Wednesday 28 April, 2021
Singer-songwriter and music producer Mahmood Khan has just released an EP Imaginary Friend.
The new record follows the recent success Mahmood is enjoying right around the world. Mahmood’s trail-blazing musical career also includes his enduring recordings with Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan and his debut solo album selling over 6 million records.
But Mahmood has also achieved outstanding results at a global level. Imaginary Friend has already shot into the USA iTunes Jazz charts at #5 and is currently #1, a feat no other Australian or Pakistani artist has ever accomplished. The new release follows in the wake of Mahmood’s other recent chart impacts worldwide, which include: 6 songs on the iTunes USA top 100 during April 2021, a #1 Billboard Classical Crossover hit with Mahmood Khan with Willoughby Symphony Orchestra that also reached #1 on iTunes in USA, Australia, France, Switzerland, Mexico, France, and Turkey, four consecutive #1 singles in Australia and Tere Baghair becoming the first foreign-language album to go #1 on the USA and Australian iTunes charts.
The new EP kicks off with Call Her Up, a track that lays the foundation for the rest of the EP: a full, slick sound with raw and vital performances and well-crafted song writing. The EP’s title track continues the same resplendent aesthetic, yet one imbued with a whimsical tone.
The following track, I Have To Love You, despite its rather inflexible title, is the ballad of the EP, one that actually reveals the flexibility of Mahmood’s vocal skills. Mahmood’s new collection also includes a funk-fuelled track, Runnin, with its splashes of retro colour and reiterative chorus.
But the keyword here is sophistication, one married to an atmosphere that manages to be expansive while retaining an organic, relatable vulnerability. The EP has many surprises and affirms Mahmood Khan’s abilities to mix genres and writing styles while maintaining his artistic idiosyncrasies.
