Young musician Ahmed Zaki has opened up about the unexpected success of ‘Mayabi’, the debut song of his band Blue Touch Bangladesh, and shared details about the group’s forthcoming second album.
Zaki founded Blue Touch Bangladesh in November 2021. The band released its first song, ‘Mayabi’, in April 2022, and the track quickly drew attention from listeners. For a newly established band, the strong response provided an encouraging beginning to its musical journey.
Zaki said the band had naturally hoped its debut would be well received, but the actual reaction was far beyond what he had expected. Artists generally approach their work with a degree of anticipation, he explained, but the affection shown towards ‘Mayabi’ was on a different scale from what he had imagined.
The song became widely recognised among listeners, although Zaki himself has not achieved the same level of public recognition. He said that does not disappoint him. Rather, he takes satisfaction from the fact that one of his creations has been embraced by audiences.
According to Zaki, he has never deliberately tried to place himself at the forefront or reveal much of himself publicly. For him, the response to his work matters more than personal visibility. Knowing that people have connected with something he created gives him a distinct sense of fulfilment, which he considers one of the most beautiful feelings associated with being an artist.
The story behind the title character in ‘Mayabi’ is also not linked to a particular person. Asked who the ‘Mayabi’ was, Zaki explained that the character was entirely fictional and emerged from his imagination.
He described imagination as one of the distinctive abilities of human beings. People can mentally place themselves in entirely different roles and circumstances. Someone may imagine being James Bond, for instance, or try to understand the feelings associated with the life of someone from a completely different background.
That freedom of imagination influenced the writing of ‘Mayabi’. Zaki said he had a fictional character in mind while writing the song rather than drawing inspiration from a specific person in his life. The ‘Mayabi’, therefore, exists primarily within the imaginative world from which the song was created.
Having made an impression with its first release, Blue Touch Bangladesh is now preparing its next major project. Work on the band’s second album has already progressed considerably, with Zaki currently focused on completing the remaining stages.
The album will be titled ‘Omimangshito’, or ‘Unresolved’, and will contain six songs. Zaki said the work may take roughly another month to complete, although a specific release date has not been announced.
The forthcoming album will mark the band’s next step after the attention generated by ‘Mayabi’. No further details about the six tracks were provided, including their individual titles or themes. Listeners will therefore have to wait for the band’s formal release plans for more information.
Asked about his ambitions for the years ahead, Zaki said his plans are straightforward. He wants to continue making music, keep singing and communicate his thoughts to people through his songs.
For him, music appears to be as much about expression as recognition. The response to ‘Mayabi’ has shown him that listeners can connect with an idea born from an artist’s imagination, while the upcoming album will give him another opportunity to share his creative perspective.
Zaki has also entered a new phase in his personal life this year after getting married. Describing the experience, he said the new chapter has brought a different set of emotions.
He regards finding the right person in life as a special, almost divine experience and said he is enjoying that part of his life. He described the period as calm and gentle, adding that everything has been going well overall.
For now, his attention is firmly divided between completing ‘Omimangshito’ and continuing his musical work. With six songs planned for the second album, Ahmed Zaki and Blue Touch Bangladesh are preparing to build on the foundation created by ‘Mayabi’ while remaining focused on the simple ambition that has guided him from the beginning: to keep making music and take his thoughts to listeners.
