Line-up:

Fuad Almuqtadir - Keyboard

DRockstar Shuvo - Vocals

Johan Alamgir - Guitar

Amzad Hossain  - Drums

Kazi Faisal Ahmed - Guitar

Bass King Pavel - Bass

Richard Modhu -Drums (USA)

Papa D Nayeem - Guitar (USA)

It was a cosy afternoon at a hotel in the capital, as we were waiting for Fuad and Friends. Last October, 'Fuad Live in Dhaka' surpassed all expectations, as Fuad Almuqtadir, with his all-star crew, became the talk-of-the-town once again. As the band arrived, all worn out after multiple shows, we sat down for a casual chat. "Even though it is a bit hectic, we are having a blast," said Fuad, who goes back and forth between Bangladesh and the USA for regular shows. The line-ups constantly feature renowned and promising artistes. In response to how these artistes are selected, the music director replied, "You can't just decide who you're going to be friends with, and our band works in a similar way." Thanks to the band, artistes like Tashfee, Fairooz, Xefer and Anika were able to find new heights in their careers. Appearances from established names like Elita, Rafa, Kona and Bappa Mazumder brought a sense of grandeur to their live performances. When Fuad and Friends is performing in the USA, Richard Modhu and Papa D Nayeem join as the drummer and guitarist respectively. As we continued chatting in the hotel's swimming pool area, the band's vocalist, DRockstar Shuvo arrived. "It has been almost fourteen years that we have been sharing the stage together," said Shuvo. "From the very first moment, it felt like a family, and has become a part of my identity. Pavel, who is also the bass player for AvoidRafa, had an interesting story to share. "Fuad bhai initially knew me as a photographer," he reminisced, "it was only when they were looking for a bassist when I was called upon. The talented musician has been with the band ever since. Johan, also known as the frontman for popular band Subconscious, is an ever-present figure in their shows. "For me, performing all over the world with this line-up is a dream come true," he said, "what more can a musician ask for?"

"I have learned a lot from Fuad and Friends," said Amzad, who is an established music director in his own right, "I am a musician first and music director second, and the band helps me keep this identity intact."

Going forward, Fuad and Friends plan to bring back old friends from the music industry -- "We plan to bring back Poonam, Simin and Anila going forward," said Fuad, "I feel like that is the only direction we can go.

Even though the musical landscape today is not in favour of physical albums, the band did not put the idea off the table. "We are constantly working on new music, and we will definitely think about an album. However, we basically live in different corners of the world now, so it would be very challenging." As Fuad said these words, we knew that this 'challenge' was not too steep for the ace music director.