Disappointing fans all over the globe, one of the most beloved bands of Pakistan and also one that has lasted for over three decades — Strings — comprising two key members, Bilal Maqsood and Faisal Kapadia, officially announced the end of their musical journey in March.
The band posted their official statement on Strings Instagram page:
“This post is a bit different from the usual. We have decided that today, 25/03/2021, is the day we graciously get to conclude Strings. The past 33 years have been incredible for both of us. It’s so rare to have the chance to be able to do things like this and we are infinitely grateful to all of our fans for making it possible. We hope you found it worthwhile as well,” their announcement stated.
However, no reason for the decision was shared with the fans, until, now. In a recent interview on The MJ Show video podcast, Faisal Kapadia shared the reason.
In conversation with Mihir Joshi, he said the decision to end Strings was being considered for a while now. They were thinking of it even while they were working on their final album 30.
“We were thinking about what we are going to do after 30, ” he said. “See, Strings could go on, we could be 70 years old and still have Strings since it is our love and something we have lived with. But we were looking at the band like when you’ve lived a really good life and you start to think that it’s better to end it right here on a good note.”
“We’ve had amazing years and amazing times,” he confessed. “Beginning from the first album, we did our third album after 30 years. The songs in this album, all of them we love. So what do we do after this? We had to really think about whether we should end it right here or not.”
Acknowledging that after 30, things were going great, however, it felt that it was time to make the call!
“But it was precisely at a time like this that we needed to take this decision, to cut the cord. Otherwise, we [would] start going downhill gradually, that is an automatic process in itself. When you want to cherish it, you cherish it at a high point.”
Faisal also shared that he and Bilal thought it was time to focus more on the family.
“Me and Bilal just turned 50 this year,” he continued. “We thought 50 is a great number and now we need to spend more time with our families. Our kids are grown now, they’re in college. That was a very conscious decision. As a band to make things work, you have to let go of and sacrifice a lot of things. But now we thought let’s do whatever we want to. You know, we have lived a great life with Strings, for Strings, as Strings and now we just move on. It was a very conscious and deliberate decision and I am really happy about it. You always remember things that happened on a good note.”
Watch the interview here:
