'No one really thinks that men go through pain and emotional distress during a divorce'

Aatif Majid's new track ‘Beparwaiyan’ (Nonchalance) shares his personal experience of divorce.

Aatif, 38 is hoping to reach out to thousands of Asian men who suffer the trauma of divorce in silence.

The song shares the emotional stress and suffering that Aatif went through, and he is keen to use the track as a vehicle to highlight that men also suffer introspectively during and after divorce.

He said: “No one really thinks that men go through pain and emotional distress during a divorce.

"I was heart broken and felt like a failure – not just personally, but also saw the physiological repercussions it had on my family and those around me.

"I went through serious depression, felt alone and experienced emotions of guilt, failure, hurt and anger. Just because I am a man, it doesn’t mean that I don’t hurt - but it’s simply not ‘manly’ to admit any of these feelings, which is an added pressure.”

This is mirrored by the fact that suicide amongst UK males is 5 times higher than that of women (Samaritans 2017 report).

Men at often times are afraid to open up without the risk of being perceived as weak, and Aatif aims to break these stereotypes and promote a healthier approach to male mental well-being.

Aatif, graduated from university and went on to work for several publishing companies in London and then Dubai and then married in 2009.

The couple initially moved out to Dubai where things started to go wrong, so they returned to London in the hope of working things out.

Sadly, over a period of six years, they faced numerous hurdles, work pressures and health challenges, all of which played a role in the ultimate and very acrimonious breakdown of the marriage.

The couple finally divorced in 2015, leaving Aatif devastated and ‘a broken man’.

Having spent months struggling with depression and unable to focus on work, he finally built up the courage to share what he was going through with an old friend.

He added, “It was like I had opened the floodgates, and years of pent-up emotions and feelings finally came out.

"It was the first time that I had been truly honest about my feelings, and what a relief!

"I shared all my troubles with my friend and he did everything he could to support me, without making me feel less of a man.”

His friend Nabil encouraged Aatif to pursue a new-found interest and passion in music.

Having recognised that Aatif had a great voice, Nabil and another friend Shiri convinced him to book some time in a studio and produce a demo track and that night was the beginning of what became a cathartic healing process and journey to release a song about his personal experience of divorce.

“I will never forget that night – it was a real turning point in my life, as I decided to try and make something positive out of my negative situation and my divorce.”

In late 2016, Aatif met with legendary Pakistani lyricist and poet SM Sadiq. Aatif said, “I was invited to spend three days with SM Sadiq and his team in Lahore – what an experience! I turned up to his studio and we talked music for the whole time I was there - from lyrics to mastering... what I learned in those three days I shall never forget and will be forever grateful.”

‘Beparwaiyan’, the debut track from Aatif Majid will be available via iTunes and other digital stores on 14th September 2017.