Zoe Viccaji is a Pakistani artist who is passionate about music, theater, and painting. The article profiles her background and experiences in these art forms. It discusses her work in theater productions and as a backing vocalist for Coke Studio. While she enjoys painting, she prefers collaborative art forms like music and theater. The profile highlights her determination to pursue her artistic passions on her own terms.

1. 8/22/2016 Profile: Zoe Viccaji | Newsline
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AUGUST
ISSUE
2011(http://newslinemagazine.com/)
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Profile: Zoe Viccaji
By Hajra Komal Feroz (http://newslinemagazine.com/contributor/hajra-komal-feroz/) | Arts &
Culture (http://newslinemagazine.com/cats/arts-culture/) | Music
(http://newslinemagazine.com/cats/music/) | People
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Zoe Viccaji is among those few artists who are a world
in themselves – a world comprised of creativity,
wonder and possibilities. From the minute I stepped
into her house, she managed to surprise me with her
humble, down-to-earth personality.
Perched comfortably with her legs on the couch, Viccaji
ordered two cups of tea and animatedly answered all
questions. She was initially worried about not being
recorded properly because of a prior experience, but on
ensuring that the recorder was working just fine, she
proceeded with the interview.
Although I had intended to focus on Viccaji’s theatre performances and music, I
discovered another interesting aspect of her life: she also paints. Beside her on the
wall, was a painting of an old man whom she had once seen while sitting out on
the porch with her grandmother. Viccaji’s work is exquisite like her character. And
though she majored in painting, she soon realised she enjoyed working with
people as opposed to painting by herself. “I didn’t carry on with painting because I
got depressed at one point, as the whole day I would be alone, just painting. You
don’t have the culture of a commune (in Karachi) where artists paint together. Part
of the reason why I love working on music right now is because of the collaborative
aspect of it. I want to work with as many people as possible in the future; it was
fun to work with Strings and Bilal Khan. I would also love to do something with
Noori.”
Viccaji obviously loves to explore different horizons. In college, she also minored
in theatre – something she always enjoyed as a child. “When we were growing up,
my brother and I use to make up little plays. He’d always play the servant and I
would be the begum sahib who would mistreat the servant. We would perform the
play in the TV room and charge our parents Rs10 as entrance fee!”

3. 8/22/2016 Profile: Zoe Viccaji | Newsline
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She auditioned for a role in Chicago
(http://www.newslinemagazine.com/2009/02/behind-the-scenes/) when she
returned to Karachi and played the role of Mama Morten. Later, she also
performed in Mamma Mia (http://www.newslinemagazine.com/2009/11/one-
step-back/). Whenever she visited from college, she would always prioritise
theatre over music. But Shehzad Hassan, from Vital Signs, told her to take her
music seriously, “He always said, ‘You mark my words, music will take over your
life.’ And I think it has, sort of.”
Comfortably switching gears while talking about music, theatre and the arts,
Viccaji was refreshingly easy to talk to. She would suddenly remember an
interesting or funny anecdote and share it. “I think the first time I actually started
enjoying the act of performing was when my friend Sana and I learnt all these
songs, especially those by Sajjad Ali. We would put all our stuffed toys in the
garden and stand on the patio (pretending we were on stage) and sing to them. I
used to love performing to a garden full of stuffed toys!” she says with a nostalgic
smile as she points towards her patio.
Even as a child, music had always been her escape,
although she admits that some of her earliest song-
writing memories do make her cringe because they
were so cheesy. “There was this one song I wrote
when my dog died and I wrote it as a letter to the
dog!” she laughs.
More inclined towards jazz and blues, her favourite
musicians include Frank Sinatra and she takes
inspiration from Ella Fitzgerald, Sara McLachlan,
Jewel and Tori Amos. Jazz from the 1920s and
1930s, especially the songs written by Cole Porter, are in a class of their own, says
Viccaji. And from Pakistan, Nazia Hassan has inspired her as a performer. “It’s not
so much her voice but her demeanour that I love. She was such a composed and
elegant person, there was no show sha.”
Zoe Viccaji is also determined to sing the kind of songs she likes. “Why do I have to
sing songs to cater to the public? A lot of people have told me that in order to
penetrate the market, I’ll have to sing in Urdu. But I don’t want to do that right

4. 8/22/2016 Profile: Zoe Viccaji | Newsline
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now. I do plan on writing an Urdu piece with someone, and if I can be in on the
melody and words from the beginning, I’m okay with that.”
Coke Studio’s producer, Rohail Hyatt
(http://www.newslinemagazine.com/2011/06/interview-rohail-hyatt-producer-
coke-studio/), always knew of her, says Viccaji, but was hesitant to ask her to do
the backing vocals because he thought it would be an insult to ask a lead singer to
do this. But her reaction was totally different: “No way, of course I would want to
be a backing vocalist on Coke Studio. Even if I’m the person holding the sheets, I
would want to be a part of Coke Studio!
(http://www.newslinemagazine.com/2011/07/music-review-coke-studio-season-
4-episode-5/)”
Her ideas are unconventional, and she comes across as a person who looks at the
bigger picture. On inquiring why she hasn’t had a solo performance on Coke
Studio, she maintains that although she was offered a solo performance, she
prefers being in the background. “I think it’s an issue over here, people always feel
like they have to be a star, but to have a good production you will always need a
good team working behind the scenes. [I feel] if you want to make good music, you
can’t always be at the forefront of things. Doing backing vocals has been the best
learning experience ever.”
One thing about Viccaji that shines through is her passion and her zeal to do more
than just singing and performing. She also works part-time for a consulting
company that operates in the social sector, ensuring that the social work being
done is effective and sustainable. While music and art have a social impact, to
Viccaji they feel like selfish pursuits that do not really give back to society the way
social work does. Which is why, says Viccaji, “I think that social work is something
I want to continue doing.”
Currently in New York attending music and acting classes, Viccaji understands the
need to further hone her talent while staying true to herself. “You know, a lot of
people here think they need to put on this face or act, but I’ve been very specific
about not going beyond what I am.”
This profile was originally published in the August 2011 issue of Newsline under the headline “A Little
Bit of Everything.”

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