Natasha Noorani has placed herself diligently on the map of Pakistani music industry by releasing unconventional yet beautiful tunes. Following the release of her much-loved Baby Baby in Velo Sound Station Season 1, the musician has geared up to her new album — Ronaq — with the release of its first single, Choro.
Arranged, composed, written and performed by Natasha Noorani, the song is a visual masterpiece that presents the lyrics with symbolism and clever choice of imagery. The song talks about toxicity of relationships, be it in any kind, from toxic homes, parents, lovers, spouses, friends, workplaces or dysfunctional families.
As an ethnomusicologist, she has taken her work a step further from her previous EP Munaasib, into the world of Urdu Pop/RnB. Choro represents a new kind of fusion of pop music, and has been co-produced the versatile Abdullah Siddiqui along with Natasha.
In a press statement, Natasha spoke about the idea behind the song: “The song is about being stuck in a toxic environment and the labour of leaving. Each space in the music video showcases a different aspect of that struggle. I wrote the first demo for this song in 2019 on my laptop webcam as a joke and it evolved into a song that has served me well over the years and I’m hopeful it will do the same for others.”
The video is a symbolic representation of all toxic environments which appear beautiful and dandy from afar, but are nothing but repressive and depressing. The protagonist is surrounded by pastel shades and blooming flowers in closed comfy spaces, however, everything that looks aesthetically pleasing is not what it seems. The themes represent how suffocated she feels in that confined space where she has no liberty of thought and movement. So much so that the colors of her happiness have also started to fade.
The music video has been co-directed by Abdul-Rehman Malik and Natasha Noorani, who previously worked together on her single Trace. The art direction is by Hashim Ali who meticulously designed the sets. Choro’s music video has four distinct spaces which represent the multiple stages of duress and confusion present in the song. The main theme throughout the video is thread and a feeling of entrapment as Natasha is tangled in threads like people usually are restricted by relationships.
There is a threat of constant scrutiny or judgement which is represented by an eye in every frame. These bold themes signify how the burden of toxic relationships make us incapable to react when we are stuck in love and we justify misbehavior each day even when we are burning in flames as lyrics go: Choro Choro ye hath mera… choro choro ye hath mein aag mein khari hui… aag mein yun bheeg chuki hun dekho zara [Let go of my hand… let go of my hand… I’m standing in fire… I’m drenched in fire look here].
It is pertinent to note how the song ends as Natasha’s voice fades like anyone suffering in silence.
You can watch the video of Choro here:
