Jimmy: New Restaurant singer

Lahore’s rising-star Jimmy talks about his music and his experience as a ‘restaurant singer’

Jimmy aka Hassan Jamil is a young musician with talent. Known for his rather heart-rending compositions and a good voice, he is already on his way to making a name on the Lahore music industry.

Jimmy’s father, Jimmy Sr, a self-taught guitar player and talented singer, made sure that his son had his sur pakkay before he reached the age of 14; by 15 he was playing at school farewells and parties and had a concert for Amin Maktab under his belt. He also formed a band Tansen with his best friend, Amir Rashid, who Jimmy insists is one of the best guitarists he has ever come across.

When a friend approached him to compose a piece for a short film, Jimmy worked out a song titled Innocent. A CD of this recording reached Kamran Sheikh, the owner of Gunsmoke, who approached Jimmy to perform at the venue on a weekly basis. The singer was such a hit that a number of people frequent Gunsmoke on Friday or Saturday nights specifically to hear him belt out country blues and other requests.

Even though Jimmy has a positive attitude, singing in a restaurant is not easy; unlike a concert, at a restaurant the musician is the background sound rather than the focus. Even for the most experienced musicians, doing a regular live stint in an eatery is a different ball game altogether. Though there is a substantial amount of exposure, the fact that one is playing for a variety of people whose reactions can never be predicted, raises the stakes. For the usually cocky musician, this experience is a useful lesson: people react and if one learns to judge those reactions, it can help while making the set list.

Having heard some of Jimmy’s own work, one tends to wonder; where does his muse lie? Jimmy says that he “listens to anything and everything” and his music seems to have some influence from alterative soft rock. Of the two originals that he has played frequently, Tell me, according to Jimmy is perceived by others as influenced by Coldplay. A very humm-able tune, Tell me is accompanied by an equally catchy guitar piece; one can easily imagine it being played with an entire band, with a strong rhythm section.

His first original song called “Years” is also considered by people to be a Cold Play inspired song, a band Jimmy was admittedly listening to. Written at the age of 16 or 17 the song comes from “personal experiences” – and if someone does not know how to interpret this term, The Adrian Mole Diaries by Sue Townsend or actually any diary written by a sensitive teenage boy would be good reference material!

The Jimmy song that is my first preference (call me a pushover) is Is What They Say which he sang for his two best friends. Soulful, accompanied by a simple acoustic piece, the lyrical content is sweet but needs maturation. Several other songs are in progress.

Perhaps Jimmy’s weakest point is his inability to identify his influences consciously – something I feel is imperative for every musician as a tool for self awareness and hence growth. More than inability, it seems to be a lack of effort. Jimmy claims that since he listens to just about everything, he cannot identify most his musical influences.

While new to the rather neglected world of music, he has been fast taken under the wing by the industry’s seniors; Farhan Albert, Waqar Ahmad, Mohammad Agha, Mekaal, Selina Rashid Michal Hasan and Jimmy have come together to play a set of cover songs.

“It was an experience playing with such talented musicians. I couldn’t believe I was actually doing a show with them. I learnt how to arrange songs and how to go about it in a much more professional manner than I was used to.” says Jimmy.

It was his first experience with musicians of such calibre; rather intimidating for someone who has not done many professional shows. But Jimmy recalls that Mekaal, an experienced musician, would guide him while “Farhan was really nice about things and used to explain how to do stuff.”

Music as a career is something Jimmy cannot commit to at the moment. Even though his father helped Jimmy realise that music was something he can take seriously and not just dabble in, at the moment, college takes up a big chunk of his time.

Interestingly, for someone whose original songs are all contemporary niche western, Jimmy says that if he decides to take up music professionally his priority would be to make something that appeals most of the people of in the country. He says “I hold the green passport. I want to work for my country, and do something that people can relate with.”

Jimmy Sr and Jr sing urdu songs together and Jimmy Jr claims to love the song Tujh Se Naina Lagaay from the movie Anwaar. His eastern library ranges from Fareeda Khanam to Bade Ghulam Ali.