Iftikhar Habib (Ifu)-vocals
Sarmad Ghafoor-Lead guitarist
WITH
Wasim Kamal-Drums
Zulfiqar-ul-Hasan (Zulfi)-rhythm guitars

Full Name ?
Iftikhar Habib

AGE ?
30

DATE OF BIRTH ?
3rd October, 1974

PLACE OF BIRTH ?
Lahore

LOCATION ?
Lahore

PROFESSION ?
Vocalist and founding member of Rungg

HOBBIES ?
Into various sports

FUTURE PLANS ?
First and foremost on the agenda is to do another video and release the album. Complementing this would be live shows InshAllah. We also want to get back into the songwriting phase and start working on the second album.

HOW LONG YOU HAVE BEEN INVOLVED IN MEDIA ?
I became very much a part of the underground rock scene in Lahore since 1993. With Rungg I have gone mainstream.

WHAT INSPIRED YOU TO MAKE MUSIC ?
My truest expression lies in music ever since I was a kid. I always had an intense personality and music became the voice of my emotions.

HOW HAS YOUR EXPERIENCE WITH PAKISTANI MEDIA BEEN SO FAR ?
MashAllah it has been excellent and we enjoy a great relationship with all media people and journalists.

ANY PLANS FOR A NEW VIDEO ANYTIME SOON ?
Yes we are set to release the video of our song 'Koi Jane Na' (can be downloaded from our site (www.rungg.com) in February 2005.

HOW FAR DO YOU SEE PAKISTANI MEDIA EXTEND ITSELF ?
I was recently in France and was listening to a lot of French pop/rock music. Of course I liked some of the stuff I heard over there but I honestly felt that Pakistani pop music has so much potential for international exposure. Despite Urdu and Punjabi not being widely spoken languages. I think at large we are making better pop music than the French and I think this comparison in my point of view is reflective of how I see Pakistani music extending itself in the future.

WHAT ABOUT YOUR MUSIC EDUCATION ?
Formal education in the Indian sub-continent is more about having an "Ustaad" who you accept as your "guru". In this context I have had the honor of learning from various maestros of Indian classical singing. I also had the chance of being taught for a short time by American artist Glenn Perry, who had international releases.

TELL US SOMETHING ABOUT YOUR MUSIC EQUIPMENT ?
Mainly: Ibanez guitars, Roland V-8 Drums, Sure and AKG Microphones and quite a few processors that go along our P.A system.

TELL US ABOUT YOUR RECORDINGS ?
Our album has been recorded, mixed and mastered at Sarmad's (lead guitarist and secong founding member of Rungg home Studio, which we fondly call the S&M Studio. This studio was originally in Peshawar but has now been moved to Islamabad, where Sarmad has a day job.

SOURCES OF INSPIRATION ?
Aerosmith, Guns and Roses, Bon Jovi, Skid Row, Pearl Jam, Sound Garden, Prodigy, George Michael, Verve, Red Hot Chilli Peppers, John Mayer, Dream Theatre and Tori Amos.

OTHER OCCUPATIONS ?
None.

TYPE OF MUSIC YOU LIKE ?
All kinds of good music.

TYPE OF MUSIC YOU DO NOT LIKE ?
I don't hate any type of music. HOW DO U GUYS FEEL WHEN U R PLAYING LIVE ? We feel like we are on top of the world. We love it when the audience sings our songs with us.

WHAT INSPIRES YOU WHEN COMPOSING A SONG ?
As musicians, Rungg is obviously our platform to go mainstream in the music scene of the sub-continent. The basic idea was to do music that has a wide range of audience. In the course of this attempt, I feel that we have been able to bring out a sound that is not only unique but also original. We have kept our music simple both compositionally and lyrically. Rungg has given us a chance to do diverse stuff and experiment with our own creativity. We don't want this band to be very genre specific, hence the name Rungg. Currently what we have done is best described as pop-rock.

WHAT COMES DEEPER FROM YOUR SOUL, MUSIC OR LYRICS ?
I can't seperate the two.

HOW WOULD YOU LIKE TO REMEMBERED ?
"As a man amongst men"

FAVORITE MUSICIAN ?
Pat Matheny

FAVORITE SONGS ?
Many songs but one of my favorite albums is "Appetite for Destruction" by Guns & Roses.

WHAT DO YOU DO TO EARN FOR LIVING ?
Music.

WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT ePM ?
I think it is doing a great job in promoting Pakistani music and artists!

FINAL COMMENTS:
Peace and keep rocking.