Mohammed Nazam is a professional musician from London with Asian heritage. While carving a career in the music industry through playing both the acoustic and electric guitar for numerous bands and projects around London, he has also founded Berakah Arts, ‘an innovative charity that creates music to transcend barriers built by faith and culture, and to bring people together in a spirit of understanding and shared values.’ To further his career, he also teaches the guitar to people of all ages including myself.   

Earlier this week during one of our Skype lessons, we digressed from playing and began talking about Mo's life and career until now as well as discussing his deep-rooted and personal relationship with the guitar and music as a whole.  

When asked about his reasons for getting involved with music in the first place Mo said, ' I had always loved and adored music from when I was very very young, and I used to sing all the theme tunes to my favourite tv programmes and as a very young child we would go see Indian movies on a Sunday at the local cinema and they were all musicals.' 'I was also into "Top of the Pops" and the radio as my older sister was a big music fan. He also mentioned how 'music was always there, we weren't a musical family but i fell in love with it very early on, as i did with anything creative - books, movies and music'. I proceeded to ask if he played any other instruments growing up, to which he answered that he 'joined the school brass band playing trumpet' but was encouraged to 'try a harder instrument the soprano cornet' as his teacher knew he was 'practicing and keen to get better'. I proceeded to ask him about some of his musical inspirations growing up to which he said, ‘definitely Queen, Led Zeppelin and Jimi Hendrix. Queen were really clever and had an arty edge’, something he thought he possessed too. He also said that ‘the film soundtrack of Jesus Christ Superstar had lots of guitar on it, very good songs and a very sophisticated approach to composition where the sound of guitar just really appealed to me’.  

He then answered my questions on performing live and stated that he ‘often played to classmates I also visited my older brother who was working as a social worker in South London with youth offenders who would do up cars and I would go down hang out with them and play guitar for them. My first band gig, however, was when I was around probably 19 or 20 when I was in college.’ While debating his favourite live performance to date he said that ‘it is hard to answer as there are two sides to me, the side that really likes to play small intimate concerts on my acoustic as it brings out a different side of my personality, but then there's the loud, raucous, big stages, big audiences with lots of people dancing and my loud electric guitar. Ultimately though, it is most fulfilling when I get to play my own music whether it be for the Berakah players or myself’. 

Nearing the end of our lesson I asked him if having a career in music ever took away the enjoyment from playing, to which he said, ‘at times, as for any professional, it can feel like a slog, especially when being paid to play music that isn’t pleasant or with other artists who are difficult to work with. However, while there is an element of all that, the balance with everything is key’. He says that his balance comes mainly from doing his own things on the side, ‘working with the Berakah players for 15 years, using my own music as well as collaborating with other members of bands.’  He stated that the important thing is that ‘I am still in love with the guitar: playing it, hearing it and reading and looking at it! If you lose that element of it all, you are quite screwed.’  

Finally, I asked the important question that I'm sure is on everyone's mind currently – how had Covid-19 affected his career, life and the industry as a whole? He said ‘it has been devastating. There is no other word for it and that is not an overstatement. At all levels on the industry pyramid, people have been affected whether it be the artists themselves or people behind the scenes.’  

Mo discussed how he has lost 2/3 of his income since March, which came from playing live, and no one has any idea of when it will pick back up again other than the fact it will be in a long while and will be a very slow recovery for many. He says that ‘It was normal for me to only be home two nights a week and even then, I was up until two or three in the morning as that is the lifestyle of the musician and a performer. He states that for him there is a feeling of ‘cabin fever with many ups and downs’, and that at the moment he would describe himself as ‘spectacularly fed up!’ 

Mo is one of many musicians whose lifestyle and career are drastically affected due to the current state of the world we are in. The music industry, as many, has been hit hard by the pandemic and as Mo says – it will not be an easy recovery. Mo is one of the most fascinating and inspiring people I know, let alone incredibly talented, and I am very fortunate to have him as my guitar teacher. 

I have linked a few things below if anyone is interested in his work, projects, the guitar or even a lesson for the future! 

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FPlPySQtcAM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FPlPySQtcAM
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FPlPySQtcAM

www.theberakahproject.org.uk

Instagram - monazam23