Journal 12 (September 16, 2025
Back to My Roots Part 1
Looking Back in Appreciation ☺️
Hey,
David here. As someone who has been chronically good at forgetting how far I have come, I figured I would start a little series to look back in appreciation at my roots. Along the way, you will get to know a little more about what No Fltr is about and why we do what we do.
🎭 Early Pull Toward the Arts
I have always felt a pull toward the arts as a kid, whether it was dancing, singing, or acting. In elementary school, I joined an afterschool program where a dance teacher who had toured with major recording artists taught us choreography.
Growing up in a Pakistani American household, I was surrounded by Bollywood movies, and I think that is what really drew me in. I loved watching actors like Shah Rukh Khan, Salman Khan, and Hrithik Roshan. Movies like Dhoom, Krish, Koi Mil Gaya, and Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham were everything to me.
Bollywood Actors I grew up with
🚗 Singing with Mom
A core memory of mine is singing along to Bollywood songs in the car with my mom, using the CDs she would burn off the internet. Up until the 8th grade, I mostly knew Indian and Desi music, and honestly, that is what first got me singing.
Around age 10 or 12, I realized I wanted to do music after watching a Desi version of American Idol Kids Edition on TV. Seeing kids my age performing on stage made me fall in love with the idea of being there too.
📻 Discovering the Radio
8th grade is when I discovered the radio. Stations like 103.5 and 102.7 FM in New York introduced me to Eminem, early Drake, Jay Z, and Kanye.
Songs like Mercy, Cinderella Man, Love the Way You Lie, Power, and Runaway carried me through my most formative years. I was dealing with puberty, my parents separating, and struggling to make friends.
Some Albums & Covers with Songs I Grew up on
Music became my lifeline. It got me through the day and gave me comfort when the world felt too big and overwhelming.
🎶 High School & Beyond
By late middle school and throughout high school, I joined every play and theater production I could. In my senior year, I even took an intro to guitar class that taught me the basics.
Looking back now, it was heartbreak during my freshman year of college that really pushed me into writing songs. Even though I was terrible when I started, I stuck with it long enough to get good.
But more on that next time.
As always, thanks for reading,
Dave
PS: Next time, I’ll share how heartbreak in college pushed me to start writing songs (and why I stuck with it even when I was terrible at first). Stay tuned for Part 2.
