For the love of Words

Humayra Rahman Mitul learns about a lyricist’s journey in the music industry

It has been over two decades but there are only a few Bangladeshis who have not heard the song Phiriye Dao by Miles. This legendary song was written by Mahmud Khurshid who will be celebrating twenty-five years in the Bangladesh music industry as a lyricist. Mahmud is an established corporate personality with his name associated with companies like ACI, Siemens, Trust bank, City Bank and Standard Chartered. Most recently, he has joined Super Star Group (SSG), a leading electrical and electronics conglomerate in the country, as Chief Marketing Officer. However, little is known of Mahmud Khurshid’s immense contribution as a lyricist. He has written for a diverse group of musicians starting from Miles, Warfaze and Feedback to solo artists like Kaniz Shubarna, Jhumu Khan, Akhi Alamgir, Khaled Hossain Milu, and also artistes like Walker Chowdhury and Firoz. Among his famous songs are Phiriye Dao, Dhiki Dhiki, Jala Jala and Shopno Bhongo by Miles.

How did it all begin?
My entry into the music industry was not planned. I used to write rhymes and poems. My first work was published when I was in class nine in the Shishu by Shishu Academy, Kochi Kachar Ashor of the Daily Ittefaq, Shongbad’s Khelaghor and Nobarun. Later on, two books were published from the writing in Nobarun as follow-ups along with many other poems. When I was in university, some senior students formed a band called Octave. They knew that I used to write, so the band asked me to write songs for them. It was the first time I wrote a song for an album.

Was your song released?
They released an album but they didn’t take the first song I wrote which was Ek Jhor Eshe Bhenge Diye Gelo. They took seven other songs from me, and this one was eventually taken by Miles and released later.

So your career did not start with a bang but gained momentum gradually?
Yes, I already had knowledge about rhythms from my experiences in writing poems, but I was not a song-writer. Not having any training as a lyricist I relied on my sense of rhythm which eventually transformed into songs.

Why did you decide to start writing professionally for bands?
As mentioned before, music wasn’t something I had planned to do; I did it because I was asked. The recordings used to take place in Dawn Studios and that is where I met Manam Ahmed from Miles. He was directing someone else’s song and working on their first album Protisruti. It was then that Manam bhai asked me to write a song for them since they needed a song for their album. For the first time, I wrote a song for Miles, Shei Mishti Hashi Bhulte Pari Ni and it was released in the album Ei Mon Toh Ar Mane Na. Another hit was Tumi Chole Gechho by Octave which was tuned by Ali Akbor Rupo.

Did you ever consider playing any musical instrument?
I was interested in learning the guitar. Now that I think about it, if I had learnt the guitar then I could have done more. There is a humming in the mind while composing a song and it could’ve been implemented properly had I learnt an instrument. Every song has an inherent tune and as I had prior knowledge of rhymes, most of my songs had a certain beat to it.

Do you still write for bands? Would you consider writing for new bands?
Yes I do, I have recently written for Feedback’s new album. Although I’m not acquainted with the new bands it was an experiment to write for them. For instance, I have written for Miles, Warfaze and Feedback; each one of them had a different sound. Other than that, I have written for various solo as well as amateur artistes. If someone is interested in singing then I will write for them.

Do you think Bangladeshi lyricists get due recognition?
I feel that Bangladeshis need to recognise the lyricists more. Sometimes, even the royalty system is not maintained, so at the least recognition should be given. For example, in a live show, the name of the lyricist could be mentioned before the performance or talked about in an interview. Songs are intellectual properties which have royalty value. Here, people know the songs but they do not know who created them.

Did you face any challenges?
No, I did not face any challenges because I had all the freedom to write. Manam Bhai and Shafin Bhai had faith in me and there were no changes made in what I wrote. I had full confidence in them and I knew they would execute the songs well while keeping true to the inherent tune of the song.