Popular folk singer Mehmeet Syed has acquired both name and fame for reviving a love for Kashmiri folk music. Millions of Kashmiris and non-Kashmiris across the world have claimed to have been inspired by her to excel in their lives and professions.
But Mehmeet is all humility and comes across as a person who is very grateful and graceful about her success. In an interview given to Brighter Kashmir, Mehmeet revealed that it was because of her mother, Yasmeen Mir, that she took a liking for music. She said her mother was a music graduate and was, and continues to remain her inspiration.
“I am sure people would be aware of me. Ever since I have been conscious, I have been singing. In all the interviews that I have given, I have shared glimpses of my life, how I started my journey, etc. For me, the one key factor that I attribute to my success as a singer is ‘being consistent’. It is actually a big deal and very important. When you start something, it is important to nurture it, polish it with consistency. It is difficult, especially for a girl/woman,” Mehmeet said.
“Having said that; I must acknowledge that I have received tremendous support and love and that makes me very grateful to all those people involved in my life’s journey!. I am who I am because of them. I owe it to them,” she adds.
Mehmeet started singing at the age of six. Her first performance was on the stage of her school, the Presentation Convent Higher Secondary School, in Srinagar. Her fellow students were not the only ones left inspired, her teachers and the school principal were too, so much so that she became a sort of permanent fixture in all future events while she was at the institution.
She told Brighter Kashmir, “After a long time I am producing songs which shall be coming out in the very near future. I intend to also make some videos of my music. Hopefully they will be good. It will be a sort of a comeback. For instance, I have performed a song with famous poet Habba Khatoon as my muse. I have three music albums to my credit. I have performed them on video too. I have used folk/ethnic instruments in my videos. I am keen to always give a Kashmiri flavour to my songs.”
Mehmeet acquired fame as a child artist. She was encouraged to take music lessons, spending many hours with her mother learning the nuances of difficult tunes and classical ragas. Apart from mastering the art of vocal singing, Mehmeet also learned to play several musical instruments, including the harmonium. All this was taking place in an environment that was becoming increasingly radicalised and did not look too kindly upon music as a profession and was even more discouraging about a Kashmiri girl or woman singing.
“If you have acquired name and fame and in my case, it was very early on, it is important to share those experiences, those circumstances, give respect to all those people who were instrumental in helping you to evolve as a human being and as a performer. In the initial years, I didn’t have the advantage of mediums like social media. A struggle was there to achieve, to be known. Nowadays it is much, much easier. There are so many avenues available to you today to promote yourself and your talent,” Mehmeet says.
“In today’s environment, if you are failing at something, you need to step back, self-introspect and understand your shortcomings. If you want to be a singer, or for that matter in any other profession, you must be properly prepared, there can be no room for compromise. In traditional music, for instance, you have to have an understanding of the Qalam, you have to think of ways to engage the audience, introduce themes that are in tune with the times, which keep the younger generation interested, etc. You have to be consistent, work hard and with passion. Without these qualities, there can be no success,” she adds.
Mehmeet says she owes her success to the unconditional love and support of her parents, Syed Makhdoomi and Yasmeen Mir, besides her brother, Muheet Syed.
“My first inspiration was my mother. It is only because of her that I am a singer today. The other person that inspired me was Simna Dorjee, always. Her songs actually encouraged me to sing in Kashmiri.”
Mehmeet has been a showstopper since 2004. She is the first Kashmiri singer to use local composers to create her first music video album titled "Cholhama Roshay Roshay" in 2005. That album created instant ripples across the Kashmir Valley and the world. She became a sensation overnight. Along the way, she also acquired three Masters Degrees from the University of Kashmir and Indira Gandhi National University.
In the initial years, she released seven albums, each one of which occupied the top spot for months and in some cases years. With stardom have come accolades, awards and invites to television studios, films and radio.
Widely regarded as the “Nightingale of Kashmir”, Mehmeet is keen to inspire the youth of Kashmir to follow the path of peace and love. She is a Padma Shri recipient and has also received an achievement award from former president A. P. J Abdul Kalam.
Between 2007 and 2011, she took a sabbatical from her profession to take care of her mother till she passed away.
“Before her death, my mother was bedridden for five years. She passed away due to a paralytic stroke. While bedridden, she was kind of training me how to live without her, how to take care of the home and to take care of things. There is a particular song which I like which is very heart-felt. I had prepared it soon after my mother passed away,” Mehmeet says.
Mehmeet refers to this part of her life as the most difficult, where nothing mattered more than being by her mother’s side and making sure her final days were peaceful.
“The most painful thing about the people that you lose in your life’s journey is that you don’t get another pair, especially when it comes to parents. It is an irreparable loss; it is something that cannot be undone. You have to live with this vacuum in your life even as you attempt to get along,” she says.
In 2014, she started performing again, working on a new video album. In 2015, she undertook her first ever concert tour to the United States, covering the cities of New York, Los Angeles, Texas, Washington D.C. and several other cities. Her performances were sold out and social media was agog with praise. There were demands for more concerts.
From the US, she moved to Australia, New Zealand and the UAE for her next concert tours, performing in Sydney, Canberra, Melbourne, Auckland, Abu Dhabi and Dubai.
Her long-term objective is to promote Kashmiri music, language and culture. She has already done one such tour in 2017 to the UK, Europe, Malaysia and Singapore.
Mehmeet has made it to the history books of Kashmir, undoubtedly an inspiration for Gen Next.