Fairooz Nazifa’s brief return with The Stopover Show

Fairooz Nazifa first gained attention in 2019 through a collaboration with Fuad Almuqtadir on his iconic track 'Tumi Hina' and later made significant waves with her performance on Coke Studio Bangla's (CSB) 'Ghum Ghum.' 

She is a prominent figure among a certain niche of Dhaka's music aficionados.

Currently pursuing higher education in the United States, she returned to Dhaka to perform her show titled 'The Stopover Show' on 5 July and shake us awake from our slumber reminding us that she never really left.

To Nazifa, it seemed like every piece of music had a meaning and a message, even if it meant a simple nostalgia trip. It is probably what made the evening a much better experience. One could just shut their eyes and enjoy the music while Nazifa's voice painted a picture in the audience's minds.

The music was quite different from what one might expect. The setlist consisted of off-beat jazz tunes made whole by the unique voice of Nazifa and Indalo's Zubair Hasan on guitar and synths while Tanveer Haque served as the bassist on the night. It was a chill and relaxing evening, something akin to a coffeehouse.

While the first song was offbeat and felt anomalous to my ears which are more attuned to the regular 4/4 commontime songs I listen to, the singer slowly came back to the kind of music the general crowd is more familiar with.

"It was intentional to start off like that," Nazifa explained. "I don't usually sing songs like that, but I tried challenging myself to a different breed of songs. I thought, why not begin with something different and then move on to what I'm more familiar with," she added.

And indeed she delivered on that plan. 

As stated earlier, while I struggled to groove with the nuanced rhythm of the initial songs, as Nazifa gradually performed her more cherished numbers, I felt right in place. Her rendition of 'Ghum Ghum,' which was done in a modest setting as opposed to the multiple instruments and the entire ensemble found in the CSB version, was rather refreshing. 

Photo: Mehedi Hasan

Needless to say, the crowd loved every bit of Nazifa's jazzy rendition of Fuad's 'Tumi Hina' as well as the venue reverbated the chorus lines with the crowd enthusiastically singing in unison.

In between said songs, Nazifa covered Steve Lacy's 'Bad Habit' which the audience took really well. She also performed her original 'Resuscitate' for the first time in Bangladesh. Nazifa had a special surprise in store for the 90 odd in the audience as she performed an unreleased track titled 'Amber.' She plans to release a slow, sombre song that deals with the concept of unrequited love soon.

Despite the sweltering heat that comes along with gatherings, Jatra Biroti is the perfect place for the quaint show. The venue's ambience gave the musical affair a cosy vibe that takes you away from the city's chaos and rush. 

By the time the venue reached its capacity, there was no place to sit inside the gallery – the telltale sign of an eager crowd.

According to the itinerary, the show was supposed to start at 7 pm, a rarity for a live event in Dhaka to start on time. By the time Nazifa took to the stage, it was already a little past 8 pm. 

The delay was caused by technical difficulties, signs of which were already pretty evident from early on. The team must be given credit though as they tried to sort out the problem promptly.

When asked about how different it was to perform again in Bangladesh after being away in the US for the better part of the year, Nazifa said, "It was a humbling experience in the US as I was nobody there. But I loved the crowd [in Dhaka], their response was so overwhelming!" 

Nazifa further expressed her gratitude for the admiration and support she received from the crowd on the night, even after having only a handful of practice sessions before the show.

"This feels like a time skip period for me. I won't be in Bangladesh for a while, so I don't think I'll be able to do big projects anytime soon. But while I'm away, I'll keep working on myself, building myself up and then come back with bigger things," Nazifa shared.