The art of seeing

Azmi (seated) with other Caliph Buskers band members. WHEN Khairul Azmi Mohd Saat first heard the demo song for Caliph Buskers’s single

he was so touched that he was on the verge of tears.

“The lyrics are so relatable to everyone, whether visually impaired like me or not, but nevertheless oblivious to certain things due to one’s perception,” says Azmi, the band’s lead vocalist of the single, which features singer-songwriter Faizal Tahir.

The band, which decided to work with the label Faithful Music early this year, was excited over a collaboration with Faizal, the owner of the label.

Like many songs produced by the label,

is jointly composed and written by Faizal, Ezra Kong and Mike Chan.

“When I first saw them (Caliph Buskers) three years ago performing at

I knew that they have potential. And who knew that we’d be working together later?” asks Chan.

Caliph Buskers first burst into the limelight when it was roped in by Edry Abdul Halim to perform with the band Mojo at the 29th in 2015. It took home the best performance award.

Azmi admits that initially he was doubtful about the title of the song, but soon changed his mind after he had listened to the positive lyrics. “To my friends and I, the word may not be offensive. But it can be deemed a sensitive issue by other visually impaired individuals.

“Whatever the case, the message of the song is important — we cannot turn a blind eye to certain things,” adds the 29-year-old, who hopes the tune will motivate others to never feel discouraged by the obstacles they face in life.

While the poetic lyrics aren’t pop culture fare, there’s no doubt that the inspirational words and contemporary melody will strike a chord. Aside from Azmi, Caliph Buskers is made up of Nirwan Zainal Abidin, 28; Fendy Adlun, 26; Zaki Ismail, 38; and Nor Nadira Rubiana, 26.