZ: I travel a lot, so I like to spend time with my family as much as I can. I like fishing and sports – I work out a lot and try to maintain my health as much as possible.
On sports
AA: Are you a football fan?
MZ: Not really, I wish! I try, my friends like to sit down and watch it, but I just don’t get it.
AA: What kind of sports are you into then?
MZ: You won’t believe it but I love MMA (Mixed Martial Arts), I’m a big fan. I practice it a little bit, I think it’s a fun workout.
On his audience
AA: You seem to have tapped into a market where your music is universal, enjoyed by people young and old across the world. How have you managed to do that?
MZ: Music is an international language. It speaks to you even when you don’t understand the lyrics. People can relate to a slow song, a ballad, an emotional song, a happy song, because it’s an emotional experience.
So when you write music it’s about that inspiration. You ask yourself, what mood are you in right now? Even if people don’t understand the words, they can understand the feelings behind a song.
On Nasheed
AA: What advice would you give for people who want to get into Nasheed?
MZ: Music is a hard business, you need people who support you. You shouldn’t go into it unless you’re very committed. There’s a hadith that says that Allah loves it when someone does the best that they can do ata something, and he will perfect it. So identify your talent and just work hard, because nothing will come without working hard.
On learning to sing
AA: Did you always want to be a singer when you were younger?
MZ: I didn’t even know I could sing until I started in 2009. I still don’t find it natural for me to sing, I think I can do more. I’m taking lessons you know!
On girls’ education
MZ: So the tour is raising money to give disadvantaged girls an education. Why is this cause so close to your heart?
MZ: Education is very important, especially if you’re young because those years are so critical, they will form your future and your personality. Everything you do in these young years is so important.
Insha’Allah we shall get some youngsters, especially girls, inspired and take care of their education.
The debut tour of Maher Zain’s latest album ‘One’ takes place in October this year, spanning 10 locations in the UK. Tickets are available now from Penny Appeal’s website.
