Khurram Waqar (Urdu:خرّم وقار) is a guitarist/producer from Pakistan who also directs and produces his own music videos. He has been part of various rock bands for the last 20 years, with varying degree of success. He is currently involved in multiple projects, including his international collaboration with 'Brothers in Arms', the 'Guitar Collective' initiative, his band 'kW and the Facedown Movement' (kW & FDM), guitar instrumentals, video logs, Facebook live jams, and collaboration with musicians. Earlier in 2019, kW & FDM won Rock Song of the Year for 'Todi, the Smoker' at the annual Video Music Awards (VIMA), beating bands from India, Philippines, Singapore, Malaysia and Thailand. Previously, as part of the rock outfit Qayaas, he won Best Rock Band (Pakistan) at the Rolling Stones/Jack Daniels Annual Music Awards in 2010, and also won big at the IndieGO awards in Malaysia in 2012.
Personal life
Born into a Punjabi Jutt family, Khurram grew up in Lahore, Pindi and Islamabad. His father is a retired bureaucrat and his mother is a housewife. He has a younger brother and a sister. While appreciative of the arts in general, no one else from his family has yet ventured into the field of music.
His parents were supportive of his passion under the condition that he pursue his studies and career in parallel. Khurram did exactly that, graduating from Carnegie Mellon University (CMU), Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, US, with a masters in information systems management.
Since 2002, he has managed a full-time IT/telecom career (currently works at Afiniti as director IT) along with his musical ventures.
He has two sons and a daughter.
Musical influences
As a schoolboy, Khurram picked up the guitar influenced by the music of Guns N' Roses and Slash's guitar skills in particular. It was well before the Internet era, and rock music was not well known in Pakistan. Inspired by his guitar idols Joe Satriani and Steve Vai, Khurram was entirely self-taught. He was predominantly influenced by Western rock and roll, an avid fan of groups such as Led Zeppelin, Van Halen, Whitesnake, Alice in Chains and Soundgarden. Over the years, he has had a wide range of other influences, including Indian classical and semi-classical music, creating his own eclectic style.
Current ventures
Brothers in Arms (2021-present) Brothers in Arms is the world's first India-Pakistan-USA-based rock band, consisting of 3 award-winning artists:
Khurram Waqar (kW) (Pakistan)– Guitars/Production
Prateek Bhaduri (India) – Vocals
Greg Ellis (USA)– Drums/Percussions
They have collaborated online from their respective countries during the COVID-19 pandemic, in the belief that music transcends all boundaries.
Their first debut single, "Khuda Kay Bandey" "خدا کے بندے" was released on July 14, 2022. It is about the impact of war on humanity and the importance of uniting mankind.
Guitar Collective (2021-present) During the COVID-19 pandemic, Khurram launched an initiative, Guitar Collective, to get all the major guitar players from India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal and Dubai on one platform for live online discussions on guitars, technique and theory. This group created an opportunity to combine experience, knowledge and bring expertise to the forefront for anyone who is interested, ranging from upcoming musicians to bands to music producers to listeners. The goal is to establish an online collaborative environment to engage, facilitate and encourage independent musicians and raise awareness of the general masses to diversity in music. This is a DIY effort to promote positivity and instill motivation during the challenges created due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
This group schedules regular online live sessions on Instagram and Facebook and has an active YouTube page. Live sessions will be a combination of talks and performances, and have been built upon as the group has progressed. Since the moderators are primarily guitar players and producers, the group focuses on subjects ranging from our guitar playing styles, individual approaches to music, songwriting, and upcoming projects. Since music is a universal language above race, color and creed, this platform/environment will not be limited to one country or region, and is intended to bring in musicians from all over the world. The aim of this group is to provide a new perspective and approach in terms of treating art as a means of self-expression rather than a route to success. Currently the group has 135 guitar players which regularly post on the Guitar Collective Facebook Group, which has 4400 members.