How Xefer and Riasat came together for their latest retropop hit

'Ojana', a song by Xefer and 'Arekta Rock Band' is not so 'Ojana' to Bangladeshi audiences anymore as it's funky sound has made many people groove with it. Some may even say the music slightly resembles jazzy electronic tunes.

'Arekta Rock Band' and Xefer released the new music video of 'Ojana' a month ago and it has been a massive hit so far. 

The youthful song is voiced by Xefer and Riasat Azmi, frontman of the popular band 'Arekta Rock Band'. 

The song was co-written with Raihan Mahbub Rasha, who also was the song's music producer. 

The music video was created by Flybot Studios. 

This collaboration secured a place in 'BBC Asian Network Playlist' and garnered over 225,000 views on YouTube.

The Business Standard team recently spoke with Xefer and Riasat to know more about this jazzy, pop number.

"Xefer and I know each other through the music industry. When 'Arekta Rock Band' was getting ready to release 'Eden', Xefer assisted us with the song's tunes and other musical aspects. That's when we decided to collaborate on a project, which was eventually named 'Ojana'," Riasat told us while speaking about how the duo crossed paths.

The music video of 'Ojana' was Xefer's first time sharing the screen with a male artist. And by the looks of the video, the duo shared fantastic on-screen chemistry.

"This was a new experience for me. It was fun working with Riasat since we're both comfortable with each other and the chemistry you saw on-screen was spontaneous. We were actually laughing and gossiping the whole time," Xefer said. 

Riasat admitted that he thought portraying romantic chemistry on-screen will be tough as neither Xefer nor him are professional actors. "But as time passed, we realised that we could do it and the video turned out amazing," added Riasat.

The music video of 'Ojana' is set in a dystopian future where virtual reality was duly employed. With a twist right before the video ends, this music video comes as a treat. 

Riasat said, "When Xefer and I wrote the lyrics to 'Ojana', we knew that the love story we're going to portray will be incomplete without exceptional visuals. Flybot Studios primarily came up with ideas related to space and virtual reality."

"My perception of the video's theme is that we are becoming more dependent on technology everyday. Maybe in the near future, we'll depend on technology for romantic experiences," Riasat opined.

Although this musical project seemed enormous and eccentric, it was actually not, according to Xefer. 

"Only five to six individuals worked behind the scenes of the music video. The entire video was shot freestyle," Xefer said. 

She added, "I never knew Riasat's nail polish and piercings would trigger so many people, but putting everything aside, the response was overwhelming." 

'Ojana' is the kind of music that has a very nice retropop vibe, perfect for a long drive. Sadly, 'Arekta Rock Band' and Xefer's next collaboration may not happen anytime soon.

"We may surprise people with new work but we're not going to disclose any details yet," Riasat and Xefer concluded.