The COVID-19 pandemic and the resulting lockdown has inspired many artistes around the world to unleash their creativity while staying at home. One such artiste is UAE-based Saad Shehzad, a musician and an award-winning filmmaker. Saad recently released his first solo record, a three-track EP titled Epilogue, which explores the various stages of relationships. The tracks — Winds, Buoyant and Paper Boats — are influenced by alternative rock, funk, psychedelic rock and electro pop.
To accompany his melancholic, five-minute long track Winds — which took five years to complete — Saad has now unveiled a video, produced at home with limited resources. To make this video, Saad came up with a collaborative concept, inviting people to send in their pictures or videos of holding up lyrics from the song. He received an overwhelming response from around the globe and also help from his family members to put everything together.
Speaking about his unique approach, the filmmaker said, “This whole video is about collaboration really. Which is not something I was great at, growing up. I was a lone wolf really, but this is a new beginning for me.”
He further said, “This encapsulates so many wonderful, creative people standing together to create something. It’s an incredible feeling. I think it goes to prove that we all are connected in some way. There are family members I owe everything to, and colleagues who I have had disagreements with but at the end of the day, have helped me grow as a person.”
The project was produced and supported by Sandeep Sequeira. Saad’s work is available on Spotify, Deezer, Apple Music and other music websites. Prior to going solo, the musician collaborated with a local indie artist as the lead vocalist for a hard rock LP called Dark Horse.