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He has been compared to George Harrison. To The Traveling Wilburys. Even to Elvis. But chances are, unless you’re from Pakistan or the Indian subcontinent, you probably haven’t heard of him. That is about to change. “Hallucination” is a short narrative film and the latest music video from South Asian rocker TEE-M (Tariq Mirza), a Pakistani rock star who sings both in English and his native Urdu, sounds like The Beatles and makes national headlines in his homeland — yet lives in a one-room apartment in Santa Monica, California. So why would a top ten recording artist, considered a Gem of Pakistan by the national press, routinely playing to sold-out concerts in Karachi, Islamabad and Lahore, ubiquitous in the media and surrounded by adoring fans, choose to live in relative obscurity in America? Simply put: he’s a man on a quest, and he’s all about the music. TEE-M named his record “Earthiotic,” a term of his own invention, to reflect and embody his core belief that music possesses the rare quality to unify peoples, to defy national, ethnic or religious borders and to encourage friendship. We are, collectively, citizens of the planet Earth. And this is TEE-M’s message to us all. His very existence is a living, breathing testament to the value of a world where West and East influence each other in constructive ways, illustrating that what we share in common is far greater than what our relentless media headlines lead us to believe. TEE-M is on a quest to see his message pollinate across cultures, even if that means living in a one-room palace in America. He surprises Western ears with songs about love, heartache and reflection, inspiration drawn everywhere from the Pacific Ocean to the city of New Orleans, peppered with refrains in Urdu. He looks like “them,” sounds like “us” and when asked about his political or religious beliefs, he answers in a phrase: rock ‘n roll. As director, it’s my hope that our film helps spread the word about this important and special artist. Chris Jean
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