Aayi Aayi, the first song to hit Coke Studio music fans in season 15 seems to have taken on hummable vibes. The chorus is definitely catchy and the Sindhi rap adds a whole new mood to the story of Umar Marvi – the folk tale that lies behind this popular legend. But how did the lyrics evolve, what did the team behind Coke Studio 15 start with? Find out more as we talk to rapper Babar Mangi, the voice behiond the Sindhi rap element of Aayi Aayi!
Aayi Aayi, the inspiration, kahan se aayi?
Babar: “It came from from a simple message. There is a folk tale in Sindhi called Umar Marvi and it is very famous. It relates the story of a king named Umar and a village woman named Marvi. Marvi is a very beautiful woman. Umar takes her away and wants to marry her, promising her all the riches of the world. But Marvi rejects him, stating that she can never agree, because her “will” is not in this union. As a result, Umar imprisons her. But Marvi is so resilient, she has no interest in the luxuries and riches of the royal life. She wants to go back to her people and return to her land, to the world she knew as her own.”
I told him (Xulfi) that aayi is also called a woman, it was yaayi yaayi yaayi yaayi but then it turned into aayi, aayi aayi aayi
Rapper Babar Mangi on shaping the final lytics for Aayi Aayi, Coke Studio 15
Naam, Aayi Aayi. Why this name? The story behind it.
Babar: “While exchanging voice notes, Zulfi bhai sent me this humming on guitar. He was humming different segments of the song. The first verse which was performed by Noman, and then we lead into the chorus. So chorus mein aai aai came in. Initial idea wasn’t that it’s gonna be aai aai. It was like he asked me ke aise kaunse words hain jo ee se end hote hai, aise kaunse rhymes hain. I sent him a bunch of rhymes and then while discussing, I told him that aayi is also called a woman in Sindhi. It was just a humming sound at first, but then it turned into aayi, aayi aayi aayi, symbolizing a deeper meaning, referring to a woman. So the humming he sent me, it turned into ayi-ayi, and then we added words to it, so khatay ay-ay-ay-ay, according to our initial idea.”
The inspiration behind Aayi Aayi?
Babar: “Okay, this came from personal experience with people around me, it’s for women sometimes and mostly. Why did we choose this idea? The thing is that this idea is not just for women, I would say. It’s a universal message. In terms of, if a woman from a village is so resilient and can do whatever she wants, and whatever is being offered to her forcefully, she doesn’t agree to that, and does whatever she wants and wills, and wins and comes back successfully to her people. The idea is to draw courage from her, that if she can do it, then any human being can do it.”
Babar continues to elaborate further enthusiastically, not wanting to let go of the full story behind Aayi, Aayi (and we were listening):
“And there is one more thing that song is talking about … it is about celebrating our women. One of our songs in Sindhi is very famous Ho Jamalo, Ho Jamalo, and it is about a man. Ho Jamalo’s story is very famous. And it’s about celebrating the success of a man. So women were never celebrated in that way. This was also a major reason for us to send out a message that this song is going to translate to the world in a more meaningful way, that a man is celebrating a woman. And then for sure we decided to include women from Sindh, because they are also important, they are the faces of Sindh and they they must be seen by the people. These are the women whom we want to celebrate.”
“Everything is on the internet. You can learn to rap. I think with good practice, anyone can sing as well. Anyone can produce music.”
Babar Mangi, Vocalist Aayi Aayi, on his musical journey
On shaping the composition with Xulfi and Abdullah Siddiqi
Babar: “Okay, fun incident ye tha ke when Zulfi bhai created the track, it was a different kind of music, jaise abhi sound kar raha hai, aisa nahi tha. And we felt something is missing, something else needs to be done to it. Then we created a more laid back version of the song which was the second version, which Zulfi Bhai made with Abdullah Siddiqui and we listened to that as well. Then Zulfi Bhai eventually decided (because we were constantly getting feedback) to make a hybrid of all the songs so the 2-3 versions of the songs that we made were strung together – all of them – and then this song came about. The other interesting thing is that the first song had only Aai Aai and only rap verse and on that verse, uspe matlab poori music ban rahi thi. But then the second part, Noman wala, aur chorus wala part, wo add hua and the song came to life!”
Curious to know, is music something that runs in the family?
