After their huge success with their single from Rock 606, we sat down with Owned and discussed about their journey, from their inception, and how they want to carry it forward. So, here is how it went.
How did Owned start its journey?
Andy: Owned was just a three-member band, five years back, with Ratul, Samee and Fasih at the start. I was friends with Ratul but as he left for another school, for the lack of communication, we eventually lost contact. But, through some fine way, we got to talk and we, both, started off with, “music”. He told me that he needs a vocalist, and on the other hand, I did not have a band at all. So, he told me to jam with them all someday. We fixed a date, and it was pretty much set after that jam.
What was the objective that Owned set out with?
Andy: All of us in the band love music and we wanted to share our music with the people and, of course, make our country’s music scene a better place.
What are the main influences of the band and how did it reach the sound it has now?
Andy: Talking from the band’s perspective, the early years of Owned was kind of based on a grunge-post grunge outfit. We all were into Nirvana, Papa Roach, Alice in Chains and other grunge bands. The sound of the band changed into Alter Rock when we knew that we could pull them off perfectly. We started covering tracks from Alter Bridge, Foo Fighters, Breaking Benjamin, etc. One of the big parts of Owned and its track lists are that, we used to cover songs that we all love and want to cover on stage, and want to cover badly. So yeah, that basically says it.
During the early days, what were the set of ideologies followed by Owned, for a new band to excel in the music scene?
Andy: We believe that practice makes a ‘musician’ perfect. And all of us grew on this fact. During the early years, all we used to do is practice, which was followed by a lot of practicing as well. There were cases where the band jammed four times a week. And also, a jam before a show was a must! That basically sets the tone for any band to achieve great heights in our music industry. To conclude, for every human, even if you are not a musician, practice would perfect your art.
Mushfiq: Crazy Stuff!!
No one would know this better than an upcoming band in this scene. How much hard work and dedication is required for a band to shine?
Mushfiq: Crazy Amount!
Andy: Look at the music scene now. There are so many bands that it is hard to be the one ‘shining’. Before us, there were a few bands, and all of them used to attract attention of the whole crowd and they used to watch the entire gig! This doesn’t happen nowadays. You need to be the one standing out, among all those other bands in the gig and nothing can make you do that if you are not dedicated enough. So, yes, dedication and hard work is a must in your ‘to-do’ list of ‘how to form a proper rock band’.
How do you feel when you see people jumping to your grooves, singing with you all and having a good time, during your gigs?
Andy: It’s a feeling of a lifetime! You never get to experience such a phenomenon unless you’re up there, entertaining the crowd. All good things come to an end, and it’s just that very moment you feel the goodness of the music that you do, and we are lucky to re-live that moment!
How does Owned describe “Abaro”?
Andy: We feel that it’s the most mature composition that this band has produced till date. Some say that this is our first composition but no, it’s not. We had Firey Jai which went to Nokia IAC but even then, we believe it’s one of the ‘matured’ ones we have given to the people.
Mushfiq: Crazy!
What would be Owned’s best creation till now?
Andy: We don’t really categorize our tracks, to be honest, because we love music and we love making them as well. We never compose for the sake of composing. It’s not in us. We put our best efforts behind every track we make. That is the reason why we love all of our singles, but, if we have to put it this way, then our best is yet to come.
What does “Scissorhands” mean to Owned and how did this song come forward?
Andy: This track proves our limits, to some extent, to what new heights we can go to, in terms of producing a new sound is concerned. For me, the chorus of this track was the biggest challenge I have ever faced, and thanks to Allah, I emerged as the winner. Though, this track is not only about the vocals and exceeding its limits, we all pushed ourselves to newer heights, let it be the guitar riffages, the solos or the drumming.
So, what’s coming next?
Andy: “Jekyll and Hyde” will be released in a mixed album called. “Play It NOW!”. And surely, this will be another new sound for our fans to listen to. The track would be having a new style of drumming, to be specific.
Mushfiq: Crazy Drumming!
What is Owned planning for its long journey in the Bangladeshi music scene?
Andy: We are working on our own solo album, along with all the other compositions that we are doing and we hope we would be done with it in no time. Other than that, making good music for the awesome crowd would be our one and only priority.
Anything, addressing the fans?
Andy: I would like to say that we love doing what we do and we love sharing it with our fans and we love hearing their feedbacks! The songs we compose might take a little time for a few listeners to get to it, but don’t worry you’ll get there. At the end, we all love you and love your endless support. Keep supporting us and keep supporting good music.
Owned would be one of the biggest examples this music industry can provide, as to how far, hard work and love for good music can take you. These people represent the young generation in our music industry and we are proud to have them, not only as a band, but as musicians who want to give something to the people, in return of their endless support. May God bless them in their journey.
Click Here to check out Owned’s Facebook Fanpage
Click Here to check out Owned’s Reverbnation Account.
Click Here to read Youthsparks’ Review of Owned’s single ‘Niroporadh’
Click Here to read Youthsparks’ Review of Owned’s single ‘Abaro’
