Abdullah Siddiqui's new single with Meesha, Magenta Cyan

There are many interesting angles to this new Abdullah Siddiqui recording: He is collaborating with increasingly bigger names, and this video was recorded on phones in quarantine.

But for me the most interesting is Meesha’s clear status as the established artist that cares to keep up with the smaller names. Here’s Abdullah narrating to Madeeha Syed how we got his big break of performing on Nescafé Basement (link added):

“From what I’ve heard, Meesha was the one that showed Xulfi [the producer of Basement] 'Resistance',” says Abdullah.

Abdullah’s performance of Resistance on Nescafé Basement is worth watching.

Madeeha Syed continues:

I remember seeing a Meesha Instagram story, in which she documented attending a music festival in Lahore with her brother Faris Shafi, who is also a performer. In one update, she posted a video of Abdullah Siddiqui performing 'Diamond & Dynamite' on stage. Meesha sang along. She knew all of the lyrics.

On Pepsi Battle of the Bands, Meesha is the one judge that appears to be familiar with many artists before they show up to audition. Her reactions to E Sharp (where she sings along to The Anthem of Shabana) and Roots (where she talks about having followed singer Rutaba Yaqub’s career for a while) stand out to me.

Meesha’s artistic progressiveness is reflected not just in her taste for indie artists but also in the boldness of her own work. The power of her voice allows her to effectively switch between genres. Her command of English, Urdu and Punjabi lets her sounds natural in any language. As a result she can effectively partner with a folk legend, a percussion band, an unknown troupe singing a local melody, cover Noor Jehan in rough rock style, and now Abdullah.