Babar: “Okay, so music is not something that runs in the family. I mean, no one in our family does music. Rap is a far-fetched thing. But my elder brother, he used to play the guitar and he used to listen to hip-hop music. I had a phone with me, and I used to get songs from Eminem, Lil Bang, and my brother. And because it was a very limited playlist, I used to listen to those songs and I used to think, this is rap, this is so interesting, this should be in Sindhi. Then I started writing in Sindhi.”
Babar continued passionately to answer our next question: “So, what made me pursue music?”
“I think it’s more of a form of expression for putting my ideas out. Because I have a lot of ideas that I want to convey to people. And I have a lot of experiences that I have learned from them. I want to tell others what I have learnt. I mean, more like, my personality is such that when a friend is sad, I go and make him understand, and motivate him. So music for me, I mean, rap and music became that channel for me, which I can easily access and convey through my voice, and in a fun way. I enjoy it as well and no one around me used to rap when I started rapping in Sindhi, I didn’t have any friend connected to the music industry so it all came from YouTube self-learning and I mean, it was that journey, I enjoyed it a lot. So it’s not necessary that in your family, there is a person involved in music for you to take it up. Everything is there on the internet. You can learn everything. You can learn to rap. I think with good practice, anyone can sing as well. Anyone can produce music.” And in that simple story, Babar gives hope to all the struggling musicians to keep at it, and never give up!
My brothers and sisters would go to another room, three people would sleep in one room, it was a small house. I was given a separate room so that I could make my own music. So they gave me that space
Rapper Babar Mangi on family support for his music
Your family’s reaction to music as a career?
Babar: “Okay, so… I will tell you that my family has been supportive from the beginning because my father has been like a friend to me. He never refuses me to do anything I want to do. He’s like, just do it. You can do whatever you want to do, and you will be able to do it. And I would also like to say that they were extra supportive. Because I was sitting in one room and making music, so things were running on loop when you were writing, recording, listening, mixing. My brothers and sisters would go to another room, three people would sleep in one room, it was a small house. I was given a separate room so that I could make my own music. So they gave me that space, they never stopped me, they have always supported me.”
Babar went on to talk of his positive experiences:
“And I personally think that family support matters a lot. If you are an up and coming musician, obviously you have to earn money, all these things are necessary. In the beginning, nothing happens until you are properly established. So, I think that’s important and this is a major reason that I was able to continue music and I was able to make it here. My family has supported me a lot. But there was one thing, my father used to say to me: what are you singing so fast? I mean, he didn’t know what rap is. So he used to say, why are you doing this? You should sing, you need to sing.”
And Babar explains like he did to his dad:
“No, this is a different type of music, this is hip-hop. And, I express myself better in it. And then when he saw me in Coke Studio, then he was like, yeah, this is something different. People are loving it.” Babar goes on to drop more gems for struggling musicians: “I would say that it’s important to have family support, but you should listen to yourself as well. So again, our song is about that as well I mean, do what you want to do, don’t force anyone. And I listened to myself and chose to rap.”
And that, dear folks, is the message of the song as well. Do as you will, and listen to your inner voice, just like Marvi, Babar too, listened to his calling and here he is today, before us, rapping his heart out to the beat of Aayi Aayi, making the entire nation and beyond, sing along with him!
Tell us if you’re still humming to the beat or already waiting for the next number to drop on Coke Studio 15!
The song Aayi Aayi is curated and produced by the renowned musician Xulfi, boasts a collaborative effort from a talented team of artists and creators. The narrative of the song was crafted by none other than Xulfi himself, while the composition bears the creative input of Xulfi, Noman Ali Rajper, Babar Mangi, and Abdullah Siddiqui. The evocative lyrics were penned by Noman Ali Rajper and Babar Mangi, lending depth and emotion to the music. The arrangement and production of the music were expertly handled by Xulfi and Abdullah Siddiqui, ensuring a cohesive and captivating sound. With Xulfi also taking charge of the mixing, the song received its final polish from Sr. Mastering Engineer Randy Merrill of Sterling Sound. Notably, the project benefited from the insights of song consultants Saif Samejo and Zeeshan Ali. The vocal performances, integral to the song’s expression, were delivered by Noman Ali Rajper, Babar Mangi, Marvi, and Saiban, each lending their unique voice to the composition, bringing it to life with their individual flair and talent.
